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Nice - France |
October 29, 2001 This was part of a "mini-cruise" from Barcelona to Villafranche, Corsica and Mallorca on the RCCL Splendour of the Seas. |
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From
Villafranche, we arrived at Jardin Albert 1er in the center of Nice. It is a restful open space with a large modern arc and other
sculpture, arbors, fountains and lots of benches. Our goal for the
day was walking the Promenade des Anglais and visiting the Russian
Orthodox Cathedral.
The Promenade des Anglais (built in 1824 by the English) is reputed to be one of the three best beach promenades in Europe (along with ours in Sitges and the one in Palma de Mallorca). It is quite wide and about 4 miles long, with benches, chairs and latticed spots creating a few breaks in the bare line along the narrow pebbled beach of Nice. It borders a wide (2 lanes 2 ways) street with palm trees in the center. Fronting the beach are rows of cafes and hotels. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral was built on the orders of Tsar Nicholas II and dates from the belle époque. It is an exquisite structure with ornate onion shaped domes and tiles with a striking interior - a marvelous collection of icons (including the jewel encrusted Virgin of Kazan). The iconostase is richly decorated and the small, round central nave is adorned with floral designs. |
