More culture!

Impressive on the inside ...

 From Lund home to France back home back to Lund - before I get back to Lund soon, yesterday we went to visit Metz which lies around an hour from here. Metz has quite a lot to offer but as it was only a day trip we did not have time for a lot of sightseeing. On the other hand a summary of all of it fits into one blog entry. I will let the pictures speak.

... as well as the outside.
The pitch black areas are windows ...

We started - as usual ;) - with the cathedral. It is one of the largest gothic cathedrals in France and because of its large glass windows (6500 m² in total - largest in France) it is called "God's lantern". At the time of our arrival a mass was supposed to take place but just when we stepped onto the square in front of the church, a parade of veterans left and the mass was over. So we did not have to wait and entered. Inside it was - dark. Not quite what I expected from God's lantern but the "outside" picture to the right should explain the darkness ... Still Metz cathedral is an impressive building and definitely worth a visit.

Centre Pompidou in Metz.

With a museum as interstation as last main attraction we went to visit the Centre Pompidou. Not the one in Paris. There is one in Metz as well. It lies at the "Human Rights Square". The square is neither especially large nor considerable. It is undermined by a car park and next to it a shopping centre is under construction. Just an ironic sidemark ...

Picasso should not be missing!

Concerning the Centre Pompidou, however, the building itself is already a piece of art. (See left.) Out of four exhibition floors two were close. Nobody cared to tell us before paying the entrance fee. Why should anybody?

A piece of modern art.
It was interesting.

One of the two floors that were not closed showed modern art. There were not many people there. The other floor held an exhibition about paparazzi. I found it very boring. On this floor, however, there were many, many people. More irony?

Before driving back home again we stopped by the "Gate of the Germans". It was a gate against Germans rather than for Germans. Blessedly, there is no need for it anymore as Germans and French are good friends nowadays. :)