During the first 5 min of my #smellwalk in my nearest city (where I work) was that I thought this was not going to work. I could only smell car fumes. But the longer I focussed on the nuances of scents, I could detect more and more. None of these was strong. All of them just barely noticeable. And if it weren’t for this #smellwalk, I wouldn’t have noticed.
So here is my urban #smellwalk:
Car fumes - trying to smell the flowers on the road verge, but they don’t seem to smell - to the train station - which doesn’t smell - trains don’t smell from the outside.
On the train - the smell of coffee - cleaner - ‘dry’ smell - scents of shampoo or perfume or aftershave when people pass.
Train station - a few more smells - coffee shops - coffee - pastries - people’s scents of shampoo and soap - disinfectant smell (the floor cleaner?) - brick wall scent, if this is a thing !?
Outside, city - car fumes - baking bread from a subway shop - car fumes - when at a pedestrian crossing with a group of people, I can detect scents of soap, aftershave, perfume, and shampoo (I’m amazed that I can, simply by focussing on this).
Walking on, I notice a vinegary smell in the air, but I am not sure what it is. I walk on. It starts raining. I can still smell the slightest hint of that vinegary smell.
I close my walk, having arrived at a large building from my work. No car smells. But it’s cold. And there is a wet smell. Rain. The outside wooden benches don’t smell. There is a tiny wisp of bakery smell coming from the cafeteria inside the premises. I step inside.
Large entrance hall, air condition. The smells are diffuse but have scents of the cafeteria, cleaner, and perfume all mixed up in a quite overall pleasant smell.
I stop my #smellwalk - for now.