Belgium (Sam)

 Our view of the Square

Our view of the Cathedral from atop the Belfry

Yesterday we decided that since we were so close to Belgium, we should go for a day trip. We went to Tournai. When we left our gîte we really didn’t know what to expect of the city. For all we knew it could have been a dreary industrial town where all the old buildings had been destroyed in the war, which is far too common in this area of France. Luckily, the city was absolutely gorgeous, with a beautiful cathedral and dozens of other spectacular Flemish buildings. In the middle of town was the huge belfry (bell tower), which we climbed. This was definitely the highlight of our visit. To get up you had to climb the tiny spiral staircase with just a rope along side with which to hold.  When we got to top, we had amazing views across the city; a panorama of red tiled rooftops. When we got back down we went for a walk around the town, went into the Cathedral then bought Belgian chocolate, pastries and gauffres à sucre (Belgian sugar waffles). Mmmmmmmmm…
Photos: The Beautiful city of Tournai, The Staircase to the Belfry.

Today we are having a lazy day enjoying our gîte. We had crêpes for breakfast with Belgian chocolate spread or sugar and lemon juice. After breakfast we had math class for the remainder of the morning. In the early afternoon we went for a walk around the small village where we are located. The town is lovely with a tiny river trickling through it and an old church in the middle of town. The only problem with the town is that there is not a single store (except for the house with a sign saying they sell walnuts from the tree in their yard). But that’s okay because the driving all around the area is lovely so a short drive to the shops is no problem.

If anyone reading this is planning a trip to France anytime soon I would highly recommend renting a gîte. A gîte is a holiday cottage that you usually rent for a week at a time. They are seldom in cities, but often in or around small villages. Since there are so many people in France who are moving from the country to the big cities you can buy country homes at bargain prices, fix them up and rent them for between 200 Euros to a couple thousand a week. There are plenty of beautiful gîtes for 4 people that are less than 250 Euros a week in the off season, and even more for fewer than 300 Euros. There are a number of websites to help you find these gites, the main one being “Gîte De France”. Once you have found a gîte you like, you call the owner and arrange a date to arrive.