Unlike Nice, which has a pebble beach, the Cannes waterfront features sand, far more comfortable for those who wish to lie down on a beach towel or just walk along the Mediterranean shore. It is a relaxing pastime to observe the gentle waves coming in, pushing sand up on the beach, only to pull it back into the sea as they recede. Much can be gleaned by simply looking at the sand and water. For instance, in this picture, we know that it is sunny because of the color of the sand and the shadow cast by the advancing wave. We can pretty much deduce the color of the sky by looking at its reflection in the water towards the top right of the photo. A perfectly normal Côte d’Azur day, you might say. And to think that less than 24 hours later, this same beach looked like this...