First Visit to the Brest Submarine Base in France 🇫🇷⚓

Since Roman times, Brest has been a renowned military stronghold. As we sailed in and out of the harbor, we noticed how this natural port resembles a "cloth bag"—narrow at the entrance but wide inside. During World War I (1917), Brest served as the landing port for American troops, with thousands of U.S. soldiers passing through on their way to the front lines. In World War II, the Germans established a massive U-boat base here. By the summer of 1944, the Battle of Brest left the city completely flattened. 💥 After the war, the West German government paid billions in reparations to the citizens of Brest. The rebuilt city now features granite and concrete structures, much like Le Havre, which we visited earlier. In 1972, the French Navy established a nuclear submarine base in Brest, which remains a critical site for France’s ballistic missile submarines. According to our Cruise Director, visiting the naval base requires a NATO passport—tourists from other countries are not allowed in. 🚫 The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was built in Brest, and the U.S. nuclear-powered carrier USS Nimitz has docked here several times. On the day we arrived, we didn’t spot any large warships—just a few small boats near the naval base. The city itself was peaceful and quiet, with a main shopping street lined with cafés, supermarkets, and small malls, but not many people around. I checked out some rental and real estate ads: Rent: €600-700/month Homes for sale: €100k-300k Living here long-term might feel a bit too boring… 😅 Stopped by a café and noticed that prices here are much higher than in Portugal, where we just came from. Photo 11 shows a $10 USD snack—my favorite French Boulangerie raisin bread! 🥖🍇 #FranceTravel #MilitaryPort #AircraftCarrier #NuclearSubmarine #Brest #FrenchBread #Baguette #EuropeTravel ✈️🇫🇷