Pau, France with Nathalie & Lacampagne Family

Marisa's family; Eloise, Arthur, Bruno, and Nathalie

Arthur on a play car in the mall

Sausage and bread- perfect for drinking beers

Denton and Nathalie

Le Petit Tren!

The Pyrenees from Le Petit Tren

a

Audio guides for the tourists

Nathalie on Le Petit Tren

Picnic spot in the middle of the Pyrenees

Drinks with Muriel, Marisa's other cousin, and her boyfriend, Tomas

Bike riding along the Pau River

Arthur LOVED Denton aka 'Tinton'

Family dinner with the Lacampagne's

After Denton's parents left Madrid on June 16th, we headed north into southern France. Marisa's grandfather was born in France and came to California when he was a young man. He and three of his brothers came to California, but they left behind 6 brothers and sisters in France. This means Marisa has an extensive network of second and third cousins still living in France. We stayed with Nathalie Lacampagne, one of Marisa's third cousins who is close to our age, for one week. Nathalie was an incredible, gracious, and generous hostess. She made us a homemade dinner every day and planned a new and different activity for us. We went for bike rides, had picnics, enjoyed the local beer garden, spent time with the family, explored Nathalie's store, went wine tasting, explored an old cave, and spent a day in the Pyrenees Mountains. She also busted our chops for our American habits (including hugging, instead of giving air kisses), and taught us to pronounce French R's. 

Nathalie's apartment faces the Pyrenees mountain range and on clear days you could see it. On Nathalie's day off, she took us into the mountains on Le Petit Tren (the small train). The views were incredible and gorgeous! We had an English audio guide that had corny characters and storyline about Napoleon’s wife going to the Pyrenees for vacations. The train ride ended at a small lake at the top of the mountain and we enjoyed a wonderful picnic there. 

We were able to spend time with Marisa’s 4^th and youngest cousin, Arthur. He is Nathalie’s nephew and 2 years old. He fell in love with Denton and referred to him as “Tinton.” He babbled to Nathalie in French and was completely puzzled by our English. We played with him at the playground in the mall and again, at a family dinner. Nathalie’s parents generously took us to dinner at a new Chinese buffet in town. It was great to spend time with them, despite the language barrier.

Nathalie also organized for us to rendez-vous with another cousin, Muriel (and her boyfriend, Tomas). Muriel spent time in Australia to learn English and was Marisa’s French pen-pal when they were girls growing up. It was great seeing her again, and we made plans to meet up with them again in Paris. We day-dreamed about the things we’d show them if they visited us in California; wine tastings, basketball games, and reggae concerts.

The week with Nathalie (and family) flew by. We had a great time and feel incredibly grateful of Nathalie’s warm, welcoming hospitality. We hope she and the other family members take a holiday in California, so we can return the favor!