The Plaza has a fountain with a sculpture as its centerpiece. Looking up to the building there are three distinct wings. The two outer parts are made from wood while the center is a stone structure. Behind it is a park with weird signs that read ‘library’, ‘store’, ‘bank’, and others with a statue to the abolition of slavery. The hill that Rose Hill gets its name from is best viewed here.
Around the corner is an old house in the fire brigade colours of red and cream, but it is probably a house, not the actual old fire station. Walking out of the plaza are some obelisks to Tamil culture. The street is quite busy as it is the main road through town, but there is no street food that we could see.
Tou Cafe was our breakfast, a chicken chilli pastry, that was really delicious, Riki said the smoked salmon thing she got was perfect, not that I know, as she scoffed it. They were a few old buildings, some had been turned into great new shops and restaurants, which is helping to preserve these glorious structures.
A quick glimpse at the house of Carne, meat, as I continued to laugh the whole day and into the area with shops. Paid parking is easy to find, right next to Notre Dame des Lourdes. The first stop was the back area of Miss Daisy. They have utilized their old stonework from the original build to make an oasis. Off-limits at the moment, but it will be a fine area once restrictions are lifted.
Montmartre is a multi-religious site, as anyone may come and worship, all are welcome. This church with a 120 foot spire was constructed in one year during world war two. The lynchpin of the construction, sister Labatie. The story goes that nuns would stand in a human chain and pass the cut stones from the artisans in the quarry to the building site. The inauguration saw a feast of potatoes and tea, it was the war after all.
Across the road is a Chinese shop selling bubble tea, As this was our first experience with it, we pulled quite a few funny faces, but ultimately the joy of drink bubble tea for the first time will be a memory I will cherish. We also eat a hakken, similar to a spring roll, but so much better.
We finally made it to the House of Meat, named after the Count of Carne, this old stone structure has been well preserved, it may be a rectory now, but I’m not sure. Around the back is some stone building and I make a bit of a fool of myself and got lost in a bit of a historic flashback.
Across the road is the hall of Saint Louis and the Library of Saint Joseph, both in the same building. Next to the is Notre Dame des Lourdes, a church made in the shape of the Roman cross. With the beautiful stained glass windows, it must be a sight from inside. We closed out the day at the church near its imposing entrance.
Just a little bit down from Rose Hill busy section, you can find a treasure trove of history and some great foods.