St Helena Slideshow
While I focused on writing my novel (working title: The Eaglet’s Legacy), October has flown by. As a final post before November, here’s a reminder to take a look at the video of photos from my trip to St Helena.
St Helena Island
Prisoners of St Helena
When Napoleon arrived on St Helena in October, 1815, there was only one building worthy of a sovereign: Plantation House, the governor’s country residence. Situated in a sheltered, charmingly bucolic setting, it provided a perfect location for Napoleon and his retinue. The military could easily defend its boundaries from invasion or escape. The governor’s family …
More Than Just Napoleon
In some ways, St Helena seems a lot like other islands I’ve visited: cinderblock homes, lush greenery along potholed roads, and a limited selection in the grocery store, but this place has surprised me. With just three Napoleonic sites and nine days to spend, I thought I’d be reading novels, reorganizing my laptop filing system, …
Arrival on St Helena
After five relaxing days on calm seas, we rose early to capture a true Napoleonic experience: our first sight of the island’s dark cliffs at dawn. Although my camera couldn’t do it justice, St Helena’s forbidding silhouette didn’t disappoint me. The barren rock faces do indeed rise out of the sea like prison walls. Napoleon’s …
Remote St Helena
It’s the tiny white speck in the south Atlantic. Few places on this planet become more remote over time, but St Helena has. In 1816, when Napoleon was exiled there, as many as a thousand ships a year called at the island. Back then, before the Suez Canal, it was a stopover for ships from …