Let's talk about Metz

This weekend was a huge mess of travel, friends, unexpected work and too much food. It was capped off by a lovely visit to Metz with Lauren & Michael, whom we met via this blog.

Lauren & Michael are on the opposite side of the newly-married-moving-to-France experience: They'll be heading home in mid-December, so we're trying to get as many visits to each other in as possible. We have so much in common, & keeping finding even more, in the oddest places–this time, we learned that Michael know the fiancé of Courtney, who just posted about Joe & I.

We got into town, took a nice tour around the city (lots of pictures seen here). The highlight of the tour was a stop to the cathedral. Since they've had more than a year in Metz already, their tour put our little trot around Nancy to shame! They explained that the cathedral was two different churches at one time, but the walls between were removed to create one massive–truly unthinkable in size–cathedral. It is one of the largest in Europe, and it may have more stained glass than any in Europe.

One of the most captivating things about the cathedral were the panels done by surrealist Marc Chagall. Joe & I both have a strong interest in surrealism, so it was neat to see the name Chagall, which I could just recognize, come to life in such an amazing way for us. The panels' colors seem to blend and come to life in a way I didn't know was possible for glass to do.

It was also neat to see the cathedral under restoration. They're currently working on the middle, so with this full shot you can see the restored front half of the cathedral (down to each brick that was replaced) and what the decades of industrialization had done to the color of the stone. I was blown away by the difference. How lucky to see what the original stone looked like, and what a fascinating job.

After the long walk around the city, we were ready for a good meal... and they delivered. We were treated to tons of great snacks, desserts (too much & then seconds on the train ride home) and one of their favorite French recipes, chicken fricase (similar recipe found here). They used Julia Child's recipe, and I was bright green with envy.

I had wanted to buy the cookbooks before we came, as I'm determined to understand French traditions & classic recipes, but the heft of the books made it impossible. It was great to get a small taste of what I'll be making all the time when we get home... & they knocked this recipe out of the park.

It was hard to wait through all the great smells–chicken, fresh herbs, tons of butter & warming cream. They even made their own noodles that morning, so every part of the meal was homemade.

To make a great day even better, they've decided to give us their small oven & the spices they've accumulated over their time here before they head back to the States. I can't wait, & I'm sure you readers can't either. It means I'll finally stop complaining about my limited cooking ability & recipe constrictions. After that, all Betz are off & we'll be spending a lot more time together in the "kitchen."

I cannot wait. I spent the train ride home (for the small portion I was awake) alternating between the first pages of Into a French Quarter & imagining what recipes we'll make first. Oh, did I not mention that we stopped by a book sharing shelf & scored seven books (Into a French Quarter coming from Lauren's previous finds)? I fell asleep with a very full belly & a very happy heart, as one always should when living in France.