Day 3259 (Monday) 11th May 2026
This is Tourettes sur Loup
and this is the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.
There was another cruise ship in the bay this morning and the passengers had a nice day to visit our little town.
As always on a Monday here’s What’s happening in France this week. The Local, France.
Didier Deschamps is set to unveil his 26-player squad for next month's Fifa World Cup. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
May’s third public holiday takes place this week - which means travel trouble - Cannes kicks off in a flurry of glitz, we’ll learn the make-up of the France squad for next month’s Fifa World Cup, and it’s the final weekend of the Women’s Six Nations. And Eurovision.
Monday
Courts — Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred’s trial for rape begins at the Var Assize Court in Draguignan.
Drugs — Four alleged members of organised crime group DZ Mafia go on trial on drugs and weapons-trafficking charges.
Tuesday
Cannes — Glitz and movie glamour on the Mediterranean coast as the 79th edition of the Cannes film festival gets under way at the Palais des festivals et des congrès in Cannes. This year, during the opening ceremony, the Honorary Palme d’Or will be awarded to Lord of the Rings’ film-maker Peter Jackson.
Politics — MPs vote on the Military Planning Act, which adds an extra €36 billion to its defence spending by 2030 by expanding France’s nuclear arsenal and missile and drone stocks.
Travel — A national strike in neighbouring Belgium is set to have a knock-on effect in France, with all flights in and out of Charleroi cancelled.
Wednesday
Roads — France’s roads watchdog Bison Futé has issued a red travel warning across the whole of France, rising to black in the south-eastern Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, in the direction of popular holiday destinations, ahead of the Ascension holiday four-day weekend.
Thursday
Public holiday — Ascension, the third public holiday in May, means offices and certain businesses will remain closed, or operate shorter hours. It falls, as always, on a Thursday, which means schools and businesses may add an additional ‘bridge’ day to create a four-day weekend.
Football — France men’s team manager Didier Deschamps is set to announce his initial squad of 26 players for the upcoming World Cup in Canada, USA, and Mexico, which kicks off on June 11th.
Saturday
Singalong — the annual Eurovision Song Contest takes centre stage from Vienna, Austria. France will be represented by the 17-year-old singer Monroe and her song Regarde.
Sunday
Roads II — France’s roads watchdog Bison Futé has issued a red travel warning across the whole of France as holidaymakers head back home at the end of the Ascension holiday four-day weekend.
Rugby Union — So far, every match in the senior Women’s Six Nations has been played on a Saturday. But, for the final weekend of the tournament, all three matches are on Sunday. Wales v Italy kicks things off, followed by Ireland v Scotland — before the big match between France and England at Stade Atlantique, in Bordeaux.
It’ll soon be beach weather so here is some beach vocabulary…
French Beach Vocabulary
La plage – the beach
Être à la plage – to be on the beach
Aller à la plage – to go to the beach
Le sable – the sand
Les coquillages (m) – seashells
Une algue – seaweed
Une plage de sable – a sand beach
Une plage de galets – a round pebble beach
Une crique – a little beach between cliffs
Une dune de sable – a sand dune
Un banc de sable – a sand bank, a temporary island
Une falaise – a cliff
Une baie – a bay
Une péninsule – a peninsula
Un rocher – a rock
Une côte – a coast
Une île – an island
La mer – the sea
L’océan – the ocean (watch out the pronunciation o – say – an/nasal)
Une vague – a wave (strong French “a” sound, don’t say it like the word “vague”)
L’eau (f) – the water (pronounced “lo”)
Un courant – a current
Le vent – the wind
La marée haute – high tide
La marée basse – low tide
Un pin – a pine tree
Un bateau – a boat
Nager – to swim
Se baigner – to bath… so swim or just play around in the water
Bronzer – to tan
Attraper un coup de soleil – to get sunburnt
Se relaxer – to relax
Ramasser des coquillages – to collect seashells
17 Beach Items Terms in French
Une serviette de plage – a beach towel
Un parasol – sun umbrella
De la crème solaire – sunscreen
Un maillot de bain – bathing suit (pronounce it [mayo]
Un chapeau – a hat
Des sandales (f) – sandals
Une bouée – buoy or inflatable floats etc…
Une chaise longue – lounge chair
Un seau – a pail
Un râteau – a rake
Une pelle – a shovel (watch out! a pail ≠ une pelle…)
Un moule – a mould (watch out! une moule = a mussel)
Faire un château de sable – to make a sand castle
Un masque – mask
Un tuba – snorkel
Des palmes (f) – fins
Faire de la plongée libre / faire du masque et du tuba – to snorkel
How To Talk About the Water Temperature in French?
The most common conversation at the beach is to talk about the water temperature. You may know how to use cold and hot in French.
Ahhh, elle est bien chaude – Ahhh, it’s nicely warm (“elle” because water in French, l’eau, is feminine in. Pronounce the final d of chaude.
Brrrr, elle est froide – Brrrr, it’s cold. Pronounce the final d of froide.
But did you know the French use some typical French food expressions to talk about the water? Not all food expressions can be used, but these work:
elle est bonne – it’s nice, enjoyable
elle est délicieuse – it’s really nice – literally it’s delicious!
elle est exquise – it’s fantastic
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