NICE, France (dpa) – “Sois belle et tais-toi” – be beautiful and silent. At this time of year, there are no traffic jams on the Route Nationale along the picturesque coast.
The azure coast has long been a favourite sanctuary for writers, painters, musicians and royalty. They are drawn here by a symphony of colours and the joie de vivre. Their favourite domiciles are Nice, Cannes and Menton.
Picasso first visited the Cote d’Azur in 1919 and, after numerous visits, finally moved here from Paris in 1946. He worked for many months in the former Grimaldi chateau in Antibes.His studio, situated directly on the sea, has today been converted into a Picasso Museum. The painter donated all the works he completed during his winter months here to the city.Nietzsche, Tolstoy, Renoir, Chagall and Matisse were all inspired by the Mediterranean flair and the light of this coastline. At the age of 80, Matisse decorated the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence. The Matisse Museum in Nice now contains the largest collection of works by the artist who died in 1954.No other region offers visitors the chance to see so many works of art concentrated in such a small area as the Cote d’Azur. Most art works are exhibited in their places of origin. And winter is a quiet time to visit the chateaux, villas and chapels where famous artists lived and worked.One of the most important addresses for contemporary art is the Fondation Maeght, opened in 1964, near the artists’ village of St. Paul de Vence.Gallery owner and car enthusiast Aime Maeght also runs the Musee Automobiliste in Mougins, seven kilometres inland from Cannes, with a fine collection of 200 old and new Ferraris, Maseratis and Bugattis.The Massif de l’Esterel, rising up behind Cannes and stretching to St. Raphael, is a favourite destination for mountain bikers. The landscape is dominated by large pine forests, red rocks towering out of the sea and dreamy, slumbering villages.In the Massif des Maures, stretching between Frejus and Hyeres, you can walk amid cork oaks and horse chestnut trees, and you will chance upon thyme, sage and rosemary plants which thrive in the chalky earth.Visitors to the Cote d’Azur can enjoy palm trees, beaches and snow all in the same day. The foothills of the Alps begin in Nice hinterland. The ski resort of Isola 2000 is just 97 kilometres from Nice – just a two-hour bus ride from the city. The return trip costs around 30 U.S. dollars.In winter, the resorts of Menton, St. Raphael and St. Tropez become a pensioners’ paradise – very many elderly people spend the winter months here. In Menton nearly all the belle epoch hotels are converted into elderly residences.Nearly a tenth of all privately owned holiday homes on the Cote d’Azur are situated in St. Tropez. But at this time of year you will search in vain for the stars and starlets who brought St. Tropez fame and fortune. This former fishing village with 6,500 inhabitants is rather bleak in winter.But Cannes and Nice are a different story. Nice, the picturesque capital of the Cote d’Azur, is reminiscent of Italy. Narrow lanes with red and yellow facades, small squares with churches and cafes, and the brightly coloured flower market of Nice are popular destinations for visitors at any time of year.The six-kilometre Promenade des Anglais is named after the well- to-do Englishmen who came here in the eighteenth century to help cure complaints such as asthma or bronchitis, and who had the promenade built. Seats in the sun with a view of the sea are still hotly sought after throughout the year.Cannes is a good base for a winter holiday on the Cote d’Azur. The small city with 75,000 inhabitants offers a little of everything and does not feel soulless at this time of year.In the summer droves of tourists swarm over le souquet, the old town, and the main shopping street, the Rue d’Antibes. But in the winter months, visitors can enjoy the charm of this international city without having to put up with the tourist bustle.You could seek out the hand-prints of famous film stars in front of the Festival Palace on the Allee des Etoiles. Or you could enjoy the French way of life with a stroll along the Boulevard Croisette, taking in the palms, the sea, the expensive yachts, the designer boutiques and splendid homes. Or you could enjoy oysters and a glass of chablis in the midday sun in the old harbour.Other coastal resorts are easily and cheaply reached by bus or train from Cannes. The one-hour trip by the small provincial train from Cannes to Monaco passes through Juan les Pins, Antibes, Villeneuve, Nice and Cap d’Antibe and offers some splendid views.The trains run almost hourly from early in the morning until midnight. This would enable visitors to go shopping in Nice, visit the Picasso Museum in Antibes and then try their luck in the casino of Monte Carlo – all in one day.Monte Carlo, the Manhattan of the Cote d’Azur, with its high rises, luxury yachts and expensive hotels, is peaceful at this time of year. Only in May do motor sports fans invade the tiny state to see Michael Schumacher and co. in the Formula One Grand Prix races.Cannes has turned itself into a centre for congresses and festivals in France – and this means that its shops, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs are open all year round. In summer it is hard to get a seat in the restaurants here.But in winter the restaurant owners try to lure customers with lower prices. The summer terraces are roofed over and heated. Guests have the impression they are sitting in France’s wintergarden.In La Coquille, one of the many seafood restaurants on the Rue Felix Faure, the head waiter pointed out that an aperitif was included in the menu price. One guest asked for a kir royal. But of course, sir – the customer is king on the Cote d’Azur – in winter at least.
