can still be seen at the

can still be seen at the base of the medieval walls. It passed back and forth between France and England during the Hundred Years War, became a key fortress of the Dukes of Brittany from the 15th century, before Vauban was commissioned to bolster and elaborate its stupendous defences when Brest became a naval port in the 17th century. The Château also houses the excellent Musée National de la Marine. One of the highlights of the large collection is a group of genuinely spectacular wooden statues which once decorated ships, the work of local 18th century sculptor Yves Etienne Collet. From the ramparts you get a bird’s eye view of the mouth of the River Penfeld and the bridge which spans it, the Pont de Recouvrance. And it’s the bridge, not the castle, which is actually the most iconic sight in Brest. The Pont de Recouvrance is a vertical-lift bridge, its central section able to be raised by four massive motors to allow tall ships to pass underneath, and allowing access to the huge naval dry docks just upstream from the bridge. Built to replace the old 19th century bridge which was destroyed in the Allied bombings of 1944, it was designed to make an impression, appropriate for a town emerging from the ashes of war. And it’s quite a sight. With its 70m-high concrete pylons, it was at the time of its opening in 1954 the tallest vertical-lift bridge in Europe (that title now goes to the Pont Gustave-Flaubert in Rouen, completed in 2008). ‘It always reminds me of a guillotine,’ a local said to me, and I have to admit the comparison is a very appropriate one. At the near end of the bridge, you’ll find L’arbre Empathique, a 12m-high metallic sculpture of a tree by Spanish architect Enric Ruiz Geli. Or rather, it’s only a shell - look closer and you’ll see living plants growing Tour Tanguy © Rudolf Abraham bank, stands Les Ateliers des Capucins - a former Vauban-built convent site, later a naval barracks and then ship repair workshops, now transformed into a vibrant cultural centre with galleries, workshops, a cinema, bars and eateries. The terrace along the side, where tables spill out into the sunshine, is perhaps the al fresco drinking spot in the city. On my first evening in Brest, I settled myself in at Fabrik 1801, ordered some street food, and made the most of the extensive list of Breton craft beers (never, ever miss an opportunity to try a glass of Duchesse Anne Triple). Brest is home to France’s first urban cable car © Rudolf Abraham View from the ramparts of the Château de Brest Fanny de Laninon and Jean Quéméneur at the Pont de Recouvrance which ‘looks like a guillotine’ © Rudolf Abraham inside and sprouting through the lattice-like surface. And at the far end of the bridge, you can’t miss the rather fun sculpture of Fanny de Laninon and Jean Quéméneur, characters from two popular old sailor’s songs which are here combined in a single moment, with Fanny grabbing Jean’s shirt-front to stop him from toppling backwards over the wall. Nearby and dominating the right bank of the Penfeld at this point is the Tour Tanguy, a 14th century tower, home to the Musée du Vieux Brest. Just upriver from the bridge on the right Getting to the Atelier des Capucins is half the fun. The cable car or Téléphérique de Brest crosses the Penfeld between the Ateliers des Capucins and the left bank, passing high above the river - opened in 2016, it was France’s first urban cable car, and the views are fantastic. I mentioned that apart from the castle very little of Brest survived the bombings of WW2. That ‘very little’ is Rue Saint-Malo, a narrow, cobbled street hidden away down some steps near the Atelier des Capucins, with oversized potted plants, artist’s ateliers a few contented-looking cats. From the Château it’s also worth heading along the tree-lined Cours d’Ajot to the imposing WW1 Naval Monument, which © Rudolf Abraham overlooks the Port de Commerce - the latter revealing another completely different face of Brest, where you’ll find street art and bustling cafés facing the port area across Quai de la Douane. 44 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 45