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:-)