The first sight of the Gare de Metz on our left when we parked the car and walked a few feet to our hotel that night brought back a flood of memories and gazing at the imposing structure with the last of the sun's rays burnishing the stone in gold I suddenly felt I had never left. Yet in the 48 years since I had been here I knew there must certainly be unrecognizable changes to this city I had spent many years growing up in and around and it would be easy to feel a total stranger. So what to do? After breakfast the next morning Marie wanted me to show her all the places that I still remembered and we would go from there. It was a beautiful but cool day that would warm up nicely as we set off down Rue Vauban and onto Ave Jean XXIII towards one of the other most memorable sights for me and which I had drawn and painted often in my youth, the Porte des Allemands (the German Gate). Time had stood still it seemed and it was as I pictured it often in my mind. We continued on down along the Remparts, following the old stone walls until we got to the Moselle River, the Eglise Ste-Segolene and the Cathedral of St-Etienne dominating the skyline ahead of us. Along the Rue du Pont des Morts I came across another of those special spots one never forgets - a view of the Temple Neuf and the swans on the water of the Moselle. We ate a late lunch at the Gare, wandered through the market and took some pictures of the local foods and picked up some white wine of Alsace, bread , cheese and pate for later that evening. There was still time to stroll over to Ave Joffre to stand beneath the Porte Serpenoise and have a coffee nearby. Tomorrow more exploring, a visit to the cathedral, art exhibitions, and a drive to Grigy and St Ruffine where I lived back in the 50's and 60's. I will be taking alot of photos to remember this very special visit. gws
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| candied fruits |
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| Cathedral of Metz |
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| les Arches |
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| Marie and carousel |
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| view from one of the many gardens throughout Metz |
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| the beautiful vaulted ceiling of the Cathedral |
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| a mobilette, no longer used in France |
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| the Temple Neuf from Ponts des Morts |
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| the Moselle and chestnut tree |
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| Pont des Morts |
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| only 30 cents |
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| Aux Morts de la Guerre |
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| Porte des Allemands |
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| le circuits des Remparts |
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| one of the 18 towers |
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| hmmm...any poutine I wonder |
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| Cathedral St-Etienne |
