Arriving at home I was ready to get my cab lined up for the morning- a 6:30 am pickup. I picked up my phone and as I was dialing a message came up that my plan had expired. I couldn't believe I had used all the time and MB but ....So I asked Sharon who seldom uses her phone if I could use hers to call the cab. Guess what , she received the same message. We couldn't believe it. Off we trek back to the square area to go to the Orange phone store. We explained our problem, trying to explain that we had paid 50 euro's and expected that our usage would last longer than 2 weeks. He fooled with the phone, shook his shoulders, gave us a "look" and we just stood there like idiots.
It was finally determined that we needed to go to a TABAC store and buy more usage, time, or whatever you want to call it. I had seen a TABAC store right around the corner so we went in and explained that we wanted to buy minutes. He looked at us ( he didn't speak a word or English) and shrugged his shoulders and gave us a surly look. We went back to the Orange store and they saw us coming. Our helper had placed himself way up in the corner. Not to be deterred we stood there and nodded and waved and finally he acknowledged us. We explained our problem in as simple English as we could and finally the woman sitting next to him suggested he give us a note in French. We went back to the TABAC store and again the clerk was so rude and refused to acknowledge that he knew what we were suggesting with our note. He kept saying -Orange, Orange. We left that store and there is a jester I would like to have given him but I'm too much a lady so I just walked out - not smiling.
We passed a store that we determined did phone service. We thought maybe they could help. We went in and explained our problem once again in simple English and showed him "our note". He said "Orange?", We said "yes". He walked us to the door and said TABAC, TABAC, TABAC and he pointed down Rue Republic. Off we went and finally Sharon spotted a TABAC. A sign above the door said English spoken here. Hallaluia! UPS! Celebrated way to early. Gave the woman the note - we thought she asked how much, I said 50, she handed me a sheet a paper, I wrote 50 and she goes off in French but we realized she was not going to be able to help us. We walked out of there and in a daze walked futher down the street. We finally spotted another TABAC store. We went in and I asked the usual - "Parlez vous Anglaise"? He suggested that he did a little. He was nice at least and we were so thankful for that. We handed him our note. He nodded, said Oui, and we said 50. He shook his head and said 10 euro max. So we each bought 3 , 10 euro slips so we have them for the future. Each slip has a code on it which you input by calling the number on the slip of paper he gives you. We were set! I know you are excited for us. Problem solved. We went to the Orange store just to be sure we had understood everything. The woman nodded said we call the number "224" and press 2 and then put in the 14 digit code. Whew. That 's easy.
In stead of doing it in the store we walked home and I proceeded to do as instructed. I dialed the 3 numbers and got a message in English "Wrong number". Your kidding! I tried again, and again, adding # marks, anything. There was also a #123# number after the 224 so I added that - called that alone, tried to send a message to that number. NOTHING! Sharon's attempts failed also. We sat for a while.
I emailed our landlord and requestd that he call a cab for me. This started the whole ordeal! He got back to me that he had done that so at least I didn't have to walk to the train station at 6:00 in the morning. I did a few things and since Sharon and I were going back to the square because we heard there was a parade at 6:00 we thought we'd drop by the Orange store again. We were not too excited about walking in there but we had paid 30 euro's to use our phones and I particularly wanted it for my trip. We walked into the store and explained - dialed the number and let her listen to the English message "Wrong number". She looked puzzled but than started to type some things , and than typed in my 14 digit number. Success. We now have woking phones.
What was not explained to us , and we have since figured out, the plan we bought has to be renewed every two weeks. for 10 Euro's. The plan allows us to call all over Europe. Only one problem - you have to go to a French TABAC store to buy the those 2 week extensions. The magic that the salesperson at the Orange store did was send a text message using #123#. I thought I had done that but obviously not.
I will definitely have to get my haired dyed next time - these trials are making me grey!
We walked back to the square and the lights were on and people were congregated and it looked like fun. It was a wine tasting. We found that we had to purchase a glass for 5 euro's and with that glass you got five rubber bands which entitled you to 5 different wines. The glass also had a small package in it which we learned later was a breathalyzer. Smart.
The square all lite up!
Sharon with her glass and rubber bands. 
I think she's already spent one!
I think she's already spent one!
Me too.
Roasted chestnuts. 
So good!
So good!These next two pictures are of two elderly gentlemen who were so charming. They just talked to us in french and smiled and drank their wine. We kept running into them and they kept speaking in French and we kept smilling!
Some of the workers dressed up.
I
We decided to forgo dinner 
and just eat at the event. This pizza was wonderful. We each had a piece and I had decided that I wanted to have some oysters on the half shell and then come back for one more piece of pizza and I would have been full and satisfied. And then the parade started.
and just eat at the event. This pizza was wonderful. We each had a piece and I had decided that I wanted to have some oysters on the half shell and then come back for one more piece of pizza and I would have been full and satisfied. And then the parade started.
What fun. Prior to the parade we had met two Americans. They were following us because they heard us ask " Do you speak English". We ended up sitting down at a table and just had so much fun talking to them. They had been in Europe for 3 weeks starting with a Windstar cruise. They were cousins and Ruth lives in Idaho and Cynthia in Portland. Neat ladies and we shared lots of adventures and laughs. Needless to say I didn't get back for pizza or for oysters. It was much more fun to just sit down and feed the spirit and it was also a lot less calories. Just sorry I had to leave town as I would really have liked to spend a little more time with them. 
These I believe are a couple
of the vineyards owners.
of the vineyards owners.
The remnants of the festivities.
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