Unexcused Absences France 2014 – Week 13 Recap (he said)

France 2014 – Week 13 Recap (he said)

by Kent 13 Oct 2014

We began Week 13 where we left off in Week 12, parked in Metz, the capital of Lorraine. Metz is a fine example of urban engineering. Half the city center is pedestrian-only streets with numerous shops and restaurants, and half is an enormous open space with fountains, trees, and a formal garden. In between are streets for buses only. Cars are mostly relegated to the outer roads. And all around the periphery are walking and biking paths, parks, and the lake where the good ship Après Ski is parked.

The “German Gate” guards the eastern entrance to Metz

It was not always so tranquil here; defensive walls from classical antiquity right through to the modern era are still visible around town. Over the past three thousand years the city has belonged to the Celts, the Gauls, the Romans, the Franks, the Merovingians, the Kingdom of Lotharingia (?), the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of France, and Germany (several times) in addition to the Republic of France. In recent history, the city and surrounding area of Lorraine belonged to Germany between the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and the end of the Great War in 1918, when it reverted to France, then became German again in 1940 only to be liberated in 1944 by the US Third Army and given back to France.

A steeple without a church

Various religions have a strong presence here too. The Protestant “Temple Neuf” is a city landmark, and the Cathédrale St-Etienne is nicknamed La Lanterne du Bon Dieu (the Good Lord’s Lantern) because it has the largest expanse of stained glass windows in the world, at more than 70,000 square feet. The Église St-Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jésus is an architectural marvel, the Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains basilica is one of the oldest churches in the world (trivia: the Gregorian Chant was invented here), and various artists including Marc Chagal, Jacques Villon and Jean Cocteau have stained-glass window projects around town.

The very different Église St-Thérèse-de-l’Enfant

During our four days in Metz we visited the covered market multiple times, did some work at the capitainerie (they have terrific high-speed internet), and went for a 25+ km bike ride along the old branch canal that parallels the Moselle River. We also began compiling lists of things to do to get the boat ready for winter, because the cruising season is sadly coming to an end. The port in Metz was pretty quiet, as most boats were just passing through on their way to their winter ports. We did have the good fortune to meet a nice English couple, Andy and Collette, onboard their Dutch river cruiser Doucette. They are younger than the average inhabitants of the floating village, and it was fun to share stories with them.

Lunch cruise through Metz

Wednesday we left Metz to begin our return upstream (south) towards Nancy and finally Lagarde for Après Ski’s winter storage. After we arrived at Pont-a-Mousson, where we stayed about a week ago, a boat called La Vie en Rose pulled in next to us. We had met them three years ago on the Burgundy Canal, and the woman, Brenda, is one of the editors of a France/Belgium cruising guide.

Arriving in Pont-a-Mousson

Thursday we walked all around Pont-a-Mousson, visited the 14th century church, tried to visit the local brewery (only gives tours Fridays) and stopped into a construction materials store to buy some Super Glue. I looked around the adhesives shelves but did not find what I was looking for. As we were leaving, the clerk asked if we were looking for something. I had no earthly idea how to describe Super Glue in French, so I started explaining (in French of course) that I was looking for a glue that was like water, used for plastic, and bonded very quickly. After some thinking, he said, “Alors, vous cherchez Super Glue!” (well then, you are looking for Super Glue!). Only he pronounced it like Inspector Clouseau would, “su-PER gleuh”. Yes, I was happy to admit, that was exactly what I was searching for. Score one for multinational branding.

An enormous cargo barge next to Après Ski

That afternoon we cruised two hours south to a side arm of the Moselle and parked at a small pontoon in Millery. On the way we waited at a lock for an enormous cargo barge, which at almost 600 feet long and 40 feet wide completely filled the 175 meter by 12 meter lock. The living quarters on their boat were larger than our house back home, and the area behind the wheelhouse had a car and a boat on deck.

They ran out of names for their towns – this one is called “Another town on the Moselle”

Friday in Millery we waited for the 10am arrival of the bread truck, then took a 1.5 hour hike through the hills and fields above town. The weather continues to be outstanding, with cool, misty mornings, and sunny, warm afternoons. After our hike we continued south on the Moselle and went about an hour past the entrance to Nancy to a pretty town called Liverdun, which is enclosed in a boucle (loop) of the River. The town used to occupy a fortified hilltop, but has now spread into the surrounding lowlands. What was advertised as a small-boat harbor off the main river was actually a weed-choked pond with a finger pier big enough for only one boat. But we picked our way in and had a very tranquil night surrounded by a lovely park.

Morning in Liverdun

Saturday we returned to the Nancy branch canal and continued a couple hours into the city itself. We parked in the same slip as we occupied a couple weeks ago, stocked up at our favorite boulangerie and bought some sausages and meat for grilling at the covered market. The city had a garden display set up in the giant Place Stanislaus, which was a tribute to the French fighters from WW I. The garden was set up as a discovery trail, and had replica trenches, bomb craters, and shelters, all surrounded by beautiful gardens.