Sewing Nomad

A brief au revoir at the Orléans train station, including quickly savouring some eclairs bought that morning, and we part ways with the bros. Hugues’ and Thierry’s are headed back to Québec tomorrow, and we are on our way to Strasbourg, in Alsace.

Alsace is a region of France that borders Germany, and has gone back and forth between the two countries numerous times over the centuries. It is also home to the European parliament, making it a very culturally diverse city, and giving it quite a different vibe than the other areas we had visited so far.

Our train takes us to Paris, where we will switch stations. This time, we are a little more confident in navigating the metro system! I guess it just takes a little practice… We transit from Gare d’Austerlitz to Gare de l’Est, and catch a few glimpses of the lit up Eiffel Tower from the metro car. If time would have allowed, we might have detoured by there, but our arrival time to Strasbourg is already going to be at 22:00.

After a short walk from the Strasbourg train station (4 min to be exact), we consult our instructions for how to get into the Airbnb apartment building.

A stressful moment (or rather hour) when we get to our Airbnb: Our instructions, though detailed, mention taking an elevator. Said elevator is out of service, and we cannot seem to get our keys to work on any of the doors in the lobby. We have sent a message to our host, but the hour is growing late… Will he see it and respond tonight? Finally, tired of waiting, we start towards a hotel. As we are walking, a message pops up from our host. Although not very helpful, it still inspires us to go back and try again. Still no luck. And then, to our delight, we hear someone coming down the steps, and they emerge from the very door we have been been trying in vain to open! We slip through the door being held open for us and finally make it up to the apartment!

November 3rd –

So. We conquered the lock issue! It was indeed a case of user error. North Americans that we are, ignorant of the ways of doors in Europe, we did not know that the key had to be turned 3 times in the lock before it would unlock the bolt. We chuckle at ourselves, relieved to have the mystery solved, and then proceed with the day…

Our main goal for the day is to visit the Haut-Koenigsbourg, a castle not too far away from Strasbourg.

We are a little limited as far as food options go this morning, so we decide to go out for breakfast. A 15 min walk, and we arrive at Café Bretelles. The place is quite small, but we find ourselves seats in a little corner. The Oeufs Benedictes were some of the best!

The rest of the morning consists of booking train + bus tickets, stocking up on groceries for the next day or two, making some supper reservations, and running a load of laundry.

A windy, somewhat chilly day (high of about 10 C or 50 F) calls for a few extra layers, so we bundle up before leaving the apartment. And we didn’t regret it! On the ride up the mountain we are treated to beautiful views of the valley, as well as a close view of a charming little town, with streets a little too narrow for a bus to meet a car. That’s what sidewalks are for, right?

The first records of a castle built here date back to the 12th century. Since then, the castle has been pillaged, burned, rebuilt and enlarged multiple times. When the Alsace region was annexed to Prussia in 1871, the castle ruins, which had been abandoned for 200 years, were offered to the Kaiser, who oversaw the complete restoration project. Ten years after its completion, Alsace (and thus the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle) once again became French territory at the end of World War I.

Inside the castle, some rooms seems somewhat austere, while others are very imposing and majestic. The colorful, intricate, tiled poêles used to heat the rooms, also had the effect of adding some color and interest.

Intricate iron work, medieval furniture, and colourful windows… These are some the things we see as we stroll through the inside of the castle. Ornate and impressive, as most castles are I suppose.

The bus back to Selestat only runs once per hour, so once we have completed the tour of the castle, we decide to wander down some of the walking trails rather than sit and wait. The trail we chose happens by some old ruins. A small castle, Oedenbourg, built on the same rocky outcrop as the Haut-Koenigsbourg, though not visible from the larger castle. Though there is not much to explore, the setting was quite picturesque, nestled in among trees and rocks.

We arrive back at the Gare de Strasbourg, and catch a tram to our supper.

While we are here, we hope to try a few of the area’s traditional dishes. Tonight’s will be Flammekueche or Tarte Flambee. I suppose you could think of it as “German Pizza”, but don’t even consider calling it that. It is definitely not pizza. Entirely different. The name basically translates to “flame baked pie”.

Our restaurant selection proved to be a good one. Delicious locally sourced food, friendly waiters, a pleasant atmosphere. We were seated at the main table, facing each other, with fellow diners a chair or two down from us. Thus, we could not help but eavesdrop, and curiously wonder where some of them were from… Some Swiss, some German, some English, some French. Those were my assumptions, anyhow.

November 4th –

Our last full day in Europe. We spend the day around Strasbourg. There is much to see in this city, and a lot of it can be done on foot. We did hop on the tram a time or two, mostly to warm up.

Dinner time found us at Le Baeckeoffe d’Alsace, to try another traditional Alsatian meal.

After lunch, we spent some time wandering through the Alsatian museum, which gave an interesting glimpse into the history and architecture of this area.

The Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg, an impressive Gothic cathedral, was one of our stops in the afternoon. One of the points of interest here is the massive astronomical clock. Standing 60 feet tall, its features include a planetary calendar, a mechanical Gregorian computus, and an orrery (a mechanical model of the Solar System) as well as a mechanical rooster who crows every day at 12:30. The current mechanisms date from the 1840’s.

Our meanderings also took us to a bookstore (Bruce bought himself his first Schtroumpf book), a tea shop, a walk along the canals, through the barrage (dam), and eventually to a coffee shop to enjoy a cozy drink and play a few rounds of a card game. Before we headed back to the Airbnb to relax, we stopped by a boulangerie for a pretzel and some croissants for tomorrow’s breakfast.

Time to pack our bags, and try to get a good night’s sleep. Our alarms will ring at 4:30 tomorrow morning.

November 5th –

The train station is very quiet at 5:30 a.m. We try to find some coffee for Bruce, but the shops don’t open ’til 6. Once aboard the train, we can relax and pull out our breakfast of croissants, cheese and yogurt. Apparently I sacked out for most of the rest of the ride.

Upon arriving at the airport, we both agree this was indeed a splendid idea. The whole trip, of course, but I’m referring to the idea of taking the high speed train directly into the airport the morning of our flight. In doing so, we avoided any public transit delays, traffic jams, rental vehicle returns, etc. The train system being as timely as it is is definitely a perk!

I wasn’t very impressed that I had to completely take down my hair before 9:00, then go through security a second time, but oh well. Worse things have happened. 😉

A short flight takes us to London. This time we have a slightly longer layover there, and we watch other travelers rushing to catch their flights. Nice to not be the stressed out ones this time.

A nine hour flight can get boring, but it really wasn’t too bad. I got a lot of reading done! By the time we land in Nashville, collect our bags, go through customs and catch a Lyft back to our vehicle, it is 6pm. Midnight in France. It has been a long day already, and we still have a 3 hr drive home… The lights of home are a welcome sight when we finally pull in the drive!

Good day! Bruce here with your next trip installment.

Dinan to Sevremont

Thursday found us packing up to leave the Dinan area. We gathered our wits and headed for Dinan.

Dinan is a walled town in the Brittany area of France. It contains a number of historical buildings and a charming old town, complete with a lot of small shops, cobblestone streets, and small restaurants. We split up and wandered the streets, checking out the stores and scenic alleyways. 

The day we were there was market day. A lot of French towns have weekly local markets which put our American ones to shame. Stands with fresh meats, cheeses, produce, fish, breads, and other farm and local products are packed into a square. The locals were out, buying their fare for the next few days. Prices were very close to store prices and wandering through was very enjoyable. We stopped at a beekeeper’s booth and purchased a piece of nougat. It was excellent.

After a cool lunch at a cafe (It was chilly and small cafes don’t have an abundance of indoor seating for 8), we loaded up and continued on our way. 

The next stop was Guérande, another medieval town in Brittany. Its claim to fame is salt marshes. These are a series of marsh ponds which collect the sea water which evaporates leaving a crust of salt on the top. This is raked and collected and sold as a garnishing salt. Due to the late season, the marshes were not in operation but were interesting to peer at. We rambled the town a bit, had some coffee, and departed. 

Supper was found and groceries for the following day attained. The VRBO was a welcome sight.

Puy Du Fou

This was highly anticipated. Puy du Fou is in brief a French historically based theme park. It was originally founded near a Renaissance castle. It started with one show and has grown into a large park with over 2 million visitors per year. The grounds are beautiful with gardens, medieval villages, artisans, and a variety of exhibits.

We arrived early and waited for a while to enter. The swarms of people behind us were a confirmation that an early rising time was a good idea. Hugues had been to Puy du Fou before and had an itinerary carved and packed to extract the best 1 day experience we could achieve. A lot of the shows are performed 2-3 times per day and arriving early to line up was important. There are also several exhibits to walk through at any time. 

We began with La Renaissance du Chateau, a walkthrough of a 16th century castle. Live actors would tell their stories in the various rooms. We passed a royal bedroom, an artist, a library, through a hall of mechanical knights raising banners to us, an armory, a crypt, and other rooms. Very interesting.

Briskly walking to the next stop, we gathered in the crowds waiting to enter Le Secret de la Lance, a story taking place around the Hundreds-Year War. The knights of Joan of Arc performed horse riding tricks, the castle wall rumbled into the ground, a battle ensued, and the castle keep (100 tons) rotated and moved closer. The chivalrous were victorious and everyone lived happily ever after.

Next was Le Signe du Triomphe, a spectacle taking place in a 6000 seat coliseum including a chariot race and a rotating battleship. 

Lunch was consumed and we split up for the next couple hours.

We headed to Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantomes, a fantastic bird show. Over 200 birds, large, small, and in between flew around and over us. Falconers sent birds plummeting down and across the arena, sometimes a few feet over our heads. It was excellent and fascinating.

Taking advantage of a small window, we meandered through Le Mystere de La Perouse, an immersive exhibit of a French explorer who disappeared after being sent out to explore the world. The walls of our “ship” swayed up and down as we walked through the stores of flora and fauna found, bunk rooms, and cabins. Apparently the situation for our intrepid explorers deteriorated as each successive room found the sounds of battle, the smoke of cannon, lightning and storm sounds, and the swaying walls began to spew water. Finally we exited through a barnacle and coral encrusted cabin.

Though nearly an hour early, we queued up for Les Vikings. This proved wise as the line got long quickly and we had to send a guide back out to help Hugues find us in the jumble. We munched some baguette and cheese while waiting, eventually finding our way into the seats. 

Les Vikings was the condensing of 300 years of history around the year 1000. A Gaulish village hosts a wedding, which is interrupted by some monks driven downriver by the Vikings. The Vikings then attack, riding a longship down a hill into the river in front of you. Much acrobatics, pyrotechnics, and yelling later, another longship rises slowly from beneath the water, complete with a crew, which join in with vigor. The day is saved by the Saint Philibert who also rises from the water. After peace returns, the Saint mysteriously disappears while being helped across a bridge into the town, a dove escaping his empty robes.

If you hadn’t caught the drift yet, one of the big appeals to Puy Du Fou is how they achieve their practical effects. I still don’t know how the Vikings could ride their ship up out of the water or how said ship works. The castles move, walls move, people disappear and reappear. Later we saw people gliding across a very real lake. It’s all very intriguing and impressive. The next stop was another unique spectacle.

Le Dernier Panache is a play concerning François de Charette and the War in the Vendée. This was a conflict taking place during the French Revolution. The people of the region, where Puy du Fou is located, rose up against the Revolution, in part for religious reasons. François became one of their leaders until eventually the revolt failed and their leaders executed. Ultimately, the Revolutionary forces killed around 170,000 of the inhabitants of the region, (~20-25% of the population. 

This sobering bit of history is shown on a 360 degree stage. You sit in the middle all facing one direction. The seats slowly rotate from scene to scene as the actors move around the stage from set to set. It is a bit mind bending and was difficult to tell at first whether you or the stage is moving.

The last stop before supper was Mousquetaire de Richelieu. This spectacle included a gigantic curtain, equestrian feats, the 4 Musketeers defying all odds, and flamenco. The stage eventually flooded to add drama and effect.

Supper was at one of the many restaurants in the park. Interesting food on a buffet which meant you could try a bunch of different things and commit to none. 

After supper, we headed to the finale. Together with what felt like the majority of visitors for the day, we filled the seats and woods around the lake. Darkness had fallen and we wound our way through the trees to a spot that seemed to have a good view. We first witnessed a seasonal parade of the actors from the day in glowing carriages lit with torches and lanterns, circling the lake. They disappeared, then Les Noces de Feu began. Beginning with a single violin player in a glowing dress, the cast grew, rising from the lake to seemingly glide and walk on the surface of the water. Fountains and towers rose up, all lit and glowing. For 30 minutes, we listened to them play and dive as the scene shifted and changed. With a dash of flames and a rousing crescendo, the lake slowly returned to normal, towers descending, piano and player sliding under the water.

We rode the crowds back to our cars, and drove back to our lodgings. A full day.

Chenonceau

The next morning we reloaded the rides and headed out into the fog. We had one stop before splitting up in the afternoon, Château de Chenonceau. This is a castle built on the remains of the previous with the twist of expanding over the river as time went on. The kitchens were built in the base of the old mill, complete with a platform and door to unload your groceries from your boat directly into the cooking complex. The rooms are full of heirloom furniture, old tapestries, and portraits. The ballroom is most of the building over the river and offers really nice views from the alcoves along the floor. There have been several significant Frenchwomen who have called the Chateau home. It is very interesting to see how each changed the property, adding to the structure or the influence it had. After touring the rooms, we wandered the grounds for a bit, checking out the old farm buildings and the still tended gardens. Once finished, we departed for Orleans and our train.

Fin

Continuing on where we left off: we were on our way to Caen last I wrote.

Those who are familiar with WWII history may have heard of this port city in Normandy, located near the D-Day landing beaches and heavily involved in the battle of Normandy in 1944.

We arrive by train around 21:00 and walk 10 minutes to our Airbnb. Tomorrow is a big day, we will be visiting the Memorial de Caen as well as taking a guided tour.

Monday – The Airbnb was well supplied with everything we need for breakfasts, which was very convenient! A quick breakfast before we leave, bus/tram passes secured, and we made our way to the nearest bus stop. Our goal was to make it to Memorial de Caen by 9:30 when they open, hoping that would give us time to go through all the exhibits by 13:00.

A short bus ride and a quick stop at Carrefour (grocery store) and we are equipped with lunch and snacks, all for 8€. Quite nice, I say. Now to get to the bus line that goes to Memorial de Caen… I was leaning quite heavily on Google Maps for bus routes and schedules, since I hadn’t spent a whole lot of time mapping out our transit in this town ahead of time. Unfortunately, Google Maps does not seem to account for temporary route deviations. Frustrating. Once we figured out the intended bus would not be coming by the bus stop we were waiting at, we set out on foot. Half an hour later, we arrive at a bus stop further along the line, where the bus does stop. Long story short, we got to Mémorial de Caen a little later than planned.

The museum mainly covers:

• France under occupation
• The build up to “Total War”
• Holocaust
• A detailed exhibit on Operation Overlord + Operation Neptune (D-Day), as well as the suffering of civilian population in the area during the Battle of Normandy.
• The end of the war & rebuilding

There are also a few other sections we didn’t get to, including a large exhibit on the Cold War. We really could have spent all day there I think…

Our tour was scheduled to leave at 13:00 from Memorial de Caen. After a quick packed lunch, we met up with our group: our tour guide, Gabrielle, Rick and Ingrid, a couple from Connecticut, and Andréa, the driver.

The 3 stops on the tour today are Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery. As we made the 45 minute drive through the Normandy countryside, Gabrielle kept us well entertained with an assortment of WW2 and D-Day knowledge.

Pointe du Hoc – located between Omaha and Utah landing beaches, it was one of the stronger fortifications on the Atlantic wall. If you are interested in the details of the importance of Pointe du Hoc, and the happenings here on D-Day, here’s a link to a recap if it.

As you may take note in the picture above, the area around Pointe du Hoc is still peppered with craters from the bombings that took place.

Omaha Beach – “Bloody Omaha” was one of the American landing sites. The difficult terrain, exposed beach and fortified defenses, among other factors, made it the Normandy landing beach with the highest casualties.

It was rather sobering to stand here, with a greater understanding of the odds that were against them, and imagine for a moment the hopelessness of being in some of the first waves of soldiers that landed here. In the sector we were in, Gabrielle told us the casualty rate for the first wave would have been 90%.

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial – over 9,000 graves of American soldiers buried here, as well as the Wall of the Missing, engraved with the names of soldiers who were missing in action during the invasion, and whose remains were never found.

Thoughts and impressions of the tour: first of all, our tour guide was great! A wealth of information, presented in a very interesting way! Jesse & I both enjoyed being in a small group guided tour, and would highly recommend it if you’re ever going to this area! I did not consider myself ignorant of the D-Day happenings before going, but of course there was much more knowledge to uncover. Ahead of time, I had wondered how worthwhile the Cemetery tour would be, but I actually found it quite interesting! Our guide took the time to walk us by a variety of graves, telling the stories of the soldiers  which brought home the reality that these were people from all different areas with families and loved ones left behind. We were also there during the lowering of the flag ceremony, which happens every day at 16:00. A short but sober ceremony, that felt a little like attending a funeral.

After not making it to our planned supper spot in time, we reconsidered and settled on a Crêperie in the historic quarter of Caen. The menu: a delicious galette (buckwheat savory crêpe), sparkling water, and a honey/almond/orange crêpe for dessert.

I may have gotten a little longer winded in my description of the day than intended. So, on to the next day…

Tuesday – A visit to the Château de Caen is the first thing on our agenda for today. After checking out of our Airbnb, we take the tram to the Château.

This castle was built around 1060 by William the Conqueror, and is one of the larger medieval fortresses in Europe.

While we were aware that it was under construction, we did not realize how little of the grounds, buildings and ramparts would be accessible. Oh well… Fortunately there were a couple museums open, focused mainly on the history of Normandy and the city of Caen, so our visit was not completely in vain.

Thierry & Chandra pick us up by the Château around noon. Next destination: Mont Saint-Michel! It’s been on my bucket list for quite some time…

Mont Saint-Michel is a tidal island, approximately 1 km off the coast. Around its base, medieval walls and towers, above which rise the clustered buildings of the village with the abbey crowning the mount.

Pictures don’t really do this place justice. It is more impressive in person than I had imagined! Everything is uphill as we walk through the medieval streets, up steps, onto the ramparts, up some more… And finally to the abbey.

Since it is nearly November and not peak tourist season anymore, its not too packed, but we definitely are not the only ones here!

If we come back here some day, I think it would be worth it to take a guided tour, as it seemed the tours were getting to go quite a few places we couldn’t. Whenever we go places like these, I’m always wishing to explore the “secret passages” and “the way less traveled”… But not this time. We stuck to the way most traveled, and still saw a lot (it is still well worth it without a guided tour). Our tour took us through the abbey church, the cloister, the refectory, multiple crypts and the scriptorium, to name a few.

After our visit to Mont Saint-Michel we have a little drive to Dinan yet, where we will spend the next few nights. Along the way, we stop to pick up some groceries for supper and “petit-déjeuner”.

Saint Malo

From the desktop of Bruce

On Wednesday Hugues’, Thierry’s, and us loaded up and headed to the city of Saint Malo. 

On the way there, we took a detour to visit a historical site called Champs de Roches. This spot is an oak grove with 65 menhirs of white quartz stone aligned in rows. The stones would have originally stood upright and are believed to have been placed before 2000 BC. The Celts used it as a druidic sacred site later in the 5th century. After the rain during the night, the grove was quiet and peaceful. It was interesting to imagine what significance these people might have attributed to “just a bunch of rocks.” A collection of oak trees from around the world planted around the site, some with some weird bark, almost like cork. After strolling around, it was back to our modern transportation.

Saint Malo is a walled city port in the north-west of France. The city is old, the original town having been founded in the 1st century BC.

One of the things it is notorious for is being a home for the French privateers and, sometimes, pirates, in the 1700s and 1800s. These privateers were often a business venture. You, the enterprising entrepreneur, would hire a ship, crew, and captain to seek out ships of the countries you were currently not getting along with. Your aim, to capture the ship and take the crew prisoner. You were given prize money upon exchange with your home government. Some of these men were very successful and became very wealthy. One of the privateers, Robert Surcouf, had an amusing anecdote associated with him. “When a British captive officer taunted Surcouf with the words “You French fight for money while we fight for honour”, Surcouf replied “Each of us fights for what he lacks most”. (from Wikipedia)

Another note in Saint Malo’s history is being the home port of Jaucqes Cartier, the explorer credited with “discovering Canada”

After all that explaining, our tale continues…

We arrived, parked, and disembarked. Upon walking through the gates into the city, we took a turn and climbed up onto the walls. Relatively wide, we had room to stroll and take our time, enjoying the views of the old buildings inside the walls, and the port and coast outside. In the bay, we noticed a few old forts on what appeared to be tidal islands and people walking out to them. Consulting the tides, we decided to walk out and take a closer look. After walking out, climbing the rocks to the entrance (the “path” was ill-defined), we discovered the Petit-Be to be closed. So we retraced our steps. The tide did not claim us.

Lunch was enjoyed at a creperie. Saint Malo’s specialty is their savory crepes. They were very good, if a little pricey. The other specialty, however, was worth stopping for. Kouign-Amann are awesome! Think puff pastry with extra sugar and butter. Slightly warm from a boulangerie, they made for an excellent mid-afternoon snack.

We walked about the city, toured the cathedral, watched a few people wade back from one of the islands through the rising tide, and browsed souvenirs. 

The second break of the afternoon was at a cafe, with a very long name, “Le café du coin d’en bas de la rue du bout de la ville d’en face du port”. (Translation: The corner cafe down the street at the end of town across from the port)

By evening, everyone was slowing down so we headed back to our accommodations for a relaxed evening. 

By evening, with everyone was slowing down, we headed back to our accommodations for a relaxed evening. 

Fin

“Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?” – Peter Pan

In this case we had tea first since our flight was delayed.

Settled into row 33 of this Boeing 777 with service to London Heathrow, I think I’m ready for the adventure!  But first, I’m hoping to sleep through most of the night…

Our carry on luggage is packed full of everything we think we will need for the next 13 days, books loaded on our Kindles, snacks… Did we forget something? I’m sure we’ll find out eventually if we did. À demain!

October 27 – A number of days have passed with little thought of writing any updates. We’ve kept ourselves quite occupied these last few days and there is little time to sit down and write, but I’ll take my chance now since I’m sitting anyway, aboard a TGV (high speed train) currently traveling at 292 km/h. We are on our way to Caen, Normandy after spending Sunday morning & dinner with the missionaries in Lille.

For those who are not aware, Jesse and I arrived in France on Thursday and met up with my brothers (Hugues & Amy and Louis, Thierry & Chandra and Jacques) in Tournai, Belgium. My grandma, Béatrice Ghilardi and her son, Robert live here.

So. We arrived in Tournai. But first, let’s backtrack a little to the day of travel. It was a long one! Late departure from Nashville, which got us to London Heathrow a little behind schedule, which in turn meant we were a little short on time to catch our connecting flight to Paris. Luckily that flight was a little delayed as well, so we did make it! We arrived in Paris and were a little surprised at the simplicity of customs. Not a single question, simply a “passeport s’il vous plaît”, a stamp and “à gauche”. Next step, un petit goûter (afternoon snack or light meal). We then found our way to the train station, where we boarded a TGV to Lille.

From there, a regional train took us into Belgium. We were met at the station by Hugues and Oncle Robert. Shortly thereafter, we arrived at Grand-maman’s apartment where she served us a delicious supper 🙂 Une bonne réunion! Last time I saw her was in 2016, I believe…

Our first day in Tournai some of us (mostly me) arise a little earlier than we may have desired, some sleep a little later than planned, but eventually we all get around to breakfast and then the 10 min trip is made to pick up Robert and Grand-maman, who will be joining us at our spacious Airbnb for the day.

The day is filled with good food and interesting conversations, a little walk into France before supper, a few games…

Menus du jour :

• crêpes au jambon (ham), broccoli, mushrooms, sauce béchamel
• moules frites (Belgium’s national dish of mussels and French fries)

Followed by a course of bread and cheese after each meal. Délicieux!

Interesting tidbit about the Airbnb we stayed at: upon hearing where we were staying, Papa did a little digging and figured out that in bygone days it served as the customs building between France and Belgium.

Saturday’s plan: a tour of Tournai. Here’s Jesse’s report of it.

On Saturday, we all headed to Tournai, Belgium. Parking our cars in front of Grand-Maman and Uncle Robert’s apartments, we set off on foot for a tour with Uncle Robert as a guide.

Tournai is a very interesting city, full of history and architecture. The reason of its importance is due to its straddling a river providing access to Paris. Conquer Tournai, and your way is mostly clear. Formerly a walled city, this wall has been torn down and replaced with a boulevard around the city. (The word boulevard comes from the tearing down of walls (bulwarks (bolwerk) to replace them with roads.)

Among its prior occupants dating back to before 400, you have Romans, Francs, French, English, Dutch, Spanish, and German. In relatively recent history, it was conquered early on in both World Wars due to it being on the best route from Germany to France. It was badly damaged in WW2, and was rebuilt, with attention to its history in its architecture.

Thus you have Roman houses, a church in what was once a Roman Temple, a gate over the river, pieces of walls and fortresses still remaining, the oldest belfry in the world, cobblestone streets, etc. One bridge has a sign thanking the British for blowing it up, since doing so slowed the German advance in WW2.

We walked around, had lunch in the Grande Place, toured cathedrals, visited a chocolate shop, viewed the outdoor gallery at the Casterman building (original printers of Martine and TinTin) and ate galettes de Tournai.

All around, a good day!