Metz (1)

9 June 2015:  After extended but futile efforts to plan a route with accommodations along the arc of the GR5 west of Metz, I finally decided to leave the trail at a point northwest of Metz and take a bus into the city, where I was able to find a place to stay.  I'm ready for a rest day, and I've never visited Metz, so I also decided to spend two nights here. 

Thus, I hiked from Clouange to Marange-Silvange this morning (ca. 14 km).  Checking bus schedules in that village, I found a bus that delivered me to Metz in the mid-afternoon.  That worked smoothly, and I have a room at an unusual chambres d'hôtes (B&B): the Péniche Alclair – a barge moored in a body of water near the center of the city. I have a cosy, comfortable room with a view of the water and a park on the opposite bank of the water.  I hope some of the aquatic birds pass by to pay me a visit!

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Departure from Clouange:

A very well-equipped playground in neighboring Rombas:

This morning's forest:

By the way, when is hunting season around here?

A stone boundary marker, with the cross of the Knights Hospitallers (Malta), dating from the 11th century, according to my topoguide:

I arrived in Metz in time to walk around the center of the city and to visit the Cathedral. 

Those buttresses are really flying!

La Péniche Alclair: