Metz rest day: Day 135

Ate too many pastries today then tried to rest.

I was conscious that if I pushed on too quickly on my excursion down Europe on the E2 my knee would accumulate fluid and refuse to bend, ending my trip, so I prescribed a precautionary rest day. Metz was a good choice as it is full of restaurants, patisseries and attractive narrow streets. Having camped at modest cost for many nights I decided to splash out on an apartment in the old quarter. An apartment as all the hotels appeared to be fully booked (it also had the benefit of a washing machine). The area dates from Roman times, a nearby shopping centre had tombstones that had been dug up from the 2nd century. I liked one of a man and his wife holding hands, so romantic (although according to the description it just meant they were married)!

Street by my apartment, the dragon on the banner is a "graoully" a beast who lived in the Roman amphitheatre until killed by St Clement of Metz.

I could have spent all day sightseeing but that would not have allowed much rest, so I limited myself to activities in the morning and a restful afternoon. One crucial activity was to buy some food as tomorrow night's accommodation does not seem to be near any shops or restaurants and the following night I expect to be wild camping. Provisions bought, before visiting the cathedral I enjoyed a cheese cake and coffee at the same patisserie that I acquired my morning croissants. 

The nave of St Stephan's cathedral, a sizeable affair, was very tall and supported by bulky columns. Tiers of stained glass windows were in a great variety of styles, from traditional images of saints to modern designs in which the subjects were less clear but more colourful. As with many cathedrals bits were ancient but various additions were added over the centuries. By the cathedral was a covered market with stalls of fish and sea food, meat and charcuterie. I wished I could have bought a portion of one of the huge variety of cheeses on display to eat on my travels but it would not have survived the hot weather. After wandering the narrow streets I returned to my flat, briefly stopping to buy what looked like a current bun and two small things which were crispy on the outside and entirely whipped cream on the inside. These I ate with a salmon and tagliatelle microwaved dish for lunch and subsequently felt very fat.

Nave of Metz Cathedral. 

St Stephen's Cathedral, Metz.

Having spent the afternoon resting, checking the BBC news on the television, reading other people's blogs and a book on my kindle, I am thinking of diner.

Later - for diner I felt obliged to order the local dish, Quiche Lorraine, served with salad and chips. Having ogled the cheeses in the market earlier I then had the cheese course. Pleasant but the three types of cheese were rather mild, not as pungent or sharp as many French cheeses, not the "old socks" varieties. I dined in an all but empty restaurant, with the waiting staff wandering around in a slightly lost manner. Heavy rain was probably keeping people inside.