I had zero expectations for my solo day trip to Le Mans. I knew museums would be closed because it was Monday and I knew it wasn’t going to be a hot and sunny day but I went anyway.

Le Mans is a city I started exploring last summer with Mark. On our first visit, we wandered around, looking for cool spots—we found a few, including the lovely old town and the Roman wall. We came back a few weeks later, after China, but it was pouring rain most of the day, so we dived into Ancient Rome at the Museum of Archeology.

This time, I was hoping to explore the medieval quarters properly, alone.

The Cité Plantagenêt is behind the massive cathedral, high above the river, and it’s separate from the modern-day town. The twisting cobbled streets were so quiet it was almost spooky. There are beds and breakfasts, a few shops, and probably residents, but the 14th- to 16th-century stone houses and half-timbered buildings felt frozen in time.

I didn’t Photoshop people out of the pictures—I was alone. Or maybe a few ghosts were following me, who knows.

Angers, Nantes, Paris, and many other French cities have one or several historic districts—and by “historic,” I mean actually old, looking at you, “OMG this is from 1960!” North America. But they are typically lively and part of the town, part of the public space, even.

Le Mans is really divided. The modern town on the other side of the cathedral is very multicultural with Chinese, African and Arabic stores and restaurants—Paris is only 50 minutes away by train so I guess it’s a cheaper, popular option. But stepping into the old town feels like stepping into a movie set and I doubt locals go there much except when they have to cross it. I mean, there’s nothing but Instagram-worthy buildings.

Weird. But atmospheric nonetheless.