Dear All,
There are some very interesting properties at the end of the letter, so if you want to get straight to them, please scroll down.
Vicky and I touched down at Heathrow early in the morning of 18th January after our flight from Cape Town, to transfer to Nice. It was a “white knuckle” landing in an 80m.p.h. wind and lashing rain - as we were to find out later, the most severe weather Britain had experienced in 17 years! The 747 bounced alarmingly and seemed to slew all over the place in the extreme wind. The airport was subsequently shut for some hours until the wind and rain abated and we only got out of there very much later in the day. We were so happy to get home to Cannes that night, and the most stunningly beautiful winter weather which persists till today, without a break. As Lao said to us a few days after our arrival, “everyone should come to Cannes in January!” The Victorian English knew it, and this coast was developed as a popular destination specifically to escape from the rigors of European winters, and it wasn’t until the 1930’s that hotels even bothered to stay open for the summer. The Carlton was the first to give all-year trading a try and it was followed a year or two later by the Martinez and the Majestic, and then slowly the others followed.
