Les Oiseaux en Juillet

J'ai trouvé plus des photos des oiseaux d'une promenade au Jardin Botanique de Metz et Canal du Juoy pendant juillet.  Pleins des mères avec leurs bébés!

I found more bird photos from a walk at the Botanical Garden of Metz and Canal du Juoy in July.  Lots of moms with their babies!

 Anser anser (embden) @ Jardin Botanique de Metz

Une oie d'Embden avec son bébé.

Embden Goose with her baby.

Anser anser @ Jardin Botanique de Metz

Une Oie Cendrée pose pour moi.

A Greylag Goose poses for me.

Ardea cinerea @ Canal du Juoy

Un Heron Cendré pêche dans le Canal.

A Grey Heron fishing in the Canal.

Fulica atra @ Canal du Juoy

Une Foulque Macroule a essayé de cacher son bébé derrière des buissons.

A Common Coot tried to hide her baby behind some bushes.

... et une de la Moselle la semaine prochaine.
... and one from the Moselle the following week

Cygnus olor

Un Cygne Tuberculé / Muet s'attend la nourriture à moi.

A Mute Swan expects food from me.

Small Kindnesses

I have been fortunate to have two kindnesses bestowed on me in a short time frame.

One day, my friend, Mickaël brought a bouquet of roses that his aunt, Zora, had picked up for me. Both Zora and Mickaël had taken time (their days are mentally and physically demanding, and often long) to pick out and bring me the flowers. It was a beautiful gift, given with no expectation other than the wish to make me happy.  It made me cry.  I decided that this bunch was special enough to try to preserve. I pressed two of the roses to make it easy to transport home to California, where they will be displayed in glass.

The rest of the flowers have been dried, and are currently in the town of Cluses in the French Alps, near Geneva, with the bestower of the second kindness. Didier is one of my oldest friends. I have not seen him in over 20 years, but he is storing four boxes totaling four square meters and 20 kg of my junk for me.

For whatever reason, my perceptions of my life experiences have made me a glass half empty sort of person, but I want to believe in happy endings.  Since these two people brought happiness to me with their kindness, I think this is a good time to close this book with a happy ending. My time in Lorraine came to an end far too soon, but I hope to return soon, and if I do, I may just reopen it! Until then, please feel free to visit me on my main blog, Mindless Meanderings of a Middle-Aged Maniac (click on the blog name to get there from here).

Pour mes amis à la Lorraine, j'espère de vous voir bientôt.  Ma porte est ouverte à vous, où que ça soit!

Below, one of my final views of Paris on this trip, from Gare de l'Est.  Across the street at l'Ecu (on the right), my new favorite Parisian waiter, Chris, works breakfast.  Okay, technically, he isn't Parisian, he's English!  If Chris worked at l'Insulaire, my favorite restaruant (thanks to my sister for bringing me there), that would be the perfect combination for me.

Temple Evangélique de la Garnison

Built at the beginning of the German annexation from 1875 to 1881, the construction of this church was overseen by soldiers (primarily Protestant) stationed in Metz.  Positioned across the Moselle from Cathédrale St Étienne, its 97m high façade, 1m higher than the Cathédrale's tour de Mutte, was a symbol of the Prussian presence that was visible everywhere.

For a region that has been German a few times, most recently less than a century ago, I met very few Metz natives who actually spoke German.  One worked in sales at the train station.  The other spoke German at his place of work in Geneva.

Damaged during World War II, then ravaged by fire in 1946, the three naves of this church were destroyed.  Only the tower of this neo-gothic building was preserved.

I was not a fan of gothic architecture, but now that I have seen examples of it in person, executed by craftsmen, I have developed an appreciation for it.  The temple was constructed of the local pierre de Jaumont stone.  The photo below is a daylight example of bare pierre de Jaumont on a more modern building, I think it was a house.  Its small, irregular stones had been plastered over at some point, as opposed to the custom cut slabs which were left bare on the church.

 

Getting Around

I am a walker.  If I can accomplish something within walking distance of home, I'll hoof it, rather than pull out my beloved midlife crisis convertible.  But if I actually have to leave town, I admit I drive rather than take the train, mainly because the commuter train near my house (Caltrain) comes only once every one to two hours during non-commute times (and they are cutting back service and raising fees at the end of this month), so every outing must be planned carefully.  It almost seems as though Caltrain does everything it can to discourage ridership.

I had no car in Metz, but on the days I left town for a day or two, I rode the train, rather than hire a car, for many reasons.  First and foremost, Europeans drive fast!  But also ... local trains (called the MetroLor in Lorraine) come more frequently, even during non-commute hours, the discount systems are better than those of any of the Bay Area's commuter rail systems, all their announcements are in multiple languages, and their speakers work, so you can hear the announcements.  Plus, I actually prefer to ride, rather than drive, because I can catch up on my reading.

Yep, I will miss the MetroLor.  A lot.

Open Sundays

I come from a land where retailers do their biggest business when others are not working, and food can be purchased 24 hours a day, every day.  So, one of the biggest culture shocks for me was discovering that French retailers are closed during lunch, on Sundays and all holidays.  Luckily, there were two markets within a five minute walk from my apartment which were open on Sundays, including Marché Plus, pictured (my scribbled additions in purple, lower right).

With my current "job" (in quotes because the company is unfunded and I work from home without pay in hopes it will be funded) the largest problem with the store hours issue was remembering the day of the week and holidays.  Thus, when I complained to my significant other, he granted nothing resembling sympathy!  Yes, he was right, I just needed to adjust to the system.

But I can also see how the system was built for those who have someone to call on, for partnerships where one partner manages the domestic realm while the other is out earning a living.  It was not built for those like me.  When I need something, the only one I have to call for help is myself, and handling little issues that can pop up unexpectedly would have been difficult if I had a standard office job.

I appreciate the mobility the path I have chosen has afforded me and am grateful for having met wonderful people.  But I also envy those who have a partner to come home to, someone with whom not only duties can be shared, but also little things that create happy memories -- walks, talks, dorky games, or just quietly enjoying each-others' company.  Sometimes I wonder if the system is right and I have chosen the wrong path, but even if that were true, I have depended solely on myself my entire adult life.  It would be very difficult to switch, now.