City of Metz — The Social Hub
The dark skies of the morning deceived me again and I was up only by half past eight. Today’s breakfast was a croissant. It looked like a generic croissant, but when I bit into it … layers of softness, chewiness, and crunchiness. How?
The first activity today is a tour of downtown Metz. I took a short walk with two colleagues to the front of our university campus where we met up with other students. Even though the forecast said it’d be foggy, I thought it was relatively clear. However, that didn’t stop my breath fogging up my glasses.
Our tour bus arrived shortly after. We traversed through huge green fields and rows of brick houses before reaching what looked like the city center (or in French, centre-ville). It was definitely a small city. It had a giant Christmas tree in the center and many people were walking from one place to another. There were few cars and the streets looked archaic, but modern technology was all around.
We were welcomed by the tour guide and we had to split into groups of six because of the French law. We trekked the narrow stone streets of the Metz markets and passed by several interesting shops. There were boulangeries, pâtisseries, fromageries, and of course, fashion boutiques. We passed by an ancient cathedral and heard the church bells ring. The place that caught my attention the most was the open market where they were selling red meat, freshly-plucked vegetables, and all other sorts of good stuff.
At the end of the tour, we were free to go where we pleased and were provided with three bus passes. Our group of six was now a group of three and we just decided to window-shop at a couple of places. I went to a popular bakery (it had awards displayed by the front door) and I bought a croq-pizza, which looked very appealing. When it was time to leave, we had to figure out the transit system. It’s during times like these I gain an appreciation of the Metro back home, because the transit map here looks more complicated than the human anatomy.
Fortunately, my colleague and I were able to determine the right mode of transport by using a compass and a map. We had to walk back to the dorm which took about 20 minutes, but it was a nice walk nonetheless. I still have two more passes, so I’ll know how to navigate of i choose to go again. I returned back to my room and reheated my pizza before devouring its tasty ingredients. It felt like there was only tomato and cheese, but the combination and quality of the final product was exceptional.
After a small break, I walked to Cora with my colleague. It’s about 25 minutes from the dorm and mostly required me to walk straight. I was really surprised with how patient drivers in France are. Despite having the opportunity to zoom past me when I was crossing the road, they would come to a halt and only move once I was off the road.
At Cora, a guide showed us around and got us acquainted with some French products. There was a whole section dedicated for bread and another just for cheese. I filled half my trolley with some items I needed for myself. By the time I was done, it was 5:30pm, which meant that curfew would be in effect soon. I met my colleague at the exit and we tried to figure out a way back. Now, we could’ve called an Uber and everything would be fine, but my colleague was uncomfortable and said it’d be better to walk. So I made the tough decision of walking back to the dorm with three heavy bags and a backpack.
I made it back by 6:05pm and arranged all my items. It was time to cook some dinner and tonight’s special was red pasta (I couldn’t think of a better name). I used some farfalle, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, ginger, garlic, sausages, and basil sauce. To top it up, I sliced some cheese and drizzled some chili flakes. Honestly, it was the best pasta I created so far (it’s been a while since I’ve cooked pasta) and I made a large serving, so I might skip breakfast tomorrow.
