Switzerland Journal April 4th 1937

The Riviera

The Riviera of France is very beautiful at this time of year. The flowers are just coming out and the sun is hot. The Mediterranean is very blue & the rocks, which jut out of it are red. The houses on the small hills are usually white or of a bright colour, surrounded by palm trees. In the gardens, which are formed in steps down the hill sides, there are orange & lemon trees, fig trees, almond & olive trees, cactus & many bright flowers. On the walls of the houses there is whisteria [sic].
Everything is very beautiful & colourful. The Riviera is picturesque & the colours are bright beyond imagination until one has seen them.
In the distance there are mountains & hills & on a clear day the snow caps of the Maritime Alps can be seen.
The soil is red & very fertile. Some of the most picturesque of the towns are built on the mountains & hills. On going to Nice by train from Geneva _ One passes through _ Lyon, Vienne (in France), Avignon, Arle, Marseille, Toulon, Fréjus, St Raphael, Cannes, Juan les Pins, Antibes and Cagnes. The journey takes 7 1/2 hours.

Nice.
One of the chief towns on the Riviera. It is quite big & full of Hotels. Lots of people of different nationalities go there & there are a lot of English people. The town spreads along the coast. There are quite a lot of public parks which are very pretty. The whole town is beautiful, with its flowers, cacti, palms and orange & lemon trees. There is a big casino.
Along the sea front there is a long promenade. In the summer there are carnivals & at Easter, Nice goes gay with her famous Flower Carnival. There are trips to different places in the Riviera each day, in Charabancs*.

*Charabancs are horse-drawn or early motor coaches, usually open-topped, common in the early part of the 20th century.

Switzerland Journal April 4th 1937(1)
Switzerland Journal April 4th 1937(2)

Published by derynjames

British author and voiceover.

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