Friday, November 18, 2016

Off the beaten path in France: Metz

Metz is 1.5 hours west of Kaiserslautern, and is worth the drive to see a walkable, historic French town. We drove in a small German car and were still nervous in the underground parking garage…and the small van ahead of us backed out of the tiny opening to the garage! But we fit in ok (barely), and escaped unscathed at the end.
The Cathedral is beautiful, including some modern stained glass windows and art work. There are plenty of restaurants and cafĂ©’s ready with lots of delicious bread, dairy, and meat. We didn’t buy any clothes or shoes, but couldn’t resist chocolates (for gifts, of course!), and a natural health store had an amazing array of teas and oils.
The farmer’s market ended before 2pm, but the indoor vendors sold a wonderful assortment of cheeses, fish, home-made pasta, and more. We were greeted at the river walk by friendly swans, and ended the day on a sunny note.
Driving back to K-town, we used a restroom break as an excuse to stop at the Cora grocery store right at the border in Forbach, France, before Germany. The bathrooms were just passable, but the rest of the store was fabulous. I’ve never seen such an assortment of yogurts, and the free samples of pizza that were handed out were the best pizza ever (haven’t been to Italy since we moved here last year). The fruits and veggies need to be weighed before the cash register- the clerk shook her head that they cannot be weighed and paid for at the same time. The chestnut (maron) yogurt in a jar was outstanding and worth a return trip to Cora!

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