It may be two hundred kilometres from the coast, but that is not stopping people in Paris getting sand between their toes.
A golden beach has been laid out along the River Seine, to give those in the capital a taste of the seaside. It is an annual event which always washes up a wave of sun worshippers.
“During such hard times, with the crisis, we must not stop loving life and smiling,” says Bertrand Delanoe, the Mayor of Paris.
There is sun, sand, but of course no sea – and taking a dip in the Seine is banned. That is not dampening the fun though.
“We come here to lay on the beach and get a sun tan,” said one ‘beach-goer.’
Another added: “You can see many people passing by, it’s more interesting than being at the beach.