Ile Sainte-Marie
One of the best days during our trip to Madagascar was the day Claire and I went to the Ile-Sainte Marie. Here not only is there beautiful beaches, but there is the worlds only pirate graveyard. When Claire and I found out about it we knew we had to go! The Ile Sainte-Marie is a small island off of the coast of Madagascar. Most of the Island is resorts with gorgeous sandy beaches. The fact that this island is home to the only pirate graveyard is an added bonus. This is the only official pirate graveyard in the world. This location is ideal because it is a small island that is just slightly off of many of the pirate routes. It is said that many pirates stopped on this island, and used it as a homestead to raise children. When you go as tourists to visit the sights you are allowed to go close enough to the grave stones to see even the smallest of crumbles. On top of it all the view off of the stones is beautiful.
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The city of Antananarivo
One of the most places that Claire and I went to was the city of Antananarivo. The capital of Madagascar is very interesting with a wide variety of possible activity choices. Claire and I spent the morning touring the downtown areas of the city. Aside from being the capital of Madagascar the city of Antananarivo is the largest city on the island. One of the best ways to tour this city is by foot. This is what took up much of the morning on our day in the city. Antananarivo is a very busy city partially because this is where the international airport is located. The city itself was founded in the 1600's. It got its name which means the city of a thousand after a thousand soldiers supposedly gathered here to protect the new city during the reign of the King Andrianjaka. While touring the city on foot Claire and I visited the Avenue
de l´Indépendence, or the downtown area of Antananarivo. Here we purchased multiple souvenir's. This was my personal favorite day of the trip, I don't know if I can say the same for Claire. In the Avenue de l´Indépendence is the Place de l´Indépendence. The Place de l´Indépendence is a monument that is dedicated to the retrieval of sovereignty in Madagascar. The monument itself is a beautiful garden with a plaque in the center.
After walking through the majority of the downtown areas of Antananarivo Claire and I visited the Rova. The queen's palace is in ruins. A fire in 1995 destroyed most of the site. The fire after a large investigation was ruled to be an accident. The palace is one of 7 monuments within the royal palace complex. Now the only thing left is a stone wall. The palace is known as the Rova because Rova is translated to fort, and the palace is located on the hill of Analamanga, the highest hill in the city. The Rova, by far, is one of the coolest architectural structures that Claire and I saw in Madagascar.
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Poly-national War Memorial
Another Monument that Claire and I visited was the Poly-national war memorial. This Monument is made in dedication to the many attempts that Madagascar made at freedom, and those who died in those many attempts. The Mouvement Democratique de la Renovation Malagache (MDRM) was formed in 1946 soon after the island was designated as French. In March of 1947 a small group of people led a revolt. During this revolt and the aftermath of the revolt the number of lives lost reached 11,000. This monument was created in dedication to those who died for the freedom of their country. One thing that made this monument a sight to see was its size. As you can see in the picture the monument is made of concrete and is very large.
If Claire and I ever get the chance to go back to Madagascar the Royal hill of Ambohimanga is a sight we need to see again! |
Royal Hill of Ambohimanga
The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga contains just about every type of monument you can think of rolled in one! It is a site that contains a ruined city, a burial sight, and other sacred places. The site itself is over 500 years old! During the reign of kings there would be many royal cows throughout the Royal Hill. This is the place that the king and all his wives would meet when the were all together. The king would sleep on a bed that was above the bed that his 12 wives would sleep. Back in the day, it was a great honor to work in the Royal Hill of Amohimanga. It was a place that people would come to bed for gifts from kings. Even for the slaves it was an honor. There are furnishings in some of the buildings from Queen Victoria. When Claire and I came to the royal hill, we took a guided tour so we could learn as much as possible about the history of the monument instead of just seeing the beauty of such a monument.
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Here are some pictures from the trip!
Sources:
"AntananarivoMadagascar." Antananarivo Pictures, Madagascar. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.bugbog.com/gallery/gallerymad/madagascar_pictures_2.html>.
"Madagascar Rebellion (Third Franco-Madagascan War) - the Polynational War Memorial." Madagascar Rebellion (Third Franco-Madagascan War) - the Polynational War Memorial. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.war-memorial.net/Madagascar-Rebellion-3.93>.
Patrick, Kip. "Inside The World's Only Pirate Cemetery." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kip-patrick/worlds-only-pirate-cemete_b_2754126.html>.
"Royal Hill of Ambohimanga - World Heritage Site - Pictures, Info and Travel Reports." Royal Hill of Ambohimanga - World Heritage Site - Pictures, Info and Travel Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/ambohimanga.html>.
"Travel Madagascar." Madagascar Travel Information Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.travelmadagascar.org/CITIES/Antananarivo-what-to-see.html>.
"AntananarivoMadagascar." Antananarivo Pictures, Madagascar. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.bugbog.com/gallery/gallerymad/madagascar_pictures_2.html>.
"Madagascar Rebellion (Third Franco-Madagascan War) - the Polynational War Memorial." Madagascar Rebellion (Third Franco-Madagascan War) - the Polynational War Memorial. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.war-memorial.net/Madagascar-Rebellion-3.93>.
Patrick, Kip. "Inside The World's Only Pirate Cemetery." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kip-patrick/worlds-only-pirate-cemete_b_2754126.html>.
"Royal Hill of Ambohimanga - World Heritage Site - Pictures, Info and Travel Reports." Royal Hill of Ambohimanga - World Heritage Site - Pictures, Info and Travel Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/ambohimanga.html>.
"Travel Madagascar." Madagascar Travel Information Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. <http://www.travelmadagascar.org/CITIES/Antananarivo-what-to-see.html>.