This trip has reminded me of the significance of our sense of smell, and the role it plays in evoking strong memories.
In Hawaii the frangipani were in bloom, and I was given a couple of gorgeous lei made from frangipani. So everywhere we went wafts of frangipani fragrance took us back to our years in PNG.
In Amsterdam we relived the seventies in a smoke saturated atmosphere- on the streets, eating or having coffee outside cafes, walking along the canal paths. You certainly couldn’t use the Bill Clinton excuse here!
Then Cologne, the home of 4711, containing the scent of my grandmother and mother. In the 1960’s (maybe the seventies as well) Air New Zealand used to give out a complimentary phial of 4711 Eau de Cologne to passengers and because my grandparents flew to visit us regularly, I had an ongoing supply of 4711. This was my first ‘big girl’ perfume and of course Mum and Grandma wore it. So the home of 4711 was an important stop to make as we explored the town of Cologne.
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