Travelled: 64km
Visited: Lille(Fr), Tournai (B)
Stay: Tournai- free parking and services, short walk to centre. N50.604439 E3.381670
It was a foggy start to the day which hepled keep the temperature down to a pleasant 28°c, perfect touring weather.
We made our way to Lille and managed to find parking in the street (€1/hr) close to the old centre.
We called in for the obligatory map at the tourist office which is situated in the lower rooms of the Rihour Palace built in 1453 and was the former residence of the Dukes of Burgundy. On one side there was a war memorial sculpture. Lille had suffered extensive damage during the wars.
The large square has 'The Goddess' 1845 statue to commemorate Lille's victorious resistance against the Austrians in 1792. Throughout history the town had been under Flemish, Burgundian, Spanish and now French rule and is reflected in the differing architecture.
The Old Exchange building 1653 is made up of 24 identical houses surrounding a cloister which houses a little booksellers' market.
The Opera 1923, is Italian neo-classical style.
The Chamber of Commerce 1924 is built in neo-Flemish style.
Making our way along the Rue Grand Chaussee and Rue de la Monnaie displaying 17th century architecture we came to the Cathedral.
A neo-gothic structure with a new 1999 facade.
We walked to the canal surrounding the Citidal 1670 built by Vauban. We had a look at the reconstructed Napoleon bridge.
As there was nowhere to stay with Bluey we drove back into Belgium to have a look at Tournai. The Gallo-Romans settled here during the 1st century. During the 12th century the Belfry and city walls were built. From the 16th to 18th century the French town was taken over by the English, Spanish, Austrians and lastly the Dutch and became part of Belgium.
We stroll into the Grand Place flanked by different styled buildings with the Belfry standing proud down the end and the cathedral spires dominating the back ground.
We are drawn to St.Quentin's church with its solid bulky structure.
We had a break and tried out a local brew then we were on our way once again and had a closer look at the oldest Belfry in Belgium. It is 72m high, has 267 steps and a 55 bell carillon.
The cathedral is currently under repair since the 1999 tornado and will be until 2025. It is an impressive building at 134m long and the towers 83m high.
As it was now 6pm the visiting opportunities were over, so we had a bite to eat and tried out another brew! Sante!
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