Photos

Saints in the Sanctuary (Cathedral in Metz, France)

~ travelsandtomes ~ 3 Comments

The cathedral in Metz is stunning.  Stunning.  And so are all of the saints and sinners gathered there.

“Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”   I think Oscar Wilde said that, and I was reminded of it on a recent stroll through this cathedral.  From the saints in stone and glass, to the flesh and blood “man on fire” in the chapel, the capering kids in the sanctuary, the ponderous men, the caught-off-guard woman, and the industrious cleaning crew–it was a storied space.

Not to cast my nets on the wrong side of the boat, but I have to say that the stony saints left me a bit cold.  They were beautiful, but judgmental.  The saints in stained glass were warmer–the glow, the glint, the dancing of light in and through them–they were more dynamic, less rigid.

And the poor, scattered people, scurrying about the cathedral, or sitting in thought, or minding their own business and working diligently, or standing at the threshold of a fiery chapel–they were the stories in play, the ones the space exists for.  So I turned my camera on them.

Even the cathedral itself seemed to hint at its own impish personality as we left, the sun glinting through its windows for just a second–the unmistakable wink of a storyteller pleased with himself.

See for yourself:

 

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Man on fire

 

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cathedral wink

 

 

Throwback Thursday, Music Man in Adana, Turkey

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14 years ago, baby and me. This kind man plays his Turkish Saz for us.
14 years ago, baby and me. This kind man is playing his Turkish Saz for us.

The year is 2000.  The day is hotter than Hades in downtown Adana, Turkiye. .  .but just when we think we will melt into the dust and sand, never to be seen again, we meet up with a very cool man and his storeful of Saz.    (Sazes?  Sazi?  Sazzzzzs? What would the plural be?)

He serenandes us and gives us a cassette tape of his songs to take with us  so that we can remember him after we get back on an airplane and return to our life in the States.  Which we will do just a few weeks later.

Fourteen years have passed, and my daughter won’t remember this moment. . . but I do.  So vividly that it still cools me on a hot day and reminds me what it felt like to hold her as a tiny child in my arms.

 

The Bread is Mightier Than the Sword

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Metz, France–bakery in the covered market

As the French say,  le pain is mightier than the sword.

Okay, so they don’t say that, but somebody should, because:

DSC_0771 - CopyNumber one —  YUM

Number two—   You catch more flies with honeybuns

and Number three—   There is historical proof that it’s true.  In Metz, France, there is a gate in the Imperial Quarter that proves the point.  Down the side of the gate (the Porte Serpenoise), there is  a column commemorating an heroic event on April 9, 1473– “Surprised by the enemy, Saved by the baker Harelle.”

Now that’s history you can sink your teeth into!

Porte Serpenoise, from Wikipedia

 

 

The fabulous Marche Couvert in Metz.

The fabulous Marche Couvert in Metz.

If you visit Metz, swing by the Porte Serpenoise.   Then visit the incredible cathedral, and stop in at the Marche Couvert (the covered market)– it’s a great place to eat lunch; pick up fresh meats, cheeses, or produce; or nibble at the bakeries and pay tribute to the heroic baker Harelle.