It’s a cliche: smell evokes memory. As profoundly as I know this, it’s something I forget until confronted with a scent that brings back a past world. The smell of warm, dry pine needles reminds me of growing up in rural Northern California. On boarding an airplane, it only takes a whiff of its fetid warmth to call up the hum of jet engines to come. I forget all about the satisfaction of a bowl of spaghetti until I get a hit of oregano, tomatoes and steamy pasta water.
For the past four years, I’ve been lucky enough to housesit for a Parisian friend in August. Yesterday I stumbled, zombie-like, from a seemingly endless flight into the RER, and an inhale later, it was as if I’d never left Paris. I breathed in the train’s sweet, rubbery air, and — poof! — I saw the painted-over hinges of the French windows in my friend’s apartment, the view of the corner florist from her guest room window, and the apartment's recorded elevator lady saying, “Rez-de-chaussée.”
If you read this the day it’s posted, there’s so much more I hope to have smelled in the intervening 24 hours: a ripe Charentais melon; thin but still rich coffee (hey, Portland’s coffee is hard to beat) and probably too much of it in an attempt to cheat jet lag; perfume on the street (ladies, it’s time to move on from La Vie est Belle); warm limestone walls; maybe the stone and incense of a church; definitely more métro.
This week, I’ll report every day on some of smells I encounter in Paris. Some of you are on vacation, too. What smells are you breathing? I’m imagining lakes, the ocean, rosy hotel lobby air, horses, barbecue smoke, and so much more.
Angie, lovely style and what a teaser for the next few days! I can’t wait…
Smells today: a Delta Airlines regional jet awaiting boarding and take off for hours. I’m sure you heard what happened.
Finally now in air and hoping for no more disruptions.
No, not on vacation yet. Traveling for work still…
But I’ll be in Paris early September for a few days of R&R.
Have a nice stay in Paris Angie and be safe.
We can’t wait to read more articles from you in the next few days.
Eric
I’ve been out of touch with the news! I’ll have to check out what’s been going on so I know about the Delta flight. Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound good.
How terrific that you’ll be spending time in Paris soon! I’m having a terrific time.
Their computer system went down. Nothing sinister, just horribly inconvenient for travelers and employees.
Thanks for the update. As if travel isn’t awful enough….
The best smell for me lately was warm pine needles on a hot day. Could not get enough. It took me back to growing up in East Texas. We were dropping off (and then picking up) our boys from summer camp near Hot Springs, AR. They don’t have nearly as many pines in NW Arkansas and there weren’t any in Plano, TX. It was a real treat and made the heat a lot more tolerable.
There’s something about smells that harken back to childhood that are the best. Warm pine needles sounds really wonderful.
For the past two days its been the smell of lake water, something mineral and green, hard to describe, but the smell means summer swimming to me.
Oh, nice! I’ve always dreamed of renting a house on a lake and waking to cool morning air (and coffee, of course). Enjoy your vacation!
Angela, I had great service and a huge selection at Jovoy near the Louvre and Sense Unique on Rue du Roi de Sicile in thé Marais. Just around the corner from the latter, Studio des Parfums on Rue du Bourg Tibourg is tiny and worth popping your head into – Mariage Frères is a few doors away and L’Artisan also.
I’ve visited–and loved–all of these places except Studio des Parfums, which is new to me. Thank you for these terrific suggestions!
I had an idea a perfumista on her umpteenth stay in Paris might know these places only too well. :^)
SDP carries one or two niche houses (Galimard comes to mind) and their main schtick is building your own perfume, which you may not care for as a concept. It’s just that it’s close to other places I thought you might be visiting.
Sens Unique carries Beaufort London including the new “Lignum Vitae” which surprised me, being a sort of gourmand and a departure from their 3 previous ‘weird concept’ scents – 2 of which I love. (Not so sure of the blood-sea-and-gunpowder of “1805 Tonnère”) ;^)
I have a few Beaufort samples at home I clearly need to spend some time with! Last year, I bought Ann Gerard Rose Cut at Sens Unique. It’s a terrific little boutique. This year I want to visit Marie Antoinette. I hear it’s pretty great, too.
We used to drive up from SoCal to NoCal when I was a kid and I used to get terribly car sick when driving on those winding roads in the mountains and to the Redwood forests, so, oddly, that outdoorsy, woodsy smell, even in perfume, makes me ever so slightly queasy! Still! I’ll look forward to reading more of your scented adventures.
I feel the same way about onion rings, but onion rings are a lot easier to avoid than the scent of a forest!
I love the oily machine smell of underground transit. My fav is always the memories of riding in Cologne Germany because the hot air would always rush up to greet me on my way down. It is more exotic than at home, right?
This summer I am smelling pool, sunscreen, jasmine e/o, the glorious Clarins body oil “anti l’eau” – that is lots of lemon and geranium e/o. And air that is not in my office. Perfect summer hot wind.
I hope you have a great time in Paris and I really enjoy the reports!
When I first went to Munich in the mid-80s, the distinctive smell of the U-Bahn – a mixture of rubber, metal and a particular cleaning solvent they used everywhere – impressed itself on my mind. On more recent trips, they seem to have changed the cleaning formula and I feel slightly cheated not to experience it any more. :^)
Isn’t it amazing how something so mundane as cleaning fluid can change a memory and feeling?
I love both of your scent descriptions, and I feel like I’m right there with you. Ah, sunscreen and pool and jasmine!
I love the rubbery ozonic smell of the metro. Give Paris my regards!
On a bad day you can smell stuff a lot worse than rubbery ozone! :^D
There’s nothing wrong with good, clean sweat, but I draw the line when the metro becomes a toilet.
I do, too! I wish you were here to experience it with me (although I know you probably will be soon enough).
Love Paris! Hope you have great stay there. Will you be visiting Nicolaï as well?
Thank you so much! I just might wander by a Nicolai boutique….
And there is a delightful Divine Boutique on the Rue Scribe. Just saying…
I love that boutique! It’s been a while since I’ve smelled any Divine, too.