Snow!

The snow that has been plaguing the British Isles and much of western and southern France has so far mostly spared Metz. Through yesterday, the snow was primarily decorative, although some grocery stores were low on fruits and vegetables because elsewhere crops were frozen in the fields and trucks were being kept off the roads. Overnight, though, the snow started to get more serious, and by this morning there were two to three inches of white everywhere in Metz. Here's a view of our street, for example.

I drove into work mid-morning, going slowly and keeping long separations between my car and the car ahead, which was a good idea because the roads were seriously slick and the anti-lock brakes kept kicking in. Also, I quickly figured out that the rental car has rear-wheel drive and turning the front wheels doesn't have much of an effect. There weren't many people at GTL. After watching the snow continue to fall and assessing the situation, I cancelled class and headed home to avoid getting stuck at work. Driving very cautiously--the route has some serious downhills--back into town, I eventually made it safe and sound to the apartment. The funny thing is that after worrying about stopping distances and skids, navigating the descent into the garage didn't seem so bad.

By 10:30 a.m. all city bus service had been canceled due to the snow until the roads were again driveable. The drivers were asked to stop their buses where they were. Eventually the snow stopped this afternoon, the buses resumed service, and so people did not end up stranded at work.

The Place Saint-Louis is basically a snowfield.

The Graoully, the legendary snake/dragon that is a symbol of Metz, as incarnated above rue Taison, collects a layer of snow.