Our wonderfully placid passage along the Breton coast, correctly Armorican (from the Breton, ar mor = surrounded by sea) continued through to our berth at St Malo. This city of 80,000 inhabitants has fine port and marina facilities on the beautiful, craggy 'emerald coast'. St Malo is such a confident community that she flies her own flag above the French tricolor, the authentic explanation of this one up-manship is a little more complex than mere civic pride. Suffice to say that over five centuries this seafaring community has contributed to the colonization of Canada, developed fishing on the Grand Banks, humbled 18th century English merchant shipping through her buccaneering exploits and was the home of Chateaubriand...literateur and 'father' of chewable steak. During the Second World War 80% of the old town was destroyed, but amazing high-quality renovation rebuilt the townscape to its late medieval form over a 15-year immediate post-war period. All of this and more was described to us in the course of our city perambulation.

Fortified by a shipboard lunch we set off for the fabled Mont-Saint-Michel. Located on the present day Brittany-Normandy border this is a church site that excels in its location. Built on a granite island over 200 feet above sea level this abbey-church of Romanesque and Gothic form rises from within its ramparts as testimony to medieval belief, dedication and not least engineering skills. Our photograph cannot do justice to the scale of this towering edifice. Cool church and refectory interiors belie their original functions - sustaining the monastic order and providing for the pilgrims who associated themselves with this sacred space - now they echo to the footsteps and chatter of 3.5 million visitors annually. It was the approach to the abbey precinct that brought back memories of Fez, Marrakesh and Alta, a symbiosis of commerce and religion. The rich array of religious memorabilia for sale to pilgrims in 2001 reflects a continuity of commercial activity practiced on this site since at least the 12th century.