TDN Weekend

Indulge me in a little daydream. It's Jan- uary and let's suppose you live somewhere in drab, icy northern Europe. Within kicking distance of Newmarket, say. The days are short. The light is thin. The spirits are low. If you had to pick a word to describe your- self and your disposition, that word would be: grey. In a couple of hours on a plane, you step out at Nice airport into surround-sound sunshine so loud and so yellow your retinas wince with pleasure. You might lead a limo or taxi kind of life, but the on-rush of vita- min D is irresistible and you surprise your- self by walking over to the bus-stop to head for the city centre. Then, as the bus travels haltingly down the Promenade des Anglais (named for those exotic folk of the English upper-classes who came here in the winters of the 1890s, Queen Victoria among them), you surprise yourself again by getting out some way short of your destination and – walking! The Mediterranean is a pebbly stone's-throw to your right – so iridescent it would put a kingfisher to shame; apricot and peach belle époque mansions, with filigree balconies, are across to your left. Cheeks pinched pink by the pleasant freshness, you are in a version of heaven, or would be if it wasn't for having to drag your clothes along behind you in wheelie airline bag. So you stop, drawn by the sight of a run of parasols and linen tablecloths, and step down to the beach. The sign says: Lido Plage, or Beau Ri- vage, or Blue Beach. Yes, of course there's a table – one of the supreme virtues of com- ing at this time of the year: there's always a table. A dozen oysters, monsieur? A carafe 67

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