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Breede River Valley

The Breede River Valley is a region of South Africa's Western Cape known for being the largest fruit and wine producing valley in the area, South Africa's leading race-horse breeding area and an attractive holiday destination.

Towns

 * — many fine examples of Cape-Dutch architectur, high quality rock climbing routes, and worthwhile art galleries
 * — a charming historical town
 * — the largest town in the Western Cape's interior region, it has a shopping mall, well developed central business district, and infrastructure
 * — many fine examples of Cape-Dutch architectur, high quality rock climbing routes, and worthwhile art galleries
 * — a charming historical town
 * — the largest town in the Western Cape's interior region, it has a shopping mall, well developed central business district, and infrastructure
 * — a charming historical town
 * — the largest town in the Western Cape's interior region, it has a shopping mall, well developed central business district, and infrastructure
 * — a charming historical town
 * — the largest town in the Western Cape's interior region, it has a shopping mall, well developed central business district, and infrastructure
 * — the largest town in the Western Cape's interior region, it has a shopping mall, well developed central business district, and infrastructure

Other destinations

 * — pass between Ceres and Wellington

Climate
Summers can be very hot, due to its inland location, usually averaging 30 ºC from December to March, but sometimes peaking near 40ºC during the hottest of days. During winter however, the valley is often colder than other seaward regions, like the Overberg. Snow is a regular occurrence on the surrounding mountains; snow does not fall on the valley floor, although light frost does occasionally occur. Spring and Autumn are transitional periods of variable rainfall, occasional light snow on the highest peaks and mild temperatures.

Talk
Afrikaans is the predominant language, although English is widely spoken.

Drink
The region is well known for its wine and the Breedekloof Wine Route features over 25 diverse wine farms.

title: Breede River Valley


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Breezewood

Breezewood is an unincorporated town of in Pennsylvania. There are few residences.

Understand
Breezewood is a small town that arose due to a gap in the Interstate system. Interstate 70 does not directly connect to the Pennsylvania Turnpike; therefore, motorists must pass through Breezewood in order to get there.

Get in
Breezewood is the intersection of two Interstates, the Turnpike, and is also served by U.S. Route 30.

Do

Sleep

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Breezewood


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Bregenz

Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg in Austria at the Lake Constance. The shore of Lake Constance, one of the biggest lakes in Europe, meets with the town centre. Go down to the lake in the evening and check out the beautiful sunset.

Understand
Bregenz has 29,000 inhabitants (2022) and its roots go back to Roman times. The city was founded by the Romans in 15 BC, when it was known as Brigantium.

Bregenz sits at the northern edge of the Alps, between Lake Constance (the Bodensee) and the Pfänder (1064 m). To the west lies the Rhine delta, a huge valley dividing Switzerland and Austria. To the south lie the mountains of Switzerland and southern Vorarlberg. To the north, overlooking Lake Constance, are the hills of Allgäu of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in Germany.

Bregenz is the capital of Austria's most modern province. Inhabitants of Vorarlberg are said to be much more friendly and open than the rest of Austria.

By plane
Zürich-Kloten is quite a big airport, about 1 hour with train/car (100 km).

Friedrichshafen is smaller but closer, about 40 km from Bregenz. Approached by some companies like Condor and Ryanair (from Stansted London).

Munich is the biggest airport around. About 2½ hr to Bregenz.

Altenrhein : Switzerland, about 20 km to Bregenz but few connections to Vienna.

By car
From direction Vienna: on the A1 via Salzburg via Germany. In Rosenheim (Germany), you have to decide if you drive via Munich (heavy traffic) or via Innsbruck (Arlberg Tunnel €11).

From Chur/Zürich: about 10 km to the Swiss motorway.

Austria requires autobahn drivers to pay a fee and purchase a Vignette (Austrian: Pickerl), a sticker which must be affixed to the windshield. Vignettes are available for €9.99 (10 days), €29 (2 months), and €96.40 (1 year); prices for motocycles are approximately 55% less. Careful: The Vignette is only valid 18 days after the purchase. The fine for not having a vignette is €120, payable on the spot (if you can't pay on the spot it goes up to €300). The well-known tactic of affixing vignettes with Vaseline (so that they can be easily removed and re-used) earns a fine of €240. The vignette must be pasted on the windshield; they are considered invalid if kept in the glovebox, which also earns a fine. The vignettes are available for sale at ADAC, ÖAMTC and TCS motor club offices (in Germany, Austria and Switzerland respectively; membership is not required), as well as at almost all petrol stations before the Austrian border. You can purchase them here.The more affordable so-called Korridorvignette for the 23-km-long stretch of the A14 between the German border and Hohenems is no longer available.

Drivers from Germany should take Exit 2 (Lindau) before reaching the border, as the A14 then enters a tunnel and only emerges south of Bregenz. Likewise when driving toward Germany drivers should head north on 190 and cross the border before driving onto the autobahn.

By bus
Check out Eurolines from Vienna and Berlin. There are also connections with Flixbus from Milan and Munich.

By foot
Many sights in the centre toward the lakefront are easily accessible by foot.

By bicycle
In summer, bicycles are perhaps the best way to get around, as Bregenz is quite small.

By car

 * Carsharing Zipcars are available in Bregenz.

See

 * The city wall from the 13th to 16th centuries surrounding the upper part of town (Oberstadt) has been largely preserved.

Sport and outdoor activities
The Lake Promenade (Strandweg) is a very popular place for residents to stroll and spend the evening. There are shaded paths and outdoor restaurants. The sunsets in Bregenz are beautiful from any place at the lake.

In summer, Bregenz offers many possibilities. Bregenz is splendid for swimming in the lake (the lake's temperature reaches 26°C in the summer), hiking, cycling, and several other sports. The tourist office offers a map of hiking paths in Bregenz and the immediate vicinity, as well as a map of trails in the nearby Bregenz Woods (Bregenzwald).

Buy
Kaiserstraße is the main pedestrian shopping street, and was renovated in 2006. The inner city in particular has many smaller shops which invite one to browse. In general, stores are open Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 18:00. Local shops and markets here.

Sleep
From the genteel Dueringschlössle to budget-friendly guesthouses, Bregenz offers a range of accommodation for all budgets. The city becomes very busy during the Festival season that runs from mid-July to mid-August; during this time it's advisable to book accommodation ahead of time. Prices posted below are for the high-season summer months; if you don't travel in July and August, prices are a lot cheaper.

Budget

Mid-range

Go next
It is possible to travel along the lakeshore by railway to both Switzerland and Germany.
 * Dornbirn — 20-minute drive south of Bregenz; features a Rolls-Royce Museum
 * Lindau — a nearby island in Germany with a picturesque harbor and lots of little shopping streets.
 * Liechtenstein — the fourth smallest country in Europe. Bus and train service is available daily from Bregenz to the capital city of Vaduz. The trip is about 1.5 hours.
 * Mainau Island — in Germany, "The Flower Island" is known for its warm climate and beautiful botanical gardens

title: Bregenz


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Brejo da Madre de Deus

Brejo da Madre de Deus is a city in Pernambuco Interior, Brazil.

The city is famous for the Paixão de Cristo that takes place in Nova Jerusalém, in the district of Fazenda Nova.

Districts

 * Fazenda Nova is 20 km away from the center of the city

By plane
Fly to Recife Guararapes International Airport. A closer, but much smaller airport, can be found in Caruaru.

By car
From Recife, the main route to Nova Jerusalém goes along the modern BR-232 interstate highway, through the cities of Gravatá and Caruaru. In Caruaru, take BR-104 in the direction of Campina Grande. At the Trevo do Cangaceiro de Pedra crossways, take state highway PE-145, which leads to Nova Jerusalém (22 kilometers).

Alternative routes: (i) BR-408, PE-90 and BR-104 (through Carpina, Surubim and Toritama); (ii) BR-408, PE-95 and BR-104 (through Carpina, Limoeiro, Passira, Riacho das Almas and Caruaru).

 * Recife: 184 km
 * Caruaru: 51 km
 * Campina Grande: 170 km
 * João Pessoa: 300 km

See

 * Historical buildings in the center of town. Colonial tiles from the 1700s and early 1800s.
 * Typical Northeastern street market
 * Serra da Prata Lookout (1,000 meters above sea level).
 * Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Bom Conselho Church
 * Matriz de São José Church (1792)
 * Casa da Câmara e Cadeia (1845), by French architect Louis Vauthier
 * Historical and Archeological Museum (Museu Histórico do Brejo da Madre de Deus)
 * Monumental Sculpture Park (Parque de Esculturas Monumentais Nilo Coelho) in Fazenda Nova. Gigantic granite figures sculpted by local artisans.  Inspired in themes from local culture and history.
 * Vila de Fazenda Nova, typical small village from Northeastern Brazil. Most extras in the Passion of Christ are locals from the village.  Public thermal waters.
 * Vila de Fazenda Nova, typical small village from Northeastern Brazil. Most extras in the Passion of Christ are locals from the village.  Public thermal waters.

Do
Traditional handicrafts. Sculptures in granite. Objects made with straw. Very fine "Renascença" lace ana embroidery.
 * Pedra do Cachorro (Dog Rock): adventure trails through caatinga vegetation. Trekking, climbing, rappelling in Fazenda Nova.
 * Pedra da Lua (Moon Rock): prehistorical cave paintings in Fazenda Nova.
 * Trekking in the Mata Atlântica forest in Fazenda Nova. Sobradinho and Araras waterfalls.
 * Forró dance.
 * Thematic dinners (Christian/Roman) in the city-theater.
 * Thematic dinners (Christian/Roman) in the city-theater.

Eat

 * Local cuisine includes dishes made from goat meat and macaxeira (also known as manioc or yucca).
 * Desserts include cocada (coconut-based sweet), cakes, sequilhos.

Drink

 * Carrot-based liquor and cocktails.

 * Pousada da Paixão, Teatro de Nova Jerusalém, tel.: +55 81 3732-1602.
 * Grande Hotel Fazenda Nova, tel.: +55 81 3732-1137
 * Parque Hotel Fazenda Nova, tel.: +55 81 3732-1119
 * Other options in Caruaru and Recife.

title: Brejo da Madre de Deus


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Bremen

The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen  is a city in northern Germany with a major port on the River Weser. The population is 567,000 (2020). It is also the name of one of the states of Germany which consists of two separated enclaves on the River Weser; the other enclave, Bremerhaven, is covered by its own article.

History
Bremen was once a member of the medieval Hanseatic League and is still one of the most important cities in northern Germany. Together with the city of Bremerhaven on the North Sea it forms Germany's smallest state. Bremen has more than 1200 years of history, and was, for most of its existence, an independent city-state.

Bremer Stadtmusikanten
The Bremer Stadtmusikanten (Town Musicians of Bremen) perhaps the most well known figures associated with Bremen are characters from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name. Their image adorns many of the souvenirs in the city. Next to the Town Hall is a much photographed statue of them.

Geography
Bremen is a rather long and narrow city, lining both sides of the river Weser. Along the north-west/south-east axis it stretches about 10 km, but across only 2 km. The entire city is located on flat plains.

Tourist information

 * Bremen tourism website

By plane
If you want a smooth intercontinental connection to Bremen, your best bet is to fly with Star Alliance or SkyTeam. Star Alliance founder Lufthansa flies from Bremen to their hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, sister airline Eurowings to Stuttgart, while other alliance member Scandinavian Airlines flies to Copenhagen and Turkish Airlines to Istanbul. SkyTeam's founders Air France-KLM fly to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam-Schiphol. You can connect to the alliances' vast networks of intercontinental - and European - connections there. If you are cost conscious, it might work out cheaper to forgo the domestic flight on the last leg and use an air rail alliance such as rail&fly instead. Though thanks to the quirky nature of airline pricing, the exact opposite may be the case.

Getting from the airport into town is quick, smooth and painless. Tram (Straßenbahn) 6 leaves right outside the main terminal building and takes you into downtown every 10 minutes during the day. Travel time is 10 minutes to downtown (Domsheide) and 16 minutes to the Main Railway Station (Hauptbahnhof).

Further afield, you can fly to Hamburg and Hannover. Both cities have frequent train connections with Bremen.

By train
Regular and frequent services connect with the rest of Germany. There are two trains every hour from Hamburg (1 hour) in the north, and Osnabrück (1 hour), Münster (1 hr 20 min), the Ruhr Area in the south, and from Hanover (1 hr 20 min). Flixtrain serves the city.

Train tickets can be quite expensive (unless bought in advance), and the cheapest way to travel can be to share a group ticket with other people. However, group tickets are not as cheap as they once were and often an early bird fare (starting from €19 for short routes) on a high-speed connection is cheaper and less stressful than dealing with group tickets which are almost always only valid on regional trains. For more on that issue see rail travel in Germany.

By bus
Flixbus has all but cornered the market.

By car
Autobahn 1 runs to Hamburg in the north and Cologne in the south, but do check the traffic information! The A27 goes north to Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven and south towards Hanover, Braunschweig, Berlin and other eastwards connections.

By foot
Much of Bremen (or at least the part frequented by tourists) can be negotiated by foot - the best way to explore the old city and its surrounding districts.

By shared car
Members of the Cambio car-sharing network, whether in Germany or Belgium, can hire cars - Bremen is the company's headquarters.

By train
Most trains are operated by Deutsche Bahn and even the local trains that aren't can be booked through their website.

In the west lie the cities Delmenhorst and Oldenburg and the Frisian islands. In the east you can travel to Verden, in the south to Osnabrück.

There are trains from the main station to the peripheral areas of Bremen (twice per hour to North Bremen, to Mahndorf via Sebaldsbrück and to Hemelingen.)

By bus/tram
Bremen offers an intensive public transportation network with trams and buses.

Public transport maps of Bremen are available in German. There are night buses and trams (indicated by an "N") running through almost the whole night on F/Sa and Sa/Su, departing at :30 each hour from central station. Fares on the night network are €1 in addition to normal individual, group or day fares (2013). You can buy tickets on the bus or tram, but is slightly cheaper to buy a set of 4 rides or a day pass for individuals or groups, or a weekly pass for individuals. Note that on trains, tickets must be purchased before you board. Public transportation timetables and ticket fares are available in English.

By taxi
Taxis are found nearly everywhere and every time, with a cost of about €1.25/km. There is no need to book a taxi in advance. Taxi drivers and call center employees may have difficulties to understand a phone call in English. The two main taxi companies are

By bike
You can rent bicycles at the railway station and several bike shops in Bremen. See details in German only. Bremen is the most bike-friendly city among the biggest German cities. Its former mayor Hennig Scherf is an avid cyclist (who despite the wishes of his bodyguards rode his bike every day to his office or he simply walked to the office.)

Do

 * Stroll around the city center and visit the Schnoor-Viertel with its old buildings - most were built between the 15th and 18th century. If you are interested in art, visit the Bremer Kunsthalle (museum of art) with one of North Germany's finest collections.
 * Football: SV Werder Bremen play soccer in Bundesliga, the top tier. Their home ground is the multi-purpose Weser Stadion (capacity 42,000) on the north riverbank, 1 km east of city centre. The women's team play in their top tier at a smaller ground at Weser Stadion.
 * If you want to see green fields, cows, and birds, visit "Blockland" (site in German with some pictures) where thousands of local bikers and inline skaters go every weekend to enjoy the agricultural side of Bremen. It is located just north of the university, between the Autobahn and the meandering river Wümme. You can bike or skate along the dyke that contains the river, have traditional coffee and cake at Landhaus Kuhsiel or Gartelmann's Gasthof, or eat gourmet organic ice cream at Biohof Kaemena (they also sell organic milk and cheese). In winter there is no ice cream but there is ice skating on the river and many small canals. In warmer months it is also possible to rent a canoe or kayak to explore the nature preserve from the water.
 * There is indoor ice skating at Paradice, the skating hall in Walle (site in German). Paradice is opened from October to February.
 * A good way to get in touch with the locals is to stroll along the river Weser on the scenic Osterdeich, where - in good weather - lots of little groups hanging out on the grassy hills may invite you to barbecue with them or have a beer.
 * Don't miss the beautiful Bürgerpark either, a large, well-maintained park right in the middle of the city, which has a little Central Park vibe to it. Have a drink in the renowned "Emma" Café, rent a boat and row around the ring-shaped pond, play mini-golf, visit the petting zoo, or simply sit on the grass and enjoy some tasty ice cream.

Events

 * January 6: "Eiswette": a funny tradition where a tailor checks if he can cross the river Weser without getting wet feet.
 * February: Carnival in Bremen, more South-American than Cologne style.
 * April: Easter market.
 * June: "Breminale" music/art festival along the River Weser.
 * August: International Bremen Summer circus festival "La Strada". "Festival Maritim" in Bremen-Vegesack (in the northern end of Bremen).
 * October (2nd half): "Freimarkt" (free market), one of the biggest and oldest fairground festivals in Germany, north of the railway station.
 * November: International Cutter Race / "Kutterpullen" tournament (rowing contest on the Weser river).
 * December: Christmas market around the town hall and Schlachte at the river Weser.

The monthly free event magazine MIX has hosts an event calendar online (German only).

Buy

 * Kluten are a traditional sweet from Bremen. They are cubes of peppermint, partly covered in chocolate. Hachez, near the Town Hall, is a traditional Bremen based chocolatier and their store is well worth a visit to buy the Kluten, though they are also available at many other places throughout the center.

Areas
 * Schnoor is a den of tight lanes selling boutique style products including jewelry, African artifacts, paper models and a year round Christmas shop. There are also a lot of shops selling tourist souvenirs.
 * Böttcherstraße, This wonderful Art Nouveau street has many outlets that cater to buyers of upmarket/high quality products.
 * Weekly markets are held on most of the squares around the Town Hall.
 * Lloyd Passage, Obernstraße, Sögestraße are the main shopping streets with all the main High Street chains.

Eat
Several cafes and restaurants line the "Schlachte" along the Weser river while other popular areas are the marketplace and the "Viertel" ("quarter") east of the Kunsthalle. Many traditional dishes from Bremen and Northern Germany are very satisfying. The region is famous for cabbage (Grünkohl- green cabbage), fish (smoked eel, herring, smelt in March), an old sailor's meal called Labskaus (lobscouse) consisting of mashed potatoes, corned beef, onions, fried egg and beetroot or chick ragout (very fine) as well as red fruit jelly or Butterkuchen (cake with yeast and topped with lots of butter, sugar and almonds). You can find some fish restaurants in Böttcherstraße. "Knigge" is the name of a traditional coffee house in Bremen.

Bremen culinary specialties are Knipp (smoked sausage), Labskaus, (fried corned beef with onions and mashed potatoes) and Braunkohl (leaf cabbage)

Drink
The world-wide known Beck's Beer is brewed in Bremen. Guided brewery tours in English and German are offered Thursdays - Saturdays. The tour costs €10.50/person and lasts approximately 2 hours.

The Ratskeller is a wine cellar and restaurant with a famous collection of wines and the oldest wines in Germany.

There are many bars, pubs and cafes in Bremen: the Schlachte along the Weser and the Viertel, a young and lively quarter.

If you like beer and pretzels, try the Schüttinger brewery house (next to Böttcherstraße) where several types of beer are brewed and served directly.

Go next

 * Hamburg
 * Bremerhaven
 * Oldenburg
 * Verden

These are all accessible by rail; the Niedersachsen ticket is cost effective for a day trip.

title: Bremen


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Bremen (Georgia)

Bremen is in the West High Country of Georgia.

title: Bremen (Georgia)


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Bremerhaven

Bremerhaven is a medium-sized town in the state of Bremen, on the outer Weser in northwestern Germany. It is famous for its large harbour, one of the biggest in Germany for passenger traffic, apart from Hamburg. A political part of Bremen, Bremerhaven is geographically separated and surrounded by the federal-state of Lower Saxony.

Understand
Bremerhaven is about 50 km north of Bremen. It was founded in the 19th century as a new port of the hanseatic city. Bremerhaven means in English literally "Bremener Harbour".

Bremerhaven retains its function as an important international harbour covering large area north of the city, but Bremerhaven is also a city of modern science: several scientific institutions lead by Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research are based in Bremerhaven.

It has a fine selection of museums, galleries, family activities, events and shopping making it an increasingly attractive tourist spot at German North Sea coast.

Get in
Bremerhaven can be reached from Bremen and Hamburg.

By plane
You might find reference in older works to an which was shut down in 2016. The nearest bigger airport is in Bremen. A big international airport is in Hamburg and if you are flying across the Atlantic, you will most likely arrive there or have a layover in Frankfurt airport.

By train
The  is located in central Bremerhaven. Trains arrive from throughout Germany via Bremen with Deutsche Bahn as well as withEVB from Hamburg via Buxtehude.

By car
Bremerhaven can easily reached by car from Bremen, via the A27 northbound, if you take exit 10 from the A27 you can follow the road directly to the Fishdock (Fischereihafen).

By boat
A ferry Weserfähre serves the port from Nordenham.

Additionally, in summer season, numerous cruise ships dock...their passengers taking local tours of the city, or Bremen or Hamburg.

By camper
From the A27 take exit 10. There are two special parking areas for mobile homes in the town, both are very good, one at the Fischkai (fish wharf) and the other at the Doppelschleuse (double ship lock) a 10-min walk from the town centre. Both places are signposted.

By bus
Bremerhaven was one of the last German cities to lose its tramway and there are no plans of building one again, so for the most part you're limited to buses.

See

 * Overseas Harbour with its big ships and the huge container and car storages.

Do

 * Take a harbour tour.
 * Visit the Weser Lido which is located in the city center.
 * A trip with the Weser-ferry Bremerhaven-Nordenham, enjoy the city-panorama.
 * A trip with the Weser-ferry Bremerhaven-Nordenham, enjoy the city-panorama.

Drink
A lot of small bars are located at the Alte Bürger.

Go next

 * The numerous beaches around the town are worth a visit, especially the ones in Dorum Neufeld, or Wremen.
 * Go further north to Cuxhaven or explore the North Sea.
 * Bremen, the metropolis of the state consisting of Bremerhaven and itself, up the Weser river

title: Bremerhaven


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Bremerton

Bremerton is located on the Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound region of Washington state. Bremerton is a safe, environmentally clean community within an hour's ferry ride from downtown Seattle where you can visit the Navy destroyer Turner Joy, stroll along a delightful block-long waterfront promenade and check out the new Kitsap Conference Center Plaza with its fascinating fountains, and enjoy a bounty of seasonal community events and concerts.

Understand
Downtown Bremerton is experiencing a renaissance, starting with the new Transportation Center, Kitsap Conference Center and a new hotel on the city's waterfront. A new government center, which provides combined governmental services in a single building, anchors the town's revitalized core.

Already contributing to the downtown revitalization are art galleries, the Admiral Theatre, museums and many quaint shops and restaurants.

Downtown has three museums, in one block, within walking distance of the ferries.

History
Native American Salish people lived comfortably in the Puget Sound area navigating the local waterways in well made cedar canoes for thousands of years before 1792 when Captain George Vancouver 'discovered' the area, named it after one of his officers and declared the area for Great Briton.

Once the Washington Territory was established in 1853, the U.S. government began signing treaties with area tribes to acquire their lands. The Suquamish people ceded most of their land around the Kitsap Peninsula to the United States and logging came into the area in full force. The areas once impassible thick forests gave way to farms, towns and industry as lumber was shipped off to areas such as San Francisco or burned as fuel for the growing fleet of boats known as the Mosquito Fleet. In 1888, William Bremer, a German immigrant from a wealthy banking family, traveled by boat from Seattle and purchased land that is now Bremerton from a local logger.

In 1891, Bremer negotiated with Lt. A.B. Wyckoff to sell 190 acres to the U.S. Navy for Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, still a major employer. Bremer platted the town around the Navy's property and gave it his name. He opened businesses to support the Navy's activities.

The City of Bremerton was incorporated in 1901. The Bremerton Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in 1928 with William Gates, Sr., grandfather of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, as treasurer.

The town exploded in size during World War I and II, when more than 40,000 workers arrived to work at the shipyard. Since then fortunes have been through boom and bust and the town is now revitalizing the downtown area.

By car
Main Highways to Bremerton are WA Highway 3 from Shelton, north through the county to the Hood Canal Bridge near the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. From Tacoma and Interstate 5, take WA Highway 16 north from Tacoma across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge until it combines with WA Highway 3 near Gorst.

By private boat
Arriving by water, you'll find a large, destination public marina making Bremerton a favored boating venue with a central location for exploring the area but there is a buffer zone around US Navy vessels and facilities.

By bus
Kitsap Transit offers transit services throughout Bremerton and between Bremerton, to Silverdale, Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island, Port Orchard. They also operate the foot ferry between Port Orchard, Bremerton and the Annapolis Ferry Terminals (see "By foot ferry" below). Kitsap Transit connects with Mason Transit Rt #3 (Mason County) at the Bremerton Ferry Terminal; Pierce Transit (Pierce County) in Purdy Park & Ride; and Jefferson Transit Rt# 7 (Jefferson County) at the Poulsbo North Viking Transit Center.

See

Birdwatching
The Kitsap Audubon Society has been actively meeting since 1972 and has a broad coalition of birders actively tracking and sharing sightings since then. They also maintain an active website with updates of the latest sightings, suggestions on areas for birders and even a regular newsletter. They also developed a checklist of birds likely to be seen birds in the area.

The state Audubon society developed 'The Great Audubon Birding Trail' which includes key migration flyways. Flyways are major north-south routes of travel for migratory birds and likely areas to see birds along the route extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Lions Park in Bremerton is one of only a handful of areas in the region named to this list.

Scuba diving
Diving the cold waters of Puget Sound takes a bit more gear and training than other warm water locations, but the rewards are incredible. The area contains some of the best diving in the world and many areas are accessible from the Kitsap Peninsula. Many dive sites are completely covered with colorful sea creatures that defy description. Giant Pacific Octopus are common, along with friendly wolf eels. Colorful sponges, sea cucumbers, sea stars, soft corals, anemones and fish can be seen on nearly every dive. The state has offers a guide to parks with launch sites HERE

Sea kayaking
With two local sea kayaking clubs based here, Bremerton is clearly a popular place for this sport with miles of coastline allowing the paddler a closer and slower look at their surroundings and exploring both urban and rural surrounding areas. Harbor Seals, Otters, Sea Lions, Bald Eagles and Blue Herons are common sites while the occasional viewing of an Orca or Grey Whale is not out of the question.

Buy
Wheaton Way (WA Highway 303) is a major commercial road that extends from Bremerton across the Warren Avenue Bridge several miles north to Silverdale, the commercial district of Kitsap County. Food, motels and other businesses are available along Kitsap Way between the WA Highway 3 interchange and downtown Bremerton.

Drink
In the immediate downtown area there are three newer bars: and a beer and fry place called
 * The Bremerton Bar and Grill, 190 Pacific Ave, +1 360 627-8081
 * The Toro Lounge, 315 Pacific Ave, +1 360 813-1910
 * Fritz European Fry House, 94 Washington Ave (hiding behind the taco place) +1 360 479-1088

There are two other very worthy neighborhood places to go:

 * The Hi-fidelity, 2711 6th St, +1 360 373-5454 (very funky)

Go next
According to a Seattle newspaper, the Kitsap Peninsula has three of the top four golf courses in the state - The City of Bremerton's Gold Mountain Golf Course with its award-winning Olympic and Cascade courses, Kitsap Golf and Country Club, and McCormick Woods.

title: Bremerton


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Brenham

Brenham is a city in the Post Oak Savannah region of Texas. It is the county seat of Washington, County and is about halfway between Houston and Austin on U.S. Highway 290. Brenham is largely known throughout Texas for its proximity to the Birthplace of Texas (Washington, Texas) and its largest employer, Blue Bell Creameries.

Brenham has a humid subtropical climate so expect very hot, humid summers. Conversely, the winters are very mild, and the coldest temperatures of the year rarely get below freezing.

By car

 * U.S. Highway 290 runs through Brenham, linking it with Austin and Houston.

By bus
Brenham has no inter-city bus service, as of June 2022.

Get around
Like most towns in Texas, driving around in a car is preferred. The downtown area is conducive to walking, but to go anywhere else in the community, having a car or knowing locals who can give you a ride somewhere is a must. The summers can be brutal (well over daily) so don't plan on much walking between July and mid-September.

Ride-share services, like Uber and Lyft, are intermittently available due to a lack of drivers in the area. Don't rely on them. Renting a car is the most reasonable way to get around the area if arriving by any means other than your own car.

Buy
Brenham and the surrounding area is known across the state as being a great place to buy antiques. Also, if you have never been to Brenham, do yourself a favor and find a place to sample a scoop of some Blue Bell Ice Cream. It is sold at many locations throughout the community.

Drink
Beer, wine, and spirits are readily available at several locations across town.

title: Brenham


text:
Brentwood

There is more than one place called Brentwood:

England

 * Brentwood (England) - A town in Essex.

United States of America

 * Brentwood (California) - a town in Contra Costa County of the state of California.
 * Brentwood, Los Angeles - a suburb of Los Angeles/West.
 * Brentwood (Maryland) - a town in the state of Maryland.
 * Brentwood (Missouri) - a town in the state of Missouri.
 * Brentwood (New Hampshire) - a town in the state of New Hampshire.
 * Brentwood (New York) - a town in the state of New York.
 * Brentwood (Pennsylvania) - a town in the state of Pennsylvania.
 * Brentwood (Tennessee) - a town in the state of Tennessee.

title: Brentwood


text:
Brentwood (California)

Brentwood is an affluent, suburban city in eastern Contra Costa County, California with a popular downtown for visitors coming from the Sacramento Valley to the county. It serves as one of the gateways to the East Bay, along with Discovery Bay, Livermore and Byron. Many in the city are commuters.

Get in
Highway 4 passes through the western and southern edges of Brentwood. Follow signs to get to downtown Brentwood. A possible BART extension has been discussed but has yet to materialize; in the meantime, Tri Delta Transit buses connect Brentwood to Antioch BART station.

By taxi
Taxi service is available, but on a much reduced scale as compared to major cities and you won't be able to hail a cab; it is necessary to call and arrange for a taxi to pick you up. Rates are fixed by city ordinance and do not vary among companies.

title: Brentwood (California)


text:
Brentwood (England)

Brentwood is a large town, near Chelmsford in Essex.

By car
Brentwood is accessible by car via the A12.

By train
Both stations are served by the Elizabeth line (Crossrail) from Reading, which also goes to Abbey Wood and Heathrow Airport. Brentwood is in TfL fare zone 9 and can be reached via an Oyster or Travelcard, however, Shenfield requires a train ticket.

Get around
You can easily get to Brentwood's high street by foot or by one of the taxis always waiting at the station.

High Street
The High Street retains a few buildings from the 15th and 16th centuries but unlike in nearby Chipping Ongar and Billericay, these are spaced too widely apart to appeal to the casual visitor. Many of the High Street's older buildings are obscured by later frontages, notably the former White Hart Inn, which boasts a galleried 16th-century courtyard behind its neo-Georgian facade. The building now houses a nightclub and is only accessible to customers.

All but one of Brentwood High Street's traditional pubs have given way to chain eateries and drinking has shifted from the eastern to the western end of the road, where large theme pubs have taken over former retail spaces.

The exception is The Swan, an ancient inn rebuilt in the early 20th century. William Hunter a Protestant martyr, was burnt at the stake in Brentwood in 1555 at the age of 19 after being caught reading the bible in the chapel. Hunter, who had refused to accept the Catholic dogma of transubstantiation, is said to have spent the night before his execution at The Swan. A memorial to Hunter stands just beyond the eastern end of the High Street in Shenfield Road.

Behind the monument, a group of three old houses dating from the 15th-18th centuries faces a pleasant grassy area but the view is ruined by an ugly metal fence erected by Brentwood School to block public access.

The former grammar school, now independent, was founded in 1557 by the local justice Antony Browne, who had prosecuted Hunter. Its main buildings are on Ingrave Road around the corner, including the original 16th-century schoolroom and the red-brick, Edwardian Main School.

Continuing along Ingrave Road, Brentwood's Catholic Cathedral is on the western side. Designed by Quinlan Terry and completed in 1991, it was the first cathedral in England built in the classical manner since St Paul's in London.

Past the cathedral, on the corner of Queen's Road, is an elegant 19th-century villa, a rarity in the area, which may soon disappear as part of Brentwood Council's plans to redevelop its nearby headquarters.

Down Queen's Road, opposite the Spread Eagle pub is the entrance to a churchyard which leads back to the High Street via St Thomas Road, past the 19th-century St Thomas Church (rarely open outside of services).

The town's former post office, a splendid red-brick building, is on the corner of High Street and St Thomas' road. It has been empty since post office services were transferred to WH Smith in the Bay Tree Centre and its future is uncertain.

Brentwood has made some superficial gestures of preserving its heritage, but an expensive repaving scheme and the installation of generic cast iron street furniture were more than offset by the demolition of a 19th-century pub as part of a road-widening scheme and the destruction of a row of medieval houses in the former market area in Hart Street to the west. These have been replaced by pastiche townhouses of varying sentimental, anachronistic design and height, complete with a self-styled landmark clock tower. Thankfully the 18th-century Gardener's Arms pub was spared.

Where Hart Street meets King's Road at the end of the High Street, the visitor in search of further sights can admire a piece of municipal artwork commemorating the millennium.

On a clear day, from this end of the High Street, the visitor can look due west and admire a by-now-enticing view of the tall buildings in the City of London.

TOWIE
There are tours available of the locations of the popular television show The Only Way is Essex.

Do
For those who enjoy clubbing, the Eclipse club/pub is an option. If you're looking for somewhere actually designed for young people the Hermit Club showcases (mostly) local bands on Wednesdays and Fridays from 7ish until late and although prices vary it is unlikely that you'll spend more than £5 getting in.

Buy
Brentwood has the usual array of British chain shops, including Argos, Marks & Spencer, Robert Dyas, mobile phone brands and a rather feeble Waterstones. As in most towns of its size, trade is dominated by and dependent on a single major supermarket, here Sainsbury's, which occupies the site of the town's former Thermos Flask factory and open-air swimming pool. Locals now work and swim elsewhere.

The future of many of the shops appears to be uncertain. Shops have fallen victim to the financial downturn or the draw of nearby Lakeside Shopping Centre or the expensive parking, depending on one's point of view.

On the bright side, for the wealthier shopper, Curry's has been replaced by an expensive cookware shop and Sainsbury's offers free parking for people who spend money at Sainsbury's. One useful insider tip: all of Brentwood's pubs operate a similar scheme, offering free drinks and parking in exchange for pounds sterling.

Drink
People come from miles around to drink in Brentwood, for some this is a good reason to avoid the place. The High Street and surrounding roads are chock full of bars and pubs, ranging from the quiet cosy "local" pubs to the C-list celebrity-packed and extremely loud Sugar Hut Village although be wary, they don't just serve drinks there.

The days are long gone of squaddies brawling with teddy boys in the High Street after the long crawl through patriotically-named, military pubs from the barracks at Warley. Nowadays, young male and female civilians brawl outside the Sugar Hut with firefighters.

Almost all of the once wonderful pubs on the outskirts of Brentwood have been ruined, but at least have a nice setting for a drink outside on a sunny day.

Connect
As of Feb 2023, Brentwood and its approach roads have 4G from O2, Three and Vodafone, and 5G from EE.

title: Brentwood (England)


text:
Brentwood (Tennessee)

Brentwood is a city in Tennessee.

See
Parks

title: Brentwood (Tennessee)


text:
Brescia

Brescia is a rich industrial city in Lombardy between Lake Garda, Lake Iseo and the Valtrompia in the foothills of the Alps, about 100 km east of Milan, and the capital of the province of Brescia.

Understand
While the province is rich in scenic and popular tourist destinations, including the shore of the Lake Garda, Brescia itself is less known for tourists. One may that due to its heavily industrialized cityscape it can be found not as interesting compared to other major cities of Lombardy.

Yes, Brescia is famous for its industrial past and for its role as a major manufacturing centre: numerous factories produce weapons (including the famous Beretta pistols) and cutlery/kitchen accessories. This industry has brought the city tremendous wealth and prestige since the 1960s, to the point that an entire second city—the imaginatively named Brescia 2--has sprung up on the south side of the city's original boundaries.

Also, vintage car aficionados flock to Brescia to witness the start and final of the Mille Miglia race, and wine lovers appreciate the local fine Franciacorta wines.

Brescia, however, also has another face, having been founded over three millenniums ago in the times of the Roman Empire, of which several remains can be found, and it remained an important city throughout the early Middle Ages, with the local monastic complex earning a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list (see Longobards in Italy, Places of Power (568–774 A.D.)).

Brescia is a city rich in history, flavours and artistic monuments of great importance. Visiting this city is like taking a dip in the most ancient history. In addition, Brescia is a city that offers a lot from a naturalistic point of view despite its large industrial size. The most popular excursions and trips among visitors who are passionate about outdoor sports are the itineraries that lead to the eastern hills, Mount Maddalena and Cidneo, where the first inhabited centre developed. Alongside the artistic part of the city, rich in museums and legends, there is a hyper-modern part consisting of the subway that allows the visitor to pass through the territory of the city from one side to the other. An easy itinerary to do on foot in the historic centre is the "street of museums" in the historic centre, which includes most of the most important museums in the province.

By plane

The other close airports are:
 *  Bergamo Airport (aka Milan Orio al Serio, 50 km away, and is served by low-fare flights from all over Europe)
 * Verona Airport (50 km away)
 * Milano Linate (100 km away)
 * Milano Malpensa Airport (150 km away).

By train
You can reach Brescia by any train from the expensive Eurostars to the cheap and slow regionale commuter trains.

By bus
There are 2 bus hubs located near the railway station.

By car
Brescia is reachable using the following motorway: The ring roads around Brescia are: the Tangenziale Sud, or Tangenziale Alcide De Gasperi, which goes around the town to the south, and the Tangenziale Ovest is a municipal road, classified as urban, which goes around the town to the west.
 * Autostrada A4 Italia.svg(Torino-Trieste), exits: Brescia Ovest, Brescia Centro, Brescia Est;
 * Autostrada A21 Italia.svg(Torino-Brescia), exits: Brescia Centro, Brescia Sud;
 * Autostrada A35 Italia.svg (Brescia-Bergamo-Milano).

Brescia is crossed by the following state and regional roads:

 * State road 11 Padana Superiore
 * State road 510 Sebina Orientale
 * State road 235 of Orzinuovi
 * State road 45 bis Gardesana Occidentale
 * State road 345 of the Three Valleys

Directions from the most famous cities in Northern Italy:

 * From Milan head towards A51 passing the junction for Tangenziale Est / Lecco / Tangenziale Nord / Turin / Venice / Usmate Velate / Malpensa Airport. Then predente the exit for A4 / E64 towards Venice. Continue towards the Brescia Ovest exit. From there you will find directions to the city center.
 * From Venice, first take the A13 / Bologna / Padua / SS309 / Ravenna, then the A57 to Milan / Bologna and the A4 to Brescia.
 * From Mantua, first take the A22 / E45 to Brennero / Milan / Venice then the E70 / A4 towards Milan / Venice / Verona Sud, finally follow the signs for Milan / Brescia and enter the A4 / E70.
 * From Parma take the A1 / E35 and then the A21 / E70.
 * From Cremona: A21 motorway, Brescia est exit
 * From Turin: A21 motorway, passing through Piacenza, head towards Brescia and exit at Brescia est

Get around
The compact historical centre of the city has a bus system that works well for inhabitants and other commuters.

To get to the outer districts, you can take advantage of Brescia's metro, opened in 2013, making it the smallest city in the world with an underground train system. It features the same driverless automated system as in Copenhagen but with even more spectacular station designs.

The Brescia metro is an automatic light metro line, whose construction began in 2003, and inaugurated on 2 March 2013, which connects the northern districts of the city to those of the south-east area, passing through the historic centre. It uses a fully automatic rapid rail transport system designed and built by Ansaldo-STS, similar to the one already built for the Copenhagen metro.

The route is limited to the municipal area only and extends for 13 km. There are 17 stations, of which eight in a deep tunnel, five in a covered trench, two located along the surface section and two on the viaduct.

The frequency varies from 4 minutes during peak hours to 10 minutes at night or less crowded. Each station is equipped with automatic cash machines, but if you are in a hurry, buy your ticket in advance at a newsagent or tobacconist. There are no turnstiles, but the ticket must be validated before entering the platform. Metro stations are (from north to south).

Much of the rest of the area, including the Franciacorta wine district and nearby museums such as that of the Mille Miglia automobile race, is more easily accessible by car.

See
Brescia is home to several great museums. However, since it is not a primary tourist city, very few English translations are provided, and even if they are, translations are often so poor that you may prefer to try the Italian explanations.

Do
The city's medieval historical center, with shopping districts, open markets (try Via San Faustino and Piazza della Loggia on Saturdays), gelaterias, etc., is a good example of city life untrammeled by tourism.

Travelers might find interesting that, due to the city's industry, Brescia is however a major immigrant center. The Via San Faustino neighborhood, with its cheap housing for both immigrants and university students, is an example of cultural integration that you won't find anywhere else in Italy.

 * Football: Brescia play soccer in Serie B, the second tier. Their home ground Stadio Mario Rigamonti (capacity 21,000) is 4 km north of city centre.
 * Football: Brescia play soccer in Serie B, the second tier. Their home ground Stadio Mario Rigamonti (capacity 21,000) is 4 km north of city centre.

Learn
If you are truly fascinated by the nearly endless parade of invaders that oppressed the city for the past 2000 years—the Romans, the Lombards, the Venetians, and the French, to name the longer-lasting ones—you'll find many historical sites and museums. The city's collection of religious art is housed by several museums. You can buy a yearlong, unlimited pass to the museums for 20 Euro, 15 for students. Brescia has a very old and well regarded university. The medical school, due to its proximity to the large regional hospital, is particularly well regarded. Brescia is not a common or canny destination for study abroad students.

Buy
The historic centre of the city has an active shopping district, with numerous clothing and jewellery stores. City residents enjoy strolling through the stretches from the Portici (shopping porticos built literally on top of their similarly styled and utilized Roman antecedents in the heart of the downtown) to Piazza della Loggia.

Eat
Try the true "bresciano" food, including casoncelli (called in Brescian dialect "casonsei"), homemade tortellini with beef, served with "Burro versato" (spilled Butter) and sage with sprinkling of Parmigiano. Try the polenta (in winter only) a mush made with durum wheat, Polenta taragna is mixed with homemade cheeses and butter. Try the amazing spiedo (in winter only) roasted larks and pork meat cooked for 6–7 hours in oven with butter and flavours or on grill. It's very typically Bresciano!

The Brescia cuisine is based on dishes with strong and decisive flavors that fully reflect the territory and the products and raw materials come exclusively from the hilly areas, from the mountain areas and from the lake areas.

Let's see what are some of the best typical dishes of Brescia that you absolutely must not give up:

The traditional cuisine of Brescia reflects the territory of its province; vast hilly, mountainous, wooded and lake areas, in fact the gastronomy of Brescia is marked by tastes and dishes where land and lake are combined. Some of these typical products are oil (produced in the area of Lake Garda), Bagoss (a hard mountain cheese, extremely tasty), Franciacorta wines (especially sparkling wines produced exclusively in the Brescia area which have surpassed even those French in many international competitions).
 * Casoncelli alla Bresciana
 * Risotto alla Pitocca
 * Beef in oil
 * Caicc (Ravioli di Breno)
 * Local cured meats and cheeses
 * polenta taragna
 * Bresciana-style rabbit
 * Stuffed pigeon
 * Brescia spit
 * Whitefish alla Bresciana
 * Fried lake fish

What to eat in Brescia to taste the typical local cuisine? The typical Brescian dishes you should try during your stay in Brescia are:
 * The spit which is the main dish of Brescia, typically originating from Valtrompia, consisting of a mixture of pieces of meat (pork, beef and birds) strung on raffia and simmered for many hours. During slow cooking, the meat is continually sprinkled with a butter and sage-based sauce, making it moist and tastier, while the external part of the bites of meat, with this particular cooking, remain crunchy.
 * Beef with Rovato oil: The name of this beef in oil refers to a town in the province of Brescia, precisely Rovato. The main thing to prepare an excellent beef with oil is the quality of the meat which must be a young cut, low in fat and low in fibrous. The piece of poached meat is filled, by means of pockets engraved on the 4 sides, with chopped celery, carrots and onions; it is then floured and sautéed in oil blended with white wine. The meat thus obtained is then cooked in abundant water, so that all the ingredients come to form a thick sauce.
 * Brescian-style rabbit: Composed of pieces of rabbit cooked in the oven and softened by butter, lard and Lugana wine; it is usually accompanied by polenta and potatoes.
 * Polenta taragna: It is assumed that the name “taragna” derives from the “tarèl”, a stick needed to continuously stir the polenta, preventing it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Polenta taragna is prepared with selected wholemeal corn flours, such as Quarantino corn flour and buckwheat corn, all types of corn found in the Brescia area.
 * Casoncelli in Brescia style: Casoncelli are made from triangular or rectangular egg pasta, classically filled with cooked ham, Parmesan cheese and nutmeg. The variations of the filling are however many: with raw ham, with pumpkin, with minced meat.
 * Bossolà: It is the typical dessert of traditional Brescia cuisine, consisting of a very tall and soft donut, covered with powdered sugar. It is usually served accompanied by custard, chocolate or mascarpone.
 * Brescia biscuits: The appearance is that of a simple biscuit, but when you taste it you will understand that they are truly special. The ingredients are the classic biscuit ingredients: flour, milk, sugar, butter, honey, vanilla and Marsala. But the peculiarity of the Brescia biscuits is given by the fact that they are cooked twice: the first time they are baked to make the mass of dough cook, the second time to brown the surface. It is the dexterity of the skilled pastry chefs of Brescia that make the biscuits truly special, products absolutely to be tasted.

As with most of Lombard cuisine, Brescian cooking features more beef and butter and more hearty, German-style dishes than the rest of Italy. Excellent pizzerias abound, including Al Teatro (by the theater and portici on the corner of Via Giuseppe Mazzini and Via Giuseppe Zanardelli) and the South-American styled Tempio Inca Pizzeria (Piazzale Arnaldo).

Authentic Brescian osterias and trattorias are common on the north side of the city center, but you will find that the best are out of the way and, purposefully, rather hard to find. Try to find the Contrada Santa Chiara, a dark side street parallel to Via San Faustino, where just off Via Dei Musei (close to the Roman Ruins and Santa Giulia), you'll find several highly authentic and inexpensive osterias including Osteria al Bianchi.

Cafe culture is just as prominent here as elsewhere, and there are several great coffee and aperitivo spots. Try the Due Stelle on Via San Faustino (also a great restaurant), or any of several cafe/restaurants just north of the Duomos between the Piazza Paulo VI and Via Dei Musei, which feature drinks and unlimited gourmet aperitivo buffets for under 6 Euro.

Drink
Franciacorta wines are easily found. They're excellent, world famous, and very expensive. Try some of the non-DOC labels, which avoid EU regulations in order to preserve centuries-old vineyard traditions.

Brescia is also one of the most night-active city in the whole Italy, because of the industrial wealth. Brescian youths (and Lombardians in general) are famous for partying the night way — every single night. Many hotspots for locals can be found outside the city; in the center try Piazzale Arnaldo on the eastern edge and Borgo Pietro Wuhrer about 5 km east of the center on Via Venezia.

 * Borgo Wührer: lots of beautiful bars such as Nacio, Hico de puta, BW Cafè, Pappavero, and more.
 * Borgo Wührer: lots of beautiful bars such as Nacio, Hico de puta, BW Cafè, Pappavero, and more.

Sleep
Because it's not a primary tourist destination, Brescia is a bit short on hospitality, especially in the budget range. You'll find a few budget hotels in shadier parts of the city, and some nicer ones close to the train station. For hostels, you're out of luck, and bed and breakfasts are recommended but only if you have a car, as they're usually found in the surrounding towns.

Go next
Brescia is close to the lakes of Iseo and Garda. You can take trains and buses to the lakes. The ones who travels with a car will find scenic drives there and elsewhere around the city.

Brescia is also so close to other cities more proximate to natural beauty (e.g. Milan, Como, Iseo, Verona, Mantua, and many more), that you may want to just use one of them as a base.

The Franciacorta region south of the Lake Iseo boasts opportunities to taste some of the finest (and most expensive) wines in Italy, as well as tour vineyards and cantinas.

Hiking and biking in the alpine foothills around the city are open to more physically fit and adventurous travellers.

title: Brescia


text:
Brest

There is more than one place called Brest:

Belarus

 * Brest (Belarus) — a city in Brest Oblast

France

 * Brest (France) — a city in Finistère, Brittany

title: Brest


text:
Brest (Belarus)

Brest (Belarusian: Брэст; Russian: Брест) is a border town in the south-west corner of Belarus, near Terespol in Poland. Brest is a city closely linked to the history of Central and Eastern Europe and the ever-changing borders. One aspect of the city that shows this is its architecture, with parts of Brest quite Polish in character. However the eastern links are also strong, with beautiful orthodox churches and some prime examples of Soviet building styles.

Understand
Brest is a city with a long and complex history, and at different times it has been part of different countries and linked to different cultures. First mentioned in 11th century chronicles, Brest was a city in the eastern part of Kievan Rus. Later it became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually in the 16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. When, in the late 18th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned between Prussia, Russia and Austria at the end of the 18th century, Brest became part of Russia on the newly created eastern border with Austria. After the First World War Poland was re-established as a country and gained control of Brest and of most of today's western Belarus. In 1939 this area was again annexed, this time by the Soviet Union, and became part of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Brest became a city in the modern Belarus.

The city has been invaded many times and often laid to waste. In the 13th century it was the Mongols, in the 14th the Teutonic Knights. The khan of Crimea burned it down in the 15th century and in the 17th and 18th centuries it was invaded by Swedish armies. In the middle of the 19th century the town was completely demolished in order to make place for the new Brest fortress. The new Brest was built 2 km eastwards. It did not last long, because in 1915 the retreating Russian army burned the town to the ground and took the population to the east. Then the Germans marched in. It was also here that the new Bolshevik government signed the Treat of Brest-Litovsk with the Central Powers in 1918, thus taking Russia out of World War I, but having to pay reparations and cede territory to the Central Powers in exchange. After the war the city was rebuilt, many parts of the city centre by Jews.

In September 1939 the Germans marched in again, just to hand the town and fortress over to the Soviets a few days later. In 1941 the Germans understood that they better had taken Brest and the fortress for themselves, they marched in again, this time with heavy losses, fighting went on for several days (not for a month as later was stated by Soviet propaganda). Brest escaped the fate of Minsk which was laid to waste in the Second World War, but the entire Jewish population (about 44%) was killed (see Holocaust remembrance). This loss of human lives was one of the greatest catastrophes in the city's history, but there hardly is any public commemoration of this. On ul. Kujbysheva there is a small monument to the killed Jews, and that's it. The main synagogue on ul. Sovetskaya was converted into a cinema (cinema "Belarus'") and until now was not returned to the Jewish community.

If you are interested in getting to know something about the Jewish history of Brest you won't find anything in the state museums. The Soviet ban of the topic is lifted, but still the topic is omitted. The only small exhibition about Jews in Brest and the Shoah is organised by a Jewish NGO (see below). A totally innovative project to spread information on the topic is the audio performance "Brest Stories Guide" by the theatre "Kryly Khalopa" (see below), but it is in Russian only, so far.

Get in
Train, car, bus connections are with the local town on the Polish side, Terespol. Poland observes daylight saving time and Belarus doesn't, meaning there's a time difference of either one or two hours depending on the time of year.

Formalities
Western parts of Brest oblast form the so-called “Brest tourist region” foreigners from EU and some other western countries can visit without a visa for up to 15 days. Instead of a visa a tourist voucher for about €12 is needed. These can be obtained online from travel agencies like “Grodno Visa Free” or “Belarus visa free”. For stays longer than five workdays (Saturday is a workday!) a registration at the migration office is needed. If you stay in a hotel, registration formalities will be done by the hotel. Individual travellers must either go to the OVIR, queue, fill in forms and so on, or do it online on the site of the Ministry for Internal Affairs. Health insurance is needed, but not necessarily from a Belarusian company. Registration is free of charge.

By train
Situated at the border between European Union and the CIS countries, Brest is a great place for train travel. The train from Warsaw by Polish Railways (PKP) runs once a day and costs 150 zł. Alternatively, you can take a connection to Terespol on the other side of the border from Brest for 40-60 zł, and then take the very cheap (10 Belarus rubles via BŽD website) commuter train across the border which runs twice a day (leaving Terespol at 10:26 and 21:05, February 2019). Check the Belarusian Railway website, as the PKP one may not show the local trains leaving from Terespol.

Watch out when connecting to the Terespol-Brest commuter train. Leave enough time to pass customs at the station and board the train, since it closes at least 15 minutes before departure (the platform will be closed).

Connections with other cities in Belarus by BŽD are plenty, to Minsk there are up to 20 per day (taking on average 3 hr 40 min to 4 hr), and costing less than 10 rubles. Most other trains connecting Europe and Russia also call at Brest.

Brest is also the starting point for several east-bound long-distance trains, services to Kyiv, Moscow and Saint Petersburg are daily while others such as Astana, Irkutsk and Volgograd departs 3-4 times a week. A connection to the Arctic capital of Murmansk departs 1-2 times a week. In the other direction there are several trains heading to Sochi and other vacation hotspots along the Black Sea coast. Most of these connections are operated by Russian Railways.

When leaving Belarus, be aware that customs control at station is not very obvious. About an hour or so before the train leaves, people will be waiting at a railing next to some glass walls which look they open up to some rather bland and unused empty room. They look a bit like people waiting for arrivals at an airport, except that it's not obvious who they are waiting for. In fact, they are waiting for the customs office to open. If leaving Belarus, join the queue a good deal of time before your train leaves. By arriving 10–15 minutes before the train leaves, chances are good that the train will leave without you, not because the queue is too long, but just because the rules are strict.

As of 2018, there is no such control for trains leaving to Poland. Just board the train a few minutes before its departure.

By car
See Belarus. There are six control lines of various sorts at the crossing. Allow something like 2 hours to get through them all.

If you are already in Terespol and need to cross over to Brest, you can walk over to the border crossing and "hitchhike" across with one of the cars that is already towards front of the line. They might be happy to take you across as they can "assign" some goods as belonging to you for the purposes of customs. Just go along with the arrangement. Alternatively, they might ask for a modest payment of US$5 or so.

By bus
The new (2019) Brest Bus station (Avtovokzal) is next to the railway station. Domestic and international buses stop here. Mostly the bus tickets are cheaper than railway tickets. The journey from Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West-Station) to Brest takes some four to five hours (one way about ).

Get around
Transport within Brest city is very regular, with many different bus routes through the city, and also regular trolley-buses through the city. Taxis are also easy to order and "marshrutkas" also operate throughout the city. The main attractions are all within walking distance.

See

 * Brest City Park for a pleasant walk on a summer afternoon. Beware of millions of mosquitoes descending in the evening.
 * Brest City Park for a pleasant walk on a summer afternoon. Beware of millions of mosquitoes descending in the evening.
 * Brest City Park for a pleasant walk on a summer afternoon. Beware of millions of mosquitoes descending in the evening.

Museums

 * A Jewish NGO has organised a small exhibition on the history of the Brest Jews and the Shoah in Brest. It is not very professional, but still, the only place in Brest where you can learn something about these people who once formed nearly half of the city's population. The exhibition is located on ul. Gogolya 32, one has to enter through the yard, turn left and go down into the cellar. The exhibition is closed on Saturdays, one can agree a visit in advance via mobile: +375296513859.

Monuments

 * Lenin monument on the Lenin Square. The great revolutionary points with his outstretched hand where to go to: the Catholic church opposite.
 * Monument to the Atomic missile troops - perhaps one of the rare occasions to see the image of an atomic mushroom cloud in what was intended as a positive context! Opposite the garrison cemetery on the ul. Geroev oborony Brestskoj kreposti.
 * The 1,000 years of Brest monument on the ul. Sovetskaya was erected to celebrate Brest's 990th anniversary (don't look for logic). It shows scenes and characters from the long history of Brest, omitting the fact that for a long period of time Brest was mainly a Jewish town.

Do

 * Until the Shoah Brest was a mainly Jewish town. With the audio performance Brest Stories Guide by the theatre "Kryly Khalopa" you can explore the city space and learn about the local history of anti-Semitism and the Shoah. A free app for smartphones and tablet computers contains a map with routes and audio files. The Brest Stories Guide is not an audio-guide, but a completely new and innovative approach to history, a theatre piece in public space, where the city itself turns into scenery.
 * Prastora Kryly Khalopa (KX, KKh, Пространство КХ) in ul. Khalturina 2/1 is an independent theatre as well as room for exhibitions and other events. Theatre workshops, lectures, seminars, yoga and language meetings, a film club and other events regularly take place here. In front of the door one can find a Bookcrossing Zone. In Belarus’ (and not only) "KKh" is a unique place and a real enrichment of Brest cultural life. Quite a lot of Belarusian and international awards won by it and its activists witness about it's high quality. Most activists in "KKh" speak English. It's not too easy to find the place, since the entrance is located in a small street eastwards to the “main” ulitsa Khalturina you'd find in the town maps. (phone: +37 5298231916, +37 5295251652)
 * Walk on ul. Sovetskaya, Brest's Broadway, with all shops and restaurants.
 * Go ice-skating in the Ice Palace on the intersection of Ul. Moskovskaya and Ul. 28 Iyulya.
 * There are several swimming pools: A smaller one (25 m, €2 per hour; "sessions" start at every full hour) near "Grebnoj kanal" (Kavalyovka) with good water quality and a bigger one (50 m, more chlorine in the water) at the sports palace on the eastern part of pr. Masherova. Flip-flops and bathing cap required!
 * Football: Dinamo Brest and Rukh Brest both play soccer in the Premier League, the top tier in Belarus. The playing season is March-Nov.

Learn
Brest is home to two Universities:
 * A.S.Pushkin State University
 * State Technical University - offers 3–12 months Russian language courses

Buy
There are many shops and boutiques on Sovetskaya street, which sell all kinds of products from fishing gear to real designer wear. Smaller shops are dotted around the town centre and there is a big "TSUM"- Central Department Store on Moskovskaya street. A big supermarket (Miks) with a wide range of food is on ul. 28 Iyulia, 8th trolleybus. Fresh food can be obtained on the "Kolkhos market" in the city centre (ul. Pushkinskaya/ul. Kujbysheva): inside the closed market meat (a bloody lot!), cheese, bread and stuff, outside (half-open) fruits and vegetables. In front of the markets elder women and other people sell what they grow on their datchas or collect in the forests.

Eat
It's a bit difficult to get really good food in Brest. Vegetarians are hardly a target group for Brest restaurants.

Drink
Avoid at any cost the German owned café Crezo on Sovetskaya. Very rude staff, taking your passport if you want to use the Wi-Fi, for which you have to pay separately from the café charges. Horrible.

Budget
Cheap rooms are offered by hotel of locomotive depot of Brest Railway station, on the Geroiv Oborony Brestskoy Kreposty street. Two-person room cost about US$5 per person.

Mid-range
Another brilliant option is 5 Rings or 5 Kolets - a hotel built in 2007 on the third floor of Brest Stadium in Gogolya Street, a few hundred meters away from Vesta Hotel. During the high season which is in summer the place is booked out so a prior booking is the most reliable way to check in.

Connect
There are 3 major GSM providers in Belarus (including Brest):
 * MTS
 * A1
 * Life

All of them offer no-contract GSM SIM cards and USB modems for Internet access. Each of these companies has numerous stores in Brest city center. You will need your passport to purchase a SIM card.

Stay safe
Belarus has a low rate of crime, and the atmosphere is mostly very friendly even on big celebrations (when everyone is drunk).

Try not to wander off too far at night.

Cope
Buses do not run after 23:30 so you will need a taxi.

Consulates
They might be able to help you if you are an EU citizen and something horrible happens.

 * 🇵🇱 Poland Poland https://www.msz.gov.pl/be/p/brzesc_by_k_be/ +375 (162) 270032. M-F 08:30 - 16:30. Kuibysheva street, 34.
 * 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan http://www.mfa.kz/ru/brest
 * 🇭🇺 Hungary Hungary https://minszk.mfa.gov.hu/hun/page/munkatarsak +375 162 21-42-34; +375 162 27-09-85 ConsulHUBrest@gmail.com
 * 🇸🇰 Slovakia Slovakia http://www.brest-konsulhs.by/o-nas/
 * 🇫🇷 France France https://by.ambafrance.org/Le-Consulat-Honoraire-de-France-a +375 162 231 112
 * 🇨🇿 Czech Republic Czech Republic https://www.mzv.cz/minsk/cz/o_velvyslanectvi/honorarni_konzulat_cr_v_brestu/index.html Kosmonavtov 75/1. +375 162 22 05 27.
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine Ukraine https://brest.mfa.gov.ua/ua/about-mission/contact +375 162 22 04 55;  +375 162 22 03 88. Vorovskogo street, 19. gc_byb@mfa.gov.ua

Go next

 * Grodno is the Belarusian Lviv, an old and beautiful town north from Brest. By bus it's some four hours and.
 * Bronnaya Gora is a village about 100 km north-east from Brest. The "elektrichka" to Minsk stops there. Near the village during World War II Germans murdered some 50,000 Jews, amongst them most Brest Jews (October 1941).
 * Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park (Belavezhskaya Pushcha) is an ancient woodland straddling the border between Belarus and Poland, located north from Brest. It is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest which once spread across the European Plain. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are buses going there from Brest.
 * Poland is just a few kilometers away. There is one dedicated daily train from Brest to Warsaw, departing at 15:23 Belarusian time, reaching Warsaw at 17:25 Polish time.

title: Brest (Belarus)


text:
Brest (France)

Brest is a city on the west Atlantic coast of France. It has a long history of navigation. There are very large tides here.

By boat
Brittany Ferries operates a daily route between Plymouth (England) and Roscoff (about 55 km to Brest) and a weekly route between Cork (Ireland) and Roscoff.

By train
The SNCF provides TGV route to Paris (8/day) and regional trains routes to Saint-Brieuc and Rennes or Quimper, Lorient, Vannes and Nantes.

By car
Brest is linked with Saint-Brieuc and Rennes (N12) and also Quimper, Lorient, Vannes and Nantes (N165) by toll-free divided highways.

See

 * The Tanguy Tower, located near the Recouvrance bridge, houses a permanent exhibition on the history of the town.
 * Art gallery, 24 rue Traverse. Phone: +33 298 00 87 96.
 * The Vallon du Stang Alar houses a famous botanic garden and greenhouses.
 * Art gallery, 24 rue Traverse. Phone: +33 298 00 87 96.
 * The Vallon du Stang Alar houses a famous botanic garden and greenhouses.

Do

 * Football: Stade Brestois 29 play soccer in Ligue 1, the top tier in France. Their home ground Stade Francis-Le Blé (capacity 16,000) is 2 km northeast of city centre.

Budget
All these are in the city centre:

Drink
The Blind Piper Pub is one of many Irish pubs in Brest. It's located in the block southwest of the Liberté square. They serve their Kilkenny fresh, with the expected Irish pub ambience.

Connect
As of June 2022, Brest has 5G with all French carriers.

Go next

 * The islands Molène and Ouessant, in the mer d'Iroise
 * Douarnenez

title: Brest (France)


text:
Brest Oblast

Brest Oblast (Belarusian: Брэсцкая вобласць) is a region in the western part of Belarus.

Cities

 * — the center of the region. Brest Fortress is one of the basic memorials of the World War II. The memorial park also includes the archaeological museum of Berestye, the ancient settlement on the spot of Brest. The city itself is less remarkable, although it preserves several churches from the 19th century and an interesting railway museum.
 * (Баранавічы) — a major train hub with a number of modern churches and an interesting railway museum.
 * (Бяроза) — a town with the remains of the monastery from the 17th century.
 * (Каменец) — a town with the famous 13th century tower.
 * — home of the Manor of Bielski.
 * — one of the most remarkable cities in Belarus, with numerous churches, monasteries, and secular buildings from the 17th-19th centuries.
 * (Пружаны) — a small town that preserves a nice country estate and several fine churches from the 19th century.
 * (Кобрын) — an ancient town with secular buildings from the 19th century and the museum of Suvorov.
 * — a small town with a reasonably well-preserved Gothic Revival castle from the 19th century. The hometown of the Polish national hero Tadeusz Kościuszko.

Other destinations

 * — a national biosphere reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the largest remaining parts of the primeval forest in Europe.
 * (Чарнаўчыцы) — a village that preserves a Catholic church from the late 16th century, one of the oldest monuments in Belarus.
 * (Ружаны) — a settlement with the remains of a magnificent palace and churches from the 16th-17th centuries.
 * (Закозель) — a village near Drahichyn with an impressive neo-Gothic burial chapel.

By bus
Shuttle buses Brest - Kamyanyets - Kameniuky

 * From Brest. minibus: 07:00, 12:30, 17:00. bus: 08:00, 14:30.
 * From Kameniuky. minibus: 08:20, 14:10, 18:50. bus: 06:20, 10:00, 16:15.

Bus station phone: 114 (only in Russian)

By car

 * From Brest – take Brest-Kameniuky Highway (Р83) – 65 km.
 * From Minsk – take Minsk-Brest (M1) Highway till the turn to Zhabinka Town (P7) and then turn to Kamyanyets and on to Kameniuky Village (P83) – around 380 km.
 * From Minsk – take Minsk-Brest (M1) Highway till the turn to Slonim Town (P21) and then turn to Kamyanyets and on to Kameniuky Village (P83) – around 380 km.

See

 * Struve Geodetic Arc - a cluster of three triangulation points northwest of Pinsk listed as a.

Stay safe
Belarus has a moderate level of crime. Fortunately, crimes against foreigners are rare, though criminals have been known to use force if met with resistance from victims. Common street crime, such as mugging and pickpocketing, occurs most frequently near public transportation venues, near hotels frequented by foreigners, and/or at night in poorly lit areas. In many areas, you should be especially alert in metro and bus stations, as criminals have a likely chance in attacking you.

Belarus is still largely a discriminatory society. Gay and lesbian travellers face widespread discrimination in Belarus, as do Jews. If you are in any of these categories, exercise caution if you decide to travel to Belarus.

If you participate in a street demonstration with political banners, expect to be detained within minutes. How fast you get out (24 hours or 24 days) depends on your connections, your social status, etc. Westerners especially should avoid any political discussions, protests, etc., due to the government's keen opposition to dissenting views.

The KGB in Belarus has not changed its name since the days of the Soviet Union - it is still called the KGB, and its habits have probably not changed much either. Security personnel may at times place you, as a foreigner, under surveillance; hotel rooms, telephones, and fax machines may be monitored, and personal possessions in hotel rooms may be searched. Taking photographs of anything that could be perceived as being of military or security interest may result in problems with authorities; these sites are not always clearly marked and the application of these restrictions is subject to interpretation.

Visible and hidden dangers exist, including potholes, unlighted or poorly lighted streets, inattentive and dark-clothed pedestrians walking on unlighted roads, drivers and pedestrians under the influence of alcohol, and disregard for traffic rules. Driving in winter is especially dangerous because of ice and snow. Drivers are urged to exercise caution at all times.

Belarus police organizations are well trained and professional, but severely restricted by an unreformed Soviet-era legal system, corruption, and politicization of the police force and other government authorities. Due to low salaries, it is not uncommon for officers to collect bribes during traffic stops. Sophisticated criminal investigations are often inconclusive because of a lack of resources and/or political will.

Tap water is not safe for drinking. Buy bottles.

Toilets are very frequent in Belarus; however, they are usually neither free, nor adapted to wheelchairs. Also note they rarely have available paper (except perhaps in touristy places such as museums), and are often squatting-style.

Go next

 * Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park (Belavezhskaya Pushcha) is an ancient woodland straddling the border between Belarus and Poland, located north from Brest. It is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest which once spread across the European Plain. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are buses going there from Brest.
 * Poland is just a few kilometers away. There is one dedicated daily train from Brest to Warsaw, departing at 15:23 Belarusian time, reaching Warsaw at 17:25 Polish time.

title: Brest Oblast


text:
Breteil

Breteil is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany. The Meu River forms the commune's southwestern border. The town has 3,502 inhabitants and stretches over 1,470 hectares. It is at 20 km from Rennes and is surrounded by Montfort-sur-Meu, Bédée, La Nouaye, Iffendic, Pleumeleuc, Talensac, Saint-Gonlay.

Understand
The parish of Breteil resulted from the division of the former parish of Pleumeleuc in 1122. In this year the bishop of Aleth consecrated the church of Breteil to Benedictin monks of Saint-Melaine de Rennes.

By plane
The closest arrival possible is at the Rennes-St Jacques airport.

By train
From Rennes to Breteil (SNCF stop), the journey is about 15 minutes. You have the option of bringing bikes on most trains.

By bus
From Rennes railway station, take the Illenoo bus, line 2 Gaël-Rennes

By car
From Rennes, go in the direction Saint Brieuc- Brest by RN12, exit Bedee-Pleumeleuc-Monfort.

title: Breteil


text:
Breton phrasebook

Breton (Brezhoneg) is a regional language of Brittany, France, spoken mainly in western, or "Lower" Brittany (Breizh-Izel in Breton, Basse-Bretagne in French). The number of people speaking Breton is diminishing, though still estimated to be around 200,000, including almost 15,000 schoolchildren. Breton is not closely related to French or any other Romance language; rather it is a Celtic language in the same family as Welsh, Cornish and, more distantly, Irish.

Everyone in Brittany also speaks French, and this is a much more useful language to have as a visitor, but if Celtic culture is your thing and you want to impress the locals, this phrasebook should be a handy source.

Basics

 * Hello. : Demat dit.
 * Hello. (informal) : Brav eo an amzer.
 * How are you? : Penaos eo ar bed ganit ?
 * Fine, thank you. : Dreist, trugarez dit.
 * What is your name? : Pe anv ho peus ?
 * My name is ______ . : Va anv 'zo _____.
 * Nice to meet you. : Plijus eo daremprediñ.
 * Please. : Mar plij.
 * Thank you. : Trugarez.
 * You're welcome. : Da netra.
 * Yes. : Ya
 * No. : Nann
 * Excuse me. (getting attention) : Digarezit ac'hanon.
 * Excuse me. (begging pardon) : Digarezit ac'hanon.
 * I'm sorry. :.
 * Goodbye : Kenavo ar wech all.
 * Goodbye (informal) : Kenavo
 * I can't speak Breton [well]. : Brezhoneg ne gomzan ket [, nemet un tammig]
 * Do you speak English? : Komz a rit saozneg ?
 * Is there someone here who speaks English? : Tud 'zo amañ evit komz saozneg ?
 * Help! : D'am sikour !
 * Look out! : Sell 'ta !
 * Good morning. : Mintin vat.
 * Good evening. : Nozvezh vat.
 * Good night. : Noz vat.
 * Good night (to sleep) : Kouskit vat.
 * I don't understand. : Ne gomprenan ket.
 * Where is the toilet? : Pelec'h emaint ar privezioù ?

Numbers
... Daou ugent ... Hanter kant ... Tri ugent ... pevar ugent ... ... Mil ...
 * one : unan
 * two : daou (male)/ div (female)
 * three : tri (male)/ teir (female)
 * four : pevar (male)/ peder (female)
 * five : pemp
 * six : c'hwec'h
 * seven : seizh
 * eight : eizh
 * nine : nav
 * ten : dek
 * eleven : unnek
 * twelve : daouzek
 * thirteen : trizek
 * fourteen : pevarzek
 * fifteen : pempzek
 * sixteen : c'hwezek
 * seventeen : seitek
 * eighteen : eitek/triwec'h
 * nineteen : naontek
 * twenty : ugent
 * twenty-one : unan warn-ugent
 * twenty-two : daou warn-ugent
 * thirty : tregont
 * hundred : kant

Days

 * Monday : dilun/Lun
 * Tuesday : dimeurzh/Meurzh
 * Wednesday : dimerc'her/Merc'her
 * Thursday : diriaou/Yaou
 * Friday : digwener/Gwener
 * Saturday : disadorn/Sadorn
 * Sunday : disul/Sul

Months

 * January : Genver
 * February : C'hwevrer
 * March : Meurzh
 * April : Ebrel
 * May : Mae
 * June : Mezheven
 * July : Gouere
 * August : Eost
 * September : Gwengolo
 * October : Here
 * November : Du
 * December : Kerzu

Colours

 * white : gwenn
 * black : du
 * yellow : melen
 * red/pink : ruz
 * green (artificial) : gwer
 * green/blue (natural) : glas
 * silver : arc'hant

Learning more
Wikiversity Breton courses

title: Breton phrasebook


text:
Brenton Point State Park

Brenton Point State Park is a state park on the coastline of Newport, Rhode Island. It offers a wide variety of activities, and presents a spectacular view of the Atlantic, Beavertail Lighthouse of Jamestown, and a marvelous sunset. Rich in history, hikers can see the remains of what was once a prosperous estate just off the walking trails of the park. Brenton Point offers visitors woodsy trails to explore, restrooms, picnic tables, kite-flying, hiking, gentle rock-climbing, fishing, picture-taking, or just a place to sit and relax.

History
The land on which the state park resides once belonged to William Brenton, an American Colonial official who moved from England to Rhode Island in 1673. He was the governor and deputy governor of Newport from 1660 – 1668 and resided at his estate, Hammersmith farm, part of which is now Brenton Point State Park. The land next passed to Theodore Davis, a lawyer and famous Egyptologist, who in 1889 constructed the “Reef”, a large, shingled mansion characterized by its tall chimneys, distinctive tower, and wide windows overlooking the sea. Davis also built the grand stables known as the Carriage House, the remains of which visitors may still see today, the Tower, with a four-faced clock and musical chimes visitors today can still climb to get a better view of the area around the Point, and the servants quarters called the Bungalow, today home to Park Administration and bathrooms of Breton Point. In 1941, the army took control of the land and it was used as the Coastal Artillery Battery until 1946. In July 1960, the main house was destroyed by a fire and finally torn down in 1963. In 1969, the State of Rhode Island took over the property and in 1976 it was finally opened to the public as a state park. Though the main house was destroyed and the beautiful farmlands and gardens of the old Hammersmith estate are now overgrown by trees and underbrush, the State park still offers a wide field for kites and picnics, woodsy trails for exploring and viewing the old Carriage House and Tower, and a long stretch of rocky shore for fishing, climbing, shell collecting, or just relaxing.

Landscape
The landscape of the state park is a varying one. Starting from the shore, the park offers a long, winding coastline of large, flat rocks on which to climb. When the tide retreats, water is trapped in inlets of the rock, making Breton Point a good place for gathering starfish, crabs, snails, shells, and other tide pool sea life. Father back, a wide green field provides a location for visitors to picnic, throw a ball back and forth, fly a kite, or lie back to watch the clouds. Surrounding this field is a small woodsy area hiding the Carriage house and Tower from direct sight of the road.

Climate
The temperature of the state park varies greatly depending on where you stand. Close to the shore, the cool breeze off the water often makes the temperature appear much cooler than it is inland. Especially during spring and early fall, it might not be a bad idea to bring a sweatshirt to walk the shoreline. During the winter, a jacket is definitely advisable.

Get in
If you try to look up directions on MapQuest, you will get a complicated set of directions that will take you on a bunch of narrow backroads. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to stick to the main roads (America's Cup and Bellevue, if you're coming from the Newport Bridge). Plus, you'll get a great view of the shops downtown, and the mansions on Bellevue!

 * Brenton Point is located halfway down Ocean Drive in Newport.
 * From the Newport Bridge, take the first exit to RI-238, towards scenic Newport. At the end of the exit ramp, take a right onto RI-238. At the second light, turn right onto America’s Cup Avenue. America’s Cup will turn into Memorial Boulevard. Follow this to the first traffic light, then take a right onto Bellevue Avenue.  Follow Bellevue Avenue until forced to turn right onto Ocean Avenue. Follow Ocean Avenue to Brenton Point State Park.
 * From Mount Hope Bridge, take RI-114 into Newport. Continue onto Broadway. Continue on Washington Square. Take a sharp left at Touro Street. Continue to Bellevue Avenue. Follow Bellevue Avenue until forced to turn right onto Ocean Avenue. Follow Ocean Avenue to Brenton Point State Park.
 * From RI-24 in Tiverton, continue straight onto RI-114. Continue onto Broadway. Continue on Washington Square. Take a sharp left at Touro Street. Continue to Bellevue Avenue. Follow Bellevue Avenue until forced to turn right onto Ocean Avenue. Follow Ocean Avenue to Breton Point State Park.

Fees and permits
Brenton Point State Park is free for all to enjoy. There are no fees for the park, the shore, or the hiking trails, and the bathrooms are free for all to use.

See
The shoreline of Newport stretches to the left and right of the point, giving viewers a long sight of the coast. The coast itself is a picturesque view, waves crashing onto a jagged shoreline while a lone fisherman casts his line. Beyond him, Rhode Island sound stretches out, and there are often fishing boats and sailboats adrift in its waters. In the distance, Beavertail lighthouse of Jamestown is just visible.

From the park, green grass stretches in all directions, abruptly ending in a line of trees and dense brush that seems to go on forever. To the adventurous newcomer, however, an opening in the trees is not hard to discover, and a large, airy building, crumbling yet still majestic, presents itself. This is the remains of the old Carriage House, a ruin that will leave viewers wondering at its original splendor. To the left and right an unpaved path stretches, and any in the mood for a long walk will find themselves on a journey through the woodsier part of Newport. Those on the right trail will shortly discover the Tower, a large stone structure stretching upwards higher than the Carriage house. Though at one point in time a stone staircase wound itself around the tower to the top, many of the lower stairs were broken off over time and a newer staircase was constructed beside the tower so that visitors might still have a chance to experience the view from the top. At the top, one can see far over the trees, out into the blue of the Atlantic. The Carriage house is just visible over the tops of the leafy trees surrounding it. Stretching all around is a dense forest of lush green trees. The Portuguese Discovery Monument was created in memory of Portuguese navigators and others who assisted in the discovery of maritime routes. The granite structure features sixteen cylindrical bollards in a semicircle to represent the points of the compass.

Do

 * The shoreline is a wonderful place to walk or climb along the rocks, which hide hundreds of tide pools swimming with undersea life waiting to be discovered. Many find the fishing at Brenton Point enjoyable, while others prefer to sit on the rocks or at the wall taking pictures of the rocky coast.
 * The park is a popular place to picnic while watching the kites soar overhead. There is plenty of room for a game of ball or for walking a dog. The Newport Kite Festival takes place during the month of July, drawing visitors from all over for kite-flying demonstrations, kite battles, kite sales, and lots of kite-flying. The woods behind the park are good for walking, hiking, exploring, discovering nature, and viewing the historical old Carriage House and Tower hidden within the trees.

Eat
To any who have not experienced the Rhode Island tradition known as Del’s Lemonade, the time has come. While enjoying a picnic lunch on a warm summer’s day at Breton Point, take a quick walk to the parking lot, where the Del’s truck waits, and buy a frozen lemonade. It is the perfect complement to any hot summer day, especially when relaxing in the sun.

Sleep
Brenton Point State Park is not a campgrounds, and as such, there are no camping facilities. However, Newport offers its visitors a wide variety of places to stay, including hotels, motels, family-owned bead-and-breakfasts, summer homes, and campgrounds, such as:
 * Fort Getty
 * Melville Pond
 * Middletown Campground
 * Meadowlark RV Park.

title: Brenton Point State Park


text:
Bretten

Bretten is a town approximately 20 km north of Pforzheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

See
Historic town centre.

Go next

 * Bertha Benz Memorial Route - Follow the tracks of the world's first automobile journey (Mannheim - Pforzheim - Mannheim) back in 1888, leading right through Bretten

title: Bretten


text:
Bretton Woods

Bretton Woods is a city in New Hampshire. It is a village within the town of Carroll, NH and is mainly famous as the location of the Bretton Woods Conference in July 1944 that attempted to rebuild the international economic system as World War II appeared to be coming to an end. 730 delegates from 44 Allied nations gathered at the Mount Washington Hotel for the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference. The results of the three weeks of deliberations were, amongst others, the establishment of the IMF and the World Bank, and the establishment of the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency.

By car
Take I-93 North through Franconia Notch to Exit 35, Route 3 North to Twin Mountain, NH. Take Route 302 East to Bretton Woods. From I-95 or Route 101 or Route 4: exit onto Route 16N/Spaulding Turnpike to North Conway/Glen, NH. Follow Route 302W to Bretton Woods. Take Route 302 West to Bretton Woods. Take I-95 North to Interstate 91 North to Interstate 93 South, Exit 40. Follow Route 302E to Bretton Woods. Take Auto Route 10E to Auto Route 55 South to Interstate 91 South to I-93 South, Exit 40. Follow Route 302E to Bretton Woods.
 * From Boston, MA and Manchester, NH
 * From NH Seacoast/Portsmouth, NH
 * From Portland, ME
 * From New York, NY and Hartford, CT
 * From Montreal, Quebec

 * Estimated Driving Times
 * Boston, MA 2 1/2 hours, 165 miles (265 km).
 * New York City 5 3/4 hours, 330 miles (531 km).
 * Portland, ME 2 hours, 90 miles (145 km).
 * Montreal 3 hours, 175 miles (282 km).

Sleep

 * Highland Lodge comfortable lodge featuring private and shared rooms, living room, library, dining room.
 * Shapleigh Bunkhouse hostel-style accommodations with benefits of a Highland Center stay.
 * Education and Information Center friendly staff, meeting rooms; a hub for AMC youth and adult education programs.
 * Thayer Hall carriage house with exhibit and meeting space.
 * Highland Lodge comfortable lodge featuring private and shared rooms, living room, library, dining room.
 * Shapleigh Bunkhouse hostel-style accommodations with benefits of a Highland Center stay.
 * Education and Information Center friendly staff, meeting rooms; a hub for AMC youth and adult education programs.
 * Thayer Hall carriage house with exhibit and meeting space.
 * Thayer Hall carriage house with exhibit and meeting space.

title: Bretton Woods