Let's Tour The World

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 285, 1 December 1934, Page 4 (Supplement)

Let's Tour The World

DOING THE RIVIERA. GLIMPSES OF MONTE CARLO. Tli6 morning sun sliines out of a cloiidless sky upon a wide sweep of blue sea, golden beach, and roeky coastline, as the gay city : of ' Nice - wakes to life. Everything combines to tempt us out of doore and far afield; so let us commandeer a powerful car and set out to explore some of the-interesting spots along the French Riviera.

Eastward from Nice we enter upon' the Grande Corniehe Road, which winds away among the hills, past beautiful homes set in spacious green gardens. Against the cool green of thp palms and other trees the creamy walls and warm red tiles make a glorious picture. On and on we wind, through rocky defiles and past dizzy precipices, with glorious panoramas of the Blue Coast ever opening before us. Soon, only a few miles further on we reach another high point, from which we obtain a bird's-eye view of a whole kingdom—or, rather, a principality. This is none other than Monaco, -which, though set here in the midst of the French coastline, is quite an independent State. , Its Prince rules over a- realm of only eight square miles, into which are crowded some 23,000 people and a large floating population of pleasureseeking visitors. The principality contains nominally three towns (though in reality there is no di vi-

sion between tliem) —Monaco, Lai Condamine and Monte Carlo. Monaco contains the Princc's palace and the cathedra], and Monte Carlo is, of course, famous cliiefly for its casino, or gambling house. We shall come back and visit this later; but at present our eye is led on along the coast to Cape Ferrat, a glimpse of Mentone, the most easterly of the French coastal towns, and beyond that the towering. masses of the Italian Alps where they come down to greet the sea. A run of a few minutes more brings us to the end of the Grande Corniehe •—a road whose rocky grandeur and winding curves remind us not a little of parts of our own New Zealand. Now we turn into Mentone, passing through well-kept streets lined with glossy-leaved orange trees, whose golden fruit gleams attractively among the green. But in our minds there remains the memory of that attractive peep

of Monaco, so we do not stay in Mentone. On our way back, instead of following the Grande Corniche, we take the lower road round the coast — the Petite Corniche, which, though it has not the splendid views of the other, yet gives us some beautiful glimpses of the rocky shore. Monaco, when we enter it, gives us the impression of being overdone. Everything is so well laid out, the houses are eo brightly coloured,' the cliffs are so red, and even the sea is so very blue that it almost seems as if everything had been specially "done up" to catch the eyes of the thousands of tourists who swarm thither from all parts of Europe. And, of course, the greatest attraction of all is the Casino of Monte Carlo. Let us take a peep at it. From' the front it is a big, gaudilydecorated white palace, set in beautiful gardens. If we are "grownups," we can go inside for the modest sum of ten francs each (about one

shilling). Here we find a succession of sumptuously furnished rooms, in each of which are gaming tables where roulette and other games are in progress. The gamblers are men and women of all ages and of all nations. Truth to tell, most of them do not seem to *»« enjoying their "fun"; for whether winning or losing, there are few who have not trained their faces into masks of calm indifference. In spite of the luxurious furnishings, and the swift service of the silent-footed attendants, the place has an air of eeriness and mystery, and we are glad to get out into the air again for a quick glance round the remainder of this "pocket kingdom." The town of Monaco occupies a rocky promontory which juts out into the Mediterranean a little to the west of Monte Carlo, and is still surrounded by the stone ramparts which once served to keep foreigners out. In these days, however, every effort is made to entice foreigners in; for the taxes which tourists pay, either as a percentage of their lodging bills, or as fees for

gambling, provide tlie money for the upkeep of the Prince and the Government. But the afternoon is drawing on, and so, with the sun sinking before us into the golden west, we turn back along the coast road towards our temporary home in Nice. In truth, it is a beautiful strip of country, this playground of the wealthy folk of Europe. It is not so very long ago since this area belonged to Italy. Perhaps that explains why our waiter at the hotel is an Italian. At all events, Nice has been a French city only since* 1860, when Italy became a united kingdom; and no doubt many Italians think it is a pity that a town of such beauty and wealth should have passed from their hands. As we are now" so close to the Italian frontier, however, it may be worth our while to board the train one day and travel down through the land which was once the centre of the great Roman Empire. Meanwhile, let us bid "buona sera" to our, Italian waiter, and "bon soil" to our French host, and "good-night" to each other; and so to bed once again in gay, sunny Nice.