During a terribly rainy, cold week in Paris this April, I decided to take the train from the Gare de Nord in Paris, to Tournai, Belgium in search of tapestries. When I arrived, I learned that the immense Notre Dame Cathedral was under reconstruction, and most of it is inaccessible at present. The famous tapestries that illustrate the history of St. Eleutherius and Piat are either covered or hidden away (I couldn't quite ascertain which), but are not available for viewing. The treasury is closed and most of the building is shut down for repairs.
Tournai is really a very interesting city, and the people were very friendly and helpful.
The lady at the cathedral was so kind that I completely forgot my disappointment over the closure of the major exhibits. Some saint--I don't know who--was discovered to be buried behind the altar,and they have been excavating underneath the cathedral to disinter the bones. The place is immense--and there is just no way to explain why I should have enjoyed myself in this place that is covered with scaffolding, dust, and has a huge hole in the middle of it--but I did!
Perhaps it is just that I had decided to enjoy myself or because I had been really well-fed at a lovely, small restaurant called L'Orchidee, where they served a delicious, well-prepared 3-course formule, with generous portions for under 12 euros, and a great glass of the vin ordinaire--house red--for 2.5 euros! Each table was decorated with live orchids, and the clientele represented a cross-section of well-heeled tourists and cheerful local regulars. The whole town shuts down for dinner from 12 - 2 p.m. each day, so the forced relaxation changed my entire disposition while I avoided a drenching rainstorm during lunch.I guess my disappointment dissipated in the general relaxed, friendly atmosphere of the town.
The cathedral is ancient, immense, and full of interesting history. A stop by the Office of Tourism on the way to the Cathedral and Tower provided lots of historical information, while the Tapestry museum with its collection of early tapestries and more modern ones, also offered a chance to observe working restorers patiently mending the fragile treasures in their upstairs workshops.Sometimes traveling is just a matter of relaxing and enjoying whatever we find, and not feeling disappointed that our agenda must change with new information. Besides, Belgium in the rain was perfect--and long, leisurely dinners in the afternoon seem to make very agreeable hosts--and tourists.
