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Published: March 3rd 2007
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Well, picking up where I left off. The flight to Nantes was fine and I got off and walked into the passport area and I hear "Rachel!". I turned around to see Lucy and Helen, two of the Leicester girls, behind me. They'd been on my flight but I went to the boarding gate at the last minute so we didn't notice eachother getting on the plane.
That worked out especially well as we shared a taxi to the train station- just like 1 Euro more than the bus and 100% less hassle. I arrived just in time to meet Sarah who was coming from Le Mans and we headed into town to look for the hotel. It was raining but wasn't too bad and we found it fairly easily.
I asked at the desk about changing to a double room and they guy said the room I had booked was a double size bed, if that was fine so we said alright and headed upstairs (well, as I had so much luggage I took the tiny scary elevator).
I threw my stuff down layed on the bed and Sarah went into the bathroom. The room was nice
the Bath
A bathtub!! enough- a full bed with enough room to move on either side, small closet space, desk and tv. Then Sarah comes out and goes "I don't think it's just because we've been living in a box, but this has to be the biggest bathroom ever!"
I assumed when she went in it was the standard toilet and tiny tiny tiny shower. So I open the door and there in front of me is quite possibly the biggest bathroom I have ever seen. It was the size of the hotel room. I would have gladly paid the 40E for this bathroom alone and slept in the tub.
Reference past photos of our micro-shower to understand the excitement.
So we rested a bit and looked up some restaurant recommendations. The one recommended in my Let's Go! that sounded cool was booked up until 10:30 so we made lunch reservations and then headed down the street for Chinese. It was pretty good, but the service was painfully slow even for France and I was starving.
Then we headed across the street for a drink, since there was a bar right there that looked lively. We went in and sat
Sarah and the magic bathroom
Modeling how big it is. You could fit 3 of our entire dorm room in here. down the the bartender was talking to us and said he didn't speak English but did we know French and we said a bit (we understand well, but replying is difficult especially in places like bars with loud music). So he gave us the menu and pointed out alcoholic, nonalcoholic, juices, coffee etc.
But then after a bit he comes over with this other guy and says "I don't know how much French you know and my English isn't good enough, so listen to this guy" and this guy explains in English that a group of 6 just came in and would like to sit all together which would mean using our table. Would we mind going to the bar or sitting with him and his friends.
So we moved down with this guy and his friends. They were all out for one guy's birthday and they were really nice. After visiting a while we got up to go and they said, Oh, you don't want to come out dancing later? Unfortunately, the traveling had really taken it out of me so we passed. But it was kind of ridiculous that it only took 6 hours out in
A drunken sailor..
not so early in the morning. Nantes to meet nice French people who wanted to talk to us. I have met some very nice people here in Le Mans, but it was by no means quick and as most of them live outside the city and centre ville isn't even terribly easy for us to get to, we haven't been out much with any of them. And the people we've met out in bars have usually been creepy or just not nice. But I did get a call that same night from my friend Noemi inviting me to a soiree with her friends. Her boyfriend is studying at the UA this semester and she is easily one of the nicest people I've met here. If only it'd been last semeter! Ah well.
Then as we headed out the bartender told us to come back in March for a potluck party they are having, everyone brings a pate or rillette or sausage. ha. So it was a fun night, but I was exhausted so we went to the hotel and made good use of that enormous bathroom and bathtub and passed out.
The next day we said farewell to our favorite bathroom and checked out.
La Cigale
The restaurant. It was the same price they quoted me online, even though I'm sure the room I ended up in was a size bigger than the one I had asked for (based on the prices posted in the room, though a winter deal could be the reason) which of course was fabulous since a nice room only cost us 20E each. Couldn't find a hostel dorm bed for much less.
Then we headed out to lunch, but the guide book marked the map wrong so we walked across town only to find that the restaurant was in fact about 5 seconds away from the hotel. And as the trams are infrequent on Sundays, we hiked it both ways. But it was a nice stroll- just wish I wasn't towing my laptop along.
The restaurant is called La Cigale, the Cicada, (www.lacigale.com). It's a brasserrie that has been around since the turn of the 20th century and the decor and architecture of it have it listed as a sort of preservation sight.
I had a fixed menu of mushroom beef soup, duck confit and creme brulee. The soup was good particularly with the bread to dip in it, the
the bar
We'd been to Sat night. duck was good but not extraordinary (but I need to stop comparing everything to 7 Plat- you just can't!) and the creme brulee was by far the best I've had. It was just the right level of crisped on top - no burnt flavor - and the inside was just the right texture and creamy flavor and it was the size of my head.
Most the other cutomers seemed to be locals out for an afternoon meal and the group behind us was a Japanese girl clearly out with her host family (both were refering to dictionaries and had the waiter take a photo). I was a bit jealous. :P
After a long leisurely lunch we walked down to Chateau, newly renovated and reopened. We had fun walking around the ramparts but decided not to do the museum this time. It's a very picturesque place with the sort of towers and moats you imagine and several editions that spanned various time periods. Including the inside of the ramparts- newly installed offices.
While walking along there was a French family with a little girl who would walk along, see something (anything, really) and squeel "Oooh la la!" Yes,
Passage Pommeraye
Funky old covered shopping area. they really do say that! You can click the video up at the top of the blog just beside my profile photo to see for yourself!
Then we went to the Cathedral which was nice and had some of the most interesting stained glass I've seen- pastel swirly designs.
Even though it was Sunday and occasionally rainy, there were a good number of people out and about. Lots of great looking shops, cafes and restaurants that weren't open as well.
Then we stopped for a drink at a cafe and sat outside to enjoy the nice weather and luckily finished just as a drizzle started again.
So we wandered back to the hotel to collect my bags and got the tram to the train station. Sarah got a ticket and we were a bit early but the place was crowded and there really weren't any seats so we headed to our platform as soon as it was announced and the train got there to board pretty early so that was nice.
The train ride back consisted of sleeping in several awkward positions - I hate aisle seats.
Then it was back to Le Mans
Passage Pommeraye
Funky old covered shopping area. and back to work. Finished up a paper for my Monday class, went to bed and thus ended my winter vacation. It was just the relaxing good time I needed.
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