From the sinking of the Banda to the filming of the movie Serenity, the Albion Lighthouse and its dangerous coastline are the stuff of tales and dreams.
A little history. A lot of passion. This is a great hook for the We Love Maurice videos. After the waves of La Roche Qui Pleure, the peaceful lagoon of Ti Zil and the unspoilt nature of Henrietta, let’s go to the dramatic poetry of Phare d’Albion, the Albion Lighthouse.
We are 10 kilometres south of the capital Port Louis. The fourth We Love Maurice video features the ‘Techno Queen’ Vanessa, a young phenomenon in Mauritian electronic music, at the edge of the cliffs of Pointe aux Caves, in front of a sea where swimming is forbidden.
4 minutes 35 seconds
The name Pointe aux Caves comes from these caves dug into the rock by the swell. The story goes that runaway slaves hid in these caves. As well as the treasures of some pirates…
The 23 captions of this new episode of We Love Maurice, which is an hour long, revisit the history of the area, of which the lighthouse — the permanent background of the video — is the icon.
5 minutes 25 seconds
Proclaimed “the most beautiful lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere” when it was built in 1910, the Albion Lighthouse is one of the four lighthouses built by the British during their occupation of Mauritius. Today, it is the last active lighthouse on the island.
Around the 20th minute of the video, don’t miss the moment when the lighthouse comes alive. As the sun is setting on the horizon, the drone of La Isla TV’s team lingers at the top of the lighthouse:
20 minutes 25 seconds
The Albion Lighthouse opens for the night! From the top of its 46 metres, the view of the lighthouse stretches from Flic en Flac in the south to Pointe aux Sables in the north. Managed by the Mauritius Ports Authority, it is possible to visit it with the agreement of the lighthouse keeper.
22 minutes 30 seconds
The lighthouse is lit! Since 1910, the Albion Lighthouse has been showing the route to Port Louis and guiding navigators in this area where the sea is dangerous.
As you can see, the historic Albion Lighthouse is needed in this rough sea. On the horizon, there’s the pass or point of passage through the barrier reef to the capital Port Louis. For more than a century, the lighthouse has accompanied sailors with two light signals: a fixed red light and a double flash every 15 seconds with a range of 50 kilometres. Unfortunately, there’s a darker side to the local history:
25 minutes
In 1615, the Banda smashed into the rocks of Pointe aux Caves with the famous Dutch governor Pieter Both on board, who left his name to one of the most famous mountains on the island, 820 metres high.
The Albion Lighthouse has seen many legends. Old and new:
9 minutes 7 seconds
Have you seen Serenity? Steven Knight’s 2019 film starring Matthew McConaughey is the first Hollywood production ever shot (entirely) on Mauritian soil… including here at the Albion Lighthouse!
10 minutes 17 seconds
This is where Matthew McConaughey’s character in Serenity lived, a few metres behind DJ Vanessa. On this uninhabited and wild coastline, he settled down in a huge, refurbished container.
18 minutes 8 seconds
In the film Serenity, Matthew McConaughey’s character dives naked into the sea every morning from this cliff where Vanessa is mixing. This may seem impossible, but don’t forget it’s a film!
If you don’t know this part of Mauritius, come and discover it! Albion is a peaceful town, 10 kilometres south of the capital, Port Louis.
We like to walk there, especially along the cliffs of Pointe aux Caves, where this video was shot. Vanessa is performing her DJ set here about 200 metres north of the lighthouse. It’s the perfect spot to admire the landscape. The colour of the water below is incredible, a deep, intense blue.
Every evening, at sunset, a dozen people sit along the cliffs. They are neighbours, couples in search of romance or curious people. In summer, the lighthouse lights up at about 6:30 pm, about 15 minutes before sunset. This is an exceptional moment between the waves, the light of the lighthouse and the last rays of the sun. Good news, this is the perfect spot for your next romantic trip!
We Love Maurice #4 | Vanessa @ Albion Lighthouse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDnn5i9eyfM
Written with love by Victor
@attitude_hotels
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