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LORIENT , Brittany's fourth-largest city, lies on an immense natural harbour protected from the ocean by the Ile de Groix and strategically located at the junction of the rivers Scorff, Ter and Blavet. A functional, rather depressing port today, it was once a key base for French and English colonialism, and was founded in the mid-seventeenth century for trading operations by the Compagnie des Indes, an equivalent of the Dutch and English East India Companies. Apart from the name, little else remains to suggest the plundered wealth that once arrived here. During the last war, Lorient was a major target for the Allies; the Germans held out until May 1945, by which time the city was almost completely destroyed. The only substantial remains were the U-boat pens - subsequently greatly expanded by the French for their nuclear submarines. Across the estuary in Port-Louis is the Musee de la Compagnie des Indes , a pretty dismal temple to imperialism (Jan-March, Oct & Nov daily except Tues 2-6pm; April & May daily except Tues 10am-6.30pm; June-Sept daily 10am-6.30pm; closed Dec; 30F/?4.57). Time would be more enjoyably spent on a boat trip, either up the estuary towards Hennebont or out to the Ile de Groix . This 8km-long steep-sided rock is a somewhat smaller version of Belle-Ile , and holds some gorgeous beaches to encourage day-trippers. Lorient's tourist office , beside the pleasure port on the quai de Rohan (July & Aug Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm; rest of year Mon-Sat 9am-12.30pm & 2-6pm; tel 02.97.21.07.84, www.lorient.com ), can provide full details on local boat trips and organizes some excursions itself. Unless you arrive during the festival , there's a huge choice of hotels . Among reasonable, fairly central options are two on rue Lazare-Carnot as it curves away south of the tourist office: the Victor Hugo Hotel at no. 36 (tel 02.97.21.16.24, www.contacthotel.com ; 160-220F/?24-34), with an action-packed 99F/?15.09 menu offering langoustines, wild pheasant pate and duck a l'orange , and the Hotel d'Arvor , at no. 104 (tel 02.97.21.07.55; 160-220F/?24-34), also with a good-value restaurant. There's also an HI hostel , next to the River Ter at 41 rue Victor-Schoelcher, 3km out on bus line C from the gare SNCF (tel 02.97.37.11.65; closed Jan). Good central restaurants include Yesterday's , 1 cours de la Bove (tel 02.97.84.85.07), a brasserie near the town hall that serves an excellent 98F/?14.94 menu, and Le Cafe Leffe (tel 02.97.21.21.30; closed Jan), in the same building as the tourist office, facing the port.
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