Summer in France: Le Mans

Le Mans was not part of our original itinerary. We would’ve like to stay in Brittany a little longer, but Bryan found out that his work team would be having an offsite in London, so we needed to pivot. That meant heading back to Paris for the flight. I was happy to do it, since I could never complain about extra time in Paris. We split up the drive by staying in Le Mans.

Le Mans is best known for the 24-hour driving circuit race (though I did not know about that). However, we found it to be a charming small city with a lot to offer apart from the race. It has a very well-preserved medieval old town and a stunning cathedral that is one of the largest in France.

We stayed at the Mercure Hotel in a room with this lovely patio:

And we had one of the most delicious and memorable meals of the trip (which is saying a lot since there were many delicious and memorable meals on this trip) at La Baraque a Boeuf. The beef was amazing. I ordered a starter salad as a break from all the meat, bread, and cheese, but I learned that in France they sometimes also add meat, bread, and cheese to the salad.

That evening, we discovered that the Nuit des Chimeres was happening, which is when all of the historic landmarks in the city serve as projector screens for an artistic light show. We waited until nightfall—pretty late when the sun sets around 10pm—and followed the trail of lights to see the displays throughout the city. It was a mix of really impressive video and still projections. Some were serious and some were silly:

In the morning, we walked through the old town and visited the inside of the cathedral. Then it was time to make the drive back to Paris so Bryan could make his flight and I could enjoy a few more days in the city.