Around Orange: no cycling

October 31, 2011

WEATHER: sunny morning, cloudy afternoon

Breakfast at the hotel was buffet-style, with fresh fruit salad, cheeses and a different cake each day, along with croissants and baguettes--yummy--and there was a coffee machine like the one in Carpentras. We walked over to the Théâtre antique d'Orange--"Ancient Theatre of Orange"--(via the post office to mail the key), and got there just after it opened at 10:00. Once again, we opted for the audio guides in English and spent the whole morning at this amazing site. Built in the first century AD, it is one of the best preserved of all Roman theatres, and one of the very few with the stage wall mostly intact. Wikipedia describes it well:

'Playing a major role in the life of the citizens, who spent a large part of their free time there, the theatre was seen by the Roman authorities not only as a means of spreading Roman culture to the colonies, but also as a way of distracting them from all political activities...The entertainment offered was open to all and free of charge. '

Hotel Lou Cigaloun (the cicada, one of the symbols of Provence) provided both a surprise and excellent comfort for our stay in Orange.

The large statue of the emperor had a removable head so that the (practical) Romans would not have to change the whole statue when a new emperor was chosen.

As we toured the theatre, the sky clouded over and a wind came up. After retreating to a brasserie across the road for lunch, we went through the museum, included with the theatre admission and then walked through a newer part of the city to the Triumphal Arch of Orange, built around the same time as the theatre.

Access and seating was so arranged that different social classes would never have to come in contact when attending a performance.

The Roman triumphal arch still remains at the north edge of what was the Roman settlement.

That evening we settled in the nicely decorated sitting room of the hotel for apertifs with Emmanuelle and Stephane and another couple from British Columbia who happened to be staying at the hotel for a week. We had never before met anyone from BC in our French travels, and these folks, Fran and Al, knew several of the same people we did in the Okanagan wine country. It was also two years to the day from when we had checked into Emmanuelle and Stephane's hotel in Tarascon! Our hosts spoke excellent English, and we enjoyed very nice champagne and good conversation. Our impressions of both the hotel and the city of Orange were very favourable, and we were glad we had made this a stop on our cycling route.

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