THE Place For Your Chocolate Fix!
by Donna_in_India about Choco-La
While strolling around the French Quarter, we came upon Choco-La. With a name like that, of course, we had to check it out!
There was a huge variety of chocolates in all forms - mousse, truffles, pastries, cakes, candy, etc., etc. Everything is hand-made, fresh, and so nicely presented.
We each tried about 3 different things - all were delicious. My favorites were the truffles and the little Melting Pots, which were appropriately named!
If you come across Choco-La during your wanderings, stop in for something sweet! If you love chocolate, make sure to seek out Choco-La!!
Small But Interesting Museum
by Donna_in_India
Though small, the Pondicherry Museum is a very interesting museum displaying the art and culture of the people of the area during the Pallava, Chola, and Vijayanagar days.
The French gallery upstairs charts the history of the colony with French sculptures, portraits, and furniture.
Interesting artifacts from the excavations at the Roman settlement of Arikamedu are displayed in the museum.
Be sure to see the pousse-pousse, an odd kind of carriage, which a servant pushed while the occupant steered.
My favorite part of the musuem was the sculpture garden with its Pallava and Chola (bronzes) art. I also loved the weapons.
Admission: Rs 2
Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed on Mondays and government holidays.
No photos allowed.
Pondicherry Museum
by Willettsworld
Located in the lovely old Law Building, opposite the Government Square, this museum has an outstanding collection of artefacts from the French colonial period such as French paintings, furniture, mirrors and clocks plus the bed Dupleix slept in, and a pousse-pousse, an earlier version of the rickshaw and a horse-drawn carriage. The museum also displays rare bronzes and stone sculptures from the Chola and Pallava periods, plus trade link items from Rome such as coins, oil lamps, urns and pottery.
Open: 9.40am-1pm & 2-5.20pm, closed Mondays. Admission: Rs2.
Botanical gardens & Aquarium
by abi_maha
C.S. Perrotet established Botanical Gardens, a beautiful tourist attraction in Pondicherry in 1826. The garden encloses a good collection of exotic and rare plants and also houses an aquarium. It has a wealthy and diverse collection of plant species from many parts of India as well as from abroad.
Aquarium displays many sea living organisms including variety of fish flora. It also exhibits various methods of fishing adopted in coastal areas., though it is not much compared to the aquariums we have seen abroad.
The Old Lighthouse
by Donna_in_India
This 19th century lighthouse is one of Pondicherry's most famous landmarks. Before the lighthouse was built there wasn't any signal for the ships coming to Pondicherry. A committee was formed to persuade the goverment to build a lighthouse. After they agreed it took some time to get the project going.
The foundation was laid in 1835. At the time it was built, it was considered a modern lighthouse for its time because of its unique architecture of a round tower. It took only a few months to complete and the inauguration ceremony took place in February 1836. However, the beacon had not arrived from France so the lighthouse was not operational until it arrived in July 1836.
The lighthouse is 29 meters high. Its round tower sits on a square base with a foundation nine meters deep to stablilize the sandy ground on which it was built.
The lighthouse is not in use today but is still very interesting to see.
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Government Park/French Quarter
Building/Street in French Quarter
Statue by Government Park
Shops outside Manakula Vinayagar Temple
