Sunday, November 8, 2015

Devils Island


After two days sailing the Atlantic we reached the tiny French settlement of Devils Island a part of French Guiana. There are three small islands with Ile Royale being the one with extensive remains of the old goals.
The islands are infamous as prisons from 1852 till 1953. This is where the story of Papillon originates along with Captain Alfred Dreyfus. It was a cruel and barbaric place. Strangely flowers now grow close to the cells and prison blocks.

                                                               The Old hospital

The remains include old prison cells and hospitals and even churches.



                                            Gail in the gaol cell

Just across the narrow straight is the small island of Ile du Diable or Devils Island a name synonymous with suffering and punishment. The piranhas and sharks made escape an option that few tried


2 comments:

Amanda said...

Piranhas! Eeek - no going for a dip there!

Miss Di said...

Not as imaginative a name as "Pinchgut" - as our ferry circled it for 20 minutes on Saturday while a cruise ship left the quay we considered jumping overboard and swimming for it, but then thought of the sharks...