Metz

What would be my blog if I do not present my home city?

Metz is a French commune located in the department of Moselle. Prefecture of department, it is part, since January 1, 2016, of the administrative region Grand East. Metz is located in the historic region of Lorraine.

A two-thousand-year-old city, the Celtic oppidum of the Mediomatrics, known under the Latin name of Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then as Mettis, became the capital of the Frankish kingdom of Austrasia. The commercial city of the Carolingian Empire, Metz is the seat of a powerful bishopric, and a commercial and banking city of importance of the Holy Roman Empire. Convened by the Kingdom of France, Metz became a French stronghold in the sixteenth century, before being annexed by the German Empire in the nineteenth century.

The city has an important architectural diversity, from antiquity to the twentieth century, rich in a strong medieval and classical heritage, French influence, but also Germanic, especially in the Imperial quarter, built during the annexation of the " Alsace-Lorraine.

At the last census of 2015, Metz counted 118 634 inhabitants, making it the most populated town of Lorraine. Its urban unit has about 290 000 inhabitants and its urban area 389 851 inhabitants in 2012, making it the second urban area of ​​Lorraine after that of Nancy. Its inhabitants are called Messins.

Establishing itself as a city of communication and information and communication technologies with its technopole and its Internet city label since 2012, the ancient merchant and military city was intended as a "garden city" that sprawled its urban landscape and Architectural development along the water and parks, through a pioneering policy in France on urban ecology.

In 2010, the opening of the Center Pompidou-Metz symbolizes the modernization of the city and its image, which began in the early 2000s. Thus, Metz seeks to establish itself as a platform for modern and contemporary art through new policies Cultural activities. But the city is also seeking a UNESCO ranking for its ancient heritage represented by Saint Stephen's Cathedral, one of the most important Gothic cathedrals in France, and its imperial quarter.

Lille

Lille, called the "Capital of Flanders" is a commune in the north of France with more than 229,000 inhabitants. It is part of a conurbation of nearly two million inhabitants, bringing together the cities of Mouscron, Kortrijk, Tournai and Menin, known as the "European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation".

The Lille people live in a city that is at the heart of European exchanges. Its geographical location between France, Belgium, Germany and England as well as the quality of its railway infrastructure (TGV Lille-Europe, Thalys) and roads make it a natural crossroads of very large scale. It is a true metropolis which also enjoys an international airport and river connections thanks to the North Sea.

At its origins, Lille was a large and rich drapery city. This very lucrative activity was developed by the Counts of Flanders. The following centuries gave Lille an agitated history: it passed from the domination of the Kings of France to the Dukes of Burgundy before becoming Spanish at the death of Charles the Bold and even being besieged for a few days by the Austrians. It was Louis XIV who instructed Vauban to recover it to make it "the queen of the citadels".

Weaving, draping, flax and cotton industries are the foundations of the Lille industry since the 18th century. From that time, heavy industry took over with the mechanical constructions and the chemical industry, which made Lille a 35% working-class town in the 19th century. Large companies specializing in services have also taken up residence in Lille. Food industry, textile and automotive suppliers are also located there. The city is also the location of international fairs.

Lille and its associated municipalities, Hellemmes and Lomme, constitute the largest city in the North of France. The heart of an urban agglomeration of 87 municipalities, Lille with its Belgian neighbors make up a cross-border metropolis of 1.9 million inhabitants located in the center of the Euro-region. This privileged geographical situation, enhanced by a very dense transport network, makes Lille a true gateway to Europe. And it is the whole of Europe that is attracted by Lille, its quality of life, its economic dynamism, its cultural vitality, its festive energy.

More and more tourists come to discover it, contribute today to its fame. With 14,000 new inhabitants since the last census in 1999, Lille enjoys a demographic dynamism which ranks it second among the strongest advances in France. After Vieux-Lille, which has recovered all its colors, Euralille, its center of business and commerce, it is today all the ten districts of the city that is the subject of a development project Designed with its inhabitants to improve the quality of the city.

Major cultural facilities, new squares, new parks, new neighborhood services, new housing estates, all these projects have the same ambition: to build a pleasant living environment offering the right to the city for all.

Rennes

Rennes, the capital of the department of Ille-et-Vilaine and the Brittany region, has more than 210,000 inhabitants. It is the most populous city in Brittany and is the 8th largest city in France in terms of number of students. The name Rennes comes from the Redones, the name of the Gallic people living in this part of Armorica in the 2nd century BC. J. C. Its economy is relatively dynamic and has become one of the first clusters in Europe in the field of new information and communication technologies. Classified among the Cities and Countries of Art and History, it has eighty-five monuments that are listed or listed under the Historic Buildings.

It is part of the Communauté d'agglomération "Rennes Métropole".

The Rennais live in a town that was called "Condate" by the Gauls before the Redons called it "City of Redons". It is a city which has not been invaded by barbarian goths or vandals, but which was often attacked by the Picts and Saxons.

After taking its independence, Rennes was taken over by the sons of Charlemagne. After many adventures and battles between Rois de France and partisans of the independence of Britain, Rennes became definitively the land of the Kingdom of France.

Located in the Bassin de Rennes, the city is a dynamic center. The city concentrates several military activities including the Army Electronics High School. It is also a large university and an industrial hearth. Automotive constructions, electronic development and publishing printing have a prominent place.

Very demanded for mutations and the proximity of the sea, Rennes has experienced a major real estate inflation in recent years. You will visit the old wooden houses along the cathedral and some rich museums.

The emblematic center of Rennes is perfectly integrated into the urban fabric of the conurbation, thanks to an old-fashioned and thoughtful urban planning policy, favoring the natural areas, favoring public transport and non-polluting modes of transport: metro, bicycle.

Bordeaux

Prefecture of region, Bordeaux is a large town in southwestern France, located in the department of Gironde and the Aquitaine region.

It is part of the Urban Community of Bordeaux.

The people of Bordeaux are called les Bordelais and Les Bordelaises.

The 235,891 inhabitants of the city of Bordeaux live on a total area of ​​49 km2 with a density of 4,814 inhabitants per km2 and an average altitude of 16 m.

Since the last census from 2005 to 2015, the population has increased from 215,374 to 235,891 and has increased sharply by 9.53 per cent.

The neighboring towns are Le Bouscat, Talence, Cenon, Begles, Floirac.

The closest railway station to Bordeaux is Bordeaux (Bordeaux Saint-Jean), Bordeaux (Caudéran-Mérignac), Bordeaux (Ravezies).

The city of Bordeaux is home to 362 historic monuments and 7 museums.

The current mayor of the city of Bordeaux is Alain Juppé.

The history of Bordeaux begins during the reign of the Romans who make it one of the 14 great cities of Aquitaine Seconde. It is called Burdigala at that time.

It quickly became a Christianized city in spite of the barbarian invasions before belonging to the Franks, then to Charlemagne which develops it by establishing it capital of Aquitaine.

Bordeaux experienced véllées of independence in trying to create an urban republic. The project fails under the impetus of Philippe le Bel. It is only later that the city takes a commercial boom of great importance with exports of wine to England and trade to the West Indies and West Africa.

The Bordelais have two major economic engines: its port and the vineyard. Its port was originally a source of international trade and was gradually transformed into an oil port. Its wines are known throughout the world with great wines from grape varieties such as Lafite Rotschild, Château d'Yquem, Château Petrus or Haut-Brion.

The city which was rebuilt under the mandate of Alain Juppé is today equipped with a very modern tramway and urban road infrastructures that make its access fluid. You can visit the remains of the Roman arena, various baroque churches and abbeys and the cathedral. Bordeaux is also adorned with numerous squares such as the Place de Tourny or the Place de la Comédie.

Beautiful, intelligent and sunny, Bordeaux has entered the 21st century firmly determined to find a new youth. With conviction and talent, the city is redesigned around a major urban project that gives its inhabitants the pleasure of living in the city and creates the conditions for a new collective economic, social and cultural development. Quoted in the prestigious past, tourist and economic metropolis, world wine capital, university and research center, city of festivities and flavors.

Nantes

Nantes is the 6th largest city in France in number of inhabitants (more than 280,000) in an agglomeration of more than 850,000. The capital of the Loire-Atlantique department and the Pays de la Loire region, the city is located in the west of France, 340km from Paris.

Are you afraid of losing yourself in an immense city? Do not panic ! Nantes is easily accessible, very well served by public transport and "bicloos" (self-service bicycles). In the city center, for example, the bus stop "Commerce" in a very busy area is served by 12 bus and tram lines.

As a major student city, Nantes has 47,000 students, with 33,000 students in the university alone, including 3,600 foreign students. With several campuses spread throughout the city, you will study at the hyper-center of Nantes in medicine, north of the city in sciences, letters, economics and law or elsewhere according to your formation or your school

The history of Nantes is marked by milestones and times, such as the creation of the port of Nantes around 500 AD by Saint-Felix, bishop of the city, and brought to become The most important in France around 1700 or the signing of the Edict of Nantes in 1598 by King Henry IV recognizing the freedom of worship to Protestants, thus putting an end to several years of religious wars.

With its numerous influences (Gauloises, Romaines, Vikings, Saxons, Brittany and Franks), Nantes has several places and buildings that bear witness to its rich history. For example, the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral built between 1434 and 1891, destroyed and rebuilt several times, will have seen the passage of time to become the Gothic edifice that we know. The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, home of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and his daughter Anne, queen of France from 1491 to 1514, is a testimony to the Breton past of the city.

Contrary to what you could hear from the mouths of many French, it does not just rain in the west of France! (It's a legend). On average it is even more beautiful than in Paris (with 1956 hours of sunshine a year for Nantes against 1797 for the capital).

In Nantes, the summers are mild without being too hot (average temperature from June to September: 18 °) and the winters cool but bearable, temperatures rarely under 0 ° C (average temperature from December to March: 6 ° C) .

Nice

Nice is the flagship city of the Côte d'Azur. This true metropolis is the fifth largest city in France by its population and thanks to major projects such as Acropolis, Sophia Antipolis, the Palais des Congrès and its international airport (the 2nd in France after Paris), Nice Industrial, scientific and high-tech activities.

At the same time elegant and popular, Nice has the charm of the Mediterranean cities where the sweetness of life is as much to the beauty of the city as to its exceptional climate.

Here, even in winter, the cafe terraces are pleasant and you can admire the famous Promenade des Anglais, always impeccably flowered, along the curve of the Baie des Anges, with on one side the many beaches and the The other luxurious hotels including the famous palace: Le Negresco.

Sumptuous accomplishments are also to be discovered at the pleasure of the walks in the flowery gardens and parks of the hill of the Castle, the park Chambrun or the space Massena.

It is by strolling through old Nice, with its picturesque alleys, its facades in ocher colors declined to yellows or reds that you will discover the personality of the Nicois.

Proud of their past independence, the Nicois have their own language (the Nissart) and a typical cuisine with high flavors, like their famous carnival: Pissaladières (tarts with onions, anchovies, olives), Ratatouille (tomatoes, zucchini) or Pan Bagnat (bread topped with vegetables) or Salad Niçoise, the whole is always generously sprinkled with olive oil and garnished with black olives (the clams) which are small and black.

Nice is also a city of arts and culture, after Paris it is the city that counts the most museums. The city is lively day and night with the Nice Jazz festival in the beautiful arenas and gardens of the Cimiez, the battle of flowers on the Promenade des Anglais launched by the most beautiful girls of the Côte d'Azur.

Every day, on the Cours Saleya, stands the large flower market with fruits and vegetables in the morning. The vitality of these neighborhoods with their markets in the middle of shops and restaurants is contagious, the animation is guaranteed.

Toulouse

City with characteristic architecture, Toulouse is nicknamed the "pink city" because of the color of the traditional local building material, brick clay. Another nickname is the "City of Violets". There was a Brotherhood of the Violet in Toulouse, where the production of this flower was very important. La Violette is now one of the awards awarded by the Academy of Floral Games of Toulouse.

The cradle of Airbus, Toulouse is today a European technopole which brings together many leading industries in aeronautics, computer science and space, as well as numerous research institutes. It is a student city, the fourth largest in France with 94,000 students, equipped with prestigious cultural facilities such as the congress center, the José-Cabanis media library, the Zénith, the Abattoirs museum of modern and contemporary art, the Cité de l'Espace or the Théâtre national de Toulouse (TNT).

The pink city is experiencing very strong demographic growth, the highest in France and even the highest in Europe among the agglomerations with more than 850,000 inhabitants, and is considered one of the major European intermediary cities such as Lyon, Marseille, Florence, Hamburg or Zurich.

If population growth continues at the current rate, its agglomeration will soon enter the circle of French agglomerations of more than a million inhabitants, and could then dethrone Nice and then Lille.

In 2005 a study ranks second French city (behind Nantes) for its quality of life according to a list of well-defined criteria.

Toulouse is the European capital of the aeronautical and space industry with the sites of Airbus and its parent company Airbus Group. It has more than 100,000 students9 and according to L'Express this was the most dynamic city in France in 200910. The economic magazine Challenges renews this title in 201211 and 201512.

The emblematic sport of Toulouse is rugby union, its club Stade toulousain holds the richest record on the national as well as the continental level, with 19 titles of champion of France and 4 titles of champion of Europe.

Cassoulet and sausage are the emblematic specialties of Toulouse gastronomy.