Metz
Our last stop in France was at Metz, which has a rich 3,000-year long history, having variously been a Celtic oppidum (a fortified Iron Age settlement) an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of Austrasia, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of the Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics in Europe. The city has been steeped in Romance culture, but has also been strongly influenced by Germanic culture due to its location …