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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 10, 2018 23:00:58 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 10, 2018 23:12:53 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 10, 2018 23:24:37 GMT
Wonderful! Was very happy to see Gare de l'Est open for business again, but must say that Metz's station seems awfully jolly by comparison. Love your pictures -- you managed to make the homely candles every bit as beautiful as the stained glass. Looking forward to more.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 10, 2018 23:25:20 GMT
I remember a crèche in a mild almost-winter at the Italian church in my neighbourhood; a local moggie was sleeping in the manger supposedly reserved for baby Jesus. And nobody disturbed her. The spotlights on the scene kept her warm.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 10, 2018 23:34:28 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 11, 2018 0:12:20 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 11, 2018 0:31:17 GMT
Saint Nicolas does not wear the colour of Coca-Cola here.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 11, 2018 2:47:37 GMT
The Ancestors are strong within you, my son, as the fabulosity of your pictures clearly shows!
That mellow golden stone is beautiful. You captured the lights in the cathedral so well, but my heart belongs to the light and composition in the first ferris wheel picture ~ wow.
Sorry you got rained on, but that made for yet another great picture.
The food stands look tempting & I imagine they smell wonderful. I've never liked eating outside when it's cold, though -- having to gobble the food while it's still hot with exposed, rapidly chilling hands.
The mice ~ soooo adorable! (pee ess ~ WMG has blocked me from seeing the video in this country on copyright grounds)
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 11, 2018 6:45:29 GMT
This version should work.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 11, 2018 7:24:32 GMT
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Post by bjd on Dec 11, 2018 9:05:20 GMT
At least Metz is the area for Christmas markets, even though it is raining rather than snowing. And Lebanese food, falafels and Thai specialties seem a little odd.
Here in Toulouse there is one Christmas market, but it's rather boring and these days they keep closing it because of demonstrations and other problems. It's a problem for those who rent the stands of course and I wouldn't be surprised if they gave up on it completely. In any case, I was told that it has been losing popularity over the past few years so this year might be the last straw.
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Post by amboseli on Dec 11, 2018 22:42:48 GMT
I'm not a Christmas market person but I have to admit it makes for some nice pictures, despite the rain.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 12, 2018 1:43:18 GMT
The video is so pretty and the music is perfect for it. I feel badly for the vendors & especially the food sellers, with their perishable products. Lovely to see all the old-fashioned items such as the hand-blown ornaments. I never knew about the santons de Provence before. They are charming in their depiction of old rural life and remind me so much of the Mexican nativity figures showing the Holy Land as rural Mexico. When I was little, all of these arcades housed old-fashioned artisans and things like yarn shops. Now every single place is a restaurant, bar or café.  Same here, except that the arches around city squares were "real" shops in the very recent past. |
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 12, 2018 4:47:42 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 12, 2018 5:26:38 GMT
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Post by mossie on Dec 12, 2018 8:02:45 GMT
It is always aggravating when malls and other large complicated places dump you out into unknown territory.
Weneed to know the birds name, age, sex and religion.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 12, 2018 14:04:35 GMT
Clever. Now we're forced to stick with this thread to find out what that gold spire is.  Thank you for the gospel music -- made my day! |
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 12, 2018 16:37:41 GMT
I Googled the spire and found out that it is one of two that exist. Made in Japan with the official name "Flame of Freedom," one of them is installed in Japan, and the Japanese television network Fuji-TV wanted to give the other one to the city of Paris, which apparently declined. So here it is in Metz which has renamed it "Tremblement de ciel" (Skyquake). Where it is now was supposed to be a temporary location with a plan to put it in front of the Pompidou Centre, but since it was installed in 2007 and is still in the same location while the Pompidou Centre opened in 2010, I think it is likely to remain there, which is fine. I'll go and see it up close some day when Metz is not flooded.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 12, 2018 19:48:23 GMT
I finally returned to the hotel. I had bought some sushi and beer and a few other things at the supermarket, so I was pretty sure that I would not be going out again. I was already completely thrilled to have been able to go to the supermarket, because the old German laws regarding commerce on Sunday were absolutely draconian, and just about everything was closed in the old days. However, in more recent times, the 3 départements of Moselle, Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin accepted the Sunday openings in December for Christmas shopping. I don't know if they have accepted the other new laws for France that allow for far more Sunday openings. I guess I'll find out one of these days. My shoes and jeans looked like I had been wading in the ocean, and my windbreaker was pretty drenched as well, so I just got undressed. The hotel room was overheated in any case (quite often the situation in eastern France in the winter), so it felt perfect as I ate my sushi and stuff. And of course then I felt compelled to go out again. It is impossible to be in an area with interesting Christmas markets and not want to see them after dark. So I put on my wet clothes and went out again. (Since I was spending only one night away from home, I had not felt a need to pack extra clothing other than underwear.) |
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 13, 2018 6:06:12 GMT
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Post by mossie on Dec 13, 2018 8:14:30 GMT
The spire is reminiscent of the Skylon, which was erected on the South Bank in London in 1950 as part of the Festival of Britain, which was an attempt to cher everyone up after the troubles of the war.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 13, 2018 14:56:48 GMT
Well, Kerouac ~ that ferris wheel is your new best friend and you certainly have honored and done it justice with your photos! I loved your first shot of it back at the beginning of this thread, but that is matched by these wonderful night shots, especially that noitcelfer. I am glad your risked catching your death to go back out and enjoy the festive streets after the rain. I'm also glad you keep going back to Metz and sharing with us your pleasure in one of your special places.
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