A hot ride from Orange to Amaron - A Grand 3 Month European Tour on an E-Tandem - CycleBlaze

May 20, 2018

A hot ride from Orange to Amaron

This section of the route needs some work

We spent some time exploring the lovely small city of Orange in the morning. We have fallen in love with its charm and would enjoy staying longer, but it is time to move on.

It is a very hot day - we can feel the humidity building as storms are predicted. Unfortunately, once we left Orange, the improvements to the infrastructure ended. Poor signage and the route was more challenging for riding. We relied on our GPS to stay on route. We can see perhaps what Via Rhona was like before the improvements.

Our room at St. Florent had a great view of the street.
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Oliver and a Guy are very good hosts. Their attention to detail and warm hospitality make St. Florent a special place to stay.
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We seem to be developing a trend, preferring 2 star hotels and camping.
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A statue across from the Roman theatre - a tribute to actors.
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It is a sleepy Sunday morning in Orange and people are enjoying coffee in the cafes.
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Donna and Sebastian, from Maryland stopped to chat. They come to southern France every year and cycle here as well. We enjoyed visiting with them.
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A side view of part of the exterior of the Roman Theatre.
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It was one of those mornings....wherever we stopped, we were approached by locals who wanted to chat. These two men were fascinated by our bike and we had a wonderful conversation in French. The man in blue is Spanish and French...what a character. Mary Ellen received a gallant kiss to the hand and we both had numerous side to side cheek kisses.
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To escape the heat and recharge for our ride, we stopped at a bakery to have coffee and share some sweets. Plus it gave us a chance to watch local life as people were in a frenzy to stock up on baguettes. Today is Sunday and Monday is a holiday. People were lined up and buying big shopping bags full of baguettes.
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Charmaine RuppoltYep, the French love their baguettes - - it's a rush to get them in the morning!
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1 year ago
This village of Caderouse has the distinction of being flooded twice a year. Hence the huge wall that surrounds the village.
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The Hotel de Ville (town hall) in Caderouse.
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The route is pretty rough here, but it turned out to be rideable and the view was terrific of desert like plants and rocky outcrops.
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A Flohmarkt (flea market) in Roqmaure.
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Keith KleinHi guys,
We call them "puces" (fleas) in France.
Cheers,
Keith
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6 years ago
At the Flohmarkt, we could hear a commotion, and the vendors were calling for this local man to come on his recumbent and meet us.
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The signage has pretty much disappeared and the pavement as well. But the views and location are worthwhile.
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Charmaine RuppoltLooks like it may be been hard to ride on the sandy soil?
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1 year ago
Uh oh. But it is ok after all. This is better than the pot holed side roads we have been on today.
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We are bypassing Avignon -we can see the rooftops, but we aren’t in the mood for a city. We’ll visit Arles tomorrow.
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Villeneuve-Avignon
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Well this is interesting. It is now the end of May and we see no sign of improvements except for this sign.
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Beyond Avignon however, we do see some improvements and these signs are useful
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Today's ride: 51 km (32 miles)
Total: 1,562 km (970 miles)

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Keith KleinHi again,
I suspect your autocorrect got it wrong. The village is called Aramon.
Cheers,
Keith
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6 years ago