2 nights in Nancy, France and we fell in love // RELAXING SILENT TRAVEL VLOG
The original plan was to visit Strasbourg and Colmar in France as those were the more well known (and bigger) cities in the Alsace region but we decided to include Nancy and Metz in our trip as well and I’m so glad we did because we fell in love with Nancy!
Nancy is the first stop on our Lorraine-Alsace France trip, it’s about a 5 hour drive from where we are in the Netherlands driving through Maastricht, Liege, and Luxembourg and we stopped a couple of times to charge our car traveling in this part of Europe with an electric vehicle is quite doable
Chargers are more common than back home in Canada I guess Europe is more compact so it’s easier to have a charging grid where as Canada is so big we can be driving for 5 hours and still be in the same province 🤣 it’s been a very rainy winter so far… almost there!
This is the place we’re staying in for the next 2 nights! it’s super cute isn’t it? so before coming here, I heard about the famous sound-and-light show but it was only during June-September, and we’re at the end of December so we really weren’t expecting one…
But somehow we managed to be in the right place at the right time… and then this happened… the whole Place Stanislas turned into a sound and light show! it showed a story of “3 Petits Enfants” 😲 that was epic! so Saint Nicolas is what they celebrate in Christmas
Even though Christmas was just over, the Christmas market here is still open! and of course, we’re going to check it out! this is one of the Christmas markets here (we’ll check out the other one tomorrow) our first impression is that it was very enjoyable
Unlike the other ones in Europe we recently checked out, it wasn’t overly crowded and it weren’t only shops and food stands there were things to do for kids and adults we’d definitely want to come back here for Christmas next time! since we’re in France, let’s go find some authentic French cuisine! We did a nice stroll around the center and finally landed on this restaurant across the Basilica of Saint Epvre of Nancy it’s an authentic French restaurant as excited as I am, my lactose-intolerant belly is nervous 😥 they served us a snack when we sat down
The waiter said something about a local “Alsacian spread” it was really good though! for our meal, we ordered an appetizer to share it’s a nori wrapped scallop with leeks the scallops were perfectly cooked the nori and leek complimented it so well! Gijs ordered the “jaune poêlé” (a fish) with parsnip and poached pear
Very nicely cooked and seasoned and the poached pear was really nice too! for my main I got the chicken and mashed potato with shiitake mushrooms the chicken was so juicy and tender! for dessert we got poached pear with homemade almond ice cream it came with these thin almond gingerbread cookies
The pear was very nice, soft with a mild sweetness and the ice cream was really light good morning Nancy! it was a really nice sleep it looks like the rain has stopped and the weather seems perfect! the morning vibe in Nancy is even more relaxing!
It’s exactly the kind of vibe Gijs and I both love! no rush, no stress, just a peaceful morning stroll 100% therapeutic! The three main squares in Nancy were built between 1752 to 1756 (Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance) this one here is Place de la Carrière
Located just outside the Government Palace. These squares are a symbol of the Enlightenment era a period when monarchs became increasingly aware of the public’s needs architect Emmanuel Héré was ordered to design and construct these public spaces the idea is to build something that not only enhances the monarch’s prestige
But is also functional for the public, creating space and access to important sites thus Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance were created today they are recognized as Unesco World Heritage sites Basilica of Saint Epvre is an interesting bascilica, the original was constructed in 1080,
But in 1436-1451 the church was completely rebuilt in the Gothic style and in 1863 the church was completely demolished to be rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style constructions was carried out through donations notable donors include Napoleon III and the emperor of Austria-Hungary too bad it wasn’t open when we were there
And just a stone throws away, is a statue of the Duke of Lorraine, René II who fought in the Battle of Nancy in 1477 he’s the most famous Duke in the region, so there are many references to him his legacy includes the construction of a palace in which later Dukes of Lorraine resides
Today it is a museum dedicated to the history of Lorraine Another one of the René II’s legacy is the construction of this church originally built as part of the monastery its name is derived from cordelier, which refers to the rope belts worn by the monks today, this church houses several historical artifacts
And more information on René II and the Dukes of Lorraine as well as a funeral chapel (you will see in a few moments) at the end of the nave, to your left is a small chapel to honor the Dukes of Lorraine it’s got a beautiful high ceiling with a octagonal dome
Here you will find the tombs of the Dukes of Lorraine in France, bakeries and pastries are everywhere! Porte de la Craffe was once the only entrance in the North into the old town the two towers were added in 1463, which were used as prisons at the time
Porte de la Citadelle was add in 1598 to further strengthen the defense which is only a few meters away from Porte de la Craffe we then went to check out the covered market just like the other touristic places we went too, it wasn’t busy at all! this covered market has 3 sections
Most of the stores on this side of the wing were butchers so a lot of meat! just through an entry way is the middle section which is predominantly fruits and vegetables the prices were a bit steep though… the next side is also connected this side even have places to sit down and eat!
Just outside the covered market is the other Christmas market! just like the one we visited last night, the vibe is very relaxed There’s even a slice of Canada here! Eh 🙌! this is one of the reasons we love Nancy so much there’s enough things to do, and space, for everyone!
The original construction of this church started in 1603 which was riddled with problems due to lack of funding not only did the initial construction got delayed due to a lack of maintenance, the church deteriorated rapidly and by 1719 this church was demolished and rebuilt under Duke Leopold
Which is the church that stands today the only surviving artifact from the first construction is the main alterpiece which is on display at the Cordeliers church we went by earlier today we walked through the shopping district to get to our next destination the Nancy Cathedral is a roman catholic church
Built in 1756 in the Baroque archiecture style the contrast with the other Gothic style cathedrals is quite noticeable they had a mesh net above the ceiling so couldn’t get a good look but it felt very calm and peaceful inside and of course there would be a nativity scene here too
There’s something about churches in Europe they are so grand and magnificent that always bring a sense of peace to me the smell of incense, the calmness of the environment and you don’t even need to be religious to appreciate it This is another one of the 3 plazas symbolic of the Enlightenment era
It is the smallest of the 3, with a size of roughly half a hectare the name of this plaza is derived from the Franco-Austrian alliance treaty of 1756 the Porte Sainte-Catherine is part of a pair of gates in Nancy this one is dedicated to Stanislas’ wife Catherine Opalinska in the East end
The other gate (we didn’t check out) is on the West end, named after Stanislas himself Located at the heart of the city is Parc de la Pépinière It’s a very nice green space to rest up and relax there’s an area for sports and animals too! the name Pépinière means “nursery”
Refers to the plot of land that are often in a checkerboard pattern as is with this park connecting to the park is an entry way to Place Stanislas, through one of the two symmetrical fountains this one is of Amphitrite Place Stanislas is the main square in Nancy
Named after Stanisław Leszczyński, a famous Duke of Lorraine who was also once the King of Poland This spacious square is surrounded by historical buildings such as the Grand Hotel, the Opera House, Fine Arts Museum, the city hall etc. and is connected to several main arteries including the shopping district
In the North-West corner of the square is the other symmetrical fountain this one is of Neptune, where both of the side fountains remain intact at the main entrance to the square is the iconic Arc Héré named after the architect Emmanuel Héré de Corny (who designed most of the monuments we saw today)
We were in the mood for poke bowls and the names of the bowls here are hilarious! Beyonsea! Novak Djokofish I’m dying 🤣 ya it was quite the challenge to find non-dairy, no cheese, no butter or cream options in France so this is a pretty decent option for dinner!
And the food was pretty good too! got some yummy gyozas Gijs got the one with salmon I don’t eat raw fish either…. so I got the one with fried chicken 😋 did I mention that I love fried chicken? 🙄 we even ordered a side of chicken fingers 😚
Its memories like these I’ll treasure for life don’t forget what’s important, because life is short
If you need inspiration for travel ideas in Europe, more specifically France, this vlog is for you! Originally we wanted to spend a few days in France exploring Strasbourg and Colmar, but we ended up adding Nancy and Metz to the itinerary, and we were not disappointed! Nancy is a cute little city in the Lorraine region of France (highly recommended). Nancy had everything we liked, the chill vibe, open space, things to see, etc. We came here at the end of December (after Christmas), but the market was still open and the Christmas tree was still up! We were also pleasantly surprised by the sound-and-light show at Place Stanislas! During the day we saw the two symmetrical fountains: Fontaine d’Amphitrite and Fontaine de Neptune which were beautiful. Explored the legacy of René II (Monument à René II de Lorraine, Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine), Porte de la Craffe, Porte de la Citadelle. We even explored the Nancy covered market, and did a little people watching and resting in Parc de la Pépinière. Oh and Arc Héré 3 times? Since we were there for 2 nights, so we had a lot to see and eat!
Category: Travel & Lifestyle Vlogs
Mood: Calm, Relaxing, Chill
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