We* have just returned from our first proper, fully naturist holiday; that is: our first stay at a naturist resort. It was the excellent Valalta campsite near Rovinj, Croatia, where we spent two wonderful weeks in a mobile home (and which we would heartily recommend).
Valalta is so large that it is effectively a naturist village, so as well as sunbathing and swimming nude, one can enjoy walking (hiking, effectively) and even nude cycling (the best kind), although to me probably the greatest joy was just being able to walk around naked: an early morning stroll; a walk to the shop; ambling down to find a nice spot to relax.
There are some strange anomalies to prevent one being nude all day at Valalta, which we just couldn't fathom; everyone must dress to shop or to visit the reception, and, effectively, one must also dress to eat, with all but one of the camp's five restaurants insisting diners are textile during the day, and all five in the evening. Everybody dressed in the evening unless they were staying in their own tent/motorhome/chalet/etc.
Around half of the visitors to Valalta are German, the other half apparently a mixture of mostly Austrians and Italians, with a few Dutch, a few Swiss, a handful of Croatians, and the Brits a rare breed.
I was determined to be nude whenever possible, so took clothes with me to the shop, for instance, and removed them straight after leaving it, but I had no intention of dressing otherwise.
What I learned from the holiday was that while I expected most people to be nude, most of the time, they weren't. Far from it. From lunchtime to about 5pm many were nude, since they were involved in sunbathing, but generally people seemed to default to clothing, rather than defaulting to nudity. No more than a quarter were what I would call 'hardcore' naturists, for whom the chance to be nude most of the time was their incentive for choosing to be there.
Until recently, I assumed this was the motivation for most naturists, and they would need a good reason to dress, rather than one to undress. But I am now sure that because my default is nudity, I am very much in the minority.
Pleasant hour-long walks or cycles around the perimeter of the camp were made glorious, for me, by being able to do it all nude, and it provided the kind of opportunities I have been seeking for years, but this clearly was no incentive for many others. On long early morning or evening walks I sometimes met a dozen others and was surprised to sometimes find them all dressed.
This was not a problem; it wasn't the least bit awkward to be nude while others weren't, and it didn't spoil the feeling of immense liberation at all, but I was surprised to find that even people paying to spend two weeks in a naturist camp were not hard-wired to nudity like I am, and clearly didn't have what I have referred to before as a 'naturist gene'.
Sorry to hijack the title of such an awful book, but the experience has taught me -and this is sometimes confirmed on this forum - that there are, actually, five million shades of naturism, because it is different for everyone, and sometimes it is radically different, and that makes naturism virtually indefinable.
So what binds us together if our desire or urge or instinct to rid ourselves of clothes varies so much?
I can only conclude that naturism is an endorsement of a live-and-let-live philosophy that we must all feel, along with a (probably growing) realisation that we must not waste too much of our lives mistaking things that aren't wrong for things that are, based on what others have decided is or should be 'normal'.
*We: me and my previously reluctant-naturist wife, which is another story.
G (a ‘born naturist’) & J (who happens to be married to a naturist, but believes ‘When in Rome...’). See profile for details!
The probem of needing clothes to dine or shop is relatively common, unfortunately, and I usually deal with it by carrying a combined sitting cloth and lightweight wrap which folds into the belt straps of my pochette containing cash, cards,etc.
An alternative to the wrap would be tan-through swim shorts one or two sizes bigger than usual. They are very light and airy to wear under such circumstances, fold up just as small and might be more acceptable. I have worn them for shopping in totally textile environments without problem.
JOhn
Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.
George Bernard Shaw, Maxims for Revolutionaries
Although I have never been to Valalta I am not surprised to read that most people dress later in the day.
You said that most of the visitors were German. Well I think that Germans have a more relaxed attitude to nudity inasmuch as to them it is somthing you do on the beach. Not a life style, So why would they want to be naked in a restaurant. I have to say that I would feel very uncomfortable sat indoors at night naked in a restaurant.
"Try to live a good life. Don't be afraid to be what you are'. some bloke in the pub.
Although I have never been to Valalta I am not surprised to read that most people dress later in the day.
You said that most of the visitors were German. Well I think that Germans have a more relaxed attitude to nudity inasmuch as to them it is somthing you do on the beach. Not a life style, So why would they want to be naked in a restaurant. I have to say that I would feel very uncomfortable sat indoors at night naked in a restaurant.
I have done so at both Euronat and CHM Montlivet.
The picture was taken for us by a young lady at the next table at CHM
JOhn
Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.
George Bernard Shaw, Maxims for Revolutionaries
Each to our own John, but to me, male armpits indoors at the dinner table are a red line.
"Try to live a good life. Don't be afraid to be what you are'. some bloke in the pub.
Can it be added that the temperature at night in Croatia, especially in Istria can drop quite a bit. Even if it was practice to stay naked at night there, not many would because it can feel a little chilly. It is perfectly fine to be naked in the day time while eating at the myriad bars and restaurants.
'I figure life's a gift and I don't intend wasting it. You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt next.' Titanic.'Shine as a glow worm if you cannot as a star.' Thomas Andrews, shipbuilder.
'We'll miss the matinee but we'll make the night show.' The Greatest Show on Earth 1952.
Paragraph one seems to be contradicted a little by the remaining text.
I'm like you and John GW, and would want to spend as much time as possible nude. We will be holidaying at Costa Natura; I wonder if we will experience the same patterns of nudity.
Did your reluctant (ish) wife feel comfortable nude when so many others were dressed?
I recently finished my second stay at Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee, Florida USA.
At Cypress Cove, you are encouraged to be naked anywhere and everywhere, and nudity is the preferred norm. I'm a runner, and I ran comfortably naked, every day, three to five miles within the resort grounds.
There are two restaurants, one being a clubby sports bar near the pools where everyone is naked, and the other, more formal, where clothing is optional. At the formal restaurant, nudity was highly recommended to guests, but most came clothed. I went naked, and was made to feel comfortable by the staff, but felt a bit out of place, as most of the guests were clothed. Thus, it was an experience 180 degrees opposite from the mandatory clothes-free environment of the pool area, to the sarong wearing guests I encountered at the formal restaurant.
Bottom line: no worries. If my nudity made others feel more comfortable to remove their clothes, so much the better. If not, they received a picture in their minds of someone who is comfortable in their skin and happily clothes free. At no time did I feel out of place, whatsoever.
I am anxious to return for a third visit, and highly recommend this resort to my friends across the pond. And, yes, single men (like me) are welcome if you carry a card from any naturist affiliate organization.
At a naturist resort I will always try to remain naked throughout the day eating at any available bars and cafes or preparing my own meals But I actually enjoy dressing for my evening meal, for me it just feels right, even special, a change from the nakedness of the day so to speak.
It is my reason to go to a nude resort so I have the freedom to be naked anywhere within the resort and any time, with only the weather dictating if I wore anything or not
It is my reason to go to a nude resort so I have the freedom to be naked anywhere within the resort and any time, with only the weather dictating if I wore anything or not
DITTO!. 🙂
MJ Tacey
At a naturist resort I will always try to remain naked throughout the day eating at any available bars and cafes or preparing my own meals But I actually enjoy dressing for my evening meal, for me it just feels right, even special, a change from the nakedness of the day so to speak.
very British, but I know what you mean,
J, Biddulph
At Cap D'Agde the vast majority of people dress up at night, with some groups trying to outdo each other prior to their evening entertainment. On a personal basis after being nude all day I am quite happy to dress up at night to go out to eat and have a few drinks.
Trouble with Cap is what people dress up in at night, a lot go for shock and tittilation which, although we are very liberal-minded just isn't our thing, not that it is at all compulsory to join in so no problem with others doing it.
We've stayed at loads of naturist campsites and have found that it tends to vary, but once you get to the evening, temperatures drop a bit and if you're heading for a restaurant (especially going inside) then most people tend to "dress for the evening". If you're hanging around your own spot and eating there then tend to stay naked unless the temp or insects dictate otherwise.
I tend to agree with an earlier comment where non-Brits are far more relaxed and laid-back about nudity and therefore do not have to be naked at all costs so will happily dress and undress to suit their mood and circumstance. We chat with a lot of people at the campsites and from their comments, we Brits do have what they regard as some weird hang-ups about naturism which our European neighbours find intriguing.
We joined a communal evening dinner at a French site (Labord I think from memory) which was virtually all dutch people apart from us; the hosts were naked, we were naked but the other thirty people were all dressed - some more than others but all had some clothing on. I thought it might spook my wife and I'd be sent to get some clothes for her but she wasn't and as always at naturist sites we weren't made to feel in the slightest out of place.
Newforestcple