Up into the hills behind Cannes we drive to Grasse, the historic town which is the centre of the perfume industry in France. We tour the Fraginod perfume factory and I am cursing my cold which has dulled my sense of smell. Undeterred, I buy several bottles of perfume and even Alan buys a cologne.
Onward we drive up to another historic hilltop town built in the 12th century, Gourdon. I am constantly amazed in Europe that just when you think you have been to the most beautiful place on your trip so far you come across yet another exquisite place. We have lunch on the third floor of a quaint restaurant with superb views right down the valley to the Cote d'Azur.
The air is clean and fresh and we drive onwards on windy roads through forests of cork trees and waterfalls to St Paul. Carolyn extols the virtues of living in this part of the world: the beautiful coastline for swimming and yet within just twenty minutes one can be in the countryside. Less than an hour and a half from the coast there are ski fields and Carolyn says that Oui she has swum and skied on the same day.
St Paul is our final stop for the day – another fortressed stone town – even more beautiful than the last. Here there is a labyrinth of alleyways, boutiques and many art galleries. Shauna would just love it here. The area is renowned for being a mecca for artists with Chagall, Matisse and Picasso being just a few of the big names who have lived for a while in this part of the world. As one of our Canadian companion remarks “I am saturated. I can't take another photograph – there's just too much darn beauty here.”
Back at the same very average restaurant close to our hotel we spend another meal with our 80+ year old American chums. Jimmy tells us that he shares his birthday with Mickey Mouse –28 December, 1928. For his eightieth birthday his family took him to Disneyland where he was given a giant commemorative Mickey Mouse badge.
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