Last night we went for a town stroll, on the basis that the centre was only a 5 minute walk away. We’d read an online newspaper review that said if Bruges was Belgium’s Venice, then Tournai had to be Belgium’s Sienna, and that it was a must see at night. This is high praise, and to be fair, not far from the mark. A lovely place to visit, with wide streets, tasteful historic architecture, impressively “dressed” small shops, restaurants, and bars, and beautifully lit in the evening, and this is pre-Christmas lights.
Back to the the aire, I surprised myself by not being fazed by the traffic noise from the adjacent main road. It did peter out as it got later, but even in the busy morning was more like white noise, as I’d hoped. So I slept well. The place was also well lit, we had other motorhome neighbours, and the facilities very clean and respectable. So all in all Tournai gets a big thumbs up from us.
That next day we headed into town again, this time with the prime objective of tracking down the Protestant church where Sophie’s great great great grandfather would likely have been based in the 1800s. With some guidance from the Tourist Information office and a favourite app of ours, maps.me, we found this ancient building quite easily, and Sophie also now has an email address of someone to further her enquiries with.
We then walked along the canal to the Pont des Trus, and headed back to the van to finally leave the town.
Random Motorhome Travels 
Thank you for this. We plan to visit Bruges in the spring and Tournai looks like a good stop too. Good to know traffic noise at aire is bearable. Nice photos. 👍
Be sure to do the Bruges boat trip. In fact having done that one reminded me how enjoyable those are.
Yes, we have been pleasantly surprised at how quiet some town aires actually turn out to be. As you know mind, there is no set rule, and all us motorhomers have a good few tales to tell of the stops that don’t go to plan! C’est la vie! – but when they are free, (which ours are 99% of the time), one doesn’t feel too miffed! – helped by knowing the next night stop is a different one!😉
Thank you for recommendation. Hopefully we will.
I have to say your looking great Sophie.
Looks beautiful at night.
How much time do you think you will have to explore more before returning to jersey.
Have you enjoyed this trip. Would you recommend this part of the world for us to see?
It’s got quite cold here, how are you bearing up with that in your Motorhome?
Tanya X
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Ahh, thanks Tanya!
Yes, Tournai looked fabulous at night, as did 2 more towns you’ve yet to see! – more visual treats in store!😉.
The free central town Aire in Tournai was so convenient, surprisingly quiet, and got the thumbs up from us. It’s functional and no frills, but who cares! Does the job very happily!
You’ll be surprised and amused to hear we’re on the ferry tomorrow! – so back in familiar territory now but fitted in a lunch in Hedé at Le Genty Home that we like very much, and maybe another in Dinan tomorrow too!😉
Yes, has been a very enjoyable and relaxing trip thank you.
We have already been saying before your mentioning it, that Michael and I reckon you and Kenny would really enjoy doing a tour of the Christmas markets . You’d love all the Christmas decorations and atmosphere, and I’m sure you’d enjoy a nice steaming cup of chocolat chaut, while Kenny enjoyed a Vin Chaud with Amaretto (mulled wine!😋). You’d also love all the festive shop windows and no shortage of Christmas present ideas!
We’ve had snow even briefly, but have had no difficulty keeping the van cosy. A few very cold nights we kept the gas heater on a low setting all through the night, and that worked great! The GPL is so cheap we don’t skimp!
Oh yes, we have already reckoned this could be a great pre-Christmas trip for you – and as I say, more to whet your appetite coming up very soon!!!
Bfn!👋🏻