The   capital   of   the   Riviera   and   fifth   largest   city   in France,   Nice   scarcely   deserves   its   glittering   reputation. Living   off   inflated   property   values   and   fat   business accounts,   its   ruling   class   has   hardly   evolved   from   the eighteenth-century    Russian    and    English    aristocrats who    first    built    their    mansions    here;    today    it's    the renters    and    retired    people    of    various    nationalities whose     dividends     and     pensions     give     the     city     its startlingly   high   ratio   of   per   capita   income   to   economic activity. Their   votes   ensured   the   monopoly   of   municipal   power   held   for   decades   by   the   right-wing   dynasty, whose   corruption   was   finally   exposed   in   1990   when   mayor   Jacques   Médecin   fled   to   Uruguay.   He   was finally   extradited   and   jailed.   Despite   the   disappearance   of   400 million   francs   (about   $80   million   USD)   of   taxpayers'   money, public    opinion    remained    in    his    favor.    From    his    Grenoble prison    cell,    Médecin,    who    had    twinned    Nice    with    Cape Town   during   the   height   of   South   Africa's   apartheid   regime, backed   the   former   Front   National   member   and   close   friend of    Jean-Marie    Le    Pen,    Jacques    Peyrat,    in    the    1995    local elections. Peyrat won with ease. Politics   apart,   Nice   has   other   reasons   to   qualify   it   as   one of    the    more    dubious    destinations    on    the    Riviera:    it's    a pickpocket's   paradise;   the   traffic   is   a   nightmare;   miniature poodles   appear   to   be   mandatory;   phones   are   always   vandalized;   and   the beach    isn't    even    sand,    its    gravel.    And    yet    Nice    still    manages    to    be delightful.   The   sun   and   the   sea   and   the   relaxed,   affable   Niçois   cover   a multitude    of    sins.    The    medieval    rabbit    warren    of    the    old    town,    the Italianate   facades   of   modern   Nice   and   the   rich,   exuberant,   residences   that made    the    city    one    of    Europe's    most    fashionable    winter    retreats    have    all survived   intact.   It   has   also   retained   mementos   from   its   ancient   past,   when the   Romans   ruled   the   region   from   here,   and   earlier   still,   when   the   Greeks founded the city.

During   our   visit   to   Monaco,   we   had   the   good   fortune   of spending   the   afternoon   at   one   of   three   of   southern   France’s leading   perfumeries,   and   one   of   the   finest   in   all   of   Europe   on Friday,   April   5.      Fragonard ,   the   perfumery   nestled   between Nice   and   Monaco   right   next   to   the   sea,   has   manufactured   and sold    vast    arrays    of    soaps,    lotions,    exquisite    perfumes    and therapeutic oils since 1927.  Initially,     our     visit originated   with   a   two   hour workshop   on   the   benefits   of   aromatherapy   and   the   use   of   essential   oils   as   skin   and   body   cleansers.     Interestingly,   the   history   of   oils   and   perfumes   dates   to   around   4500   BC,   in   Egypt,   at   which   time   not only   did   Egyptians   use   such   fragrances   for   therapy   and   pleasure,   but   also   for   enbalming.      As   the centuries   passed,   during   the   reign   of   Louis   XIV,   there   was   a   unique   development   in   France   of   the famous   “alcoholic   waters”   or   “eau   de   mélisse”   and   “eau   royale.”         During   our   workshop,   we   were treated   to   a   kit   of   essential   oils   and   were   shown   how to   combine   them   in   different   ways   so   as   to   create therapeutic    tonics    of    our    own.        Thereafter,    we toured   their   facility,   witnessing   the   production   of   fine   perfumes   from   their   inception,   scent testing   to   final   packaging.      Of   course,   our   visit   concluded   with   a   massive   shopping   spree   in their perfume gallery.