My wife and I are taking a cruise from London to Monaco in early September. We just received a letter from the cruise company that the ship will be stopping in Lorient, France for one day, instead of Honfleur.

Should I be happy or disappointed? Also, any tips about points of interest and shopping for "fine items" (not trinkets)in Lorient would be appreciated?

Many thanks.

JAR

Sorry to say, but I would be disappointed. I spent 5 wks in Lorient on a home exchange and while it was a wonderful location to tour Brittany, there really isn't much for the casual tourist. It does not have the charm of a Pont Aven. There are no museums of note, the quai area is pleasant, but not exciting. Much of the city was rebuilt after the bombing of WWII, so there are few beautiful or interesting buildings left from before the war. Please keep in mind that I was last there in 1994 and more importantly, I have never been to Honfleur. Lorient may have changed. We enjoyed Lorient, but not for the reasons others would visit a tourist site, it had a wonderful open air market (but only food then) and it was a comfortable place to relax and enjoy France and great for day trips. There are a couple of department stores downtown (Galleries Layfayette comes to mind), but someone else may need to tell you about fine shopping. Perhaps you can google the web site for LOrient and look at its shopping links. If you have any follow-up questions, I would be happy to try to answer them. Best wishes.

I'm afraid I agree with annetti. While I'm a great fan of Brittany, Lorient is no Honfleur. And I would let the cruise company know of I my displeasure...I'd kinda feel like they didn't deliver--the good ol' "bait and switch", if you know what I mean.

Nice souvenirs would be Quimper Faience (Pottery), Breton lace, Strawberry Liqueur from Plougastel, Chuchenn or Hydromel a honey mead (pronounced eeedromel). Le Minor is famous for wool pea-coats (sp?) and embroidered linens.

Lorient received so much attention from RAF and USAAF bombers during World War II because it was the main Atlantic base for German submarines. Enormous "pens" or concrete-covered docks were constructed to house the subs. I believe this area is still off-limits to visitors. Am I correct?

Many thanks for your candid responses to my inquiry.

JAR