This is the third in a series about the Cote d'Azur (French Riviera).

Since Cannes is not the most westerly town on the Riviera, let's start about 40 km (25 miles) farther west, along the "Gold coast" (so named because of the colour of the sand). That takes us to Saint-Raphael, a nine-centuries old town established by a powerful Order of monks. Fancy carrousels are popular all over the Riviera, and there we found what has to be the biggest one ever built. It is beside the beach, at the very spot where Allied troops landed to launch a second front in the Fall of 1944. (As is the case in much of Europe, over the centuries great sorrow and great joy have often shared the same locations). More information may be found at www.beyond.fr/villages/straphael.html .

In nearby Frejus, we found the remains of a Roman aqueduct and amphitheatre, and the venerable old cathedral of St Leonce, with France's oldest baptistry. Sorrow is not unknown in Frejus either, because a major dam there crumbled in 1959, drowning more than 400 persons.

Now let's head straight to the waterfront in Cannes, and take a fifteen-minute boat ride to the Iles des Lerins. Ile St Honorat is the smaller of these islands, and its claims to fame are the Cistercian monastery founded there in 410 A.D. whose best known alumnus was Saint Patrick, and the well-built fortress to which the monks would retreat if under attack. This was a powerful Order which once owned much of the coast, and which founded St Raphael. Today less than 30 members remain, but they still produce excellent wine, spirits and honey. The much larger Ile Ste Marguerite is a pastoral haven that offers a welcome respite to stressed-out folks from Cannes, -- but it also has a dark side. In its Fort Ste Marguerite the "man in the iron mask", made famous by a Dumas novel, lived in a tiny cell for decades until he was finally brought out and executed. See www.beyond.fr/site/lerins.html .

Now let's go about 25 km (15 mi) north of Cannes to the mediaeval town of Grasse with its contemporary surrounding city. Talk about picturesque (and aromatic too!). Located amid fields of lavender and other flowers, it has several attractions along its narrow, winding streets. Notre-Dame du Puy cathedral, for example, is a small masterpiece which contains three paintings by Rubens and one by Fragonard. Grasse occupies a unique place in the world of elegance and luxury, for its three famous perfume distilleries extract almost all of the essential oils used to make perfume and cologne everywhere in the world. Tons of flower petals are trucked in constantly from everywhere: the essences are distilled, and then shipped to worldwide destinations.

After touring the Fragonard and Gallimard establishments we stopped at an herbalist shop to buy lavender essential oils for our aromatherapist daughter. We had no idea what a precise science was involved! The shop owner informed us that there are more than 60 lavender oils alone, each for s specific purpose, and he wouldn't sell us any unless we knew its exact intended use. We weren't sure, so we ended up getting a bottle of generic oil at the local market instead. Our daughter was just as happy. For a good source of more information about Grasse, go to www.beyond.fr/villages/grasse/html .

A hop, skip and jump to the east of Cannes lie the adjacent small towns of Juan-les-Pins and Antibes, which has a tiny beach. There is lots to do in Antibes besides tanning: shopping is good, and there is a covered Marche Provencal. There are also a Picasso museum in a 12th century castle, a 16th century fort where Napoleon was once a reluctant resident, a "millionaires row" with scores of luxury yachts, and the old stomping grounds of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda. For those seeking a quiet holiday, good rental apartments are also available at affordable prices.

In the next article I'll tell you about Nice, its surroundings, and its famous Carnival.