Sixpence to see the sea

Looking at the photos of  Devonshire and Liguria  being battered by giant waves causing terrible damage to homes and territory in the past few days, makes us realise once again how precious and vulnerable and fragile our coastlines are.
Britain and Italy seem to me to complement each other very well, each country finding something to admire about the other. One thing they have in common though, is an extensive coastline, that needs protecting, and the fact that nowhere is very far from the sea. In Britain, I think no-one is ever more than seventy miles from the sea. In Italy it's probably less.
For us, a trip to the sea was a magical adventure. As we left our beloved beech woods and leafy lanes behind, we would drive through the New Forest, admiring the ponies, the trees, the fords, the gorse bushes as we made our way to the seaside. The nearest seaside for us was the south coast of England. Sussex,Dorset,Hampshire,Devon.When we were nearly there, our Dad would say "Sixpence for the first one to see the sea". The sixpence was irrelevant, it didn't matter who won. Our reward was something much more precious and lasting.What it did, was make us intensely aware of the wonderful moment when you first see that bright, sparkling strip of blue on the horizon.A childhood feeling that has never gone away. There it was, the sea, la mer, il mare. That marvellous, microcosm world. The sound of the seagulls soaring overhead, the promise of an ice-cream, sticks of rock to take home for friends at school, naughty postcards to be giggled over surreptitiously,the sand between your toes, buckets and spades to use for treasures, fishing net for exploring rock pools, kites to fly on the beach. All the time, ever present the soothing noise of the waves, the smell of the salt and the spray.The huge expanding mass of the sea, with it's tides depending on the pull of the moon, how wonderful is all that. The Dorset coast has wonderful rock formations with names like Old Harry. The Devonshire coast has incredible cliff top walks and Cornwall is just simply beautiful.
In Italy the coastline is quite spectacular too. Here there is the added joy of more reliable sunshine. the first time we went to the beach at Jesolo I was overwhelmed by the vast expanse of soft white sand, that stayed dry because there is so little tide. We have since, seen more of the coastline, from Puglia to Tuscany and of course, Liguria and Emilia Romagna. It is all lovely.
 To get the same thrill of seeing that amazing strip of sparkling blue in the distance, promising so much that is wonderful, the ideal approach for me, is coming down towards Genova on the motorway from Piacenza. That is where I would say to my children "Sixpence for the first one to see the sea.!"