Marie is the inspiration for Sweet Orange. She’s an orange 1977 Westfalia, mostly original, and Emily’s her biggest fan. 

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I, Emily, am an original Southern California girl. My family moved to San Clemente in 1971. While I’ve lived in Hong Kong, the UK, and Prague, So Cal’s my very favorite - the beauty grabs you and the vibe hangs on. In many ways it still feels like the 70s.

 

I’m not only a lover of So Cal, I’m a lover of VW buses. In 1968 my parents purchased a brand new bus in Germany, camped all over Europe, and then shipped her back for a life in California. My second bus was an avocado green Westfalia lovingly dubbed Lazarus because he came back from the dead many times. Marie is my third bus and she found me after many months of dreaming - it was meant to be.

 

One thing you learn quickly is that you’re not incognito in a VW bus. Everyone wants to look around and tell you their stories of epic times in their bus, their parents’ bus, or even their neighbors’. The stories always end with a wistful sigh and, “gosh I miss that bus.”  And thus Sweet Orange, a boutique experience company, was born.