The heat continues to rise in southern France, with temperatures nearing 100°F predicted for the weekend. With some consideration of the day's temperature, we planned another short day winding through the hill towns toward Orange. We took some time in the morning exploring the Carpenteras Friday market and stocking up on fruit for the day ahead. The market had everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to straw cloches. The crowds this morning attested to the importance of the weekly market in the French way of life and to the diversity of this small town in Provence.
We headed out of town on the Véloroute Via Venaissia, a relatively recent (2014) véloroute that follows a decommissioned railway line between Jonquières and Carpentras. This greenway has amazing infrastructure - smooth surface, bridges, signage, rest areas - and current plans for extension will connect Orange with Via Rhôna to the west and the Calavon véloroute to the south. Despite the easy riding along the Via Venaissia, and the fact that it would take us almost all the way to Orange, we left the route after about 3 miles and headed northeast toward the towns of Aubignon and Beaumes-de-Venise. Climbing out of Beaumes-de-Venise, we came upon the La Chapelle Notre-Dame d'Aubune, a Romanesque chapel built around the 12th on Roman ruins dating back to the 5th century. The peaceful site includes a medieval garden that was completed in of 2015 by members of the Academy of Beaumes-de-Venise. The garden is laid with squares containing aromatic, medicinal, and culinary plants, many of which were among the 88 plants designated by Charlemagne to be cultivated in royal houses, abbeys, monasteries, hospitals and leper colonies.
Stopped for a visit at the Chapel of Notre-Dame d'Aubune
The day was getting hotter and we took a shade break in the lovely town of Vacqueyras. Lining the streets were banners similar to those I'd seen in Bedoin and Carpenteras. On closer inspection, the banners seemed to be part of a photo exhibition in various Vaucluse hilltowns. Indeed, a little more investigating on the internet indicated they were part of a Festival of Images from Here and Elsewhere in the CoVe region of the Vaucluse. We continued on to Camaret-sur-Aigues where we found a bench in the shade for a picnic lunch. On the way out of town, we stopped at the cemetery where I replenished my water supply - I'd been told on a previous self-guided bike trip in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence that French law requires potable water at all cemeteries.
A shady street in Vacqueyras - a welcome sight on a hot day
We arrived in Orange about 1:30 and found our small little hotel, located a few steps from the Roman Theatre of Orange. We were greeted with a great smile by Olivier, who told us that our room was ready. That elicited even bigger smiles from us! Olivier was a font of information on the town, the layout, sights, restaurants, so after washing up we headed out for a cool beverage and an afternoon at the theater.
The Roman Theatre of Orange dates back to the reign of Emperor Augustus in the first century AD and is widely considered one of the best remnants of the Roman Empire. This open-air theatre set into the surrounding hillside is renowned for it’s spectacular and well-preserved stage wall measuring 121 ft high and 338 ft long. In addition to its impressive size, sound projection off the wall contributes to wonderful acoustics in the theater. For the price of admission (9.5€), we got an audioguide, access to most areas of the theater, and entrance to the Art and History museum containing Roman artifacts excavated from the theatre and local environs. After collecting the audio guide, we immediately climbed the stairs to view the stage from the “cheap seats” at the top of the theatre. As it turned out, we had neglected to follow the instructions of the audioguide, and were now at the end of the tour. I continued on without audio assistance, sitting in the top row, admiring views of Orange and the surrounding countryside from on high. Eventually, we slowly made our way down and entered a passageway along the perimeter of the theatre. There were a series of small rooms off the passageway that once served as bars where theatre patrons could take a beverage break during the long performances. The rooms currently house various displays/films on the history of the theatre – useful to one such as me who had abandoned their audioguide.
The theatre closed after Christianity was made the official religion in 391 AD. Thereafter, it fell into various stages of destruction and/or repurposing until a restoration campaign began in 1825. Since the start of the 20th century, the theatre has been host to a variety of performances, including plays, operas, and concerts by world-renowned artists, including Sarah Bernhardt's performance in the opera Phaedra. Today, the theatre is home to the Chorégies d’Orange, a summer opera festival held each August. It would be a dream to return to Orange and enjoy an opera under the stars in this amazing and ancient theatre.
The Roman Theatre of Orange. The immensity of the stage wall can be gleaned by comparison with the size of the men working in and around the orchestra pit, which is within the green semi-circle.
Mosaic of the Centaurs, found in the cellar of an abandoned building in the heart of Orange. It was restored at the Museum of Ancient Arles, and now hangs at the Art and History Museum in Orange.
After an afternoon of touristing, we went back to the hotel where we noticed that Olivier had secured the bikes in the breakfast room. We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink and headed to the restaurant recommended by Olivier - where I feasted on a delicious menu of scallops, dorade with lime risotto, and tarte tatin. All in all, a jam-packed and full-filling day both on and off the bike.
Bikes secured for the night in the breakfast room - no sampling the croissants.
