I don’t think it’s any secret that I love the beach and the sun! I grew up in the Middle East, on a small island where the sea was usually visible whilst going about your normal routine and the sun shone… a lot! In fact, going to the beach was a part of our normal routine and a regular occurrence and if we weren’t at the beach, we were at the pool.
Water was a constant in my life until we moved back to the UK. We were no longer near the coast and a trip to the beach was definitely not a regular thing.
I very much miss being by the sea, the openness, the feeling of space, the feeling of peace and calm. Being landlocked can feel so very claustrophobic at times.
Which is why I love visiting anywhere that I can finally look out to sea. I instantly relax and can breathe deeply. And of course it helps if the sun is also shining.
These are my happy places.
I am always drawn to the picture perfect, white sand, blue sea vistas, honestly, could anything be more beautiful than that? I am always on the hunt for that ultimate beach that will take my breath away. But equally a rugged coastline also brings a smile to my face. The drama of the sea and rocks colliding, provide a captivating panorama which is hard to draw your eyes away from.
These are just a few of the places in the world that I have found have made me feel happy, calm and instantly uplifted as soon as I set my eyes on them!
Posted as part of the weekly photo challenge – Place in the World
mydustyflipflops.com 
Such beautiful places. Koh Rong Samleom has just been added to my bucket list!
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Brilliant! I can certainly recommend it, I hope you make it there one day! Thanks for reading!
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I hope so too! My pleasure!
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Oh my, you DO get around! All beautiful seasides. I can see why you love the
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Hahaha, I try! It’s taken a while to cover all these places, but so worth it! Thanks so much for reading and commenting 😀
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A great post, and like you, I also love the sea. I live on a yacht in Greece over the summer so we are on the water all the time. I chose a similar idea to you for this photo challenge and I’ve posted pictures of our boat in a Greece on my blog too.
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Thank you very much! How wonderful to live on the sea…and in Greece, it’s so beautiful there! I have had a look at some of your photos, your yacht looks fantastic! I look forward to reading more 🙂
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Thank you very much for looking, and for kind comments!
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That Cambodian beach is totally beautiful. I’ve never been to the Far East, but I’d love to. I’m not good with being landlocked either. Fine for short intervals, but inevitably I want to be back beside the sea. 🙂 🙂
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There is a definite draw to it isn’t there! I do love that part of the world, it is fascinating and beautiful!
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Some beautiful spots here, but that Cambodian beach looks amazing and like an undiscovered treat. 🙂
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I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when we got there! It was so gorgeous, it was hard to leave!
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That’s a great collection of photos.
I wonder what is it that relaxes us about the big water reservoirs.
I do feel the same way.
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Thank you! I don’t know, there must be some deeper connection going on, a lot of people do feel it don’t they.
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That’s my experience, yes.
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This looks amazing!
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It was totally gorgeous! Thanks so much for reading 🙂
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Wow, the UK sure has some beautiful coastline. I’m so sad we didn’t make it to Koh Rong!
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Oh no, did time not allow? It’s a good reason to go back 🙂
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We only got as far as Kampot in Cambodia and had limited time for further travel in Laos so had to make a tough decision. Yup…need to go back.
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It’s impossible to see everything isn’t it, makes for a good excuse to return though! We haven’t yet made it to Kampot, but have been to Kep which was lovely.
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I definitely agree with loving to visit anywhere by the sea! I didn’t even grow up near the sea, but I never feel as a calm and peaceful as I do listening to waves on a sandy beach somewhere. It makes you feel like you’re on the edge of the world 🙂
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Yes, that is such a great way to describe it! I feel like I can finally breathe properly when I’m by the sea.
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Yay, another beach lover who grew up somewhere warm and then moved to Europe 😀 How old were you when you moved and where did you live? Maybe you’ve written about it?
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I’m not alone hooray! Yes, I am in the same boat 🙂 I was a baby when we moved to Bahrain and then I came back to the UK when I was 10. A long time ago but it instilled a love of warm, sunny climates in me – I don’t think it ever goes away does it! I haven’t really written about it yet, although I think I will eventually.
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Interesting! I was a baby when we moved to Australia and 9 when we moved to Finland, so very similar to your story! It’s like a home, though it’s not my home… it never goes away! 🙂
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Really?? We do have similar stories! Yes, you’ve hit the nail on the head, it’s home but not home! It’s a strange feeling to experience but seems it is common amongst us ‘third culture kids’. Have you managed to revisit your childhood home much? I’ve only been back once, but would like to go back again one day!
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Same here, I’ve only been back once but would love to go again! I have some family there, too, so it’s always stayed a part of our family stories 😊
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Aah that’s lovely! I hope you make it back there one day, it would be great to revisit the memories and catch up with your family too! I’d like to take my partner so he can see where I grew up… Although I’m sure it’s very different now.
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I’m sure it is different, and it’ll also feel different anyway. Like we just said, home but not home (home is a dreamy memory) 😊
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