It's My Party.

So what else is there to do on my last day in France (you know, home to everything medieval), than check out some Roman ruins? I’m in Orange, it’s my birthday, and tomorrow I start the long process of travelling home. But first, the Roman stuff.

But first this ass I ran into while in town.

There are only three Roman theatres in the world that still have their theatre wall (or backdrop) intact. One’s in Turkey, one’s in Syria, and the third… Orange you glad I didn’t say Italy? The city of Orange is lucky enough to boast the only “complete” Roman theatre in the West, which makes this city pretty unique.

I went to Rome and Pompeii, and I saw a lot of ruins, but I didn’t see a real, full-sized theater. Until now. And this thing is huge. The theatre, at its height, managed to hold 10,000 spectators, which likely outnumbered the actual population of the city.

We're going to throw you a play, and the WHOLE COUNTY'S invited!

The theatre survived mostly intact the barbarian invasion, and during the middle ages it became the site of a small slum of about 40 homes. In the mid-1800s, the government decided to begin restoring the theatre, and since then it has become world-renowned as a location for operas, plays, and concerts.

And a nasty nose-bleed section.

 The other Roman ruin in town is a triumphal arch. It was built by the 2^nd Gallic Legion to commemorate the general Germanicus (if I remember correctly, that’s Caligula’s dad), but was later re-dedicated to the emperor Titus.

Who cares if it was dedicated to the memory of someone else, it says TITUS now!

 So I guess that’s it. That’s the end of my grand tour of France. I’ll likely give a couple of updates on my travels home and how the family’s doing, but you’re not getting any more grand tales of discovery. Or are you…?