With a base in Lille, it is easy to cross the border into Belgium and visit Tournai and Kortrijk.
Tournai
In Wallonia, Tournai (Doornik in Dutch) is situated on the river Scheldt, 50 km northwest of Mons and 25 km east of Lille.
Catching a delayed train from Lille Flandres gave an earlier arrival than planned at Tournai. The impressive railway station lies about one kilometer north of the landmark Belfry. The pedestrian route to the Belfry leads across the river Scheldt and its quaysides and around the Cathedral of Our Lady with its five towers.
An external blackboard lists the beers available inside - three on draught, including Stella Artois, and over 70 bottles.
A sentence in blue mentions that payment by cash is required and that cards are not accepted. There's also a bound menu inside which includes the following items:
Les Blondes - Tournay Triple - De Cazeau - 5.1 euros
Les Saison - Tremist Saison - Kazematten - 3.8 euros
Les Gueuzes - Oude Gueuze - De Troch - 6.5 euros (37.5 cl)
Rhub-Elle - Lambiek Fabriek - 20 euros (75 cl)Barrel aged - Gouden Carolus Whiskey Infused - Het Anker - 6 euros
Les Trappistes - Orval - 5 euros, 6 euros (+6 months), 7 euros (+1 year)
Tynt Meadow - Mount Saint Bernard Abbey - 7 eurosSnacks - Portion fromage Orval - 5.7 euros
Saucisson sec - 6.6 euros
When Tim arrived there was a group at an outside table and two individuals inside on the right side, viewed from the bar. Photos taken after their departure are arranged above with the right side at the top. On the left side of the bar, Tim's glass of Boscoli fruit beer from Brouwerij Het Anker (4.7 euros) is shown.
A compact folding leaflet is available for anyone interested in architecture - Art Nouveau in Tournai / Doornik.
With some time to spare before the train to Kortrijk, the Art Nouveau brochure was useful for finding interesting architecture near Tournai station.
The other side of the brochure features the southwest part of the city including the Musee des Beaux-Arts, Boulevard Leopold and Boulevard du Roi Albert.
There was time to wander through the historic Begijnhof / Beguinage before crossing a branch of the river Leie by the bridge at the Broel Towers to reach Buda island.
Most bars in Kortrijk don't open until late afternoon on a Thursday but at least there was an opportunity to get a photo of Brasserie ‘t Mouterijtje.
A nearby bar on Buda island, Kunstkroeg De Doedelzak, was also closed but snapped for the blog.
It would be Cafe deDingen, almost opposite, that could provide a beer on a Thursday afternoon. Inside there was a nice ‘alternative’ feel about the place and music playing included tracks by Wu-Tang Clan and 50 Cent.
At the back of the long cafe, there are glass doors giving views into Brouwerij Ruimtegist.
The photos above show the length of the cafe premises, viewed from the back at slightly different angles.
At 4.30pm it was time to recross the river Leie. From this bridge, the whitewashed 't Fonteintje can be seen on a corner, on the right bank, half way to the Broel towers.
A menu blackboard outside 't Fonteintje shows the kitchen opening time as 6.30pm.
Inside, the front bar was already busy a few minutes after opening so a table in the empty back room with a view of the bar and the traditional Bieren Omer Vanderghinste (O V) stained glass window was a good compromise.
From the bar counter, a generous 25 cl serving of draught Ypra (O V) cost 4.50 euros.
Several hours would pass and three further O V beers would be enjoyed. During this time, the excavations stop, the side door was closed, the 'Reserved' sign was moved to a different table and the candles were lit as diners arrived. A complimentary bowl of crisps was served with the 25cl bottle of Rouge Max (4.5 euros) but a further bowl to go with the 25cl bottle of Bellegems Wit (3 euros) was declined. The lasagne bolognaise was accompanied by a basket of bread and butter and a draught Tripel LeFort (4 euros). Lasagne and spaghetti seem to be menu staples in Flanders and Brussels bars. This lasagne bolognaise was preferable to one at Antwerp's Paters Vaetje but could not match the classic at Poechenellekelder in Brussels.
The track playing (e.g. by Mark Lanegan) could be identified from a square screen surrounded by album covers near the entrance. It's necessary to literally step up to the elevated counter to order a beer. A unique feature is the 'wall of speakers' that forms the bar front. There's a mix of seating with high stools at the bar and near the entrance and low seating on the far side.
There was time to buy a ticket from a machine and reach platform 4A for the last train to Lille Flanders at 21.14. Confusingly, the Poperinge train directly in front of the Lille train would depart from platform 4B at 21.10. It was a relief to be on the correct train for the journey back to France!
Note that an ilevia Pass Pass plastic card ('non personalised') can be purchased from ticket machines in Lille e.g. Lille Europe, Lille Flanders stations. 
When the pass includes e.g. 24 hours travel this includes bus, tram, metro and local trains.
Ticket passes can be purchased for an evening, or 1-7 days. For example a 96 hour / 4 day pass costs 15.10 euros + 2 euros for the card which can be reused subsequently. The card should be placed on a validator at the start of each leg of a journey. Validators are located on entrance barriers at metro stations, at the platforms for trams, at rail station entrances to platform areas or inside buses near the driver.
For shorter single journeys within Belgium there is no 'Senior' discount and the 2nd class fare from Tournai to Kortrijk is 6.50 euros. Tickets can be purchased from a machine at the station or as an e-ticket using the SNCB (domestic) app.
An excerpt from the Tournai departures poster shows that on weekdays there are usually seven trains an hour with services to Saint-Nicholas (Flanders via Brussels), Quevy (via Mons), Mouscron (Wallonia), Brussels airport (via Brussels) and Kortrijk / Courtrai (via Mouscron) in addition to those to Lille and Namur.
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| Railway station side of Art Nouveau in Tournai / Doornik brochure |
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| Place Victor Carbonelle, 5 |
It was nice to ride on the top deck of a quiet train to its final destination - Kortrijk, via Herseaux and Mouscron.
Kortrijk
In West Flanders, Kortrijk (Courtrai in French) is situated on the river Leie, 42 km southwest of Ghent and 25 km northeast of Lille.
Arriving at Kortrijk by train, it's obvious that many bicycles are parked in front of the station.
Kortrijk also has a notable Belfry with a WWI memorial beside it.
Sadly, no Ruimtegist beers were available at the cafe counter but a local Verzet by Brouwerij 't Verzet (2.8 euros) was refreshing.
The side door to the blue walled back room was wedged open so it wasn't warm inside but it was further from the noise of an excavator working on the road in front.
After a visit to the superior toilet facilities and paying the bill at the bar counter, once outside the dusk light made additional photos worthwhile at 8.25pm (Belgian time).
It only takes 10 minutes for a brisk walk from here to Gainsbar near Kortrijk station.
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| Stadhuis (top left), Stadsschouwburg (bottom left), Belfry (centre), Sint-Maartenskerk from Grote Markt (top right) |
A few stops were needed to photograph interesting architecture and street art on the route via Grote Markt (Grand Place), also passing near the Stadsschouwburg (theatre).
At Vlasmarkt 1, Gainsbar was quite a contrast to the bistro style of 't Fonteintje. Gainsbar was dimly lit with loud music playing and a younger clientele.
With less than half an hour to linger here before heading to the station, a 25 cl glass of Bockor Pils (2.80 euros) brewed locally by O V was the simple choice from an extensive menu and tap list.
The tap list above the bar included beers from Scotland by Holy Goat and Brewdog. The printed menu is available from a holder directly beneath the tap list and gives details of the distance from the bar of the brewery for each beer. A future visit to Kortrijk should allow longer time in this bar which, like 't Fonteintje, also has an extensive pavement area for external tables.
Appendix: Train details:
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| front and back of non personalised pass pass plastic card |
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| Ilevia tram and metro plan |
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| Extent of train routes covered by ilevia Pass Pass plastic card for Lille |
It's possible to save money on international journeys by using the Pass Pass card for the French part of the journey and buying an international ticket from the French border e.g. Baisieux for Lille to Tournai. The SNCB International app can be used to buy tickets between France and Belgium. These can used as e-tickets without printing. For international journeys there is a discount for age 65+ (shown within brackets)
Lille Flanders > Tournai 2nd class from 5.10 (4.60) euros 1st class from 6.10 (5.40) eurosBaisieux > Tournai 4.30 (3.80) euros 5.30 (4.60) eurosLille Flanders > Kortrijk 2nd class from 5.90 (5.20) euros 1st class from 7.10 (6.10) eurosRoubaix / Tourcoing > Kortrijk 5.10 (4.40) euros 6.30 (5.30) euros
For the journey Roubaix > Lille Flanders (Metro), Lille Flanders > Tournai; Tournai > Kortrijk, Kortrijk > Roubaix the total cost of fares in conjunction with a Pass Pass card is 15.90 (14.70) euros.
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| Lille Flandres station |
Lille Flandres dep 9.08 Tournai arr 9.36 (this train was delayed by 16 minutes on 12/9/24)
10.08 10.36 ( next train)
Note that at Tournai the international train changes into a domestic service from Tournai to Namur via Mons. It's possible to buy an international ticket from Lille Flandres to Namur on these services for 25.40 (12.00) euros.
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| Tournai station |
Tournai dep 13.53 Kortrijk / Courtrai arr 14.22
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| Kortrijk / Courtrai station |
Kortrijk / Courtrai dep 21.14 Roubaix arr 21.40 arr Lille Flandres 21.51 (last train)
20.14 20.40 arr Lille Flandres 20.51 (previous train)
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| Roubaix station |
