A meticulously reconstructed set from the film adaptation of Süskind’s Das Parfum. In Musée des miniatures et Décors de Cinéma (Lyon, France).
Street smells, Lyon 2012
Last summer I spent a month in Lyon, France. My mission? To teach and finish up some work projects while keeping olfaction distraction in check. My sixth-floor apartment loomed above a a little square on a cobblestone pedestrian street from which the smell of crêpes, kabobs, and cotton candy wafted well into the evening. And then there was the
linden, about which I’ve said plenty already. During a visit to
L’Artisan parfumeur (rue Herriot) where I inquired about perfume workshops for my students, an SA suggested I might want to go to Paris instead. Lyon, she sighed, is really in the sticks. I felt my scent-radar shift down a few notches. Yet I encountered some fragrant surprises. Culled from the depths of partially drafted blog posts, and better late than never (I hope), here are some fragrant post cards from Lyon.
A must-see
Musée des miniatures et Décors de Cinéma located in the historic Maison des Avocats.A quirky museum, offering impressive minatures, and an eclectic collection of cinema memorabilia–including creepy, life-sized set recreations from the 2006 film adaption (
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) of Patrick Süskind’s 1985 novel
Das Parfum.
Creepy museum staircase connects Perfume displays
Compare and contrast my own staircase
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| La Mûre favorite (19 cours Franklin Roosevelt, 69006) |
La Mûre favorite is a bit off the beaten trail. Combine it with a walk to France’s largest urban green space, the beautiful Tête d’or, so named for a golden head of Christ buried, as legend has it, somewhere in the park. This independent shop has its own stock of treasures: L’Artisan parfumeur, Byrédo, Killian, Miller Harris, Parfumérie générale, Serges Lutens and more. The welcoming, no-pressure, atmosphere and knowledgeable sales staff are plus.
L’Ateleir parfumé at 27 rue Tupin is another good sport for niche sampling.
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| the soaps are from the open-air market in Aix-en-Provence |
I had no idea the Casino supermarket chain sold its own colognes. No, I didn’t buy any.
Always a welcome sight and scent
Annick Goutal, where I fell in love with Nuit éoilée
Outside the Musée des Miniatures et Décors de cinéma
L’Ateleir parfumé at 27 rue Tupin is another good sport for niche sampling.
Perfumed Letters 