Beyond Dreamworks: [name_m]Five[/name_m] Days in Madagascar
like many of us millennials and older gen zâs, the release of the 2005 movie (classic childrenâs television, if you ask me) was the first time I ever heard of the massive, beautiful island off the coast of [name_f]Africa[/name_f]. and my family was obsessed with it growing up. you still canât say âMadagascarâ in my parentsâ house without my dad dutifully replying, âMada-who-ha?â and then laughing his head off. despite the popularity of the franchise, Madagascar has remained rather under the radar when it comes to [name_f]Africa[/name_f] travels, especially for families. it was difficult to find an itinerary for Antananarivo periodâlet alone an itinerary that appeals to a broad age range. a lot of this trip was winged on our parts, but I hope this will fill the void of family Madagascar recommendations, and encourage more people to check out this amazing country!
our first full day in Antananarivo, aka [name_f]Tana[/name_f], the capital of Madagascar, started with a lively walk around the city. Noxli and Mosaic rode in the stroller for most of the tour, while [name_f]Lapis[/name_f] and [name_m]Zeph[/name_m] walked alongside [name_f]Annie[/name_f] and me. we made our way to lac anosy, a heart-shaped lake in the middle of the city, where we had a spectacular view of the gorgeous rainbow buildings and the Rova, or palace, at the top of the hill. [name_f]English[/name_f] isnât commonly spoken here but [name_u]French[/name_u] is, and our kiddos are familiar enough with [name_u]French[/name_u] that they could order their food and introduce themselves to any poor stranger who would stop. after lunch, we met our guide at the palace at the top of the mountain and received an amazing tour. the queenâs palace was part of a royal complex built for [name_f]Queen[/name_f] Rasoherina. in the afternoon, the petit macaron was misbehaving, trying to make themself more room, so I took the younger two back to the villa to rest while [name_f]Annie[/name_f] went on with the twins to the museum. they returned with marvelous stories and requests for some precious jewels that we couldnât possibly afford, haha!
day 2: the excursion everyone was waiting for! about an hour southwest of [name_f]Tana[/name_f] is the cleverly named lemur park, where we had the opportunity to see many kinds of lemurs up close! unlike the more popular parc isalo, this is a sanctuary rather than a national park, but the lemurs are free to roam as they please. we brought lunch and picnicked in the sanctuary. it was probably the fastest weâve ever eaten lunchâthe kids were so excited to look for more lemurs! we returned to the villa after dark, four sleeping children in the back of a cab, and everyone went straight to bed.
day 3: we had a slow morning following our lemur excursion but made it out just before lunchtime to visit the Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza, a park in [name_f]Tana[/name_f] with plants and animals from all over Madagascar! bizarrely, the name translates to, âwhere children are forbidden,â but adults and children alike are free to wander in this beautiful place. after checking out some cool flowers and seeing lots of birds, we made our way to historical Zoma market, which is a big open-air market in the city!
day 4: Ambohimanga. about twelve miles outside the city, located on twelve sacred hills, this is the birthplace of the [name_f]Merina[/name_f] kingdom! these ruins were incredible; we were able to walk right through them, and the kids could climb on the old walls and walk through old buildings, including the Rova of Ambohimanga. we also caught a beautiful view of the city of Antananarivo from the top of the hill!
day 5: for our final day in Madagascar, we decided to check out the Pirates Museum! even [name_f]Nox[/name_f] was excited about this one! before the island became colonized, pirates used Madagascar as a hiding spot, and a lot of the treasure theyâve found around the island was on display in the museum.
our next stop: Mozambique!
Heâs on such a âno thank you, chocolateâ kick lately. Nor is he big on vanilla. Straberrry or bust. No idea!
Since when are my boys so grown up!? They wear these big olâ backpacks, clip their water bottles onto holders they made out of rope they discovered in the garage, and they (finally) clean out their own lunchboxes when they get home. Their walk home is 8 minutes, and they walk in a little group with the neighbor kids who live diagonally behind our house. Emma is the oldest (6th grade), and her sisters are Elise (4th grade) and Eve (1st grade). They take such good care of my big/little boysâIâm so proud, and I think itâs so absurd that my boys are now walking home from school⌠what!?
) Franny is soooo excited. Ozzy does not care yet. I am just beside myself. Their little backpacks and school shoes are too much. When the baby is born, weâll get three and a half hours just me and them⌠every day. That has never happened!!! And I have four kids!!!
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[name_f]Matilda[/name_f] [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] 
