ORANGE ANTIQUE THEATRE…A Military Celebration of French Labor Day….

Monday, April 30, 2012

We woke early, parked and then enjoyed another wonderful breakfast at our B&B.  The owners both came to the door to bid us au revoir and to wish us well on our trip.  It’s truly a wonderful place to stay if you are ever in Vaison La Romaine.  Something unusual were the very petit napkins used for petit dejeuner….notice Terry holding one up in the photo!

 The skies were overcast as we wheeled our luggage down to the car that was parked about a block from the B&B….but it was not raining as of yet.

Fifi was set and off we went with Terry driving towards the city of Orange.  It is a large city that has existed since the Gaule/Roman times and has many Roman structures that are in excellent condition.  One of them is the huge antique theatre.  As we approached the area we noticed lots of commotion and way too many soldiers dressed in their dress uniforms.  Tomorrow is the French National Holiday name Labor Day to celebrate the workers.  We walked in free and found seats near the top of the ancient Theatre that was full of military personal standing at attention.  We were having a serendipity experience….they were presenting medals for military achievements to celebrate the day!  During the National Anthem the rain began and it continued enough that we left during the speeches but what a great unexpected experience.

We then drove to the triumphal arch of Orange; recently cleaned it was beautiful and worth the few minutes it took to find it and take a few photos.  The rain continued as we reset Daisy/Fifi for the town of Chateauneuf de Pape.  Known primarily for their wines it is also very historical as the ruins of the summer chateau for the French Popes was located in this village.  The wines are grown in very rocky soil and produce a unique wine that is popular throughout the world.

We then headed for Avignon but with the rain getting heavier and heavier we decided to call a halt to today’s agenda and head for our new hotel in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.  We’re staying three nights in the Les Nevons Hotel and will be spending the days visiting the many small towns in the hills of Provence.

When we arrived we walked to the river that runs through the town and found a busy little restaurant where we ordered crepes with ham and cheese plus a salad.  Oh yes…we enjoyed a beer with our late lunch early dinner.  By the time we arrived back at the hotel our feet were soaked and we all took time to rest a bit before heading out again after the rain finally stopped.

This town is known for its Antiques and they come from Paris and beyond every weekend for the wonderful furniture found here during their Market.  Unfortunately we’ll miss the weekend.  

We walked the town and then found a grocery store where we purchased lunch supplies for tomorrow and an extra bottle of wine that we shared in Terry and Linda’s room that overlooks the garden that was filled with ducks.

Tomorrow we’ve been promised sunshine and we’re off to visit the small villages.