Just Another Fab Day in Metz

the Moselle, or Mosel flows through Metz

The Cathedral

Just another wonderful serendipity in Metz

I don’t get to Metz, France that often, no more than six times a year.  You think that’s a lot?  Have you lost your senses AND your joie de vie?  Every time I go, the town is as fresh and exciting as that first glimpse of the woman of your dreams.  Never thought of Metz, the Capitol of Lorraine, as a woman?  Well, she is.  Beautiful, alluring, charming, delicious.  A mysterious past, with a wink and a nod toward the modern.  A beckoning smile.

So, what is it I find that beguiles me?  Saint-Étienne, the St Steven cathedral, with it’s soaring columns and jewel-like stained glass? 

Or, the Marche Couvert, the wonderful covered market that before the French Revolution (1789) was designed to be the Bishop’s Palace?  Maybe it’s the strangely wandering cobblestone streets, with their stoic stone buildings? 

Or those delightful French institutions, the open-air bistros?  All of it.  Every bit.  And more. Don’t forget the Shopping!!  Last time I went I ended up with two patés, bread, cheese, sausage, tomatoes, and a new pair of shoes.

I find it strange that even people who live within an hour and a half’s drive haven’t been. What stops them?  Lack of a firm foundation in the French language?  Piffle.  The thing to remember is, the first word out of your mouth when you speak to someone in France, whether it’s a policeman, or shopkeeper, or any person on the street, is Bonjour!  But pronounce it correctly:  Bo-njou’re! Google: French to English and practice before you go.  After the mandatory greeting of bonjour, you can say anything you damn well please, in any language, and you’ll get a polite response.  And, shopkeepers are superb readers of waving hands, pointing fingers and bright smiles.

Still uneasy? In the square right next to the Cathedral there’s a huge tourist information center to guide you to the most popular places and even the unpopular ones.  Hey, I’ve already given you a list of enchanting excitement within a two-block radius of the cathedral.  Don’t know which bistro to choose?  Try the Tous Les Jours, number 27 in the open square of the Place St. Jacques.  Try the tempting quiche, after all you’re in Lorraine.

So, now I’m going to leave you an array of photographs to whet your appetite for your first exciting trip to Metz.  But, believe me, one trip to visit this lady with the almost sinfully radiant smile won’t be enough.  Is it ever?

What better place to dine on Quiche Lorraine?

Oh, those bistros!