We absolutely loved this place. Devil’s Island is really a group of 3 Islands off the coast of French Guyana. The island we went to is called Ile Royale, which is the island used as a French penal colony from 1852 until 1946. Today the prison has been phased out but many of the buildings still remain; some in crumbling disrepair and some having been renovated and used for other purposes. The dichotomy between the extreme beauty of this place and it extreme history made this an even more exciting and fun day.
This is truly a tropical paradise. Visitors are free to walk the grounds and inspect the buildings. On the ship we were given a map with a walking tour in English, as most of the signs are in French. Most of the buildings are built on top of the island and we had to walk up quite a lot of steps to get there. The views from above were breathtaking. There was a small museum that was mostly in French but we could get an idea of what the prison looked like in its heyday. There was a small hotel with a nice bar and gift shop and since it was a hot day and we stopped to have a drink before starting our exploration. We walked through the solitary and condemned prisoner cells and it gave us an eerie feeling. There was a small chapel, a lighthouse, a children’s cemetery, a hospital, convent/maternity ward and wardens’ quarters. There were roosters crowing constantly and chickens running everywhere; parrots, monkeys and agoutis were all free to roam the island. A barnyard held mother sows suckling their pigs. There is a small military unit stationed here so this is a working farm as well.
On the far side of the island the shore is rocky and wild and the surf is swift. It was great to be able to walk the island with no fear of muggings, falling in sidewalk holes or people begging us for money or to buy their wares. It was just a lovely day.
This is truly a tropical paradise. Visitors are free to walk the grounds and inspect the buildings. On the ship we were given a map with a walking tour in English, as most of the signs are in French. Most of the buildings are built on top of the island and we had to walk up quite a lot of steps to get there. The views from above were breathtaking. There was a small museum that was mostly in French but we could get an idea of what the prison looked like in its heyday. There was a small hotel with a nice bar and gift shop and since it was a hot day and we stopped to have a drink before starting our exploration. We walked through the solitary and condemned prisoner cells and it gave us an eerie feeling. There was a small chapel, a lighthouse, a children’s cemetery, a hospital, convent/maternity ward and wardens’ quarters. There were roosters crowing constantly and chickens running everywhere; parrots, monkeys and agoutis were all free to roam the island. A barnyard held mother sows suckling their pigs. There is a small military unit stationed here so this is a working farm as well.
On the far side of the island the shore is rocky and wild and the surf is swift. It was great to be able to walk the island with no fear of muggings, falling in sidewalk holes or people begging us for money or to buy their wares. It was just a lovely day.
No comments:
Post a Comment