A Stop in Orange

Orange is an old Roman town in Vaucluse. We stopped there on the way from Avignon to Lyons. The town was built in the 1st century BC and retains much of its original Roman architecture. Two structures are especially magnificent: the Théâtre Antique d'Orange and the Arc de Triomphe d'Orange. We drove by the triumphal arch, but spent a good deal of time in the old Roman theater. This is the best-preserved Roman theater in Europe and the only one in Europe that still has its massive wall. The entrance fee included an audio guide in the language of our choice. I chose English and found the tour informative; Dana chose Olde English and found the tour challenging.

It was amazing to hear what sort of entertainment used to available to the public on this stage so many centuries ago. It started out with sophisticated comedy, tragedy & drama, but soon soon turned to base humor and cheap shock value before ultimately turning into a deplorable low-brow shlock-fest. Sounds like here's where they laid the groundwork for the modern day sitcom!

Multicolor photos of Orange.