Pebbled vs sand beaches - it is a cultural thing - a great original beach story by justalex on a beach holiday.

Pebbled vs sand beaches - it is a cultural thing
I grew up on the Southern tip of Africa. I was blessed to be in a city that was flanked by both the cold unforgiving Atlantic ocean, and the warm inviting Indian ocean. The beaches that surround Cape Town, South Africa are truly magical. From the beaches that go for miles on the west coast plus the tanned, toned and sexy bodies that frequent the beaches near the city (Clifton beaches and Camps Bay beach) to the warmer waters and beautiful beaches on the east coast, South Africans in general are blessed with an abundance of beach choices along our coasts.

So I was thrilled when I met my future wife and she promised to show me the most beautiful beaches in the world in her country of birth, Greece. It was a complete shock to then find that a beautiful beach to Greeks does not necessarily mean the same as to South Africans. The first few trips to Greece involved beautiful welcoming places but beaches with no sand. They were pebbled areas with water. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing more inviting than the Mediterranean sea, luke warm waters warmed by a glorious sun with no predators. It sure beats the cold waters of the Atlantic and sharks. But is a beach a beach if it does not have sand?

So the answer to that question is really cultural and there is no right or wrong answer to it. I have, in many trips, managed to find some beautiful sandy beaches in Greece. The dark volcanic sand on Santorini is spectacular and there are some really beautiful sandy beaches on Paros. I am definitely coming around to the fact that pebbled beaches can be truly beautiful but my thoughts are never to far from the miles and miles of white sandy beaches that run up the west coast of Southern Africa.

Now I just need to get over how wrong it is to wear a bikini in a park in the middle of a city.....

Author : justalex