Paris

Start at the Jardin Albert 1er and head towards the famous PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS. Quite a story, the birth of that promenade! The English didn’t care much for the old city and preferred the seaside. But there was no road, at least nothing that looked like. Juts an ancient donkey’s path, full of rocks, holes and bumps, where the wealthy ladies got all their fancy clothes dirty when the weather was rainy and dust when it was sunny. In 1822, Reverend Lewis Way decided it was time to build a decent toad and started to collect money. Jobless workers and cheap laborers went to work and built a large path that would grow later to one of the most famous avenues in the world. Palm trees, parasols, terraces, boardwalk chairs, restaurants, shops and bars and the unavoidable luxury hotels border the promenade. The Westminster hotel is still functioning and we come also eye-to-eye with small façade of the Palais de la Mediterrannee, which is in fact the Casino, built in 1929, closed down a few years ago after many scandals. But it was classified as historical monument to avoid promoters to seize and destroy it. But be sure that in the coming years apartments, shops and a luxury hotel will rise out of the classified façade, despite you see only a hideous hole today.


Yours truly Jack at breakfast	Yours truly Mrs.Jack

And what about the illustrious NEGRESCO hotel of 1912, also protected by state decision against the vandalism of the real estate promoters? Henri Negresco was one a world famous chef who swayed his ladle in the Grand Cercle, a billionaires club with members as the automobile constructors Dion-Bouton and Talbot. This Cercle, fearing that their so beloved chef would look elsewhere and disappear to better horizons, decided to put some money together and built this hotel calling it the Negresco. Now Henri didn’t sway only his paddle but also a scepter.

Negresco begin century

Seven heads of state (presidents, kings, princes) assisted at the ceremonial opening. But our Henri Negresco was not that lucky a guy. WWI broke loose and his hotel was confiscated. After that the Negresco never really recovered its old glory, mainly obtained with the Russian and German nobility of pre-1914. Let’s wait to see the result of a new salvation policy, which should give some permanent results around the year 2000.
Right behind the Negresco we can find the MUSEE MASSENA. He was one of Napoleon’s favorite generals, promoting him to field marshal, duke of Rivoli and later on prince of Essling. But Massena rewarded the Corsican emperor with ugly ingratitude when the duke defected at Napoleon’s defeat and joined the returning Bourbons. What a lousy trick! Nevertheless, not only the red ochre square next to the Jardin Albert was named after him but this villa Massena was built in 1900 in Italian style as a secondary house for the winter months. We can like or dislike this kind of museum but it presents a lot of items for those who are interested in the history of Nice, as well as a whole section dedicated to Garibaldi. At the first floor a Louis Brea triptych and a collection of Provencal ceramics. Finally, not a boring museum to loiter in.

Bibliography:

D. Leblanc, "Histoire de coins curieux de Nice"ed. Points 1993), Mary Blume, "Cote d'Azur. Inventing the French Riviera" (Thames and Hudson, London 1982) Stephen Liegeard, "La Cote d'Azur (Ed.Serre, Nice 1988), Georges Poujouly,"Nice, une ville méconnue" (ed.Frontieres, Grasse)

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