For today’s amusement, we drove inland about 30 mins from Nice to a town called Grasse, to cover the olfactory senses. Back in the middle ages, this town was used as a tannery, and it’s hard to imagine the vile stench of animal skins and fat being rendered in a place that’s now as fragrant as it ought to be, being the world’s fragrance capital. We learnt all about it in the perfume museum, then saw how the great perfume houses there actually capture the essences that make up a fragrance. We hadn’t heard of any of these great perfume houses, but that’s because they’re not advertised, as they only produce the essences and absolutes that go into creating a perfume such as Chanel No5, for instance. Anyhoo, suffice to say it was tres interesting, and we came away all the wiser about the processes of efflurage, distillation, parfum versus toilette and the like. We also came away about E100 lighter, after deciding we needed some of these parfums, scented soaps and candles in our lives, so delicieux did they smell.
On a camping note, I am actually typing this in the dark of our tent – whilst wearing a head torch. Yes, I’ve actually given in to the Godforsaken thing. As hideous as I look in this apparel (sorry excuse for a dalek? Overground miner?), I have to admit the bloody thing is so useful in the dark it actually hurts. Literally. I mean it’s painful to imagine how I look in it (and I nearly found out, as DD slyly attempted to snap a pic while I was unawares, the beast).
Packing up the tent tomorrow ready for campsite two. Will the views be as fabuleux? Will there be hairdryers? Will I ever get a full night’s sleep? Will I dare to wear the head torch outside of the tent in front of the viewing public? Stay tuned.
Inside the perfume museum
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