Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
wend your way down to the reconstruction of Jean Laborde's house , a beautiful
wooden building that served as Madagascar's first French consulate. At the end of the
street is Cathédrale de l'Immaculée Conception , which was built on the spot where
Queen Ranavalona I ordered Christian martyrs to be thrown from the cliffs.
From here, amble down through the Haute-Ville's quiet lanes to Rue Ratsimilaho ,
famous for its jewellers. Turn left on Rue Prince Ratsimamanga to have a look at the old
Presidential Palace , with its white, green and red sentry boxes that match the Mala-
gasy flag colours; at night, the fountains at the front are lit with multicoloured spotlights,
adding a trendy touch to the classic facade.
Head up Rue Rainilaiarivony towards Place de l'Indépendance ; cross the gardens
and make your way down the lively Escalier Ranavalona I , with its souvenir stands,
shoe polishers, rubber-stamp sellers and mobile-top-up hawkers. At the bottom of the
steps, you'll see the pavilions of the Analakely Market .
Turn left towards Ave de l'Indépen- dance , Tana's main thoroughfare. Halfway up
is the brand-new town hall ; the fountained piazza is open at the weekend. The avenue
ends at Gare Soarano , now a high-end exhibition and retail space, with a splendid
restaurant where you should stop for a well-earned rest.
Musée Andafivaratra MUSEUM
(admission Ar5000; 9am-5pm) Housed in a magnificent pink baroque palace, a few
hundred metres downhill from the Rova, the Andafivaratra museum is the former home of
Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony, the power behind the throne of the three queens he married
in succession (Rasoherina, Ranavalona II and Ranavalona III) between 1864 and 1895.
The museum's collection is a dusty assortment of furniture, portraits and memorabilia
from the age of the Merina kings and queens, but it illuminates some of the colourful char-
acters that drove Madagascan history: mad Queen Ranavalona I, dumpy in a coral silk
crinoline, scowls out from her oil painting like a psychotic Queen Victoria, while Jean
Laborde, the French adventurer presumed to be her lover, glowers from beneath his beard
in a black-and-white photograph.
There's also a huge gilt throne, originals of important trade treaties between Madagascar
and the US, the UK and France, the Merina crown jewels, coats of chain mail and a random
selection of presents from foreign crowns through the ages. Explanations of the exhibits
are in English as well as French.
'Guides' generally loiter around the entrance and will try to win your custom; unfortu-
nately, the majority don't know much about Malagasy history and will do little more than
read the artefacts' captions. If you would like a guided tour, contact Ortana, the tourist of-
fice, to find an accredited (and knowledgeable) guide.
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