Short of Head Room - February 22nd

My goodness this land has been fought over a lot. I've seen British, Canadian, French and German cemeteries from the first and second world wars, towns that were liberated by the American army in the First World War and monuments to German soldiers from the Franco-German War of 1876. Such a lot of crosses and such young men, some from so far away.

Metz is a town that lives up to its name. For some reason I always remember it from my school boy days as fortress Metz and it has that feeling of embattlement with connifer covered hills on all sides and dark stone, monuental buildings. It feels like a frontier town designed to protect the softer, gentler countryside of France behind. But I do it an injustice for I had a lovely time there thanks in no small part to the kind hospitality of Bernard and Chantal. Bernard is an ENT. That's a lovely word. It reminds me of the Lord of the Rings and the trees that could walk. Wise, kind gentle beings. Now Bernard is a doctor specialising in Ear, Nose and Throat at the Metz hospital but he has something of the ENT about him. Chantal meanwhile specialises in keeping her children and grandchildren happy and on track. It's more than a full time job. Funny to see that things don't change when you go to another country.

They were very patient as I tried to speak French to them but German and Spanish kept coming out. I have this theory that my head only has enough room for one foreign language and if German happens to be paramount in my mind at that particular time then that's what comes out. It's as though my brain says 'now speak foreign' so it does. They were very patient;