A day at the seaside??

A day at the seaside......where?

In the city of Paris, of course!

From July 20th until August 20th, Paris will be transformed into a seaside resort.

2000 tons of sand will be brought in by boat. Trees will be planted. Beach huts will appear. Over a thousand deckchairs will be available for people to lounge in the sun, and sail boats will be provided. There will be outdoor games, Boules and Petanque, Table tennis and a climbing wall. Parasols will shade folk from the sun, should there actually be any.

Naturally there will be places to eat and drink..what would Paris be without that?

Paris Plages began in 2002 and was the creation of the Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe. His idea was to make Paris an ideal summer place for those who could not afford to go away on holiday, and also to bring in tourists. Over the years it has become more and more popular, and this year is bigger and better than ever. Apparently it is now being copied by other European cities.......but Paris thought of it first!

An outdoor concert of classical music will signal the opening of this year's Paris Plages, followed by a massive picnic, with a 3 kilometre long tablecloth. One of France's biggest supermarket chains will provide picnic baskets containing plate, cup, cutlery and even a napkin.

Advertising has been stepped up amongst hotels and other providers of accommodation. Even though Paris is only 3 hours by train, we won't be joining the beach crowds!

What fun it must be to be part of it all! Only in Paris..........!