Those amazing Romans - theatre at Orange

14.9.11
Enough of the heat...! Although our campground was quite comfortable and well shaded, when Bill awoke I had been up to the patisserie and bought the croissants and baguette that made up our breakfast and we packed to leave.
Once more through small villages, heading for the mountain areas - 'Les Alpes Haut'.
Passing through Orange we saw looming ahead the Roman Theatre, so a half day was spent absorbing the awe of this building - 2 millenia old. Truly amazing to sit in the stands and realise that theatre productions are still held in this Unesco World monument. Walking through the dark tunnels surrounding the theatre, and occasionally ducking into one of the caves where people might go to 'chill out' during a long performance (sometimes many days), we felt very much the spirit of the Romans. Also, the thick stone serves the great purpose of cooling things down in such hot weather!
Back on the road, and the steep climbs started. Mountains loomed ahead, and the roads became narrow and windy. We napped for a while beside a stream, so felt comfortable enough to keep driving towards Mens, where some 10km out we found the most perfect camping spot for the night - right on top of the mountains at around 1000m, looking out across the valley where village lights started to shine as darkness fell. On the hills we could hear the occasional tinkle of a cow bell. Pure magic.