THURSDAY – 25TH SEPTEMBER 2014 [TRANSIT TO GRASSE]

We left AIX on a mist hanging about the hills in the morning, and headed for the town of
St. Maximum, which has connections to the Romans and Christ.

The Christ connection is that the tomb of Mary Magdalene is housed in the Basilica of Mary Magdalene.    It is a very old church, with a very unique stone faced walls either side of the front entrance.

As we could not find any public loos we decided to have a coffee break, in order that we could use the restaurant’s facilities.

We then headed to the historic town of Frejus [ approx. 80 klm away].  The remains of the Roman Amphitheatre (founded by Julius Ceasar in 49BC) is not as complete as that at Orange.  It is a great amphitheatre, fragments of an aqueduct, a theatre and part of rampart gate remain.   It has been stabilised with massive concrete causeways and stairs and the central ground facility may still be used today for events.

The sea has receded over the centuries, but there are a few traces of the original harbour to be seen.

We walked around the Cite Episcopale, which contained a cathedral and a fortified enclave.

We took the opportunity to have lunch, whilst the Tourism Office was closed.   Michael had an interesting Provencal tart……….large piece of nice bread, which filled the plate that had a cheese base, covered with a mixture of ham, tomato and goat cheese, with salad on the side.   

We then reset the GPS for Grasse, approx 40klm away.    It is a winding road which climbs and falls over a range of cols [hills] up to 350 metres above sea level.  Apart from the stunning views, the descent through tree covered roads was very pleasant.    We did not know much about Grasse and expected a small town catering to the perfume industry, as it is the so called perfume capital of the world.  On examining our France tour book, the population of Grasse is 50,000 and the town is spread everywhere, with 5- 6 storied apartments rising from the sides of step hills.

We arrive at out hotel, which is high above the main business centre and has impressive views.   The room is comfortable, however the air conditioner is required to cool the room, but it is noisy and not very effective.

We decide to have a champagne by the pool, before heading out to a nearby restaurant for our evening meal.    Wood fired pizzas, which overflowed the plates were had in part.   Too much to eat at Mick’Elly….but good with excellent thin pastry base.

Another hot restless night, with the doona thrown off for the majority of the night, until we felt a little cool.