Our Booking.com apartment was, frankly, fairly mediocre for the money with amongst other things an air conditioning machine that didn’t work and where you’d have beaten the brains out of a cat with the first swing in the bathroom. However the landlady, Ingrid seemed to do it because she was lonely. At 85 she’d lost her husband 8 years ago missed some company. It wasn’t surprising that she preferred cash to credit cards. This came as a shock to us but we rummaged around and handed her €100. She counted this and thought it came to €85! Anyway rather than argue we took it back and agreed we’d pay her in the morning after a trip to a cash point. Handing her the same money again this time it added up!

Ingrid had some English she’d learned abroad. She’d spent two stints here, one in Garstang (near Preston) in 1959 and then she returned to work in Newquay. Given the era this was quite an adventure we thought. 

The drive to Metz, on the country lanes, was delightful. The banks of the Moselle were steep but densely planted with vines all nicely ripening in the heat. Those narrow specialist tractors were trundling along the roads. As is the way then bystanders were taking photos of the car as we passed by. It never failed to delight. Anna had booked a hotel in the centre of Metz. However, the approaching street to the hotel garage was shut. The very reliable Google Maps had failed to notice this. So round and round we drove in the burning heat attempting to get to their underground garage. Tempers were frayed on arrival.

However, enough of that as there was the town to investigate.

Around we strolled to learn that later there was to be a city centre music festival. Amateur groups or DJ’s would be occupying street corners bashing out various sounds. Before adjourning to the cool of our room we investigated the magnificent Cathedral.

The internals were less awesome but I did note there were five confessionals: clearly the locals had a lot to own up to. In addition there were some helpful graphics relating the bible’s inclusion of various beasts. I suppose you all know that there are 15 separate mentions of frogs in the book.

When we later went out the streets were heaving. As was a very discreet but heavy police presence: recent car crash atrocities were on their mind and access was strictly on foot. Unlike our own police the French are heavily armed.

The music was surprising and entertaining. One of the great pleasures was the absolute joy of all the teenagers milling about. It really does help to have temperatures in the late 20s.

On returning to the hotel we sat outside with a glass of chilled rosé listening to some reggae. It was fab until some parked cars sought to join the rumbling bass lines with their car horns. Time for bed we thought.

The next morning there was more culture to come.