SL Victoria Park
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 19 Mar 2019 23:47
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Victoria Park, Nuwara Eliya, Sri
Lanka  Victoria Park was originally the research field of Hakgala
Botanical Garden (about 16 kilometres away and one of the five botanical gardens
in Sri Lanka). Victoria park was formally named in 1897 to commemorate the
Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. A gardener said “hello” and told us how proud
he was of the park, that was a cue meaning ‘do you want a guide and I’ll charge
you at the end’. Smart to it now we told him it would be lovely after the works
were complete. “A month”, mmmm, not if the greenhouse men sleep all day and the
main pond is anything to go by.....but it was wonderful to see so many
schoolchildren enjoying the park. The trees were well established and varied,
the blooms were colourful and in good condition and the sun was shining. A
visiting German princess planted the first tree, an oak. Nowadays a number of
rare bird species can be seen. The Nanu Oya River runs through the park creating
a number of small lakes. We bimble from one side of the park to the other,
exiting to cross the road and head for The Grand Hotel for high tea..... posh
eh.....
                         Across the road is the Tudor-style two-storey red-brick Post Office built in 1894 by the British and one of the
oldest in Sri Lanka. In 2012 the upper floor – former living quarters of the
Postmaster – was converted into tourist accommodation.
ALL IN ALL A VERY PLEASANT BIMBLE PRETTY FOR A TOWN CENTRE |