As they say in collegespeak, everyone needs to "chill" at times. Try to Pondicherry for sightseeing minimal, varied cuisine and a relaxed atmosphere.
Officially, the former French enclave known as Puducherry, but everyone else is just Pondi, a jewel in the Coromandel coast, reached by road from Chennai or Bangalore.
Pondicherry is perfectly carved into three sections. The classic and elegant, elegant French Quarter adjacent to the sea. To the east is the unfriendly nickname of "Black City" - busy, crowded and colorful as only locals can. Auroville, the international famous town named after the spiritual leader Sri Aurobindo, is 10 km north of Pondicherry.
To get around Pondi, use your own feet, if they complain, get on a rickshaw. Heritage structures Goubert Avenue Line, the road from the beautiful beach - there's the French Consulate and the great Raj Niwas (Government House), an elegant blend of Indian and French architectural styles. At night, the promenade is packed with locals and visitors enjoy warm breezes and freshly roasted salt verkadalai - peanuts anywhere in the world! Children's Park has a statue of Francois Dupleix, the Governor of Pondicherry (1742-1754).
Under colonial rule, the streets in the French Quarter were built north-south and east-west network. A street here is still a 'Rue'. Walking down the street without problems or Suffren Romain Rolland Street and you could be in the Mediterranean. High walls, white ceiling are richly decorated with bougainvillea flowers, many heritage buildings are now hotels and antique shops, kept in perfect condition. San José de Cluny, a house now donated to the church property, houses an exquisite embroidery workshop. The Alliance Française Suffren street is a good venue for watching movies on Sundays. Get the Lycée Français permission to visit if you're a history buff, take a look at the coins and rare photographs of colonial history.
Pondicherry sacred spaces speak volumes about its multicultural values. South Boulevard is the gloriously Gothic L 'Église Sacred Heart of Jesus, the ancient stained glass panels depicting the life of Jesus Christ. The Kanniga Parameswari Temple MG Road has stained glass windows, arches and walls of the angels on the facade - a happy union of Indian and French traditions. Drive along the white beauty that rises from the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (1791) on Mission Street and the mosque 300 years old Meeran. Visit the same age Manakula Vinayaga Temple - Lakshmi, the resident elephant 'blessed' with its trunk, in exchange for a banana.
Auroville, the City of Aurora was conceived by the mother, who inherited the spiritual legacy of Sri Aurobindo, as a settlement where people of different nations living in harmony. In contrast to the red earth and lush forest, your heartbeat is the Matri Mandir, a huge golden sphere whose center is a large crystal. Eclectic boutiques, a bookstore and cafe with international cuisine, drawing a steady stream of visitors.
Having swimsuit Auroville along nearby beach for a swim in the shallows. At haven Chunnambar, alias Plage Paradiso, a sea cruise, it is recommended - with luck you might spot dolphins frolicking.
Finally - the food! Splash out for a French meal at Le Club Dumas on the street. Enter a Gujarati thali lunch Shri Jalaram home or enjoy a strong masala dosa in the bustling Tamil. And yes, there is no tax on sales of alcoholic beverages - Salut!
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