Sunday 22 January 2012

About "cases creoles" and architecture in Reunion and French Antilles

All around the Reunion island one sees the famous "case creole". Usually painted in very happy colour (like bright green, blue, red, orange or rose) they are cute one-floor houses (in the old times wooden, nowadays also from metal or concrete). They are almost always decorated with some "frise" (beautiful carving under the roof). This lovely detail is made (according to the old tradition) out of special wood such as ylang-ylang, lemongrass or geranium. Like this it keeps the mosquitos away (as well as the rain water) and the inhabitants healthy. The "frise" indicates also the social status of the owner, the more unsual and rich it is, the more healtier the people living in are...
The "cases creoles" hide usually in a garden full with exotic flowers and fruits trees (on the first picture you may have already seen the mangos on the left:-) The same houses are also to be spotted everywhere in the French Caribbean. The last two pictures depict some examples from les Saintes and the houses in Terre-de-Haut. They are even more colourful than in Reunion, a real eyecatcher:-)

8 comments:

FilipBlog said...

Looks very colourful. I am sure I am going to enjoy the Caribbean at the end of the year.

Greetings,
Filip

Marco Luijken said...

Hello Jana,
Wonderful to see how the people live there in funny houses. It looks like a paradise with all the fruit. Amazing to see the mangos hanging,..hhmmm...lovely..!!
Nice shots Jana!!

Greetings, Marco

Barb said...

I've learned something new - "frise." I like that the houses are painted such happy colors.

betchai said...

oh, your pictures make me miss picking mangoes right from the tree, those are indeed happy houses. Have a happy week, Jana.

Pierre BOYER said...

Une belle escapade architecturale...
Bonne journée,

Pierre

Filipina Ini said...

colorful warm houses!

papillon said...

I remember to have seen the butterflies on the penultimate picture somewhere... ;-)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful houses. It is the charming of the french style adapted to yhe tropical weather and lanscape of the ancient colonies. In Colombia there are a similar style in San Andres Islands. It also gives an impression of happy life all the time.