Orange and Horse Races

Hello everyone!

Ivy and I have been at friends' houses because Mum and Dad were in Switzerland for a week. My Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle stayed at our house for some of the time that we were away and when Mum and Dad arrived back they stayed for 3 more days with us all together. Ivy and I came home 2 days earlier than Mum and Dad and so we hung out with Aunty Annie and Uncle Wim.

On our first day we did nothing but relax, but on the second day we went to a judo demonstration in our village of Mormoiron. One man chopped a concrete block in two with his foot! That afternoon we drove to the Hippodrome where they held horse running competitions. It was great fun because we made pretend bets on the horses and we got to go on a really steep jumping castle! Their was a horse from the USA, called Miss Tootsie.

The next day was Monday. Mum and Dad were home and I was excited because it was my first day of normal school after a week of staying with friends. When the day had finished I walked home and rode my bike with my friend Paul. I was riding home when my leg slipped off the pedal and the back of my leg split open on the sharp edge! We had to go to the doctor and I got four stitches. I haven't been able to walk so much so I've been at home for the last four days. I did nothing from Tuesday to Thursday but yesterday I went to Orange with my parents and managed to hobble around the Roman Antique Theatre of Orange.

There is a big semi-circle with seats ascending up the side, opposite the stage. This theatre is very special because it is one of the three Roman theatres in the world that still has a wall behind the stage where the actors performed.

At the edge of the town of Orange there is an Arc de Triomph which was built to make his people confident in the Emperor's power. It was raining quite heavily at the time so we didn't stop to walk around the Arc, but it was much smaller then the Arc de Triomph in Paris, but it was beautifully detailed.

Tomorrow is Serge's birthday party so we will stay up late tomorrow night and I will see my friend again whom I stayed with for my week away. We spoke only French!

Au Revoir,

Sean