Celeditude, originally uploaded by Ed Shepp's Blastonautical Adventures.

As soon as I got off the airplane and found my suitcase, I stepped on a taxi cab without hesitation (or a visit to the washroom, if to be precise, as the trip was not suppose to exceed 15 minutes), and started a strange trip to my grandmother’s house. My grandmother lives very close to the airport, as my late grandfather was a constant traveler (being an “import-export” agent and an adventurous soul). I still find the humming of airplanes above my head at nighttime to be the equivalent of a peaceful grandparent’s lullaby and sweet dream blessings…

As soon as we left the airport, the most wonderful smell of flowers reached my nose: uplifting, spring like, and so heartbreakingly familiar. I immediately told my little daughter: “Can you smell these flowers? These are orange blossoms!”
Soon the orchard ended, to be replaced by beautifully blossomed mimosa branches drooping to the ground, with a scent too subtle to be noticed, and we were gently kicked out of olfactory heaven…

I haven’t been in my country in the spring for seven years, and for that matter, for all I care for, I had experienced no spring for those full seven years. If there was no other reason for me to have that trip, this would be a good enough justification after many hours of air travel. No orange absolute, or even as a wonderful an orange blossom scent as that of Monsieur Lutens would live up to the challenge. They can only scrape the surface of the beauty of the scent that orchards in bloom exude in this time of year. The closest thing, maybe, is the legendary neroli hydrosol I recently received a sample of from Chris, and needless to say more is on its way.

Little did I know that despite the accurate directions from my precision-loving grandmother, the young taxi driver had no idea whatsoever how to bring me to her home. We wondered to strange suburbs and little villages around the airport and near Tel Aviv, but despite the desperation to end my three days journey across the continents (and go to pee, for heavens’ sake!), the hope that we will go next to another citrus orchard and get a whiff of this heavenly scent made the trip not only bearable but in fact even thrilling. If you ever happen to land here in the spring, take a ride with this driver. You won’t make it to your destination on time, but you will smell lots of orange blossoms on the way. His license number is 64-052-25.