The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-18
JUST like A WAXED FLOOR
An Example Of How Roads Are Made
in France.
THE CORNICHE THOROUGnFARE
1t Rises I. 900 Feet in Ten Miles. but tho
Grade IL Not Seemingly Steep.
Many Beautiful Views to
De Seen Along 1t.

Nice, March 2O.-Throughout' all
France and throughout all Europe, TOT
that matter, there are many monuments
to the fame OF the. first Napoleon, but
perhaps there Is no one which gives
as much pleasure to the present gem
Grafton as does the Corniche road
which he built along the mountain tops
Of the Riviera from Nice to Genoa.
There are probably few, If any, finer
roads in the world, and there are GER
tainly none commanding better views
than can be obtained by a pedestrian
traversing this road from Nice to Monte
Carlo or Monaco, or rather to La Tur-
bic, as the road itself runs far above
Monaco. ...
Starting at Nice-and It is well to
choose a cool day for the trip,
for the grades. though not steep.
are steady-the road leads away
from the Mediterranean, skirting
the base of Mont Gros. The views
of the city and bay of Nice, which
you obtain through the olive groves
and, eXergreens that border the side
Of the road are very beautiful. Many
of the. stone walls along the way are
covered with rose bushes in bloom, for
SO sheltered Is this wonderful Riviera
that roses grow and bloom in the open
air, without any attention. all the year
round. They are not the fragile. few
leaved wild roses we know in America,
but resemble very much the cultivated
rose, and the bushes have probably
been planted along the walls and left
to grow there.
THE PAILLON VALLEY.
After about an hours walk, during
which you have been steadily ascend
ing, the road begins to turn round the
mountain, and you get a very fine
view Of the rugged valley of the Pail
Ion and Of the river bed far below. You
do not see the river for the reason
that at this time of the year there is
practically none to see, the streams
along the Riviera only deserving the
name of rivers in the spring and sum-
mer, when the SHOWS of the Alps melt
and make them roaring freshets. IL
seems very peculiar to see at Nice inn
mense walls, some hundreds Of feet
apart. built to contain a. little brook
a few feet wide which wanders in and
out of the sandy bed of the river, but
experience has taught the Nicoise that
at some times of the year these walls
are needed.
After having rounded Mont Gros the
road approaches the sea again, but by
this time you have ascended perhaps
five hundred feet, and see Villafranche,
with. its celebrated naval harbor far be-
low. From the road the mountain
slopes down rapidly to the sea and Is
covered with terraced olive groves and
vineyards, with here and there a tile
rooted farm house. Along the Riviera
land is too valuablerto be wasted, and
a hillside which in America we would
not think of cultivating, Is here ter
raced and made very productive.
A little beyond Villafranche the pen
insula of st. Jean juts out into the
Mediterranean, and there is a superb
birds eye view of 1t from the road
the peninsula forming the middle OF
the panorama and sloDing mountains
which here form n short valley leading
down to the sea. side