In the late spring there is an exodus from the Riviera to Aix-les-Bains;
doctors, _maitres d'hotel_ musicians, lawyers, fly-men, waiters move
into summer quarters; and any one who has time to spare, and enjoys a
three-day drive through beautiful scenery, might well do worse than make
a bargain with a fly-man for the trip from the coast to the town on the
banks of the lake. When a fly-man does not secure a "monsieur" as a
passenger, he as often as not drives a brace of friendly waiters over
just for company sake. Thus any gourmet who knows his Riviera finds
himself surrounded by friendly faces at Aix-les-Bains. There are
excellent restaurants in some of the larger hotels, and you can dine in
a garden, under lanterns lit by electric light, or on a glassed-in
terrace whence a glimpse of the lake of Le Bourget under the moon may be
obtained; and there are at the big Casino, the Cercle as it is called,
and at the smaller one, the Ville des Fleurs, quite excellent
restaurants. These two restaurants are managed by first-class men from
the Riviera--the proprietors of the London House at Nice and of the
Reserve at Beaulieu, were, I believe, last year the men in command--and
the King of Greece, who is a gourmet of the first water, sets a
praiseworthy example when he is at Aix of dining one day at the Cercle
and the next at the Villa.
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