Grasse, France cooking class, and what else??

Bev,

I was in Grasse this past September and October both. It's an excellent time of year. I was a little bit underwhelmed by the perfume industry "stuff" (museum, factory "tours"), but I had a great couple hours shopping there. Grasse experiences a certain amount of seasonal peak'n'valley phenomenon - - so, a bonus in October was finding "clearance" prices on merchants who were getting ready to close up shop for the winter. Maybe their inventory was picked over as a result, but I still was happy with lots of different things.

From Grasse, you can make it to Fayence in about an hour, or with a whole day to spend (I know you said half-day), you can explore the Gorges du Verdon). You can go UP the hill to Gourdon, where there is a glassblower's studio worth a while watching the artists and/or lunch +/- shopping. There's a whole colony of glassblowers at Biot (though I've never been there), and a variety of artists' and artisans' studios at nearby Montauroux. From Montauroux, there is a lot of recreational opportunity at Lac de Saint Cassien if you want to get out on the water (pedalboats for hire, etc). Or if you want to get your feet into the Mediterranean, you can make it to Cannes in an hour or less, and very likely it will still be summery enough to enjoy the seaside itself. There's the Musee de l'automobile in Antibes (I think), but I have never been there. Monte Carlo is only about an hour and a half, and while that might not fit in a half-day, it makes for a nice splurge evening out (might need a designated driver to stay sober and stay awake!)

You CAN fly directly to Nice froma few North American cities (some are seasonal), or just extend your Paris connection onward to Nice. Remember that there are frequently bargain fares to London and EasyJet - - www.easyjet.com - - does fly to Nice.

Final idea to share: there's also a cool place in Avignon with a cooking class optionally available at www.toursofprovence.com - - although two week stays are their bread and butter, they do have a one week option.

Feel free to write me for more on this wonderful part of France.

Best wishes,

Rex
www.allexperts.com

Thank you, Rex for the useful information. We haven't booked yet, so I will check out the other cooking class you mentioned. We are looking at the first week in October - is the weather still warm then? We're from Phoenix, so we have very thin blood!