Grasse

After reading an article about the city of Grasse, I instantly knew I wanted to go there. So when my parents came to visit me in Nice I immediately proposed this excursion to them, and they seemed almost as thrilled as I was. We went there by car, which was an adventure of its own, since the traffic on the French Riviera is very intense and the road signs aren't always as clear as one would want them to be, but we made it! For those who fear the French traffic, it is also possible to go there by bus or by train. You take bus NR 500 from Nice, Albert 1er/Verdun, it takes about one hour and a half, and as always the bus only costs 1,50 euros (!). There are direct trains to Grasse from Nice gare, trains normally depart once every hour, and the ride takes approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Grasse is the world's capital of perfume industry since the 17th century. However, it all started with gloves. During the Middle Ages Grasse was known for its fine leather industry. During the 17th century a new trend came to France; the perfume. The leather industry then started to manufacture perfumed gloves for the rich and glamorous people, and so the perfume industry of Grasse was born. Today, there are several well-known perfumeries here, such as Fragonard, Gallimard and Molinard. We went to visit the perfumery Fragonard. Fragonard has a museum, an old fabric open for visitors, and of course, a perfume shop. The entrance is free, and here you can learn about the history of perfume, and you can see how perfume is made. Finally, you have the chance to buy lovely products after feeling inspired from the tour in the museum and the old fabric, which we certainly did!

After visiting Fragonard, we decided it was time for lunch. In one of the charming, little streets in the old town we found an agreeable restaurant with outdoor seating in the shade, where we had a nice meal. After lunch we went to another museum, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence, which is free as well. The museum is furnished as a home from the days of yore, and it has an exhibition of various old items, typical for the region of Provence.

We continued this pleasant excursion by taking a stroll down the streets in the old town, eating ice cream and looking for souvenirs, and then we finished our ice creams while watching the stunning view from the big square.

Oceane©