You're now walking along Rue de Paris, the street connecting the Barachois to the State Garden. This is the capital's main thoroughfare, lined with beautifully preserved colonial homes, many of them former French state properties. This street has had several names over the years, that mirror the island's turbulent past. It was originally called Grande Rue (quite simply "Main Street"), then became Rue Royale in 1777, and even Rue Impériale in 1810 when the island underwent French political changes and was renamed Bonaparte Island. That name only lasted a few months, because that very same year, 4,000 English troops landed and seized the island from the French. Four years later, the English would hand this territory back, while keeping the apparently more valuable Mauritius and the Seychelles. In 1848, the street finally acquired its definitive name: Rue de Paris. Along the way, you may have passed the Artothèque, which houses the island's largest collection of contemporary art in a beautifully preserved former master's house from the 1840s. Next door, you'll find the Léon Dierx Museum, named after the renowned Réunionese poet, painter, and sculptor. It's an excellent modern art museum, and a real treat for art lovers.