Le Mans and "La Noirie"

On our way to Paris to get Kevin, we stopped in Le Mans, famous home of the annual car race and also home (until they move to Brussels in a month) to Berengere and her family.

Her father hosted us at his chateau which he now runs as a bed and breakfast. I was shocked by this property's immense beauty. It's an 18th century country manor, which has been beautifully maintained while retaining the character of the hundreds of years of history. If you're really still you can hear and see the stories that took place here over the past few hundred years. I was overwhelmed by its splendor, and I can't wait to spend more time here in the future...the home is one amazing area but the grounds as well have a splendor of their own...7 hectares of trees and paths . Let me just add some photos and let you see for yourself.

Stunning.

This is Monsieur Lardy, aka Bernard, serving us a beautiful French breakfast: juice, croissants, baguettes, jam, and coffee.



Happy guests.

My room.

The girls' room.



Another fabulous guest room. It used to be Monsieur Lardy's Grandparents' room.


M. Lardy pointing out portraits of his grandparents.


The dining room.




One of the salons.


Eloi in the garden.



Bernard's parents and his siblings in about the 70s.


Two generations later...his grandkids (and my kids of course) looking for bunnies that live on the grounds.

The 7 hectaires that make up the grounds are spectacular.




A gazebo where all Berengere's kids and her siblings' kids bring their musical instruments and do concerts on summer nights. It's a Waldorf educator's dream.




On the lawn in the sun.

All these oaks were planted by Bernard's great or grand father.

Awesome hiding area for kids in the woods. This is a perfect setting for a great children's story.



It inspires one to do cartwheels and flips.

Yes, it's amazing.

And Berengere was amazing to make us dinner. Their hospitality was overwhelming...tabouli salad, fresh strawberries, yogurt, and, of course rillettes and baguette.

The gravel area is like a giant sandbox for the kids.
And just about 20 mintes away is the bustling city of LeMans.

Strolling through the old city.

A cathedral in LeMans. It has the tallest ceilings of any cathedral in France.

I just remembered to take a shot of Francois and their house as we were walking out the door and saying goodbye at the car.



The Lardy-Liger family were wonderful hosts. They made us a beautiful classic French dejeuner which we took in their lovely garden. The roses were in bloom, the kids were happy to see each other and play and the weather was perfect. They served us pork roast, and rillettes (traditional Le Mans specialty), and greens with baguettes and wine. It was such a wonderful meal and Emily got to reconnect with this family as well (we all used to be neighbors in Redmond Ridge) before going off to the train station for her Paris adventure. I got to hear about Francois' latest software project...it's almost intuitive notetaking software for Macs and iphones. It should be great, and I can't wait to use it when it's done.