And we go on exploring the Fijian capital, Suva, by foot. A short walk from the Thurston Gardens brought us to Albert Park...
And it's from the Albert Park that you can get a great view of the art deco Government Buildings...
And the locals say that this sight resembles that of the Buckingham Palace in London, a legacy of the British Raj in this outpost in the South Pacific...
The Albert Park reminds me of the Oval Maidan, across from the Bombay High Court, back home in Mumbai...
The foundation stone of the the Government Buildings was laid in 1937. The buildings were designed by the Chief Colonial Architect, Walter Frederick Hedges, who had previously served from 1928 to 1931 as the chief architect in the Federated Malay States, where he designed the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Istana Iskandariah, the palace of the Sultan of Perak. Hedges had previously served as Chief Architect in the Gold Coast Colony (modern day Ghana), where he designed the Prince of Wales College, Achimota...
The Government Buildings were formally opened in May 1939 by Governor Sir Harry Luke, to serve as the seat of the colonial administration and the Legislative Council of Fiji. Since 1970 and until the coups of 1987, the buildings housed the Parliament of Fiji. And following the 2014 general election, Parliament returned to its historic seat within the Government Buildings...
The Grand Pacific Hotel - fondly known as the "Grand Old Lady of the Pacific" has had quite a journey over the years. The very idea of the hotel came about in 1908 when the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand recognised the need for superior accommodation in Suva to cater for their passengers on their South Pacific route. Their Managing Director, Sir James Milles, commissioned the project with the hotel to be set on two acres that had been reclaimed from Suva Harbour in 1910. The architectural plans were based on contemporary colonial architecture and featured high ceilings and big double, louvered doors opening onto a broad veranda designed to provide cool comfort and style in a tropical climate. After a relatively short construction phase, the hotel opened its doors to guests on May 23, 1914...
In those days, the hotel had 35 rooms, the Roof Garden bar, a drawing room, billiard room with two tables, the smoking room and writing room. The room tariff was a princely 15 shillings...
Since its opening, the hotel has played host to royalty, the rich and the famous. And then there is the legend of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, the pioneering Australian aviator after whom Sydney's international airport is named, who in 1928, landed the “Southern Cross” opposite in Albert Park on his flight across the Pacific from the United States to Australia...
The 1980s saw a reversal of fortunes and was shuttered in 1992, after being converted into military barracks. In 2014, the hotel was reopened after investments by the Fijian government and investors from Papua New Guinea. And the Grand Old Lady of the Pacific lives on to tell its stories to curious travelers like us...
The Fijian flag atop the Grand Old Lady of the Pacific...
Another view of the Government Buildings...
A statue of Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, a Fijian statesman...
And the not so stately Holiday Inn next door...
And I just can't take my eyes off the Fijian flag...
Some more Fijian flags as we walk down the Victoria Parade...
And now we have a gargantuan Fijian appetite...
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