Faces of Côte d’Azur

It is not only the countless natural and cultural treasures of the French Riviera that entices people to visit this region, but in addition to the prestigious festivals of Antibes and Cannes there is an increasing number of international conferences that brings thousands to this sunshine empire, the world-famous capital of Côte d’Azur,Nice. Nice’s “bohemian” district is crowded with VIP luxury shops: Vuitton, Chanel, Cartier… whereas the old town offers a multitude of historic mosaic pieces. Around the thousand-coloured walls enclosing the narrow alleys, the white window frames and arcades, adventure seekers can breathe a particular atmosphere. Near Place Masséna, Acropolis Convention Center can be found in this Janus-faced environment where from the laboratory associated with the name of Professor Kai Kaarniranta I had the chance to deliver a presentation at the EVER Conference as a returning participant to demonstrate our most recent results also published in Redox Biology (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231718306050?via%3Dihub ). Owing to the vicinity of the place (our accommodation was near the old town) and for my own curiosity, I visited the port of Nice on a few occasions, as well as the “la promenade des 100 antiquaires”, “the promenade of 100 antique traders”, where I had a real “kirputtori” feeling, I could immerse in a quest for truly desired “treasures”. While the agenda of the EVER Conference (www.ever.be) was highly tense, and I would not claim myself to be a real “conference tourist”, I still perceived the call of the unique and many-coloured Maritime Alps, lying just a short hour away – besides, obviously, the deservedly famous beaches of Nice, which always dazzle the strollers in the promenade –, and therefore on a leisure afternoon I hit the road to unveil the natural beauties of the mountains near Côte d’Azur alongside the cultural and architectural traditions of the small villages I passed by during this short (30–40 km) trip. By showing you the photos taken in these places, let me share some of the images reflecting the two kinds of faces of Côte d’Azur: both grandeur, gleam and undisturbed nature.

Szabolcs Felszeghy