Nice--Its persistently Italian character--Its gaming propensities--Hints
about luggage--Old and New Towns--Flower-shops--A river laundry--The
harbours of Nice and Villafranca--Scenery and climate of Nice--A cowardly
outrage--In the Cathedral--Hotel charges--Leaving Nice.
From Cannes to Nice, or Nizza, is but a short run by rail, but on
reaching the latter we see at once that we have entered another
country--as one of the natives epigrammatically remarked, "The Emperor
Napoleon made Nice France, but God made it Italy." In spite of the
French flags, French soldiers, and French gens d'armes, it is soon
perceptible that we have entered Italy, more especially on going into
the old part of the town, out of the way of the large hotels built for
the English, who flock here in such numbers.
Nice, the birthplace of Garibaldi, the great liberator of Italy, will
some day be Italian again. In 1870-71, the debt of gratitude to France
for her assistance in wresting Lombardy and Venice from the Austrians,
was of too recent a date to admit of the Italians taking advantage of
her weakness to resume possession of the provinces of Nice and Savoy,
and they were, besides, intent at the time on seizing upon the city of
Rome; but there is no doubt that, sooner or later--in fact, on the very
first opportunity that offers, the old boundary between the two
countries will be resumed, and both Savoy and Nice will be re-occupied
by their natural owners, the Italians. There was a bitter and fateful
irony in the fact that no place could be found to barter to a foreign
power but the very birthplace of the champion of Italy's liberty; and
the best friend of this fair country cannot but acknowledge this act on
the part of Victor Emmanuel to have been unjust to her devoted people,
and a blot on her ancient honour and glory; but at the same time, France
will share in the condemnation of the world, for exacting so great and
unnatural a sacrifice. It is equally iniquitous for a sovereign to
barter away the birthright of his subjects as for any foreign power to
require it, but how much more so when that power is an ally!
If France continues on the same course she has pursued for the last year
or two, the opportunity Italy waits for will not be far distant, as
evidently her present rulers are bent on estranging her from the rest of
Europe, and are doing all they can to provoke another war. If that day
should unhappily come, Italy will naturally look for the sympathy of
England, which, with her own magnificent seaboard and England's maritime
and naval power in the Mediterranean, would prove the most powerful
alliance. But meanwhile Italy has only to be patient, develop her
industries, mature her strength, and pursue the upright tenor of her
way.
Immediately on arriving at the station, you see what a gay and busy
place this is. The society is far more _doubtful_ and mixed than at
Cannes, where you feel pretty sure of every one. But Nice being so close
to Monaco and Monte Carlo, there is a constant stream of--well, I might
almost say adventurers, passing through the town, hoping to return with
their expenses liberally recouped from the "tables"--of course, in most
cases a delusion and a snare. It is said that Nice itself is a little
Monte Carlo, and unquestionably there is a great deal of card-playing
going on openly in the _cafés_, while the stationers' shop-windows
literally teem with books professing to teach the secrets of roulette,
how to win at Monte Carlo, and all the other gambling paraphernalia.
This being the case, it is small wonder that private gambling is also
carried on to a great extent, besides the races, etc., which are
fostered and supported by the owners of the gambling saloons at Monte
Carlo, and the crowd one meets at the Nice station much resembles such
as we unfortunately meet at a London suburban station during a race
week. These are the _lovers of sport_, who demoralize and spoil the
peace and beauty of a place both at home and abroad.
We put up at the St. Jullien, a quiet, pleasant hotel; but our comfort
was somewhat disturbed by the fact of our luggage having most
vexatiously miscarried, and not making its appearance for forty-eight
hours after our arrival. In France, after having seen your luggage
registered and labelled, you are generally content to trouble no more
about it till it reaches its destination; but it is really very
necessary to _see it put into the train_, for, despite the otherwise
good system, the porters are carelessly content to get their fee without
properly completing the service for which they are paid. And I may here
remark that there is far too much "black mail" levied altogether, one
man simply transferring his duty to another, who expects similar fee. To
avoid loss of time and other unpleasantness, travellers will always find
it best to make the first man fully understand that he alone is
responsible for the luggage placed in his care, and that he is expected
to see to its safety, no payment being forthcoming till this is done.
In the present case, our luggage had been sent on to Mentone by mistake,
although properly labelled for Nice, and when we regained possession,
one of the trunks was so knocked about that it cost fifteen francs to
have it repaired, and in reply to my application to the railway
authorities to recoup me, I was simply told, with the usual French shrug
of the shoulders as if to get rid of a disagreeable burthen, that it
could not be entertained.
One of the great secrets of comfortable travel consists in carrying as
little luggage with you as possible, and as there is no difficulty in
procuring the services of a laundress at a few hours' notice, this rule
may be readily complied with. It is always well, however, to be
provided with a good-sized hand-bag, containing all the necessaries you
require for one or two days, _and this you should never lose sight of_.
Nice is a charming town, with its beautiful promenades facing the sea,
its palatial hotels, fine streets, and gardens. The Promenade des
Anglais, and the graceful, waving palm trees planted along the streets,
give it quite a different character to the French towns we had visited.
We were much struck, and again reminded of the Italian nature of the
place, by the elaborate way in which the houses and villas are decorated
on the outside with paintings, giving the flat surface all the effect of
being embellished with beautiful frescoes and works of statuary. Some of
the villas, which are on the hill overlooking the town and sea, and
surrounded by their gardens full of orange and lemon trees, are most
delightful residences. Among other places of interest, we were pointed
out the villa where the young Czarowitch, the elder brother of the
present Emperor of Russia, died, attended in his last moments by his
mother, and his betrothed wife Princess Dagmar, who afterwards married
the brother of her first _fiancé_. The house is in no wise remarkable,
save for the lovely views it commands, and the large and beautiful
gardens which surround it, where almost every variety of orange and
lemon trees grow to perfection. Before the Czarowitch's death visitors
were allowed the privilege of viewing the grounds, but this is now
refused.
Nice is divided into two distinct parts, known as the Old and New Town.
The latter is well laid out--there are two very fine squares, one being
surrounded by very handsome porticoes; while the other is supplemented
by a raised terrace, which serves both as a sea-wall and public
promenade. Part of this promenade is on the flat roofs of a row of low
houses, which at harvest-time are utilized as drying-floors for wheat
and other grain, which are spread in the hot sun. This is, of course,
before the season for visitors sets in, and while there are but few
strangers in the town.
The shops are remarkably good, the confectioners' windows being very
tempting with their array of airy-looking pastry, which is as nice as it
is novel to us, accustomed to the more substantial and perhaps slightly
heavy preparations of the kind in our own country. Especially to be
noticed, too, are the displays of corals in all its most exquisite
varieties, which may be purchased at a very reasonable rate, as also
various kinds of lace. Indeed, this modern part of Nice is quite a
little seaside Paris: the tramcars pass smoothly up and down, and the
fashionable equipages, sometimes with bells attached to the horses'
heads, dash gaily along.
The Old Town consists of narrow, dirty-smelling labyrinths, unworthy the
name of streets, with blocks of shops of every kind. It is, however,
interesting, as one here sees the working population "at home." In a
large market-square we saw one of the lumbering old-fashioned
diligences arrive, which recalled all that we had read of the days of
continental travel before railways. There can be no doubt that the smart
stage-coaches of England were very superior conveyances to the
cumbersome, cobwebby diligence, which seems better adapted for night
than for day travelling.
The flower-shops are one of the most interesting features of Nice,
especially to ladies. Bouquets composed of the most exquisite flowers,
of every size and description, from tiny button-hole sprays to masses of
blossoms two feet in diameter, surround you on every side. Yet, after
all, I believe no people arrange flowers so tastefully as the English.
Our bouquets are not so large or so closely packed, and the flowers may
be less rare, though scarcely less beautiful, yet they are grouped with
more discernment and harmonious taste than elsewhere. The great business
in these little "floral arsenals" is to pack the fragrant blossoms
carefully in cotton-wool, for transmission to all parts of the world,
especially to Covent Garden. Some are stowed in large round boxes like
cheese-tubs, with a hole for the stalks to come through. I could have
bought a bouquet here for seven francs which in London would have cost
almost as many guineas. There are also small boxes, which you can get
addressed and sent, post-free, for three or four francs inclusive. In
fact, almost the first thing visitors do on their arrival here, is to
send off one or more of these tiny boxes of dainty flowers to dear
friends in England. You simply pay for them and give the address, and
they are at once despatched. So large a trade is done that there is a
special Flower Post, and at the station a warehouse is set apart which
is generally filled with these flower-boxes, ready to send off by the
night train.
The culture of flowers in this part of the world is a very profitable
and important industry, and, remembering all the distilleries--such as
at Grasse--for making perfume, we can well understand the numerous
beautiful flower-gardens in Italy, particularly along the shores of the
Mediterranean. Italy may truly be called the "Garden of Europe," but it
is rather difficult to imagine that she sends her vegetables away as far
as St. Petersburg!
The river Var passes though the town, and falls into the Mediterranean.
Its valley, or bed, being spanned by a number of bridges, adds not a
little to its picturesqueness. At this season the river is almost dry; a
few slender streams wind in and out of the rough stones which form the
river-bed, and at these streams are to be seen hosts of women and
children, most busily engaged in washing, and the whole valley by the
river is white with the clothes of the numerous visitors, hanging out to
bleach and dry in the hot sun. At times, when the snow on the Maritime
Alps melts, this dry bed suddenly becomes a foaming, roaring torrent,
and signals are given from the upper stream to warn people of the
approaching rush of water. Instances of women engaged at their washing
being carried away by the torrent have frequently occurred.
The harbour of Nice is but a small affair, and only capable of
accommodating fishing-craft and small vessels; but at little
Villafranca, a mile or so away to the eastward, is an excellent port,
affording shelter to large ships; occasionally men-of-war are to be seen
there. The harbour of Villafranca is very prettily situated, surrounded,
as it is on the land side, by high hills rising from the water's edge,
and beautifully timbered. The walk from Nice to Villafranca, either by
way of the sea, along the face of the rocks, where the road is lined
with aloes and cacti (which impart quite a semi-tropical aspect to the
country); or by the higher road, over a steep hill and deeply shaded
roads,--is very beautiful, and well rewards the wayfarer for his
fatigue; for fatiguing it is in the broiling sun, along a dusty road. On
approaching the port from the upper road, the first view obtained from
the high ground, looking down into the land-locked basin of the harbour,
is very charming.
Nice is so surrounded by beautiful walks and drives, that one fails in
the attempt to describe the half of them. View after view breaks on the
admiring gaze, till you cease to exclaim at the varying loveliness, and
content yourself by drinking in the grandeur and beauty of nature in
silent admiration.
It is colder and more bracing here than at Cannes, but on the whole the
climate is more equable, there being no such sudden fall in the
temperature after sunset; it is, however, I fear, less suited for
invalids of a consumptive nature than other parts of the Riviera. It is
dangerous to be out late, almost less on account of the heavy dews and
chill atmosphere than for the very questionable people one meets, in
every grade, from princes to pick-pockets. Nice is literally infested
with doubtful characters, for, being so near the frontier, numbers of
Italian vagabonds, who have been in prison and find it best to leave
their country, assemble here, and tragedies are constantly occurring.
There are also many wretched desperadoes from the gaming-tables.
On one occasion, two men attacked an old lady who was reading a placard
on a wall. They were fortunately observed by a woman from a small shop
near, who called her husband, and also summoned two gens d'armes. The
men drew their knives, but the gens d'armes threatened to use their
revolvers if the weapons were not instantly given up, and, being
probably as deficient in pluck as most bullies, they finally succumbed,
and were taken in charge--but, I have no doubt, got off with a day or
two's imprisonment; while the poor old lady was confined to her bed for
some time, and did not easily recover the shock she had received. The
only uncommon feature in this occurrence was the fact of _two_ gens
d'armes being found within call at the same time.
With the exception of the splendid hotels, Nice can boast of few
buildings of any importance, save the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which is
a fine-looking edifice, and has several objects of interest in the
interior. A ludicrous and amusing incident was witnessed here one day by
a friend.
Several country people had entered, and were engaged in offering up
their orisons at the various altars. One woman, who had been in the
market, making her purchases, entered the Cathedral, basket in hand,
and, kneeling down on the steps in front of the high altar with her
basket beside her, proceeded to tell her beads, and was soon deeply
immersed in her prayers. A homeless cat was quietly prowling about, and,
approaching the woman, began to smell at the contents of her basket.
Evidently church mice are much the same all the world over and do not
afford too bountiful provender for the hungry cats, for puss had all the
appearance of being desirous of dining, and, after poking her nose into
the basket several times, seized upon a sausage, and proceeded to pull
it out. The poor woman cast a discomfited glance at the robber, but
before the devout Catholic could finish her beads, sacrilegious pussy
had carried off and finished her sausage.
The hotel charges here are much the same as at Cannes, and not
unreasonable. Five francs for bedroom, three for luncheon, and five for
_table d'hôte_.
Most visitors fall into foreign habits, and have their coffee and rolls
in their bedrooms, _dejeuner_ or heavy luncheon at noon, and _table
d'hôte_ at six; but we came down to our breakfast between eight and nine
o'clock, _à l'Anglais_, and dined _à la carte_ at any hour that suited
our convenience. The day's expenses were generally from ten to twelve
francs for each person. Carriage hire is also very reasonable, for you
can go from one end of the town to the other for less than a franc.