Page 143 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

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Le Tour du Monde
The regular haunt of the famous
yachtsman Olivier de Kersauson,
this bar is located above the port
authority building. Le Tour du
Monde (Round the World) was
opened in 1997, the year that
Kersauson won the Jules Verne
The bar Le Tour du Monde round-the-world yachting trophy
in his trimaran Port-Elec. The yacht
is moored near the bar. When he is not at sea, the Admiral, as Kersauson
is affectionately known, can often be seen in this wood-panelled bar,
which is filled with all manner of souvenirs of his yachting exploits.
Part of the tropical pavilion
at Océanopolis
advanced vessels of the French
navy are tied up. The reorgani- The park, covering 22 ha (54
zation of the French navy and of acres), is laid out in the little valley
its dockyards threatens the of the Stangalar, just north of the
future of Brest, which is focused greenhouses. It is a paradise for
on naval defence. both nature-lovers and joggers.
Y Conservatoire Botanique  Océanopolis
52 Allée du Bot. Tel (02) 98 41 88 95. Moulin-Blanc Marina. Tel (02) 98 34 40
Park: Open daily. Greenhouses: 40. Open daily. Closed Jan–Apr &
Open Jul–Aug: pm daily. mid-Sep–Dec: Mon. & 7 8
& greenhouses. 8 for groups, A day is hardly long enough
by arrangement. to explore Océanopolis. Three
This, one of eight similar insti- pavilions re-create polar,
Rope-works on the banks tutes established in France, is the temperate and tropical marine
of the Penfeld first to have seriously addressed conditions. With a spectacular
the issue of saving endangered presentation and state-of-the-
P Naval Dockyard species of plants from extinction. art technology, the centre is
Porte de la Grande-Rivière, Route de Specializing in the plants of simultaneously educational,
la Corniche. Tel (02) 98 22 11 78. the Armorican massif and of the fascinating and entertaining.
Open Jul–Aug: Mon–Fri. ^ former French colonies (including Visitors can ride in a glass-
Admission restricted to nationals of Madagascar, Martinique and sided lift that descends through
countries that are members of EU. Mauritius), the institute has four a pod of sharks, or step into a
Identification compulsory. green houses, in each of which bathyscaph (submersible vessel)
8 obligatory.
different climatactic zones have to float through leathery fronds
Brest’s naval dockyard (Arsenal) been re-created. of seaweed. In environments
was established at the instiga- A Noah’s Ark of the plant ranging from from ice floes to
tion of Cardinal Richelieu. Work kingdom, the institute has coral reefs, 1,000 species of sea
began in 1631, and workshops, been able to successfully creatures can be observed in
dry docks and rope-works reintroduce cer tain species elaborate aquariums with
appeared on the banks of the into their original environment. viewing tunnels running
Penfeld. It was here also that One such is loose-strife, which through them. There
workmen and convicts fitted became extinct in Spain’s is also a colony
out ocean-going vessels and Balearic Islands in about 1925. of penguins.
provided the labour for further
installations. Between 1749 and
1858, 70,000 convicts worked
here. Replaced by the penal
settlement in Cayenne, French
Guiana, the convict centre in
Brest closed in 1858.
The guided tour of the naval
dockyard takes in the installa-
tions that were built at the
mouth of the estuary after 1889.
They include the naval college,
the former submarine base and
The Pont de Recouvrance, a vertical-lift bridge across the Penfeld river the quays, where the most The Tour Tanguy, home to the Musée du Vieux Brest

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