VII 

 THE LAND OF AZURE BLUE 



THE Cote d'Azur whither many of my readers will 

 be travelling in thought, if not in reality about 

 Easter time, is well named the Land of Azure Blue, for 

 it is the blueness of the sea, of the sky, and of the distant 

 rocks and mountains, as well as much of the vegetation, 

 which is when the sun shines, its special charm. And 

 although one has some wet and some cloudy days, yet 

 the sun does shine there with a strength and brilliancy not 

 to be enjoyed in the early part of the year on the Atlantic 

 and North Sea coast. This tract of country, more com- 

 monly known to English people as the Riviera, has very 

 special meteorological conditions owing to its position 

 as the narrow strip of shore-line existing between the 

 vast mass of the Western Alps and the Mediterranean 

 Sea. It is warmed by the sea, and lies too close under 

 the mountains to be caught by any winds from the north, 

 and at many points is also effectively protected from 

 both east and west winds by rocky spurs of the great 

 mountain chain. 



The Riviera is a constant source of delight to those 

 who love flowers and beautiful vegetation of all kinds. 

 But few of its visitors appreciate the fact that it is really 

 from end to end one big garden, cultivated for ages by 



its inhabitants, and full of plants introduced by man 



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