The Beach in Winter

This morning we took the dogs to the beach, which is about thirty minutes drive from where we're staying. The sky was grey and overcast, with the mountains just emerging from cloud in the distance, white-capped and unreal. The sea was almost as grey as the sky, but with big waves rolling in - very unusual for the Mediterranean.

All along the coast, the road is lined with beach clubs - you have to pay to go in and use their facilities. In summer it's nice to have an umbrella, a steamer chair, a shower and a bar! But in winter they're all closed and boarded up and you can stroll wherever you want.

Today we had the beach to ourselves, shared only with a couple of men exercising horses. We were surprised at the amount of debris. Apparently this is the result of the Xmas floods, which have washed down a whole forest of trees - they estimate it will take months to clear.

It was cold, but very beautiful. I feel very lucky to be here.