Metz

Metz

Metz is in northeastern France, 40 miles from the German border. This old city carries like a classic beauty of a middle age woman. It is worth a visit. You will see not only natural beauty of parks, award winning city garden but also full of good museums, churches, art galleries, shopping and dining offer. The tourist information office is across the Place d'Armes. Go pick up a map there. I found very helpful information about locating accommodations etc. Even you do not have map, do not worry, Metz streets signs are everywhere to inform you.

Metz is one of the oldest cities in France . It is great place to walk, either by the river, cathedral, flea market, or the city square. If you are planning to park anywhere near to city center, be ready look for parking space at least 40 minutes. The streets are narrow, old cobblestones roads do not give much chance to park around. If you like to enjoy the city more, wear your most comfortable shoes and keep walking on the historical cobblestones, you will find much more interesting architectures, doors, statues by this way. Walking along the canal, seeing Moselle riverside houses were extremely beautiful in May.

While I was taking photos of blooming trees, friendly doves, engraving on the old buildings and details of the windows and doors, I was happy to see love was on air. Walk around Moyen Pont you will notice happiness follows you like a shadow.

You really feel this when you enter the France . After I spend days in Germany, I was tired of seeing unhappy faces around. People in Germany look so serious, like they carry all the problems in the world, and they have to solve it. I started to wonder what could be the reason that all the Germans, promised each other not to smile outside? In contrast in France you feel the love. You see so many couples hand in hand, so many lovers kissing each other gently with smiling faces. You feel positive there, more hopeful, more relax.

In Metz , do not look for big shopping malls, go to the flea market, where you can find anything, old, new, authentic, fashionable, vivid. Talk to sellers, bargain, smell beautiful flowers all around you. Featuring more than 49,000 square feet of space, this popular flea and antique market takes place on the first and third Saturdays of each month. If you are tired of walking, and you know there are plenty of cafés where you can rest. Get cheese, fresh bread, or local wine and enjoy the sunshine. If you travel with your kids, they will love to feed swans, chase the pigeons around, or put the kids on a train for city tour. Actually it is not a real train, it is a bus looks like a train, where you can enjoy the city.

The famous cathedral was the reason for me to visit Metz. The Cathedrale St. Etienne, built between the 13th and 16th centuries, dominates the central Place d'Armes. It is a gorgeous building. The building is the third highest cathedral in France . It has 70,000 square feet of stained glass windows, which has earned St. Etienne the nickname "Lantern of God." The windows date from the 13th to the 20th century. Pay attention the ones by artist Marc Chagall in the early 1960's. I spend quite a long time inside, observing cool, medieval, grotesque, absolutely stunning stained glass window work.

Metz is 3000 years old city. It has a unique history behind it. Metz was a Roman settlement, in the sixth century.
It was the residence of the Merovian Kings. Later it was a free city and incorporated into France in 1552. From 1870 to 1918 it belonged to the Germans, who reoccupied it again during World War II. You can see on the square there is a monument honoring the Americans' liberation of the city during World War II.

Metz 's centerpiece is the Cathédrale St-Étienne on place d'Armes, where you can touch the history on the architecture. Old buildings surround you. Many historical buildings have groundfloors which are cafés with chairs spread into the streets where you drink your coffee or wine while you watch the sunshine effects on the cathedral's beautiful stained glass. You may hear music anywhere. Metz is full of musicians. They play in narrow streets. Sometimes a young group beat drums, sometimes an elderly woman plays an accordion.

Metz is one of the most beautiful cities of the East of France. The 15th-16th century St. Louis Square with vaulted gallery and arches worth to trip. In the center of town you also find many medieval mansions, some of which can be visited. Metz has many remarkable churches. The 4th century Saint-Pierre-aux Nonnains is the oldest church in all of France . The Saint Maximin church with stained glass windows by Cocteau.

Take your time, walk around, visit art galleries. Pick up a couple nice looking postcards from local bookshops. You will be pleased to write about the atmosphere of the city. When you are hungry, there are many small restaurants offering a variety of French dishes as well as good desserts and local wines.

NUR May 2003