Metz Local Customs

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Cathedral St Etienne, built in 13 century, is the third highest Cathedral in France. Its stain-glasses are beautiful.

But there are three sculptures were exhibited in May 2010. The figure of the middle sculpture is supposed to be high in the sky but one immediately gets an impression of something else (second photo). What doe it remind you?

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This is one of the most beautiful tourism office I have ever seen. Please do visit. They have interesting "mobile chairs". Its located just next to the famous Cathedral St. Etienne.

Address: 2 place D'Armes, BP80367, 57007 Metz Cedex 1, France

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Above and below the Moyen bridge , the Moselle River has created a number of island and pools that increase the beauty of the site. One area is called the Lac des Cygnes. Like other European cities with such opportunity (think Brugge in Belgium) the nurture of the swan is practiced. This is undoubtedly enhanced by limited commercial activity on the river at this point.

Amusing beds with flowers all over Metz...
Thanks Jean-Louis (JLBG) I've learnt what does this figure mean.
“Amuzing beds” represents the figure of a very French cow-boy
popular cartoon series, Lucky Luke, the cowboy known to shoot faster than his
shadow.
Lucky Luke is a creation of Morris, a Belgian comic strip writer (as I have been told by Luc (Luchonda). Thanks Luc for your correction on Luke! ha-ha!

lucky-luke
wiki/Lucky_Luke

Legends lie dormant under the heavy weight of the ancestral stones of the cathedral ; their testimonies decorate the mysterious vaults. Gargoyles, bestiary, fabulous monsters, signs and mysterious allegories remind us of old times where fantastic beliefs were part of life.

You will discover the legend of the famous dragon, the "Graoully", which terrorized the city, or the story of Pierre Perrat - architect of the cathedral who first made a pact with the devil, to better fool him afterwards.

Like a diva getting ready every evening for her most beautiful show, Metz puts on its light's costume and offers to the walker a brilliant entertainment.

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Lorraine and Metz are area of production of the "Golden Fruit", Mirabelle, a yellow plum. With it you can make cakes, jam, alchool……… but the more interesting there is the Fete which celebrate it. At the end of August, each year, at the time of harvest, one week is dedicaded to the Mirabelle. Many manifestations, parties and at the end, the election of the Queen, la Reine de la Mirabelle and her two "dauphines". The Queen MUST be blonde !! like the fruit and she parade in the streets of the city, on her throne :-) At evening, a big bal take place on the main place, place d'Armes, for all the people of Metz.

More morbid tales.
Another saint became famous for saving three little kids who were captured by the evil butcher who sliced them up into juicy morsels and then left them to cure in his brine tub. Seven years later, while traveling in Lorraine, St. Nicolas asked the butcher for something to eat saying he'd love a piece of meat that had been in the brine tub for the last seven years. Realising his crime had been discovered, the butcher fled and St. Nicolas brought the children back to life. As if.
I wonder who came up with these nasty stories, and if they have any fairy tale legends, like beautiful princess and her prince riding off in the sunset on a white horse (equally impossible, though!)

More legends.
Francois Rebelais describs a formidable beast that haunted the ruins of the amphitheatre: "Its eyes were bigger than its stomach, and its head larger than the rest of the body. It had enormous menacing jaws full of sharp teeth..." It was believed that it was the dragon that caused terror in the people of Metz until it was finally tamed by St. Clement (with his stole) and taken far away forever.
Oh, well...