After spending the morning in Frejus Old Town we had a quick swim on St Raphael beach and after lunch set off for our next stop which was to be a France Passion site at Grasse.
We took the toll route to start with and as usual the “Péage” caused a bit of consternation.
Péage A8, Var, France
There are two money/card slots at different heights on the toll booth, one for lorry drivers and one for car drivers. The height of the drivers seat on the campervan conveniently sits smack in the middle of these, such that neither are within arms length when reaching the toll.
As a result either the driver has to get out to put money in the slot – or, as happens more frequently, the driver has parked too close to the toll to open the door so the passenger has to get out. All this, of course, causes much agravation to the drivers behind but this pales into insignificance when compared to the anxiety levels inside the campervan!
Lac de St Cassien, Var, France
After leaving the autoroute the road passed through some beautiful countryside and we stopped for a while beside Lac de St Cassien. Arriving at the France Passion site around 5pm, we made our introductions, bought some balsamic vinegar and sundried tomatoes, and were directed to a parking spot at the front of the courtyard. There was an adjacent field with a horse, geese and goats and Neil quickly introduced himself to the horse!
Grasse, Var, Frabce
The next daý we moved on to a nearby paid campsite to top up on power, empty our tanks and refill with water. This site had a lovely pool and the day became a rest day – chilling by the pool.
St Paul de Vence, Alpes Maritimes, France
The following morning we set out for St Paul de Vence. Our friends Mike and Jenny, in Auckland, had recommended it. The SatNav put Neil through his paces as it took us along some very narrow rural lanes and the local road maintenance crews threw in their contribution by completely closing a road forcing a 8km U-turn!
St Paul de Vence, Alpes Maritimes, France
The difficult journey, however, was well rewarded as we parked and cycled up the hill to the village. St Paul de Vence turned out to be a spectacular combination of the old and the new.
St Paul de Vence, Alpes Maritimes, France
St Paul de Vence, Alpes Maritimes, France
St Paul de Vence, Alpes Maritimes, France
This was a hilltop fortified medieval village with wonderfully preserved stone facade buildings, archways, fountains, and alleyways.The narrow streets were charming and lined with art galleries, boutiques, cafes and restaurants.
St Paul De Vence, Alpes Maritimes, France
Of course it’s commercialised, over 2.5 million people visit each year, but somehow it had managed to preserve it’s charm and never felt tacky (even the Bling Bling shop seemed OK!).
St Paul de Vence, Alpes Maritimes, France
We spent around three hours wandering the streets, stopping on the way to have coffee and a chat with a Scottish couple on a bus trip from Nice. Whilst the village wasn’t crowded I understand there are many bus daytrips from the nearby towns of Cannes, Nice, Menton etc. and I can imagine the crowds might be a bit oppressive in July and August. After cycling back down to the campervan we had a late lunch and returned to Grasse for a swim in the pool.
St Paul de Vence, Alpes Maritimes, France
On Saturday morning we decided to book another night at the campsite to give us time to explore Grasse and Gourdon, which had been recommended by Philippe and Babeth. We took the bus to Grasse, as it was a 5km steep climb without any real cycle lane.
Grasse, Alpes Maritimes, France
It has a population of over 50,000 and is considered to be the world’s perfume capital. It has a very industrial sense to it and, whilst there were tourists, it felt much more like a working town than the other places we had visited.
Grasse, Alpes Maritimes, France
There was a guided tour of the Fragonard Parfumerie that lasted around 20 minutes and was very informative.
Fragonard Parfumerie, Grasse, Alpes Maritimes, France
Apparently, the people who develop perfumes are called “noses”. There are only around 50 in the world, they train for over 9 years and sub-contract themeselves to the fragrance manufacturers when they wish to develop a new perfume.
Fragonard Parfumerie, Grasse. France
A perfume consists of high-notes, mid-notes and base-notes. The high-notes are the initial scents one can smell, followed by the mid and low notes, which are the scents that linger the longest. “Eau de Toilette” is perfume diluted in alcohol and water which is why it’s cheaper. “Eau de Toilette” and perfume are both available for women although it’s usually only “Eau de Toilette” that’s available for men as “men’s skin releases the scent more easily” and “men tend to splash alot more on”!
Fragonard Parfumerie, Grasse. France
At the end of the tour we were given samples to smell and were able to spray on our a favourite – which I can still smell even as I write this more than 24 hours later. Very pleasant too.
After lunch we headed to Gourdon. This was a very long climb up into the hills.
Gourdon, Alpes Maritimes, France
The weather was overcast and we were moving in and out of the clouds as we drove up the windy hill road. Gourdon is a feudal village perched high on a rocky outcrop above the Vallée du Loup. It has a 17th century church, and is famous for it’s chateau and gardens, which unfortunately were closed at the time of our visit. It’s on a much smaller scale than St Paul de Vence and the streets and alleyways are wider. There were very few vsitors that day and, with the rain and the clouds swirling around, it had a great feeling of mystery to it.
Gourdon, Alpes Maritimes, France
Gourdon, Alpes Maritimes, France
Gourdon, Alpes Maritimes, France
Gourdon, Alpes Maritimes, France
We headed back to Grasse for dinner and took an early night as next day we would rise early and move on to Hyeres.
Il y a trois anciennes grandes parfumeries à Grasse – Fragonard, Moulinard et Galimard. Beaucoup de “les nez” sont formés à Grasse et ils peuvent distinguer l’arôme de plus de 2000 différentes sortes de parfum. Pendant le moyen âge Grasse spécialité était le tannage du cuir. Mais le cuir sentait mal. C’est quand Galimard, tanneur à Grasse est venu avec l’idée de gants en cuir parfumés. Il a offert une paire de gants parfumés à Catherine de Médicis et elle les aimés bien. Par consequent les gants, les sacs à main at les autres produits en cuir parfumé de Grasse devient très populaire à la noblesse de l’Europe et de le monde.
Le cuir parfumé de Grasse était très populaires pendant le XVII siecle mais cela a changé avec des impôts plus élevés et la concurrence d’autres fabricants. L’industrie du cuir parfumé à Grasse a diminué mais la ville avait établi une réputation pour produire des parfums et qui continue.
Kiwis Take Flight 
Merci, merci, merci Steve. C’est si agréable de te lire, et de re-découvrir des villages et des paysages avec vous ! Quel chouette blog !!
Salut Pascale. J’apprécie vraiment l’écriture du blog pour me rappeler des endroits merveilleux que nous avons visités. Je suis content que tu l’aime.