{"id":11646,"date":"2015-04-14T11:36:48","date_gmt":"2015-04-14T11:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=11646"},"modified":"2015-04-14T15:18:03","modified_gmt":"2015-04-14T15:18:03","slug":"early-morning-beaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/early-morning-beaches\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Morning Beaches"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Beaches at the break of day are special places.<\/p>\n

Over the summers we spent in Denmark, we would often get up first thing, pack a breakfast picnic and head to the beach. \u00a0 It was great having it all to ourselves for a couple of hours before the hoards would start to arrive and the risk of sunburned baby skin grew higher. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Of course getting up and out at that time of day was helped by the fact that the Small people were much smaller then, and not that fond of sleeping – but it was still blissful all the same…<\/p>\n

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To to be able to watch your children run for miles without losing them in a crowd, to be able to appreciate the sound of the waves against the shore, and that slight smugness that you are up and about enjoying life when others are still lazing in bed – nothing beats that empty beach feeling…<\/p>\n

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So I guess I really should really thank the Bournemouth hotel that didn’t get our booking quite right recently (they actually got it quite wrong! \u00a0Having returned late after a family wedding, they initially couldn’t find our details despite us having “checked in” earlier (just a little too early to have a room designated)! \u00a0 After patiently waiting 20 minutes or so, the poor night porter found a key with our name on it leaving us to gratefully make our way to our room. \u00a0 As I unlocked the door, pushed it open, and switched on the lights, my first thoughts were that the bed was rather lumpy, then the two people occupying it sat bolt up right! \u00a0 After a long walk back to reception (made longer by frequent stifled laughter stops), my humour was then stretched somewhat to discover the hotel was full (it was Easter weekend after all) and the only room now available in the whole of Bournemouth it seemed was a tiny single room which meant Mr R slept on a camp bed!).<\/p>\n

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And waking up with the intention of seeking out the Manager is what lead to my being up at an ungodly hour, stomping off thereafter in the direction of the beach (mainly because I couldn’t get back in the room with Mr R on his camp bed blocking it anyway, it had taken me long enough to prize the door open without waking him!). Plus I had the grand idea of gate-crashing my Dad’s breakfast at their more organised nearby hotel, but it was too early to wake him! \u00a0I won’t name the hotel in question (yet!), as they have profusely apologised and promised us a return trip to make it up to us at our convenience. \u00a0I am not sure whether to be happy or slightly concerned by this prospect, but I will report back if and when we return…<\/p>\n

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And of course, thanks to this unfortunate series of events, \u00a0I have them to thank for a couple of hours spent on a beautiful English beach completely devoid of people (apart from the odd yoga practitioner, a couple of dog walkers, a cyclist and this solitary dad out for a jog with his own early rising small person)… \u00a0 \u00a0Not to mention the perfect flat light for photography, and the uninterrupted sound of waves crashing on the shore, which was more than calming and restorative.<\/p>\n

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Plus the breakfast at my Dad’s hotel turned out to be well worth gate crashing, fried bread and all…<\/p>\n

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Share me:<\/h3>