Day Fifteen

April 15

I dislike goodbyes. Almost all of them...

This morning Leah and I dropped our aunt at the train station in Toulon to make her way back to England through Marseille.

Leah and I continued on for the last leg of our journey. The sky looked bleak and grey with rain and heavy thunderstorm alerts for the afternoon.

We decided to take a chance and cross two things off our list instead of heading straight to Nice.

We drove up into the mountains to the beautiful town of Grasse. I came across this gem while watching travel documentaries. Grasse is known for its long-established perfume industry.

We visited the beautiful Fragonard factory and took an amazing tour studying the processes by which essential oils are extracted from plants and flowers.

We saw the huge “cauldrons” where the flowers and water are placed at the beginning of the process. Steam condenses at the top, dripping into a different vessel below. The oils and water separate - thereby, producing different elements used for different purposes.

I was fascinated by the structure and architecture of the olfactory pyramid… based on the scent’s volatility of certain notes.

This year’s, Fragonard’s flower of the year is Narcissus - not my absolute favorite, but still beautiful and light.

It was interesting to see how cold pressed oils are also extracted and differences that have been made over the years.

I loved the “quiz” at the end from our guide - testing our knowledge and noses.

From Grasse we started on the Gorges du Loup, described as a circular route climbing high into the mountains, through tunnels with stunning rock outcrops and waterfalls. At least that’s what we intended to do.

We did take a zigzagging route high into the clouds and met a fierce thunderstorm at the top of a desolate village high on the mountaintop.

We reworked our way downward, retracing our steps, missing turns, even as the rain fell in earnest at times.

The climb up was stunning! The ride down was like navigating with your head inside a cushion - all while hugging the side of treacherous mountain pass road looking for beauty along the way.

The thunderstorm didn’t follow us all the way back down the mountain so we were able to snap a few photos of the villages along the way.

We finally made it to Nice where we intend to finish our adventure in just a few days.

Because it’s supposed to be our last stop, we lugged all the luggage out of the car and set up camp here on the top floor of the hotel.

The mistral winds are mighty as ever, Leah still continues to edge too close to the high railings for my comfort, and we really need our aunt tonight!

As we come to the last few days, I still have some soul searching to push through… pressing for answers, waiting for God, seeking direction for my next steps.

Tonight, I’m remind of Elijah…

“There he came to a cave, where he (Elijah) spent the night.

But the Lord said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah? Go out and stand before me on the mountain.”

And as Elijah stood there,
the Lord passed by,
and a mighty windstorm
hit the mountain.

It was such a terrible blast
that the rocks were torn loose,
but the Lord was not in the wind.

After the wind,
there was an earthquake,
but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

And after the earthquake,
there was a fire,
but the Lord was not in the fire.

And after the fire,
there was the sound
of a gentle whisper.

Then the Lord told him,
‘Go back the same way you came,
and travel to the wilderness’…”
(1 Kings 19)

I wait for God to speak. To guide… to illuminate the path forward - for His glory.

“And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper…”