Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Alsace & Lorraine: METZ

Magnificent stained glass windows by Chagall in the Metz Cathedral

June 25: Today we went to Metz, France to see the Centre Pompidou-Metz and Saint-Etienne Cathedral. Metz is a very lovely city, and when you're walking around, you could be in a neighborhood of Paris.

The Metz Cathedral is a building I wanted to see because of the stained glass windows by Marc Chagall. All the stained glass was magnificent, and although created at different times by different artists, the effect was harmonious. The cathedral is 800 years old and as impressive as Notre Dame de Paris.

The Centre Pompidou-Metz only opened in the last year or two and is an extension of the Paris museum. The building is impressive and so is the collection which includes many Picassos and Miros. We wandered around almost alone for a few hours which was a major contrast to the Pompidou in Paris; but by the time we left around 2 p.m., the crowds had descended. I've been impressed with all the groups of school children we've seen on field trips to the various sites--Dachau (thousands!), the Ossuaire, and today the Pompidou. Europeans take their culture seriously and want to impart it to the next generation.

We loved the pool in the atrium of the museum with the ceramic dishes that acted as chimes. Of course, there were a few pieces in the Pompidou that made you go huh?, such as the all-black canvas or the piece that our 6-month-old grandson Luca could have done, if only he had access to oils and canvas.

Luca did this with help from our dog Nina.

The chimes in the pool made a beautiful sound.

We escaped Metz with great difficulty. We were having flashbacks to our day in the German wilderness. We could not find our way to the road out of town, until we finally stumbled across it by accident. We then drove south to St. Mihiel, where my grandfather had fought to protect almost 100 years ago. Looking at St. Mihiel, I doubt the town has changed much since 1918. Perhaps the roads are paved better and there are streetlights. It is gritty, but beautiful in its own way.

St. Mihiel

"To our dead" in St. Mihiel

We looked for a place to eat, but perhaps we were in the wrong part of town. Finally, tired and hungry, we headed back to Puce and found the Mona Lisa in Jarny where we had a lovely Italian meal. Richard defaulted to pizza, but I ordered gnocchi. The proprietress was very friendly and the food was perfect. She seemed to understand my French, so of course I loved her.

We arrived at the Chateau de Puxe rather late, for us. At 9:45, it is still light outside. We're exhausted after our explorations today. We leave Lorraine in the morning for Germany, then home.

Here are some of the memorable pieces we saw today at the Pompidou-Metz.