I was there!

This is the end of this trip. The next day I drove back to Nantes and flew home. I loved Brittany Sud, Bretagne Sud, I would like to go back when all is starting to bloom in the spring. I preferred the area around Auray as you have the fields and farms and also the sea. There is so much more to see. Being there made me miss Massachusetts....and Newport....made me miss the east coast of my childhood...

I didn't have time to see any of the larger villages...Vannes, Lorient or Nantes. I was there for 8 days and barely scratched the surface. I will go back.

Cafe Jules in Pouliguen

This restaurant was very busy but the waiter made a point of giving me a nice table and taking good care of me.I had made a good choice. Fixed Menu 17.50 for Tuna Samosa, Moules and dessert.

This was a curry mustard condiment with toasted baguette.

Tuna Samosa...

Moules!...excellent.

Carmel and chocolate Gateau

Le Pouliguen

After St Nazaire, I took a drive through the salt marshes....On the map, you can see them to the west of La Baule. This area is all marshes and there are roads that go through so that you can see them. There is also a museum of salt.

I ended up in Le Pouliguen which is the port for La Baule. I parked and found a restaurant. As usual. I was right at the end of lunch so I had to quickly decide.

It's a very pretty port.

Man The Torpedoes!

 The largest room on the sub....the torpedo room. These are hard to see...but it was interesting.

Here are the beds for the torpedoes. 

the grey things on the bottom are torpedoes.

This is the chute where the torpedoes are shot out of the ship.

Just the pictures

The Espadon Sousmarine!

I was excited about going down into an actual submarine.

Espadon was a Narval-class submarine of the French Navy. Along with her sister ship Marsouin, she was the first French submarine to steam under sea ice. She is currently a museum ship.

Career[edit]

Espadon was commissioned in 1960.

In 1961, as she served as a target for mock torpedo exercises, Espadon was hit by two inert torpedoes, damaging her propeller. She nevertheless managed to surface, but had to be towed to Toulon.

In September of the same year, while cruising underwater, Espadon collided with the submarine Laubie, sustaining extensive damage to her bow and to the front of her sail.

Torpedo room of Espadon

On 13 August 1963 a fire in the torpedo room wounded and intoxicated four sailors, one of whom later died of his wounds.

In May 1964, Espadon and Marsouin steamed under sea ice in the Norwegian Seaas far as 70° north.

Espadon undertook significant modifications from 1966 to 1968, notably upgrading her sonar, sail and rudders.

Espadon has been a museum ship at the "ville-port" of Saint-Nazaire in the German-built submarine base since 1987.