EVERYONE smells better in Grasse.
That's because the city, on the French Riviera - about 20km from Cannes at the start of Route Napoleon to Grenoble - is the centre of the French perfume industry.
Many consider it the world capital of perfume.
The industry roots date back to the 18th century. Today, about 50 perfume factories are based a little out of town.
Parisians - male and female - come here to buy their perfumes for the year in the Grasse factories (no one will know you haven't sprayed from a fancy bottle!).
All the shops seem to have flower names here. Even the bakery is the Orange Flower Boulangerie.
Our Globus tour of Parfumerie Fragonard's retail showroom takes us back to its origins in 1926 as little has changed from the traditional production methods - they have simply been refined and become a little more sophisticated, much like the fragrances.
We learn that perfumes will last better when kept in the refrigerator, or at least somewhere cool.
Our guide tells us to spray on the "hotspots" of the body, such as behind the ears and the wrists or even behind the knees (to have men falling at your feet!) to make it last longer.
We are amazed to discover that one tonne of lavendar is needed to produce one litre of perfume, and 800kg of rose petals produces about the same amount.
The well-studied "nose" who creates each new fragrance must have about 3000 aromas to call upon instantly in its development.
Headnotes, heartnotes and the base are the three levels of fragrance that go into each perfume.
We are asked to smell four different fragrances and have varying degrees of accuracy in pinpointing ingredients including citrus, roses and vanilla.
But it doesn't stop us from cleaning up on the soaps, fragrances, gift packs and lavender products in the retail department.
Lesson of the day: Smelling the bouquet of wine and judging the ingredients is easier than perfume. Or maybe that says something about my buying habits ...
Donkey count: Just rose by three.
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