A MIDSUMMER COASTAL PROMENADE

By BobP

We ventured out early today to walk the fabulous cape at St Jean de Cap Ferrat – one of the most exclusive and beautiful spots on the French Riviera. 

There are walking paths along the rugged coast from Beaulieu to Villefranche that stretch for 14 km.  Along the way, one passes the port of St Jean, a number of azure “creeks”, a fabulous lighthouse, 3 public beaches – Paloma, Passable and Cro dei Pin – and some of the most stunning villas and private gardens on the coast.

In honour of midsummer, Dario decided to pick flowers – yellow, pink, red, purple – for his hat – apparently a Swedish tradition on this, the longest day of the year. To each his own; in France, we celebrate the festival of music – with bands on every corner in most cities during the evening.

On our walk, we spotted several naughty skinny-dippers on the rocks and in the water in some of the more discreet areas.   

After what seemed like hours, we ventured on a nice beachside italian restaurant where we downed a bottle of fruity rosé wine and salad plates.

My feet hurt, but it was a lovely day.  We followed the walk with a visit to our local beach in Beaulieu – La Plage des Fourmies – with a hearty swim in warm sea.  No jellyfish today – Dario was stung last week and is now particularly vigilant.  After the storms last night, we were expecting far worse, but the water was clear and striped fish were visible as we swam (with masks and snorkels). 

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