ORANGE AND CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE

Another beautiful day for an outing.  We walked to the Office of Tourism to be picked up by Caroline, our tour guide from the previous outing.  The van was full - with Australians!    We had a Mary and Paul, and James and Andre, and Simon and Margaret.  Two married couples and two single guys.  Unfortunately we were too old for the single guys. Notice I didn't say they were too young for us :-).  After introducing ourselves we headed to Orange.

The Roman Theatre and its surrounds and the Triumphal Arch of Orange comprises two of the best remaining examples of Roman theaters and arches.

Roman Orange was founded in 35 BC by veterans of the Second Gallica Roman legion as Arausio (after the local Celtic water god) or Colonia Julia Firma Secundanorum Arausio.  It was the capital of a wide area of northern Provence, which was parcelled up into lots for the Roman colonists.

The Triumphal Arch was a commemorative urban arch acting as a gateway to the town and celebrating its Roman founders.  It was probably built during the reign of Augustus between 10 and 25 AD.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This particular Triumphal Arch does not represent any victory in particular but rather symbolizes Roman supremacy over land and seas.  Dedicated to the glory of its veteran armies and then to Emperor Tiiberius, it marked a road of honor and stood as a border between the world of the dead and the ancient Roman city.

This particular Triumphal Arch has three arches.  The middle arch was used to transport products into the city - horses, carts, etc.  The two on either side were pedestrian walks.  One used for entering the city and one for leaving.  

                                          

The arch has an abundance of decorative figures and coats of arms sculpted into the limestone.

                                               

Andre and James.They are traveling aroound Europe for 3 months.

Next we headed to the Theatre Antique of Orange.  Just a short ride and Caroline bought our tickets we were free to explore.  It is quite impressive!

  
Our first glance at the outside wall!

Mary and Paul waiting for our tickets.  They had just retired and were really enjoying it.  They were a lot of fun!

 That's Magaret in the background and I didn't get an opportunity to spend much time talking to her or her husband.  although Simon and I did a lot of laughing together during the wind tasting.

 

We had planned to see a film which explained a lot about the Theater and thought we were following the signs but ended up inside the amphitheater so decided to explore it instead and hopefully find the theater where the film was being shown at some point.  I have to report we were not the only ones who missed the film and ended up in the ruins.  All of us did!  Something misleading about those signs.

Nothing wrong with us!  

The entrance to the restaurant.Would have loved to have a meal there.  Unfortunately it was not open so we couldn't even look inside.  Would have been fun to attend a performance in the theater and have dinner there.  

The thing that really got our adrenalin going was the opportunity to climb steps!

                                                  

A view of the stage.                

This is the only statue that is left and was pieced   together from fragments that were found around the ruins.  The theater itself is one of the finest remains of the Roman Empire, and as such is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is infact the best preserved theatre in the whole of Europe.  Other theaters that are in this good conditions are located in Syria and one in Turkey.  The one thing that makes this extraordinary is that it has retained its magniicent stage wall.  Because of the wall it still has wonderful accoustics.    The stage wall is 37 meters( 121 feet) high and 107 meters long ( 351 ft).  King Louis XIV - the Sun King_ considered the wall the most beautiful in his kingdom. It was a great center for shows in Roman times and still draws huge audiences to musical events today.  It holds 8000 spectators. During the Middle Ages  this theater became a fotress and the town took possession of the buildings and built dwellings there.  It was not until the 19th century that the Theater was restored to its former glory thanks to major clearance and restoration works undertaken by the State.  It took almost 20 years before all those living within the wall were gone.

The view outside

and inside.

There is a problem with serious erosion and damage in recent years.  In 1996 a simple clean out   by hand got rid of several tons of debris.  Since 2001, three large blocks weighing several kilos have collapsed.  Such falls are caused by rainwater, which hollow out deep fissures in the wall, damaging the stage floor also. The only solution seems to be reconstructing the roof. The problem is to preserve the authenticity of the site while still protecting it from the elements.  The contemporary structure meets the preservation requirements - maximum  protection for the ancient facings, maximum visual impact, a transparent roof to keep the wall in good light and avoid placing areas in shadow, preservation of acoustics and integrated lighting to avoid unsightly installations.

                                            

                                        

Ok, Sharon, let's go get some coffee!

                                     

We had a little decaf coffee creme and a coissant.  The young waiter who took our order left the cafe and ran to the bakery to pick up the coissants. We had to eat something before the wine tasting which was scheduled to go at 11:00.  A very proper time to start having apertifs in France so I am told. 

We finished our coffee and meet up  with Caroline and "the gang" and off we went to the Chateauneuf-du-pape.

We have arrived!

Looked around the gift shop

Inside

Outside How civilized.  Play a little chess while drinking your wine.   I know how to drink wine, I just have to learn how to play chess.

Finally, in the tasting room!

Our sommelier, Peter.  Three bottles of wine to taste - one white and two red.  Of course he had a lot of information to impart  but I picked up on"how to be a wine snob"!  That's what I wanted to know. I now know what to do and I am going to practice it.  I also decided that perhaps I will become a wine sommeier when I grow up.  I've been searching for my vocation and to think I had to come to Europe to find it.  Of course I have to grow up first.

Peter gave us lots of information on growing wines in France - different regions, different grapes, specific rules, blending or not.  If interested in specifics, particularly about Chateauneuf-du-pupe see Sharon's blog - wwwsharondaugherty2.blogspot.com.  I wanted to get on with the tasting.  There's only so much info one can retain and I had chosen what I was going to retain.  I shall not share beause to do so would make you a snob too and there is only room in this world for so many wine snobs!

Well snob that I am, I have to say I didn't think the wines were particularly good.  I have always loved Chateaauneuf-du-pape but these particular ones were not my favorite.  The white Chateau.... I had never tasted because it is not exportd.

I had planned on buying some of the wine after the tasting but they weren't really what I liked so I asked Peter to help me pick out a few "other "wines they had in the shop.  I told him I just wantd it for the apartment, a pleasant wine at a reasonable price.   I bought three bottles - total cost 25 Euro's.  The reds were  about 5 euro's and the white was a bit more expensive.  We had a bottle of the Cotes du Rhone last night and it was very good!  Much better than the 55 Euro one - in my opinion.

Well, today it's pack my bag and get ready for my trip to Rome tomorrow.  Bought the train tickets yesterday and checked out the train station.  Only 7 platforms. I should be able to handle that.  I'm going to find someone who's going to the airport and latch on to him or her.  I have allowed plenty, more than plenty, of time to do the trip to the Marseile airport and check in for my flight.  Shouold be in Rome a 1:25 if all goes according to plan.  

Today there is a wine tasting at the square at noon and a parade this evening.  Should be fun so must get going and get my "stuff" done so I can go play!