We stopped at an Ashram called Auroville. I did not take pictures at all. Mark did and I will tell you about it then.
We had a little time, so Mark and I went for a walk. We saw the Bay of Bengal and walked a little bit of the promenade. It was very hot. Close to 100 (f).
Mark admires the French style architecture.
Information bit on Pondicherry:
In 1674 the French East India Company set up a trading centre at Pondicherry. This outpost eventually became the chief French settlement in India.
Dutch and British trading companies also wanted trade with India. Wars raged among these European countries and spilled over into the Indian subcontinent. The Dutch captured Puducherry in 1693 but returned it to France by the Treaty of Ryswick in 1699.
The French acquired Mahe in the 1720s, Yanam in 1731, and Karaikal in 1738. During the Anglo-French wars (1742–1763), Puducherry changed hands frequently. On January 16, 1761, the British captured Puducherry from the French, but the Treaty of Paris (1763) at the conclusion of the Seven Years' War returned it.
The British took control of the area again in 1793 at the Siege of Pondicherry amid the Wars of the French Revolution, and returned it to France in 1814. When the British gained control of the whole of India in the late 1850s, they allowed the French to retain their settlements in the country. Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanam, Karaikal and Chandernagar remained a part of French India until 1954.
The independence of India in 1947 gave impetus to the union of France's Indian possessions with former British India. An agreement between France and India in 1948 stipulated that the inhabitants of France's Indian possessions would choose their political future. The de jure union of French India with the Indian Union did not take place until 1962. On a de facto basis, the bureaucracy had been united with India's on 1 November 1954. It was organized as a Union Territory in 1963. Puducherry is now a part of India.
I was not feeling well after being out in the heat, I went back to our room and had a little bit of room service, a croissant and pomegranate gelato. Both were amazing!
This clock is in the lobby of the hotel. SO beautiful
I was feeling better and it was a little cooler, so we went out again to see Pondicherry
Pondicherry is very picturesque
Contemplating Gelato at Gelateria Montecatini
It was very good. They did not understand the flavor I wanted so they gave me raspberry. It was still wonderful.
if you look closely, you can see lots and lots of wasps around this soda machine.
A church we did not go into
After our walk, we spent some time in the pool. How could we not? It was a gorgeous place. We had a wonderful time.
Then we went to the upstairs open air restaurant. There was another restaurant that was all indoors, but we thought the night air was nice enough to enjoy
Table decor
Mark's steamed fish in a banana leaf
I had some shrimp, they were a little bit spicy but very good.
When we checked in they gave us flower leis. We hung them on our lamps. They were wonderfully fragrant
This is the view of our room from the bed. Really. This was an amazing room.
The next morning we got up to start our tour of Pondicherry with our tour guide Joseph. I did not like Joseph. He was rude to me. I think it was because I was having a hard time with walking in the heat. He did not think it should be a problem. I knew it could be a problem
We checked out of our hotel.
This is the Church of the Sacred Heart.
History Bit:
In the year 1895, the then Archbishop Mgr.Gandy consecrated the Archdiocese of Pondicherry to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He wished to build a new church in devotion of Sacred Heart of Jesus. Rev. Fr. Telesphore Welter, the parish priest of Nellithope prepared the building plan and parish priest of Cathedral Rev. Fr. Fourcaud commenced the construction of the new church in 1902 at the Southern side of Pondicherry.
The blessing of the church and the first mass was held at the western wing of the present church by Mgr. Gandy on 17, December 1907 and the new parish surrounding this church has been established on 27, January 1908.
A very Indian sign
Stained glass !
the alter
The camera could not catch how the light was refracting off this Belgian crystal chandelier. I was a shower of rainbows, the entire chandelier sparkled with multi colored lights.
After the Church, we went on a small driving tour of Pondicherry. Mark got off the bus with most of the tour, and took photos of the statue of Gandhi
This door was so beautiful
We were back on the road for our return bus trip to Chennai
This is a development that was far away from any where, and it did not get any farther along than this.
a temple .
Back in Chennai.
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