Grasse is Fragrant

Time to find a market and it looks like Grasse is the place today. It is a large town spread across some low hills just 15 km north of Cannes. This is considered to be the perfume capital of the world as they began making perfume here back in the 16th century. The old town is much larger than Fayence and is a true medieaval town that has withstood many raids in its time. Tiny streets wind forever between the 17th and 18th century buildings, up and down ancient steps, passing through arched tunnels and sometimes opening out onto large squares. We made our way to the central fountain in Place aux Aires where the market was supposed to be, and found only half a dozen stalls so that was a disappointment. Although they say there is a market every day, Sunday is only a token gesture.

However walking around the streets was wonderful. The camera was working overtime as every way I looked something caught my eye. When I think of Grasse I will remember gurgling fountains and picturesque squares with welcoming cafés, red and yellow ochre houses, and narrow streets filled with tiny shops with interesting merchandise. We gradually made our way up to the cathedral which was very ornate with gilt and carving, and 10 side chapels. Three Rubens paintings were hanging there, plus works by lesser known artists and there were beautiful stained glass windows and statues. All very impressive and added to that, the view over the surrounding hills and valleys made the walk up the hill worthwhile.

The three historic perfume manufacturers - Fragonard, Galimard and Molinard provide free tours of their laboratories so we joined the crowds to see over Fragonard. The museum was very interesting with its displays of bottles and vases that trace the industry back to ancient times, with life size diaoramas of how the people looked and worked long ago. I found the history of the family itself most interesting and how it grew with each generation. We intended doing the tour of the laboratories to see how they extract the essence out of the flowers, but a couple of bus loads of French tourists pulled in before us and the 45 minute wait to do an English speaking tour wasn’t appealing, so we gave that a miss. Sarah and Louise spent up big in the Fragonard shop buying several of their beautiful products. Apart from the perfumes, they sell lovely soaps all packaged up beautifully. We all arrived home smelling of fragrances we had tried out, even the guys who had been trying the after-shaves.