The Real LeMans

We had another wonderful walk through history yesterday when we visited LeMans. Up to this point, my only piece of information about LeMans was that they have the 24-hour car races there every other year or so... and my impression was that it was just a big modern city.

What did we discover on our visit? That the City, the provincial government and the government of France have invested in a total restoration of the old Plantagenet City. The city is named for the Plantagent dynasty which began here in 1128, with Geoffrey The Handsome, Count of Anjou, who used to decorate his hat with "genet" - a sprig of the broom plant... he "planted" the "genet" in his hat.

But the real origins of the city are even older. There still remains a fortified Roman wall, built in 280, which has protected and defined this old quarter of the city for 15 centuries, and Roman thermal baths that look like they were a lot of fun!

The real blossoming of LeMans came during the Renaissance, and that's when its most charming buildings were erected... the Plantagenet City is often used as a movie set, and it's obvious why that is so when you wander the streets. They were happily uncrowded on Friday, as it's not truly high season yet, and we browsed charming antique shops, discovered an entire street devoted to the maintenance of musical instruments, from mandolins and lutes to pianos... and of course, ate a fantastic French mid-day meal of smoked salmon pate, duck and homemade ice cream for dessert!