Henry I. Gonzalez

One of the questions I often get asked is how I became interested in lighthouses. I explain that I grew up near the ocean and have always had a love for things nautical. I add that my first job included traveling around the world on oceanographic ships. I have fond memories of the welcoming beam of a lighthouse as our vessel approached land after a long voyage. In recent years I learned that my love of lighthouses may also be "in my blood." My great-great-grandfather was a lighthouse keeper on the north coast of Spain from 1863 to 1904.

Where can you tour a manned lighthouse, see the tallest lighthouse on the continent, and visit, get close to, or sight 12 additional lighthouses, all in one day? No, it's not North Carolina's Outer Banks, nor is it Boston Harbor. You'll find this lighthouse lover's paradise in Finistere, which is located at the westernmost tip of the French province of Brittany. My wife, Chris, and I were in Brittany on a combined business and pleasure trip in February, and set a day aside to tour some of the region's houses.