May 25| Avignon to Orange

La Chapelle St. Amande

We followed the D2 to Aramon, and from there Théziers. The route wasn’t too busy with traffic and took us past La Chapelle St. Amande in Théziers. A XII century Romanesque chapel. Unfortunately, it is kept locked, so we couldn’t go in. The chapel is located on the north side of the D19, in sight of the road. A historic monument since 1941, it stands alone on a small hill, overlooking fields back to the east. It is small, simple building, with a lovely bell tower.

Pont du Gard

From there it was easy to follow signs to le Pont du Gard, an amazing place. Built by the Romans in the 1^st century, to move fresh water from Uzès to Nimes, it crosses the Gardon River.  We loved it that, ancient and of historic importance that it is, the site isn’t treated solely as a museum, but used by visitors and local people alike for cycling, hiking, swimming, kayaking, picnicking. Beautiful as you can see in photos, it is far more impressive in real time.

After lunch at the Pont du Gard we rode north a bit on the N86 and then across the D4. The D4 was the best riding of the day, through the Forêt de Malmont and Forêt de Tavel. It was beautiful and there was very little traffic, with an easy uphill through the forest, to open garrigue-like habitat on top. We stopped for a snack on the top of the ridge, before the descent back down to the Rhone Valley where we turned north towards Orange.

Théâtre Antique

In Orange we stayed at the Hotel l’Herbier d’ Orange. The hotel was small, delightful and air conditioned, with a safe place for the bikes and our choice of the delicious breakfast on the interior terrace or on the small place in front of its entrance. We’d stay there again anytime. After breakfast we visited the Théâtre Antique in Orange, the Roman theater built in the 1^st century AD and still astonishingly intact. For a sense of scale, notice how small the class of schoolchildren is. It was restored in the 19th century, and over the past two thousand or so years, has been a theater (performances are held there in the summer,) a fort, a neighborhood of small houses was built in it, and a prison. The stage wall is over 100 feet tall and 300 feet wide. There are other Roman ruins in Orange that I was sorry to miss, but we wanted to get moving. 

48 miles.   Route:   D2-Aramon / D 19 – Pont du Gard /  N86 to D 4 / D976 to Orange

NEXT

Prologue, Planning, Packing

2009 was my first visit to France, to Europe actually, and my first cycle tour there. Oddly enough, this text is written after my 2010, second, solo trip in the Cevennes.

Luberon landscape

My husband Roy wanted to go too: he cycles some and it would be his first cycle tour anywhere. I spoke a bit of French and thought I could learn enough to get by, but he wasn’t interested in learning any. I wanted to see the country, its landscapes and cities, but the details weren’t important to him. It was my trip to organize and plan. I needed to define the route, improve my language skills, and accommodate our tight budget and my limited vacation time. 

Street scene Aigues-Mortes

Memoirs and the little bit of history I’d read easily decided me on the south of France, but just where? I wanted to see the land that produced a cuisine I am so fond of: Provence, with its olives, fish, wine, almonds, cheeses, fruit. I wanted to see a much older history than we have in the US: Roman and medieval France. I wanted to see the Mediterranean. Of course, I wanted to see Paris, but that was not a part of the bike trip.

French training: having no intention of being one of those visitors who expects everyone they encounter to speak English, I studied French daily: working with CDs, beginning with Lesson 1, CD 1. Unhappily I remembered only the most basic of basics, as I had never used the language outside of a classroom setting. It wasn’t rusty, it was next to non-existent. Cycle training: the New England winter with its icy roads and frequent snowfalls demanded that cycle training start indoors, in January, on a stationary set-up. By mid-March enough ice was off the road to move outside.

White horse in the Camargue

In planning I read journals posted on Trento and Crazy Guy on a Bike. For a specific route I relied on Michelin 300 series (Local) maps, and referred to Google Earth. This would be essentially a visit to several very famous, old cities, linked together by rides through the countryside. I wanted to visit Avignon, Orange, Aix-en-Provence, Arles, the Camargue and the Mediterranean coast. Catherine, a friend here in the Berkshires, grew up in Toulouse. Her description of the city, along with cycling journals of the Canal-du-Midi, led me to finish the trip in Toulouse. This was a good decision, but it meant less cycling in the Luberon, and missing Nîmes, Narbonne and other places I’d love to see someday. Another trip.

NEXT