Drove south from Vienne on the A7 into the Vaucluse, the northwestern corner of Provence. We can see the "pre-Alps" in the distance to our east. The traffic on the A7, which continues as far as Marseille, was heavy with LOTS of trucks.

Lunch at a rest stop with an amazing number of services, including a large outdoor play area for infants and toddlers with IKEA toys among other things!

Stopped at Mirmande, another of those "Most Beautiful Villages in France." It's perched on a hill with very steep streets/lanes and a little church on the top. You could see a nuclear power plant in the near distance, the second we have encountered in recent days, as well as lots of wind turbines, a common sight throughout our trip so far. There was a three star hotel, some restaurants and a boulanger. Otherwise, the only commerce was a lot of artists.

Reached Orange in the heat of the day. Luckily it clouded up, so out tour of the amazing Roman theater was more comfortable. This is one of only 3 Roman theaters in the world with an intact stage wall; the other two are in Turkey. The theater is still used for a variety of performances; they were doing a sound check for a rock concert near the end of our visit

Had dinner at an African restaurant, run by a man from Benin, which was formerly a French colony (between Nigeria and Togo I think he said. Maybe the former French Guinea ?). I had a traditional fish dish called dakoin served with a side dish made of manioc root flour.

After dinner, we walked to the famous Arc de Triomphe of Orange, built in 19 AD in honor of General Germanicus, by the Roman legions controlling this area. It sits in the middle of a big roundabout!

Walked - 6.5 miles

Drove - 282 km (most in one day so far)