The Smoly Adventures

We hope that everyone enjoys this photo-heavy entry! 😀

Ever since our trip to Luxembourg City (Part 1 & Part 2), we have been eager to continue our touring. With so many options within a few hours drive of our home, the difficult task is deciding where we want to travel on a particular weekend. Metz, France came highly recommended from some friends of ours as one of their go-to places to visit when friends and family come to Europe. 

Metz is a medium-sized city of 119,000 residents located 100 kilometers (~60 miles) west of Homburg. It has been inhabited since well before Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in 53 BC and was a major city during the Roman Imperial era. It is the modern capital of Lorraine region, home of the Lorraine Regional Parliament as well as the Cathédrale Saint Étienne de Metz. In addition to our friends' recommendation, the cathedral was reason enough to draw us to Metz. 

We set off on a Saturday morning and completed the drive in little more than an hour. Getting into the city centre was extremely straight-forward and we parked at the Place de Comedie parking garage which was adjacent to the Metz Opera on a small island sitting in the middle of the Moselle River. The location is reminiscent of the Ile de la Cité which is home to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame in Paris. Upon exiting the parking garage we were greeted by the grand facade of the Opera to the northwest, the Temple Neuf to the west, and the cathedral dominating the cityscape to the southeast. 

We set off across the Moselle for the cathedral. Crossing to the east bank, we finally found ourselves in (what I would have described prior to our arrival on the continent as) "Europe." Multiple cafes and shops lined the street leading to the cathedral and as we approached, there was a vibrant farmer's market/street sale taking place grounds. Vendors and shoppers were everywhere and the newness of the clothing and other goods were juxtaposed by the monumental structure that dates back to the 10th Century.

Entering into the cathedral was awe-inspiring. The architecture is virtually indescribable and we could not have picked a better time of day to visit. The first major difference that we discovered--when compared to the cathedral in Luxembourg City is that the Cathédrale Saint Étienne de Metz expects and caters to the thousands of tourists and pilgrims who visit. Throughout the cathedral numerically marked signage explains the major features and the history behind them as appropriate. The entire cathedral is adorned with intricate stained glass windows which, at nearly noon, illuminated the entirety of the interior with an unimaginable light. One of my favorite photos is immediately to the left and was taken from behind the alter toward the rear of the cathedral. I had never seen such lighting prior to this and cannot fathom when I might see it again.  Even now observing this photo, it is hard to believe that it is a still image instead of an oil painting. A significant amount of time was spent within the cathedral and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute. 

After finishing our touring of the cathedral, we were flexible regarding our next steps.  We set off walking northeast along the Rue des Jardins and discovered two quaint used bookshops that would have proved disastrous to our budget had they sold anything but French language editions. Shortly thereafter, we made the decision that it would be better for the boys to find lunch. Returning the way we had come, we crossed the Place d'Armes and headed south toward the Place Saint-Jacques which is the city's large central plaza.

As we approached, we waked through the narrow Rue Fabert and promptly found our dining choice.  On our right was the Les Moulins Bleus, a modern take on French cuisine that thankfully spoke English in addition to French and German. Janet enjoyed a slightly-burned goat cheese tart, the boys each had chicken nuggets and noodles, and I enjoyed a French version of lasagna. The service was excellent and our outdoor table allowed the boys to watch the constant flow of single-file traffic driving along Rue Fabert. We will visit Les Moulins Bleus again.

Following lunch we wandered the Place Saint Jacques for a bit and eventually made our way back toward the cathedral passing three mouth-watering Patisseries. Why we chose not to purchase anything still eludes us.

Once again we crossed the Moselle River and finally detoured to Temple Neuf. This was an amazing piece of architecture for such a small structure. At the rear of the Temple sat a moderately-sized green space that the Will and Sam loved running around. Gazing south over the river, a flock of swans floated with the current and darted to the banks whenever anyone approached in search of a free handout. We each took some great photos from this green space with the below riverscape capturing the scene. With it still being relatively early in the afternoon, Janet and I decided to wander a little further in search of two additional churches whose steeples rose above the surrounding buildings; one of which is also in the below photo. 

The first turned out to be the remains of a church that suffered significant damage earlier in history. Thankfully, our walk to it was entirely worthwhile due to the presence of a fantastic playground that the boys thoroughly enjoyed for the better part of 20 minutes. 

A little more than a month ago, we ventured out on our first foray in Europe. This was an impromptu endeavor after learning of a family day on August 25th. Now facing the enticing prospect of two back-to-back three day weekends instead of a single four-day one, we decided to accelerate our plans for Labor Day and we set off at 6am for Luxembourg City.

From where we live in Homburg, it is a one and a half hour drive northwest along the A6 and A8 autobahns. The German section of our drive took us through rolling hills and the wine region along the Mosel River before crossing into Luxembourg near Schengen. Schengen is the namesake of the EU accord that enables free movement among member nations.

From Schengen, the drive took roughly 30 minutes and moved us through more rolling hills until we turned north head into the capital. As one would expect at 8am on a Friday, we encountered heavier traffic leading into the city. We were on somewhat of a tight schedule to arrive due to our primary activity for this excursion. While researching Luxembourg City, I learned that the Grand Duke's Palace is available to tour only six weeks each year starting in mid-July and ending during Labor Day weekend. It is an inexpensive outing, costing 12€ for adults and 6€ for children, with Sam getting in for free. The palace conducts tours in French, German and English on a rotating basis each day. Being sensitive to the boys' mid-day tiredness, we reserved spots during the 9am tour.  

Getting into the city was one of the easiest things yet experienced in Europe and we parked in a garage under the Place Guillaume II, which is the city's central plaza. We picked up our tickets from the tourism office, then headed for the palace. Thankfully, it was a quick ten minute walk, and we were immediately impressed by the architecture of the palace.  Once we checked in for our tour, we went through a security checkpoint, and learned that a large party no-showed for their tickets and that we were now essentially receiving a private tour of the palace.  While the Grand Duke does not permit tourists to take photos while inside the residence, you may see official photos here, but they do not adequately capture the ornateness of the residence. 

The tour began in a room set up with various artifacts and historical overviews of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.  From there, we proceeded across the primary vehicular entrance and into the residence proper. Intricate, ornate, awestruck, are all descriptors that come to mind. Even today, several weeks later, I am at a loss for words to appropriately convey what we saw. Some of my favorite items that we learned was that several of the tapestries were given to the Grand Duke's ancestors by Napoleon after learning that one of his generals stole the family's china and that many of the tapestries, paintings and other possessions were shipped to the United States during World War II for safeguarding--which explains the presence of a Franklin D. Roosevelt Boulevard. 

After the tour concluded, we walked to the front of the palace for some photos and then went in search of second breakfast. We settled on La Fournee Dorre, a fun French cafe where we grabbed coffee, juices, muffins, fruit and a quiche. 

We next set off for the Cathedral Notre-Dame. The Cathedral sits astride the Boulevard Franklin Delano Roosevelt and is a huge edifice; its twin spires soaring above the city and can be seen from most locations. The interior was every bit as majestic as one envisions churches and cathedrals across Europe. The cathedral was constructed between 1613 and 1621 and was expanded during the subsequent centuries. The frescos were amazing and the stained glass windows were simply breathtaking to behold. 

After spending some time admiring the work of devoted men seeking to glorify God, we went outside to a nearby green space where Will could stretch his legs after not being permitted to run inside the cathedral. 

Part II coming soon...