St. Malo, France

After a dozen hours of flying and another 4 hours of train rides, I made it from Boise to Paris to St. Malo, France.  I did not know much about the city before I came, choosing this destination because it is the closest major city to Mont Saint Michel cathedral, which I want to visit.   

However,  I soon realized that St. Malo itself is worth the trip, an historic town on the coast of northern France, with a tragic history as told in All the Light We Cannot See (by an a Pulitzer Prize winning author from Boise).  The Old City of St. Malo is pictured on the cover:

After arriving at my hotel,  I walked to the beach.  This was the first sight I saw: one of the most breath-taking sunsets I have ever seen.  I ran out into the ocean, following the reflection of the sunlight on the water.  As I dove into the cold waves, I felt cleansed of all the stress of traveling.  It was all worth it.