Walking around in Antananarivo

When I go to a new city I love to feel a bit lost. Loosing the compass a bit gives me a sense of freedom and excitement, a bit like after drinking a beer on empty stomach. At the same time I like to know that I’m safe and can’t get totally lost.

Antananarivo is perfect. The hills and small, curvy streets make it difficult enough to orientate the first days, giving the feeling we are discovering something new. However, the boosted colors, the multiform flowers and the smiling people seem to say that nothing bad can happen (if you are a bit careful). It is very easy to just want to walk around, to enjoy the sun and the breeze.

No solutions can be found for the visa during the weekend, and to overcome the sneaky feeling of frustration, we took a walk, a long walk.

From one of the numerous markets, in the lower part of the town, we started to literally climb steep stairs. We arrived to the moyenne Tana, admired the charming architecture and enjoyed a part of the city where the “vazaha” (the white people like us), where rare. At each intersection we chose the steep road. And corner-by-corner, one breathtaking viewpoint after the other, we arrived to the highest top of the city, where Rova the queen palace is placed.

Three smart, skilled students hooked us gently for a walk around. They explained us the history, the geography and curiosities about the area and the country in general. For example, how people used to build with wood because it’s a warm material, ideal for the alive, while stones were left to the dead (until colonialist changed that).

Of course our guides hoped for some money, which they were given, because no book could have given us such passionate tour.