[Wednesday] After lunch Wednesday, we traveled to a mountaintop to visit the Rova, the former summer Palace of the Queen in Ambohimanga. The road leading to it had only one lane, but the view was spectacular, again winding through villages of the very poor. At the entrance to the palace, we climbed a steep bank of steps where a legless man sat begging, and a blind man played a stringed instrument. There were several craft vendors there, including a lady who was embroidering, and her two charming children. The palace was once used by Queen Ranavalona I, and its ruins have been preserved after a catastrophic fire. It is one of the most culturally significant historic sites in the nation. Unfortunately, the battery in the digital camera went dead as we entered the palace ruins, so I can't show it to you.
