On Monday morning we got on the train for an all-day journey north, through Bordeaux and Rennes and then on various short trains and buses to finally reach St. Malo at about 11 at night. In the morning we visited the Atlantic coast in the "City of Corsairs" before heading on to Mont Saint-Michel. This mountainous-looking establishment is the site of an eighth century abbey built on a small rock which becomes an island in the Atlantic during high tide. At low tide, there is a narrow causeway to the town over which cross the hoards of tourists. Mont Saint-Michel is undeniably beautiful from the distance, and its views over the water and the tidal flats are breathtaking. We climbed to the church at the summit with our fully-loaded packs and then relaxed over lunch with postcards before heading back down for a few more pictures and to catch the bus to Pontorson, then the train to Caen.