Day 7 (March 17, 2022): A Day in Victoria

(Opening comments to be added Friday.)

A view of the Victoria area from the heights leading down into the city.  Above, you see a fairly new, high-end development in Victoria, named Eden Island.  In the background you see Isle au Cerf to the right, and the Sainte-Anne Marine National Park in the centre.

Victoria's restored colonial-era Supreme Court building (1885), now houses the National Museum.

This monument to the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1900.

Giant tortoises figure importantly into the Seychelles’ natural history.  This one isn’t real, but it is intended to get you excited for more tortoise content ahead in this blog entry!

This is the Victoria’s most famous landmark:  the Clock Tower.  It has been the centre of the city for over a century. While massive changes have taken place throughout the city centre, the Clock.Tower has remained virtually unchanged. It is an elegant replica of the clock that was first built in London in 1897. Governor Sir Ernest Sweet-Escott admired that clock during a visit to London and ordered a similar one in memory of Queen Victoria, who died in 1901.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

The Domus, adjacent to the Cathedral, is the priests’ residence and is a national monument.

Small by African standards, the Victoria Market is still one of the city’s most bustling spots.  Every morning, it sells a variety of fresh fish.  It was noon when we arrived, so the selection was diminished.  But still impressive1

Sri Navasakthi Hindu Temple is used by Victoria’s small Indian community.

David had the track at the Seychelles National Stadium all to himself!


Statue of Nelson Mandela in central Victoria.

The Sheikh Mohamed bin Kalifa Mosque serves Victoria’s small Muslim community.  Note the mountains that form a magnificent backdrop to Victoria.

The Victoria Botanical Gardens is not as manicured as many botanical gardens might be. But still, for a city of this size, it holds a few surprises, such as this man-eating tortoise!  Just kidding.  I did survive to tell the tale. ;-)

And here are some pics of a true highlight today: the giant tortoise enclosure at the Victoria Botanical Gardens.  These are the real deal!

Okay, we cannot be responsible for what they decided to do in front of our eyes…

A community conference to address the public behaviours shown in the preceding photo…

Mini palms in a water lily pond. 

The Five Rams statue at the Chinese Garden in the Botanical Park.

Seychelles’ most famous tree: the coco de mer palm tree, which is unique to this country. Please Google to see why they are so unique!

A view of Mahe upon taking off from the International Airport.

This aerial photo as we neared Praslin Island shows a sandy bottom well offshore.  (The darker splotches indicate seaweed;  the lighter areas mean ‘sandy bottom’.)

Another view of Praslin, seconds before landing there.

The Canadian-made De Havilland Twin Otter has not only been a workhorse for Canada’s north since production of the aircraft began in 1965, it has also been a workhorse in places like the Carribean and yes, the Seychelles, for many years.  19 of the 20 seats were taken for the 20-minute flight.  Air Seychelles operates four Twin Otters, and shuttles people back and from between Praslin and Mahe all day long.

The welcome sign at the tiny Praslin Airport.

Fresh hibiscus blooms and fancy-folded towels greeted us at Le Duc de Praslin Resort.

Le Duc de Praslin is the most amazing hotel — no details or expense has been spared to provide an artistically-stunning property. The entire property is a work of art.

The dessert plate at Le Dauphin Restaurant (Le Duc de Praslin)) tonight.