Some days my nose seeks “scent quiet.” I’m not speaking of a “quiet scent” but a simple one — nothing complex. It always helps to have single-note colognes (or ones with just a few ingredients) handy, fragrances made with high-quality materials that take simplicity into luxury-land. Last week, I visited the beautiful city of Vancouver, British Columbia, and I started my day there at Nitobe Memorial Garden. The Zen garden was fresh, washed by a recent rain shower; the beds of moss, evergreens, azaleas, maples, and new blades of iris provided many shades of green. The damp, dim space was made even more romantic by the sounds of birds, streams, and a small waterfall. Only a few “specks” of non-green caught the eye, courtesy of rough stones, bark, weathered wood, cherry blossoms and orange koi. Whenever I visit this garden, I don’t want to leave…I want to linger and experience it at night, imagining the stone lanterns glowing from within, the areas around them golden with the light from oil lamps or candles.

After this contemplative beginning to my day, it was off to noisy downtown Vancouver for lunch and some retail exercise. I visited with Nazrin at The Perfume Shoppe, bought a bottle of Chanel Pour Monsieur Eau de Toilette (not available in the U.S.) and while browsing at Holt Renfrew’s men’s cologne boutique I smelled something wonderful in the air…

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