A
Journey Through Belle France
A
Journey Through Belle France
Day 3 - Fragonard Parfume Factory,
Le Gorges du Verdon, & Aiguines
Fragonard
Parfume Factory
name of Parfumerie Fragonard as a tribute to the famous painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard. When we arrived we were given a tour of the factory that included seeing "The Nose" in action, as well as perfume sampling and shopping at the factory store. The Nose is the person who actually develops the fragrances of the perfumes by mixing the essence of different scents. It is a highly exclusive job and a difficult one too. Our guide told us that The Nose cannot eat spicy food, drink alcohol, or do anything else that might interfere with his olfactory
Today we packed up the bus and turned our sights to Provence. Our first stop of the day was the Fragonard Parfume Factory in Old Grasse. The Fragonard factory is housed in a building that has been used for perfume making since its construction in 1782. In 1926 the factory took the
senses. And I thought my job
was difficult, at least I can have a glass of wine when I get home. We
also learned how the scents are concentrated and the difference between
perfume (20 percent concentrated fragrance), eau de toilette (10 percent concentrated
The Nose hard at work.
fragrance), and cologne (6 percent concentrated fragrance). Historically there have been three methods for extracting concentrated fragrance: heat maceration (enfleurage a chaud), cold maceration (enfleurage a froid), and steam. The steam technique seems
basic enough, a still is filled with fresh or dried plants, gum or
roots, and water. The steam produced in the still traps the essential
oils of the product being distilled then passes through a tube that is
immersed in cold water, which condenses them into essence. Heat and cold
maceration, which are no longer used, are not so basic. The flowers are
mixed in pure animal fat which absorbs and concentrates the fragrance.
Ick! Aside from that, the group
The Still
Our tour guide
Bottles of Essence
enjoyed the tour (the women in particular I think, or maybe it was the shopping after) especially Harriet, she's so cute, I saw her taking notes the whole time.
After the factory tour, and some shopping in the factory store (of course), we all went our separate ways to explore Grasse a bit and
have some lunch. Linda and I spend so much time shopping in the factory store, however, that we only had time to run down rue Jean Ossola to get some lunch before we had to meet the bus. I guess all the tour members think alike though, out of the whole city most of us ended up at the same cafe.
Le
Gorges du Verdon
From Grasse, we headed
toward Provence through Le Gorges du Verdon. On the way we made a rest
stop in a little town called Comps, if you can call it a town. I saw
three buildings, and one of those was the bathroom. It was an
interesting little side trip due to the fact that the very clean and well kept
bathroom was comprised of six unisex squat toilets. Now, I have heard
about these in every European travel book that I have ever read, but I had yet
to see one, until today. Evidently it was a first for most of my compatriots
as well because everyone stopped cold and just stared for several minutes
before gathering up the courage to go in. 
Le Gorges du Verdon
Katie, Emily, Nancy, Steve, & Pam take a look at what's below, or else their sick from the bus ride
The group takes it all in, good thing there are no cars coming
Laura's definitely happy to be here
Perplexed at the squat toilet.
Once we got on the
road again, we had another surprise in store for us. We hit some heavy
traffic on the road as you can see in the picture on the right.
Nevertheless, we were able to get through without too much difficulty and kept
on our way to le Gorges du Verdon.
Sabine called the gorges the Grand Canyon of Europe, and I have to say that the name is very fitting. It is very reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, except that everything is so green. There is vegetation everywhere, as well as picturesque rivers and amazing rock formations. I cannot begin to put the beauty of this place into words. So I will let the pictures do the talking.
I have to say, however, bravo to Francois for his amazing driving on the Corniche Sublime, and for finding places to stop the bus often so we could explore, take lots of pictures, and enjoy the spectacular beauty of nature. Let me say too that sitting on the canyon side of the bus is not for the weak of heart. I swear I saw the road disappear several times. It was really cool!
Aiguines
About halfway through
the canyon, we reached a tunnel. It was like nothing I have ever
seen. It was carved out of the mountain and had large windows cut out of
the canyon side. Francois stopped the bus once we were through the
tunnel (I still cannot believe we 
Checking out the view from 2,500 feet up.
made it) so we could
investigate. While out on the road, Sabine showed us a hotel on the
other side of the canyon where she suggested we stop for a little aperitif.
The hotel has a patio that sits right on the edge of the canyon and has a
great view of that tunnel. Seeing the tunnel from that perspective was a
little unnerving, but in an exciting way. After drinks on the patio, we
headed for Aiguines.
Rich, Janet, Katie and Emily enjoying a stroll to the hotel for drinks.
A view of the tunnel from the hotel patio.
As you drive towards Aiguines, the first thing you notice is this amazing blue-green lake in a small valley surrounded by green mountains. As you get closer you see a 15th-century chateau that is in the shape of a square with a round tower at each corner. When you enter the town you notice just how small it is and you wonder (well if come
from a big city you do) how people manage in
such a petit, remote town. However, once you
take some time to explore the town and meet
the people who live there, you begin to wish
that you lived there as well. You'll find yourself
starting to plot ways of getting left behind as the
bus leaves for its next destination.
Once we arrived, we got settled in our hotel,
which has been in business for 200 years. It is a
charming little place with a very friendly staff
The 15th-century chateau.
The lake down the mountain from the town.
Our hotel
where no two rooms are alike. So of course we had to take a few minutes to explore everyone else's rooms. Once our curiosity about the hotel was satisfied, Linda, Elena, and I took a walk up to the highest point in the town. To get to the top of the town, you have to walk a little pedestrian street that meanders past the houses of the town residents. At the top of the hill is an informational tablet, a tres petit church that looks abandoned, and a phenomenal view of the town and the lake. On our way up to the top we ran into several of our tour buddies. From the looks of things,
everyone on the tour seemed to enjoy this little town as much as I
did. 
Jack, Harriet, Judy, and Sy on their way up the hill.
Evidently Francois really likes it up here.
When we came down from the hill we stopped at a little store adjacent to the hotel. While there, we met Nils, a very friendly and very relaxed yellow lab. When we arrived he was lounging under a table at the store. He managed to gather enough strength to walk over and drop at our feet so we could pet him. The only time he got excited was when two little girls from the town came running by, but the enthusiasm could only be sustained for about 60 seconds before he would lay down again. Evidently it is hard work being a dog in Aiguines. According to the man at the shop, (the dog is owned by his brother, who happens to be the man who runs the hotel) in addition to having narcolepsy, Nils is also slightly overweight from eating too many "croutons". Croutons? Yeah, it took us a moment as well to realize he meant dog food. He also tried to explain to us in a very charming mix of French and broken English that Nils was on a diet. Well, we didn't quite get what he was saying until he made a reference to "light" soda, meaning diet. After that we understood and had a good laugh. Poor Nils, maybe he should just try a little exercise. Of course Nils, didn't seemed phased by any of it unless you stopped petting him. Every time I tried to stop he would slam his paw down on my hand so I wouldn't pull it away. If
Photo ops at every turn, how could we resist.
Linda surveys the land.
Elena...the lady of the lake.
It's me again (doing my best Vanna White impersonation), with Sy and his red hat in the foreground.
you look closely at the picture of me and Nils, you can see his paw on my wrist. It was very easy to tell who was in charge, and it wasn't anyone accustomed to walking upright. Once I managed to disengage myself from my furry companion, we continued our exploration of the town. We went to the TI office, but it was closed. It was interesting to note, however, that the TI and the school are in the same building. That is how small this town is. Between the school house/TI office and the chateau is a large grass field that seems to be school playground and town park all rolled into one. It was there that we saw a local woman training her horse. A short time later we saw her again
A local woman and her horse enjoying some afternoon exercise.
Me and my buddy Nils.
Summer tower of the chateau
Me and the town of Aiguines
riding through town. Viva le bonne vie!
When we went to get a closer look at the chateau, we noticed that all the round towers have mosaic tile roofs and they are each a different color. Sabine told us that each tower represents a season of the year. From
the chateau and the adjacent church there is a great view of the town. Its funny how you can capture the entire town in a single photograph. Anyway, we had hoped to go see the church while we were there, but the church was preparing for a first communion service so, not wanting to be in the way, we headed back to the hotel. It was almost time for dinner
anyway, and if you didn't come to France to
eat, why did you come
at all?
It's like being on top of the world!
Tonight was a group
dinner night at the hotel, which I think was the only place in town to eat out.
There is a beautiful fountain in front of the hotel, and adjacent to the
fountain is a lovely sitting area with a yellow awning and a tree growing
right in the middle. Just perfect for talking and eating your
meals. While we waited for dinner to be served, I discussed books with
Judy and Harriet and found some kindred bibliophile spirits.
At dinner we stated
off with a magnificent vegetable soup. This statement may not seem extraordinary
(soup is a reasonable first course and we are in France so naturally it was
magnificent), but it is extraordinary coming from me as I despise most all
vegetables...and no, I am not 5 years old. The soup came out and I
decided to taste it because I am a picky eater but I am still adventurous and
I had no desire to insult anyone and cause an international incident. It
was pureed, so I couldn't tell exactly what it was made of, which is always
helpful when you have decided that will not like something. Well, you
can image my surprise when I didn't just taste it, but eagerly ate the entire
bowl. Now some people say that everything tastes better on vacation (of
course, they must not have visited England yet), but you are not always guaranteed
a great meal (or even a good one) as you travel through Europe.
Regardless, this soup was fantastique! It was thick and hearty and
Our cozy little group dinner under the yellow awning.
While we all had
individual glasses of wine on this particular night, Francois ordered a bottle
for Sabine, Michaelanne and himself. I guess there was a little more in
the bottle 
One of the girls in town, playing in the fountain.
was seasoned with all those wonderful herbs d'Provence. You just wanted to sit with your noise over the bowl and inhale the sweet fragrance. Now, combine that soup with the bread (carbs be damned) and the wine, and we had the makings of a gourmet meal right there in little Aiguines.
Michaelanne slurping her wine.
than Francois
anticipated when he decided to empty it into Michaelanne's glass. It was
so full that she couldn't even move it without spilling it...and of course,
you never want to waste French wine. So, being the fast thinking
assistant tour guide that she is, she paused only for a moment before leaning
over and very elegantly slurping the wine down to a manageable level.