Yesterday in Menton. After snow, weeks of rain, suddenly a joyous blue-skied day.Whoever said the Mediterranean didn't have a tide didn't see yesterday's waves. Yes, I know, nothing compared to Australia's surf beaches but this guy was having the best fun.
Sadly - tragically - the high seas also brought drama to the south of France. In Marseilles two people drowned after being swept out to sea and in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, just along the coast from Monaco, a young woman died of a heart attack after being taken by a wave.
Gosh you could almost imagine it was Bondi!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the new year greetings - a bit tardy in reply - I am on holidays!
Also can't seem to access facebook at the moment to verify - but will be happy to asap.
Love Sally
Sad news about the fatalities from the high seas. I never would have guessed that you could surf in the Mediterranean.
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of surfing in Tamarindo, and one British tourist appears to have been lost at sea, and now the foreign newspapers and even the Wikipedia entry for our town are making a big deal about disappearances of foreigners because a hiker in a National Park 90 minutes away and another swimmer about two hours south of town have disappeared, but the foreign press is making it sound like all three disappearances happened in our town, and tourists are 100% of our economy. I am sure that will not happen to the Riviera because your reputation is firmly established, and you are not, of course, a developing country.
Sorry to editorialize at length, but this is a sensitive subject in our area.
Happy New Year Jilly - keep up the good work in 2010! We were in Cannes for the New Year and saw the terrible damage to all the beach restaurants - many were under several feet of water after all the sand defences had been washed away. We commented at the time that the sea was strong enough for surfing, but no-one appeared like your chap in Menton.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta love the water when it looks like the man in the picture is walking on it.
ReplyDeleteWe have 2° F here this morning.
These waves keep coming since the new beach has been installed in 1995/96. The artificial reef works fine given some wind somewhere off Corsica.
ReplyDeleteOnly, when I went surfing and diving in the 90s I had the impression that there was more fish around the rocks than nowadays.
Life is full of beauty and danger. I'm so sorry for the families of those taken by the waves, but I also appreciate the pure joy of this man riding the waves. Thank you, Jilly, for showing us both sides.
ReplyDeleteSurfing has always been something that I've thought I could never ever do. The waves are terrifying for me. That said, I love to watch others do it . Great series here Jilly. Perfectly shot and oh my that gorgeous blue water!!!
ReplyDeleteYep, it could be Bondi (where my daughter lives) but minus the sharks. I never trusted that shark net. :)
ReplyDeleteOur Mediterranean claims her victims here too.
Water can be our friend and our enemy; the giver and taker of life. Your photos are fabulous, almost 3D.
ReplyDeleteWe tried to represent the santons. If you get a chance, please have a look and let us know if we did them justice! Merci! Here is the permalink.
http://www.greensborodailyphoto.com/2010/01/on-the-9th-day-santons.html
Jan
Mrs. GDP
Sally says Bondi Beach and yes you could almost believe it, bar the numbers: ONE man walking on water? You gotta be joking! In Sydney they'd be lining up, even when the surf report says "desperates only" :-)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, GREAT PHOTOS Jilly, oh what fun to see surf in Menton !
I heard about the losses at sea on the radio. Very sad. We only had rain here, nothing more.
I like this place! I love the idea and wish there was a place like this in Astoria, Queens. I am a surfer and found a "real surfer bar" in Point Break NYC. I am kinda jealous ;0PIts filled with surfers, people who like surfers, people who like the beach and people who don't want to live close to town. I really like this place. You know what they have these real Proctor and Channel One surfboards on the wall. It's nice for coming any day of the week and eating a late brunch. The food was outstanding. The brunch and sides were prefect and tasty. It is a perfect "escape" from city living. It is probably one of the only places where you can get a nice frozen pina colada or margarita. The service was on hit. They came up and checked on us so many times and made sure everything was up to par. It gets very active and the bartenders keep everybody having a good time. The bartender was very accommodating. He was nice enough to make a drink, that wasn't on the menu, for me :0) Did I mention the bartenders are nice eye candy. It was amazing to see their “das boot” which is shaped like a boot filled with beer. Don’t get me wrong, I am not drunk…it’s an actual boot shaped beer container ready to be emptied. Try it ..You will love it!! Oh. How can I forget, they even have a wheel o' shots where you just have to spin it and have to drink whatever shot it lands on!! Now call that bar creativity at its best!!! And when I spill a tray full of shots on myself, the bartender so kindly remakes them for me? Good music, too, and the decor helped us weather an otherwise overcast and rainy day. You know that old song "Brandy"? It goes, "Brandy, you're a fine girl, what a good wife you would be. But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea." I believe Brandy works here. No reason, I just do. And that song happens to be a guilty pleasure of mine, so that's a plus in my book. You can simply waltz over to this colorful and warm establishment, enjoy some drinks with friends, and walk home. The bar is right at the center, so you can walk to either side for drinks, and the bartenders are friendly and at your service. There is a variety of seating, good music, and friendly neighborhood people to make your time more enjoyable. Not pretentious, very cozy, I think Point Break is a fabulous place to spend some time with friends.
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