After a two-hour drive from Baden-Baden, Germany, we finally arrived at Metz, France, at around 9:30 pm.
We decided to call Nelly and ask for further instructions. I tried to talk to her in English, but she did not speak English. I tried to say in my best French, and I finally decided to drive back to the same street and see if I could find a way in. At this point, I worried we would not get in.
As we were exhausted, we went to sleep.
We found a wonderful patisserie - Thes Comptoirs Richard - where we had coffee and pastries. The croissants with pistachio filling were the best I ever recall eating anywhere. The crust was paper-thin and melted in my mouth. Inna had the chocolate croissants, and they were also delicious. It would be worth stopping in Metz just to have those croissants again!
My precious Pistachio croissant. The best croissant I've ever had. I would stop in Metz just to taste another croissant!
Who can resist this temptation?
The food was looking so delicious! Looking at my photos is making me hungry.
Just look at these breads and pastries! I get hungry just looking at them.
Metz is famous for Mirabelle plums, but we were too full to try any.
After breakfast, we explored the nearby Cathedral.
The Cathedral is famous for the beautiful stained glass by Marc Chagall.
We walked around the Cathedral. It's undoubtedly quite beautiful, but it doesn't compare in grandeur to Notre Dame or Cologne Cathedral.
We also explored the indoor market, with its many stalls. We were surprised by the quality and the sheer variety of cheeses, meats, breads, and other delicacies. It was better than anywhere we've seen in the USA.
After the market, we walked around Metz, enjoying the scenery. It's not a touristy town; you must know French to get by. Almost no one spoke English.
I had made Airbnb reservations with Nelly Clesse in Metz for a single room. Metz is conveniently located halfway between Baden-Baden and Brussels, and it would make a nice stop (to avoid a non-stop 5-hour drive).
When we arrived in Metz, we found the street - Rue Deploye - of the house where we would be staying. Since there was no parking on the street, I asked Inna to see the actual house, but she could not. Find number 7. The last house had a number 5.
She thought there was some construction blocking the entrance further down the street. We decided to drive to the next street, but finding a way around (at this late hour) with many one-way streets was difficult.
We decided to call Nelly and ask for further instructions. I tried to talk to her in English, but she did not speak English. I tried to say in my best French, and I finally decided to drive back to the same street and see if I could find a way in. At this point, I worried we would not get in.
Luckily, Nelly waited for us on the street and explained that the entrance to the house was blocked by a gate, which required a specific code to enter. She opened the gate and let us into our room. I also got the car and drove it close to the house.
Nelly explained about the gate in her Airbnb instructions, but as the instructions were all in French, I must have overlooked the part about the locked gate. I need to brush up on my French!
In Metz, people are very concerned about safety, and Nelly showed us how to secure our doors and windows. The room was spacious and well-furnished. There was even a mini-fridge stocked with drinks.
As we were exhausted, we went to sleep.
Friday, July 5, 2013
After getting up, we checked out of the house and decided to explore Metz downtown (and find a place to get breakfast).
We found a wonderful patisserie - Thes Comptoirs Richard - where we had coffee and pastries. The croissants with pistachio filling were the best I ever recall eating anywhere. The crust was paper-thin and melted in my mouth. Inna had the chocolate croissants, and they were also delicious. It would be worth stopping in Metz just to have those croissants again!
My precious Pistachio croissant. The best croissant I've ever had. I would stop in Metz just to taste another croissant!
Who can resist this temptation?
The food was looking so delicious! Looking at my photos is making me hungry.
Just look at these breads and pastries! I get hungry just looking at them.
Metz is famous for Mirabelle plums, but we were too full to try any.
After breakfast, we explored the nearby Cathedral.
Saint-Étienne de Metz (French for "Saint-Stephen of Metz"), also known as Metz Cathedral, is a historic Roman Catholic cathedral inMetz, capital of Lorraine, France.[3] Saint-Étienne de Metz is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz and the seat of the Bishop of Metz, currently Pierre Raffin.[4] The cathedral treasury exhibits the millennium rich collection of the Bishopric of Metz, including paramentsand items used for the Eucharist.[3][5][6]
The Cathedral is famous for the beautiful stained glass by Marc Chagall.
We walked around the Cathedral. It's undoubtedly quite beautiful, but it doesn't compare in grandeur to Notre Dame or Cologne Cathedral.
We also explored the indoor market, with its many stalls. We were surprised by the quality and the sheer variety of cheeses, meats, breads, and other delicacies. It was better than anywhere we've seen in the USA.
Just look at those sausages! Why can't we have such quality in the USA?
After the market, we walked around Metz, enjoying the scenery. It's not a touristy town; you must know French to get by. Almost no one spoke English.
There were some interesting gift shops and many small cafes.
We stopped by at Cafe Mathis for lunch. The food was good but not as delicious as Cafe Reichard.
We found a store selling these chocolate balls - they were so delicious!
We had a fine time in Metz. The food was incredibly delicious, but the whole town felt rundown. I would go back to Metz for one main reason - to taste those delightful pistachio croissants again.
We stopped by at Cafe Mathis for lunch. The food was good but not as delicious as Cafe Reichard.
We found a store selling these chocolate balls - they were so delicious!
We had a fine time in Metz. The food was incredibly delicious, but the whole town felt rundown. I would go back to Metz for one main reason - to taste those delightful pistachio croissants again.
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