Hilary and Stan in Europe 2011 - Day 9 - Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Orange

 ... or, Day Five of Hilary and Stan's "Tour de France!!"

Hilary, mailing postcards 

 I'd say, without reservation, that today was probably one of the most boring rides of our
cycling tour to date.  The reason is not that it's beautiful farm country... but that there is so much of it.  Endless fields of vineywards greeted us as we cycled through what was outside of a small hill we climbed in the morning, essentially a broad valley, not unlike the Fraser Valley in British Columbia.

Ancient crusader castle, above  Rappel

Vinyards...

However, a peceful country ride it was NOT.  The reason?

More vineyards....

Everywhere there were trees or vinyards, you could here a constant, rhythmic 'screeee... screeee.... screeeeeeeee" - the rasping, rhythmic  sounds of countless cicadas, singing relentlessly.  










You have to hear it to really appreciate what they do. Riding on a bike, you can't simply roll up the window and ignore these beasts. You'd need to have and iPod and headphones blasting hard rock and roll into your ears to block out the sound!

and more.....

Thankfully, we had only 50 km to ride today.  We were in Orange by noon.  And there is where we really began to have fun!

Hilary checking out tea towel

Orange, quite simply is an amazing town. The shops, restaurants and a huge morning market that fills over ten city blocks was interesting enough. 

But what makes Orange really special is an ancient Roman Theatre that is still being used today to host live theatre productions.  

oo

When we arrived, organizers were busy putting together finishing touches to host a dress rehearsal of Verdi's Aida that very night.  Although we didn't nake it to the performance, Hilary and I went for a stroll in the evening after dinner.  From beyond the great wall, we could here the orchestra and solists performing in the distance, against bold, dramatic lighting of the ancient Theatre.  We could just imagine what a sight it would be.


Tomorrow is the last official day of our cycling tour.  Our destination is Avignon, where we will be staying for three nights. We're looking forward to visiting this beautiful city.