To avoid embarrassment and not be fined a hefty sum on Spanish beaches, especially if you are there for the first time, you need to know a few simple rules. Any active games are not allowed on the beaches if other holidaymakers are within six meters. This applies both on land and in the water. Guided by concern for tourists, the authorities also prohibit loud music on the beaches.
Once, before a correspondent's eyes, a family of Americans with dogs on leashes tried to sneak onto a beach near Barcelona. All these guests were immediately turned back towards the hotel: regardless of the size of the four-legged pets, appearing with them on Spanish beaches is strictly prohibited. Only guide dogs for the blind are allowed, but even for them, if they cause trouble or inconvenience to others, you will have to pay a fine. And the Spanish authorities often issue fines that would make even very wealthy tourists think twice. For example, for unauthorized loud music near holidaymakers, the offender will be charged €750. And the same dogs will cost twice as much.
The rules are not much different on French beaches. For example, Henri Dunoïer, the mayor of the resort town of Grande-Motte, located near Montpellier, considers himself a great gourmet. For him, there is no better relaxation than to sit comfortably on the terrace of his favorite restaurant and enjoy a glass of excellent French wine. And everything would be fine, except that for many years, with the start of the holiday season, holidaymakers who habitually walk around town in swimsuits have been getting on the mayor's nerves. Finally, Dunoïer's patience snapped, and he issued a law allowing law enforcement officers to stop tourists dressed inappropriately on the town's streets and force them to wear T-shirts with the inscription: "I smell bad." Those who refuse such an outfit will have to fork out €40.
On the streets of Grande-Motte, every fifty meters there are signs that explain in French and English in simple terms what you can wear on the beach and what in the town. The mayor says in the local press that when undressed tourists returning from the beach pass by his favorite restaurant, the smells of sweat, sunscreen, and lotions immediately ruin his appetite and mood, as well as that of other diners. Dunoïer once noted that British tourists smell particularly bad. These words, of course, caused a storm of indignation on the other side of the English Channel. Journalists from the Foggy Albion did not fail to note that the least soap in Europe is used not by the British, but by the French.
Such a discussion would hardly be possible in resort Dubai. Although here they are much more serious about moral issues. The police can detain a holidaymaker if he or she undresses to save time in the hotel or on the way to the beach. Unlike Spain and other European countries, on the beaches in the Emirates you can play and listen to music. By the way, every night up to five tons (!) of garbage are removed from the most famous Dubai beach, Jumeirah.
However, sometimes to break the beach rules, you just need to get there, and that, as it turns out, is not so easy everywhere. The famous Malibu is a clear confirmation of this. In this heavenly corner of California, beaches of soft white sand stretch for many kilometers. Alas, this wonderful place for relaxation was closed to local residents until recently. Buying up one mansion after another stretching along the ocean shore, the rich gradually closed all access to the water with fences and gates.
The discontent of ordinary citizens even led to the creation of public organizations. Ultimately, the Los Angeles court ordered David Geffen, owner of the Hollywood film studio DreamWorks, to hand over the keys to a wooden gate to Steve Hoye (founder of one such organization). The gate blocked access to a three-meter road leading to one of the most beautiful California beaches, Carbon Beach. It should be said that Geffen fought stubbornly for the right to exclusively control this beach for 22 (!) years. He gave up after the judge once again fined him a thousand dollars for refusing to hand over the keys to Hoye. In addition to the fine, Geffen is required to pay court costs of $300,000.
Interestingly, if you dig into history, David Geffen should blame... the Byzantine Emperor Justinian for his defeat. In the code of laws compiled on his orders, which later became the basis for the legislation of European countries, there is a paragraph proclaiming the seashores accessible for public use. The "coastal" law entered the legislation of the Spaniards, who previously owned most of the western coast of the United States. Later it successfully migrated into the legislation of California.
Sergey LAVINOV.
Novye Izvestiya