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As soon as the International Perfume Museum Gardens opened, we had an appointment with a fragrance designer who took us on a guided tour of this truly extraordinary natural garden. For two hours, we strolled along paths lined with bitter orange and mimosa trees, jasmine vines, rose, tuberose, violet, iris, geranium, lavender – all the plants and flowers that make Grasse the perfume capital of the world. This soothing garden spanning more than five acres is covered in luxuriant vegetation organized by fragrance families – citrus, floral, woody, spicy, fruity, musky, etc. – which is very practical for perfume novices like us. Sometimes, as we approached a certain plant’s section, like the jasmine, we were surrounded by its fragrance before we even saw the bush!
During this lovely, sunny, scented walk, the fragrance expert explained to us, with passion and in-depth explanations, the history of these perfume plants, their characteristics, how they’re grown, as well as the various extraction methods, such as enfleurage, used to capture their essences. A unique aspect of this garden is that it is naturally maintained to preserve the biodiversity of the flora and fauna in this magnificent Mediterranean region. Along our olfactory journey, we stopped in the shade of the garden’s trees where our guide, armed with containers of raw materials and scent sticks, helped us exercise our sense of smell and olfactory memory. We felt like Jean-Baptiste Grenouille from that famous novel about perfume! It was so interesting – the sensory experience we had in this verdant paradise of smells and colors was unforgettable. With this new knowledge under our belts, next time we’ll try a perfume creation workshop.
PRZEWALSKI’S HORSESResembling the animal profiles seen in prehistoric cave art, the Przewalski's horse constitutes the oldest horse population living in the wild. Though domesticated nearly 5,500 years ago, it was returned to the wild and is considered a “feral” species. Discovered in 1879 in Dzungaria, in the mountains bordering the Gobi Desert, it has distinctive, primitive features: a small size (only 48-56 inches, or 12-14 hands, at the withers), a large head, a strong neck, a dark, erect mane, and a dun coat with faint striping. Impossible to tame by nature, it cannot be trained or ridden, and woe be to those who try, as it can deliver powerful kicks with its hooves! This equine species, considered extinct in the wild, was able to breed and propagate thanks to zoo specimens and was gradually reintroduced to roam freely in nature reserves in the 1990s.