"I don't care to read that the sands of the beaches are hot, I want my bare feet to feel it," wrote André Gide, in 1897. After these eight weeks confined, there is waiting for the days when the we can change the air to run towards the sea.
Each year, 35 million vacationers converge on the French coasts and cluster on 4% of the metropolitan territory. “The beach is as densely populated as the city. However, we share the space there in good agreement because it satisfies a dream of purity and transparency, close to an Eden that no one wants to tarnish, " explains anthropologist Jean-Didier Urbain, author of Sur la plage. , customs and seaside customs (Éditions Payot). It must be said that this little piece of territory has occupied a singular place in our summer habits since 1936. With the introduction of two weeks of paid vacation, holidays are no longer the preserve of the wealthy classes. The seaside becomes an accessible dream and the resorts of Brittany
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