Blogs from Metz, Lorraine, France, Europe

Am 2. Tag in Metz habe ich gut im Hotel gefrühstückt und einen Spaziergang in die andere Richtung in der Stadt gemacht. Vorbei an einer Kapelle der Templer, dem Place de la Republique, entlang der Mosel, an der Kathedrale vorbei und zurück durch die Innenstadt mit einem Stopp im Starbucks. Ich habe dann nicht mehr in Metz zu Mittag gegessen, weil ich noch vom Frühstück gut gesättigt war. Statt dessen habe ich in einer Autobahnraststätte auf dem Rückweg ein Menü mit gebratenen Schinken zu mir genommen. Ich habe in Frankreich aber schon bessere Raststätten gesehen und verdächtige diese Speise als Grund für eine Magenverstimmung am Folgetag. Wie auch immer. Auf jeden Fall bin ich ohne Probleme in meiner Zweiwohnung an meinem Projektort angekommen.... read more

Saturdays are a good day to go food shopping. Whether it’s at the local supermarket at home or the mobile fresh food markets in France, the mission is the same; stocking up for the week ahead. In my limited experience, Europeans, particularly those in small towns and rural areas, rely heavily on their weekly fix of market day. Today we visited the French towns of Thionville and Metz for a healthy dose of local culture. The outdoor market in Thionville sells all the ‘food groups’, and as you walk through grey, nondescript streets shaded by multi-storey appartments, you turn the corner and your senses are assaulted by an overdose of colour, noise, and the fragrant flower stall through which we entered the market. The vivid colours of the fruit and vegetable stalls compete with the pungent ... read more

Day 2 With a temperature dropping overnight my little legs were cold. I tossed and turned and was glad when the alarm went off at 5 am. We missed our oil filled heater. It had proved too heavy and cumbersome and took it out replacing it with an electric fan heater which we didn’t fancy leaving on all night. After breakfast of token coffee and croissants I did the shimmy under the fence to detach Suzy from the mains and off we went. Past the Tottenham Hotspur training ground. No we did not see any players it was too early for that. The M25 was heaving despite it being early. We crossed the Thames at the Dartford Crossing which glistened in the early morning sun. On closer inspection it was rather grubby and the sky had ... read more

Saturday 11 July 2015 It wasn't surprising that we slept in this morning. Our fellow guests next door haven't yet learnt the etiquette of hotel accommodation. The drive along the upper reaches of the Mosel River took a long time because of the meandering nature of the river. So with noisy neighbours and a long drive we really needed the sleep. We are a bit naughty when it comes to travel. European hotels don't provide tea or coffee facilities in the room so we have to provide for ourselves. The result is we have our regular morning coffee before we start each day. Today as the jug came to the boil the TV went off and the jug stopped boiling. Oh dear! We're going to be found out. Have showers, no shave, no hair dryer, hide ... read more

Metz the discreet ! This is how I would describe this City... As opposed to its famous neighbour city Strasbourg, immediately recognizable through its black and white buildings, its Christmas Markets, gastronomy and traditions, the Capital of the Lorraine region is not featured much in the news or even in the documentaries highlighting the beautiful régions of France. And this is a shame really as the Lorraine region has so much to be discovered and enjoyed by the Visitor, much more than the recipe of its namesake "quiche" or even the famous Mirabelle plum I am of a curious nature opened towards the world, but this is only last winter while I was watching the "Come Dine with Me" show set in Metz, that I was finally able to discover the Capital of Lorraine and its ... read more