Day 20 (Wednesday, September 16, 2009)
I awoke on my second day in Antibes to an absolute downpour. After reluctantly getting out of bed, I eventually began driving and headed north back to Provence. During this two and a half hour journey on the auto route, I ended up paying an astonishing 21.40 Euros (about $31 USD) in tolls. I thought it was absolutely freaking ridiculous! This spoiled American is not at all used to having to pay to drive on the “freeway” so I was highly annoyed. Don’t get me wrong though; in all actuality, it makes much more sense that those who actually use the roads are the ones who have to pay for it, versus all of the taxpayers (some of whom who don’t own vehicles) paying for something that very few use. I just don’t like having to use a good chunk of my daily budget on tolls!
I eventually arrived in the city of
Orange, which is famous for two important Roman sites; its theater,
Théâtre antique d'Orange and the
Triumphal Arch of Orange. I arrived at the theater first, where I proceeded to park at a nearby pay lot. I paid about 7.5 Euros to enter the theater, which included the use of a very helpful and detailed audio guide. The theater was built sometime during the first century and is considered by many to be one of the best preserved Roman theater in all of the world. After the Roman Empire declined and Christianity took center stage, the theater was closed due to the churches’ opposition on what it regarded as uncivilized spectacles. Throughout the decades, the theater continued to decline as various people and groups came to pillage statues, marble, etc. Eventually, during the sixteenth century, an entire small village was built within the walls of the theater, thereby practically covering up any sign that a theater had even existed. It wasn’t until the time period between 1825 to 1869 that the theater was finally restored. The theater, along with the Triumphal Arch of Orange, is now on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sights.
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| Orange's Roman Theater. |
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| Orange's Roman Theater. |
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| Orange's Roman Theater. |
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| Orange's Roman Theater. |
Although it appeared before me under a cloudy backdrop, the theater was no less than spectacular. It seemed unbelievable to me that such a sight still existed, especially in the condition it was in. Most of the Roman sights I've seen in Europe have been “ruins”; fragmented bits and pieces left from the once powerful and mighty empire. The theater, on the other hand, is still standing in as good of condition as you would expect anything that was of 2000 years to be. Although most of the columns, statues, and colorful pieces of marble were long gone, it was easy for me to imagine how the theater would have appeared in its original state. This amazing theater still provides the backdrop for many opera and theatrical works during the summer months in Orange, so anyone who is staying in Orange for at least a night should check to see if there are any scheduled shows, as I am sure that watching a show from one of the seats would be an amazing experience.
From the theater, I drove straight to the
Triumphal Arch of Orange. Unfortunately, as I approached the arch, I noticed that it was covered entirely in scaffolding, so no stop was made nor were any pictures taken.
Afterward, I headed out of the city to several small villages within the
Côtes du Rhônes, a famous wine region in France. My first stop was the village of
Gigondas, which was filled with several eateries and many caveau (wine tasting rooms). The town was fairly quiet, so I just walked around for a bit and then left just as a torrential downpour began.
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| The village of Gigondas. |
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| The village of Gigondas. |
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| Window in Gigondas. |
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| The village of Gigondas. |
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| The village of Gigondas. |
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| Side street in Gigondas. |
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| The village of Gigondas. |
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| Do you think they could have fit in any additional flower pots?!? |
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| The village of Gigondas. |
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| The village of Gigondas. |
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| Pretty flowers in Gigondas. |
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