We drove to Orange yesterday, which is approximately 50 km from Nimes, where we are based. However, due to our lack of familiarity with the French road system (numerous secondary highways linked by crazy roundabouts, major highways that are difficult to find), it took what felt like forever to arrive.

Surprisingly, beautiful Orange has several parking lots conveniently located near the historical downtown core. We parked our tiny vehicle, exited, and as I was digging for change for the parking meter, a friendly local man approached and said, “le stationnement est gratuit jusqu’a quatorze heure!”. In Ottawa where I live, parking fees in the downtown core are extortionate, so I could not believe that this man was telling me that parking was free until two pm! He further explained that if we punched our license plate number into the machine and pressed “valider”, it would spit out a ticket for our dashboard that would give us an extra 30 minutes of free parking, meaning we would be covered until 2:30. We thanked him profusely, did as he suggested, placed the ticket on our dash, then headed for lunch since it was technically siesta time.

There is a drink here in the south called “limonade” made by Pschitt, which I enjoyed for the first time 3 years ago when we were in Arles. I always think it is the best drink EVER, fizzy, cold, lemon-lime tasting, and served in its own special glass etched with “Pschitt” and filled with ice. I remember raving to D the first time I tasted it, as though I had discovered some new, incredible beverage that I just could not believe was not available at home in Canada. Halfway through that first limonade, however, I realized that in fact, the drink does exist in Canada….but it’s called Sprite. Whatever. It’s still delicious, and I love it every time we sit at a café and I proudly order the thing!

After a leisurely lunch, we visited Orange’s Roman theatre, which dates to the 1st century AD. This amphitheatre is remarkably well-preserved and still holds up to 9000 people for shows; in fact, on the day we visited, a work crew was busy setting up the stage in preparation for a new show. This theatre (which once held a giant statue of Caesar Augustus behind the main stage), is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.