I love the photo challenges … getting lost in memories …

The travel theme this week at Ailsa’s Where’s My Backpack is beaches and she has some enticing shots on her page. There was no question in my mind as to which beach I was going to invite you. Our favourite, bar none: Plage de La Gravette in … need I say … Antibes, France.

Even on a crowded day in August like this, it was a treat to be there, floating in the Mediterranean. Those boats in the background are privately owned by one person. One very wealthy person. Seriously.

We liked laying claim to our little patch of beach and staking our umbrella.

It’s not lined with swaying palm trees. There aren’t endless miles of golden sands.  In fact, although sand has been brought in to cover the pebble shore, as soon as you get to the water the flat rocks (galets) begin again which prevent any sort of graceful entrance or exit – at least on my part.

We kept meaning to buy beach shoes but never got around to it so I simply stumbled in and out each time.

The sand beaches begin immediately on the west side of Antibes and continue through Juan Les Pins and Cannes and all along the coast into the Var region … I still have to look up why that is …

This beach ‘restaurant’ is not exactly a gourmand’s delight … never mind, the baguette sandwiches are delicieux.

This little gem is tucked into an incredibly picturesque protected cove overlooked by the 500-year-old castle that houses the Picasso Museum and the remains of the original centuries-old ramparts. The atmosphere is fantastique. Only a ten-minute walk from where we were living, it was a siren call to us on the sultry summer days …

Oo-la-laaaa …

Where is your favourite beach? Do you like to swim or simply find a cool spot and soak in the atmosphere? Sunscreen and umbrellas are part of the drill these days but a day at the beach is still one of my favourite summer pastimes … especially when it’s in the south of France.