French Riviera Summer Reflections

Now that it’s October and the summer is well and truly over here in the French Riviera (although the sun never seems to stop shining), it’s time for a bit of reflection.

It’s been interesting. The weather was fantastic as usual during the summer months and all senses were certainly reinvigorated simply with just the rush of the morning sun coming up along the Mediterranean sea with all the surrounding scents and sounds of life.

Then there was the vast choices along of beaches to go swimming and sunbathing daily if you wanted, along with an extensive amount of hiking trails for people to explore and be enveloped by nature either by way of along sea or by making your way up the mountains enabling one to take in the many expansive views.

The Coronavirus has certainly brought in a whole new way of living. Speaking with friends and business associates, you could tell people are planning their best to focus on life ahead with the virus situation around and definitely you got the sense this summer that people are very much making such plans with what truly makes them happy. It’s actually been inspiring to witness as it slowly has already been coming into fruition for some.

One thing that was quite noticeable was this summer oddly seemed more pleasant, more local, more natural and overall calmer.

Usually the summer months slowly build into a chaotic pace with visitors and locals trying to take in as much as possible of the region. But this year, with the lock down only being lifted about the middle of May bringing in a late start to the season with the following weeks having more restrictions being released and some surrounding countries being allowed to cross the France borders, there didn’t seem to be a mad panic in daily life.

This summer things seemed to be more civilized and manageable.

Of course, for the local LGBTQ community, bars and nightclub owners did their best to open with Covid19 measures in place while opting for limited hours and a smaller number of patrons in attendance while others had outdoor terrace beach parties with the occasional drag show during the week. One thing is for sure, you noticed how enterprising and imaginable people are in the face of adversity.

It was also lovely to gather with smaller groups of friends for drinks or intimate dinner parties, even just a quick stop at the beach for a chat while the sun was going down was remarkable, especially if the gatherings were impromptu with conversations seemingly deeper yet more relaxed and heartfelt.

Summer 2020 certainly felt like a time of reflection for many, even with the stress of the Coronavirus, overall it has been wonderful to see people’s true character’s come to light with their hopes and aspirations.