Brest as we already seen in our two
published posts (What's to see in Brest? #1 - The harbour – What's to see in Brest? #2 - The city center) is not the most traditional town in
French and maybe not even the prettiest, but we believe is a city for
travellers.
Why?
Because Brest possesses a tradition of
travels and discovers that it is very present in its daily life.
The proximity to the sea and the large harbour made of Brest an important commercial port in the last
centuries and a place where different cultures and nationalities
easily met.
The history and the name of the main
street of the town, Rue de Siam, is already an important witness of the rich international
heritage of the town.
The large harbour always has guaranteed
strong and frequent contacts and connections with other countries in
Europe and in the world and made of Brest an important city for the
great sea expeditions and discoveries.
The famous expeditions of the French
explorer La Perouse to Alaska, California, South Pacific, Japan and Russia are certainly another important witness of the
heritage of this French town.
Two places in Brest are relevant
witnesses of the travel tradition of the town and of its scientific
interest for different forms of life on Earth.
One is Le Jardin de les explorateurs,
The Garden of the explorers, a small park situated not far from the
Tanguy Tower and overlooking Brest Harbour.
The park is a rich collection of plants
and flowers from different parts of the world and it is an important
acknowledgement to the great achievement of the French explorers.
The other place that certainly shows an
important link between the town and the sea is certainly Oceanopolis.
Although a much more modern addition to
the city heritage, Oceanopolis is certainly a must see if visiting
Brest.
Situated along the coast and out of the
city Oceanopolis is a wonderful scientific aquarium with different
pavilions, including the Polar pavilion, the Tropical pavilion and a
pavilion dedicated to the local habitat in Brittany and the
surrounding area.
Here you can enjoy a visit and a look
to penguins, sharks, seals, tropical fishes and many more species
populating the sea in different areas of the world.
Read also: What's to see in Brest? #1 - The harbour – What's to see in Brest? #2 - The city center
A special thanks goes to Cathy Dolou from Brest for her help in making this post!
Read more posts on our page Visit France.
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