Not so simply the best

IAN STEPHEN found more than he bargained for – and food for thought in a Highlands & Islands context – in the maritime museum in Douarnenez in Brittany
 

This is a redeveloped harbour with more heritage than commercial fishing but it’s not twee. You’ll see the Port–Musee right down at the harbour. A tip. If you’re hungry or if it’s lunchtime closing go further along the waterside to the takeaway that also has a few seats. Eat sardines grilled crisp or moules marinieres or tuna, all with fries and I’d suggest a red-striped cup of cider.

Fortify yourself because you’ll want to stay in the museum longer than planned. It’s a tardis of a building. The exterior preserves the façade of a traditional building. Inside the architecture can be remade to suit new installations as well as the permanent collection.

Now there is a fishing museum in Concarnau which is not bad at all and very like the Scottish fisheries museum at Anstruther. You might think you are entering a similar heritage experience. You’ll find that, but you’ll also find other elements in four excellent temporary exhibitions.

I was caught by the shape of a Far Eastern vessel, taking up a large part of a floor and crossed over to see its structure and spars before realising I was in a corridor of all too recent journeys. This vessel was picked up by a French ship which rescued its surviving host.

A whole section of the building has been re-made to convey a document of the many attempts of refugees to escape by sea. Reportage in news video and photojournalist’s documentation is gathered and presented so you walk through all too recent years of seagoing homeless.

You remember the Vietnam boat people but then the Albanians and a whole host of nationalities daring oceans in structures of bound wood and oil-drums. It all seemed very relevant to the history of the Highlands as I’d just been reading, Alistair Moffat’s history of Celtic Britain and Ireland, The Sea Kingdoms (Birlinn.)

In it he quotes the journal from one of the exiles made homeless by the Duke of Sutherland: “The old and the children could not stand the hardship of the voyage, every day one or more of our group was buried at sea. After tossing on the Atlantic for eleven weeks we came to the coast of Canada. Each day we had to pay for our food and as some of us had some money left, the Captain cruised up and down for three weeks before landing us penniless on the Canadian shore. We were taken by bullock wagon to Tornonto. “
 

These take time to assimilate. Translations are provided. The staff are very helpful. But leave time for the permanent collection which includes floating ships on the pontoons across the courtyard. Ashore and afloat the presentation and interpretation of vessels across history and geography is simply the best I’ve seen so far. Greenwich is too flashy these days and Irvine’s looks a bit sad.

Back to the travel aspect of seeing these exhibitions. If you go through France by train, there is a good cheap connecting bus from Quimper. But do as I did. Get mixed up with the time zones by typing in your laptop, forgetting that you’ve not changed the time on that along with the mobile.

So miss the train. So spend a night in Quimper. Just stroll about. The architecture ranges from half timbered well-preserved buildings to a quality modernist approach to linking the old with the new. In between is a 1930s building, in excellent condition, with the black stenciled letters KODAK calling out from its curves.

© Ian Stephen, 2008

Links

• Ian Stephen
• Port-Musee

Associated Page

• Ian Stephen’s Brittany Weblog