Scents Abound

Tuesday, July 2

The location of our apartment was not only central, but right next to Cannes' largest and oldest outdoor market. The next morning, Emily and I walked a few steps out our door to explore the different fruits, veggies, and other culinary assortments that vendors had brought. We stocked up on fresh fruit, trail mix, dried fruit, sun dried tomatoes, olives, Swiss Gruyere, and tapas spreads for future breakfasts and snacks. The fresh cherries especially were a delicious, daily treat for both of us. The highlight of the day was our trip to the nearby city of Grasse. There is not much to this particular city except that it is internationally known for its perfumeries. We chose to visit and tour one particular perfumery, because it also offers a workshop in which you can choose from 90 different scents to create your own perfume! A specialist sat down with us for an hour to explain the process and procedures to and help us mix and match in order to come up with our own creation. First, we needed to choose a base. These choices were from heavier scents that would "settle" into the skin and last the longest. The second tier were scents that would set the tone for the perfume. The last tier were of lighter scents, and these would create the first impression. Maybe because of the season, my combination of scents created a tropical perfume which I named "TropiCannes" (see what I did there?). Emily's perfume has a floral/vanilla scent and is aptly named "Jardin d'Émilie." 

Smelling the testers to see if she likes it :)

Finished product:

We spent the afternoon in the charming, little town of Antibes. While he lived, this is one of the cities that Picasso lived and worked. After visiting his place, we walked along the narrow, winding streets that were lined with colorful, multi-level apartments. Many windows had either plants, a French flag, or laundry hanging just outside, making them so typically French and picturesque. Dinner for the night took place at a small hole-in-wall vegetarian restaurant called Chez Helen. We were actually directed to another restaurant, but when we arrived, this was located right next door and looked so much better. We asked the couple who owned the place if they were open and they told us they had just closed....but that they would still serve us. :) I am so glad they did because it was fresh, healthy, and delicious! The plan had been to leave right after dinner, but we loved it so much that we just kept walking past our car and continued touring the city. After sunset, we reluctantly left and drove home.

My dinner :)