We continued on to Mont de Marsan, checked in and headed off again. It was one of those "stick a pin in the map" afternoons and the pin landed on Saint Sever, just one of the dozens of Gascony villages that we were to either visit or pass through.
The following day, Saturday, 20 April, was the seminal day for Virginia.
During the summer of 1957, Virginia spent many weeks in the village of Le Houga, Gers, chez la famille Lacome d'Estalenx. Paul Lacome d'Estalenx, the father of "Monsieur" with who Virginia stayed, was a well-known French composer. Without going into detail here, it was an experience which has stayed with her throughout the years and there has hardly ever since been a day when she has not thought of her experiences there. It was the time when her love for the French language flourished and, despite a serious bicycle accident, she had never enjoyed herself more.
Over the years these contacts were lost, but today, 56 years after Virginia's last visit, we motored into the village. Thanks to Google maps we knew exactly where the house was. It was surreal to Virginia but before long she was "home" and excitedly exploring the village streets around "Portalet", the Lacome d'Estalanx house. We took photographs of the house and were just about to leave when an elderly gentleman came down the street towards the house. Virginia approached him and after some animated and confused conversation discovered that he was in fact Philipe one of the son's of the family. He could not remember her at first, but after several minutes he realised who she was and we were invited into the house.
Philipe immediately phoned his sister, Alix, and put Virginia in touch with her. She was equally incredulous but Virgina and Alix will be meeting in Paris next week.
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| Along the old sheep walk in Le Houga |
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| The House where Virginia Stayed |
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| Virginie et Philipe |
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| Monument to Philipe's Grandfather |
Awww!
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