Monday, August 10, 2020

An Idle Question Prompts Important Information

My best friend Michelle wrote from Bretagne, France, that her son/our godson Fabien was surfing every day at the beaches there.  One beach, La Torche, is the site of an annual international surf championship.

Richie wondered aloud at this - "Do they have sharks there?"  Here's what I found.  In Bretagne one needs to be careful of the Porbeagle shark which authorities say runs 2.5 meters long which, translated is eight feet.

Okay Bretagne is northern France, not far from Dunkirk, Normandy and other WW2 landing beaches.  What about the famed French Riviera?  Cannes, St. Tropez?  Nice?  The last shark attack in their waters was in the 1840s.  French waters, by and large, are shark free.  Allee! Into the water!

When or probably "if" we can travel again, file this and pack your bathing suit.  

Meanwhile - cool French vacations.  Fabien, his first cousin Florente are even now in Corse (Corsica) on a rented sailboat with captain and crew and 5 or 6 of their best friends.  Oddly enough, I noted that most of the friends are women.  

This renting a domicile is by no means a new thing.  Ski season they rent a chalet.  To escape Paris heat, they go north to Trouville, Deauville, - and rent a house.  But I like the sailboat idea the best...will have to tell them to watch for sharks though.

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