En Francais...

There are rules in photography that generally should be followed. Some are steadfast, other are mere guidelines. Here are two good rules that are steadfast: One - Make sure your batteries are fully charged. Two - Make sure you have plenty of memory cards. More about those rules later.

So today Shane decided that we should go to Metz, France which is about an hours drive. There are lots of different things about Europe that I find to be interesting when comparing it to the United States. For example, so many of the churches are the old world cathedrals with massive ceilings and exquisite entryways. Nearly every town has pedestrian only zones where all kinds of merchants have open storefronts selling everything from clothing to food. Generally there are dozens of people riding bicycles and just as many or more walking their dogs. This time of year many of the towns are gearing up for Christmas, however instead of massive malls, most towns will have a Market that is part carnival part craft show part food festival.

They even set up carnival rides for the kiddos including this double decker ornate carousel.

Walkability is a integeral part of European towns. Generally you just drive near the center of town, find a parking lot, then go. The underground parking garage we used today went four levels down and each level has a electronic display that show how many open spots were available. Each narrow space had a light about it that turned from green to red once you pulled into the spot. Something else that was interesting was chamber music playing throughout the garage. It's not to hard to find interesting things, generally the giants spiers of the cathedrals can be seen throughout the city so just head that way. In Metz the Gothic Cathedral St. Etienne is one of the focal points for the city. This is just the front, as usual with most European cathedrals, massive repair work is being done so the right side was covered in scaffolding and the left side is obscured by other buildings, so I wasn't able to get a satisfactory shot of the entire structure.

Sometimes these cities have the most unusual water towers. This one was built when the Germans occupied the city during the Franco-Prussian war in the 1870's.

We wandered around the city, enjoying the sights and watching the people. The temperature was around 52 degrees and slightly overcast, no wind and 98% of the people walking about wear black coats or jackets. Hardly anyone wears bright colors. We made our way over to the Temple Neuf de Metz which is located on a triangle shaped island. It is right next to a medieval bridge that was built in the 1200's. It was at this point rule number two - have enough memory cards came into play. My 4 gig card was full, with over 1100 photos on it. Luckily I had my spare and swapped it out so I could keep shooting. Easily one of my best snaps of the day.


Unfortunately, rule number one then came into play soon after. My camera battery ran out because I didn't fully charge it. Oh well, never lament about the shots you missed, be happy with the ones you got. Right?? It wasn't soon after we trudged back to the car, the boys were tired and I really needed to pee. That's one other thing about Europe that is so different about the USA, public restrooms. Travelers tip, if you ever find a public bathroom in Europe, use it. Even if you went five minutes before, because they are few and far between. Sometimes you can find them near tourist attractions, but not always. Your best bet it to find a McDonalds, Burger King or some other chain restaurant (in this case it was Subway) and they usually have a water closet you can use. But be prepared to buy something or get yelled at. Like my french teacher in high school would say, "En Francais..."