Beachin' It
A white sandy beach on a Caribbean island? A
rocky beach in Nova Scotia? A glacial beach in Scandinavia? Or perhaps a
cave-littered beach in France? Beaches are things of the imagination,
and they don't disappoint. To each dream, there is a beach to match.
Given
that the planet is two-thirds water and the land masses within it total
217,490 miles (350,016 Kilometers) of coastline, and that there are
beaches from South Africa to England, Australia to Croatia (there are
even 9 beaches in Antarctica!), it is safe to say that there is a beach
somewhere in this world for everyone. There's a beach for you!
When
the word "beach" is spoken, most people think warm, sunny, palm trees
and fruity cocktails, a beach ball, a swimsuit and hours of leisure,
maybe a nap in a hammock in the shade as the afternoon grows hot. But
beaches take many forms, from white or pink sand to pebbles and even
volcanic ash. They are home to a litany of sea creatures, on shore
(crabs and birds, for instance) and in the water (fish and corals), and
they come in two general categories, "developed", Miami Beach, for
instance, and "wild" like some of the beaches in the Galapagos
archipelago.
Planning a beach holiday can be mind-boggling because
of the huge array of options. A smart place to start is to decide how
far you want to travel and what type of beach you want to visit, plus
how long you plan to spend there. A long weekend at a tropical beach,
such as Baby Beach on Aruba, takes a quick plan, not a lot of packing,
and doesn't necessarily involve a lot of side trips, just three days of
R&R with rejuvenation as the result! But a week at Surfer's Paradise
Beach in Queensland, Australia, probably means sight-seeing in the area
and a completely different type of vacation experience.
Because
every continent on the planet has beaches of various types, there is a
beach somewhere no too far from where you live. Remember, beaches are
not just on the ocean; thousands of freshwater lakes, such as Lake
Ontario in Canada and Lake Como in Italy, boast excellent beaches. Think
of the beach nearest you and consider "beaching" close to home as one
style of beach vacation.
It's easy to think of beaches as havens
of sunshine and rest, a lazy way to catch a tan and forget the weather
or woes of work. Beaches have their perils and a smart beach vacationer
will do their research. The warm waters of the Indian Ocean lap the
waters of the gorgeous beaches at Durban, South Africa; sharks are fond
of those waters, too. Undertow and tides are also a factor. At Cape
Blomidon Beach, a beige sandy crescent circled by the red cliffs of "The
Blomidon" in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, the tides are so
extreme that people have drowned trying to swim/climb their way up the
cliffs when the tides, that can rise 40 feet in a short period, come in
up the Bay of Fundy. Safety at the beach will mean a positive vacation
experience.
Beaches aren't just for summer activities and water
sports. Some beaches are made for long walks near the water's edge, made
better with a romantic partner and/or your dog. Cobourg Beach, in the
small Ontario, Canada, town of the same name, is such a beach, and with
fine dining, art galleries, great little shops, and several theatres in
the area, it offers a lot for the culture-seeking beach vacationer.
A
beach vacation is limited only by the imagination of the traveler, and
the time and budget allocated. We are all drawn to water, perhaps
because we all apparently came from it. A beach vacation will recharge
your batteries, whether you've chosen to rock-hound at Man O'War Cove
beach in Dorset, England, or sunbathe at Bondi Beach in Sydney,
Australia. A beach is a dream that in reality can come true.
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