This afternoon we anchored off Devil's Island, French Guiana. This a famous prison island used by France until 1946. They sent their worst prisoners here. It was a nasty place, and considered impossible to escape from. Oner prisoner claims to have escaped, and a famous movie (Papillon) was made of it starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. They showed the movie here on the ship yesterday to get us ready.
Now Devil's Island is a pleasant place where tourists wander around the ruins.
Here is the island as seen from the ship.
Here are a couple of the most famous prisoners from Devil's Island.
The prisoner above is peeking through the head hole in the door of a solitary confinement cell. The worst offenders were kept in solitary which means a tiny cell where you stayed, often in complete darkness, all the time. You never got out for anything. Many prisoners went mad with such treatment.
Here is the inside of a solitary confinement cell.
Many of the buildings are now in ruins.
But, the island itself is very pleasant.
The animals are obviously used to tourists.
Now the ship is heading off to Barbados, and we are heading off to dinner. Life is tough out here.
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