The train barely makes a sound as it glides along the coastline of Southern France. To my right, I can see the snow-capped mountains towering above us. To my left, the sea stretches out, with yachts and boats anchored in the various harbors and families playing along the beachfront.
My destination is Grasse, known as the perfume capital of the world. No joke. After a few wrong turns and some serious uphill walking, I finally make it to the Fragonard Factory, a near century-old perfumery and leader in the development of fragrances. My tour (they are offered for free every day) starts shortly after I arrive. My guide, Pauline, a tall, pretty French woman, her long dark hair tied back in a pony tail, smiles at me.
“It is just the two of us. We don’t have many requests for English tours today,” She says.
I feel quite privileged.
She takes me around the factory showcasing the process of making perfume from start to finish. I am astounded by the many facts she reveals. For example, it takes three weeks from start to finish to make a perfume. And it’s been that length since the 19th Century. Also (and this one blew me away) there are only 100 professional “noses” in the world. People dedicated solely to detecting, developing and refining scent. It takes ten years to train and they have to learn 3,000 different scents. Yup, you read that right.
The tour ends in the boutique perfume shop where Pauline tries out various men’s fragrances on my nose.
“This one, Valentine,” she says, “was our best selling fragrance. It is very sexy, something to wear if you’re going out in the evening.”
I’m sold. I have to have it. I leave, bag in hand and body smelling good.
This is why I travel. There’s nothing like exploring and learning something new that blows your mind…and nose. Fascination, education, enlightenment, curiosity and some sexy fragrance, what more could a man want on vacation?
The Wandering Foodie 
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