Tournai was the second stop on our trip through Wallonia, Belgium. To give you a little bit of history and allow you to get your bearings, I´ll start by telling you why Tournai is historically important. The town is found along the Scheldt River (which runs right through the middle of town) only 10km from the French Border. In fact, one of the first signs we saw upon leaving the train station was pointing the way to Lille. This is a town filled with history, as it is one of the oldest in Belgium dating back to the Franks of the Merovingian dynasty who used Tournai as the seat of their kingdom during the 5th century. Another of the city´s claims to fame is the famous painter Roger de la Pasture (Rogier ven der Weyden). And, in the middle ages, it was a center for tapestry weaving, along with export and trade of the blue grey stone which is so common in the architecture of Wallonia.
