May 18 – Brest and on to Concarneau

We spent the morning sightseeing around Brest.  The itinerary had a very long list of things to see but the weather was very overcast and looked like rain at any time so we just hit the highlights. 

The Porte Antique de l’Herminier.

The Sailors from Lower Siam.

The Tour de la Motte Tanguy.

The Brest Castle.  It looked like it might be interesting to explore but it is now a maritime museum. 

The Pont de Recouvrance Bridge.

The L’Albre Empathitique.

The harbor.

The Capucins Workshops across the river. 

We had planned on taking the gondola across the river to explore this area, but it didn’t open for another hour.  And Paul was having some pain problems in one of his legs, so we took the metro train back to the hotel thinking we would drive over.  However, just as we were getting ready to load the luggage into the car the heavens opened up.  We finished loading and decided to end our stay in Brest.

When we arrived in Concarneau it was mid-afternoon and there was a market going on in one of the large parking lots.  The hotel was closed for lunch break so we wandered the market and found some finger food for lunch.  Then we wandered over to the Ville Close.

A striking feature of Concarneau is the Ville Close.  It is a mid-sized island in the harbor that is connected on one side to the mainland via a causeway and a dramatic gate. 

The tide was out and many of the boats were sitting on mud.

And the walls were pretty dramatic.

We wandered through the streets of the Ville Close.  

Lots of souvenir shops, cafes and ice cream shops. 

The little Chapel of the Hospital that dates from the 16th century. 

There was an amphitheater at the far side of the Close. 

Views of the town from the wall.

Late afternoon we headed back to the hotel and checked in.  Finding food is still a challenge.  There are lots of places to eat but seafood dominates all the menus.