8th March 2016

Drawing back the curtain revealed a breathtaking scene: a brilliant blue sea, a scattering of tiny islands, and fluffy white clouds dotting the early morning sky. We had docked in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, at around 7:30 am. The ship had glided into its berth so smoothly that it didn’t disturb our sleep, kudos to Captain Gianfranco La Fauci for that masterful manoeuvre!

For once, breakfast was bustling. It took us a while to find a table, as most passengers seemed to have had the same idea: eat early in the buffet restaurant to disembark quickly. Many were eager to catch their excursions or explore the town before the forecasted 30-degree heat set in.

By 8:45 am, we were off the ship and already feeling the intense heat. The quayside was lined with local tourist stalls, but we bypassed them, heading straight to the information desk to pick up a map of Victoria. Ignoring the persistent offers from taxi drivers eager to whisk us off to a beach, we set off on foot.

It was a short stroll into town. Victoria, reputedly the smallest capital in the world, was charming but compact. Our first stop was the Art Museum, which, unfortunately, proved a bit of a letdown. Many of the paintings had been removed in preparation for an upcoming exhibition on French culture (who knew they had one?). Nevertheless, the remaining works caught our eye, and we spent some time admiring the vivid use of colour and the authentic depictions of rural life.

Crossing the road, we visited Kenwyn House. We’re not sure why it’s called that, but it’s an impressive traditional wooden colonial building. Today, it houses a jewellery shop on the ground floor and a local art gallery upstairs. Inside, it was wonderfully cool, a real testament to the effectiveness of traditional building techniques.

As we were the only visitors at the time, we were treated to a mini tour of the gemstones on display. The resident jeweller, originally from Colombo, proudly showed us his portfolio of intricate designs, as well as a stunning ring he was currently working on. His craftsmanship was exceptional, clearly a master of his trade.

At the end of this street stands perhaps the most famous landmark in Victoria, the clock tower. Painted silver, it resembles ‘Big Ben’ and chimes twice on the hour: once to give the time, and again as a reminder. I quite like that feature; it’s great for goldfish and those with Alzheimer’s.

After visiting the Catholic church, we stumbled upon the lesser-known but much more impressive Anglican church. Once again, it was beautifully cool inside, so we lingered for a while. The heat was starting to get to Sue, and thoughts of returning to the ship began to surface.

On our way back into town, we stopped by the Tourist Information Bureau to ask where the Botanical Gardens were, as that had been moved from our morning itinerary to the afternoon. Oh, heaven. Thankfully, a group of picky German tourists were ahead of us, occupying the staff, and for once, we didn’t mind their endless, inane questions, because the air conditioning was absolutely heavenly!

With our question answered, we stepped back out into the sweltering heat and made our way as best we could, hopping from one patch of shade to the next, until we finally returned to the cool sanctuary of the NeoRomantica.

Two icy-cold drinks from our fridge and a shower set to the coolest setting, and we were slowly returning to something resembling normal body temperature. We headed up to the restaurant for lunch, replenishing our fluids and adding a bit more to our daily calorie intake.

Returning to the cabin, Sue admitted she couldn’t face going out in the heat again and opted for a nap instead. We moved the Botanical Gardens visit to tomorrow. While she slept, I checked my emails and had a quick chat with Charlotte on Messenger before spending an hour in the deserted gym. During my workout, we had a tremendous storm, and the rain poured down like a river over the glass roof I was exercising under. For about ten minutes, my view of the town and mountains was completely obscured. We were fortunate to have changed our plans.

When I returned, Sue was still asleep, but the sound of my shower woke her up, and we made our way up to the decks for afternoon tea. It was shocking. I wasn’t at all hungry, but reassured myself that any calories I consumed were making up for the deficit from earlier.

Sue took the binoculars up on deck, while I stayed in the cabin to start this blog. Now and then, I glanced out of our porthole at a truly stunning view, little boats speeding across the water, framed by our circular window, with the mountains in the distance and the storm clouds long gone. It was lovely, but not exactly conducive to speedy blogging. When Sue returned from her spying mission, I took the binoculars up on deck to have a good look at the surrounding islands and the hillside properties while she tuned into Al Jazeera.

After the evening meal, we relaxed on the sunbeds and watched ‘ABBA in Japan’ on the big screen at the very top deck of the ship. What a great band. I hoped Victoria enjoyed them too, as I imagine they heard and saw the video as well.

From there, we made our way down to deck 9 and listened to a string quartet perform in one of the bars. When they finished, we rushed to the stern of the ship to catch a show titled ‘Seychelles Folk Dancing’. A band played through the history of dance in the islands, while two young girls bopped and wiggled to various tunes, keeping in time with some very complicated melodies and undergoing occasional colourful costume changes. It was all very entertaining.

Later, Sue was eager to head back to the top deck to see a South American band, but by then it was 11 pm. I pointed out that she had napped earlier in the afternoon, and I was feeling tired, so she would have to go on her own.

We both hit the pillows shortly after.