photographie-irie  > Travel > haiti 2003
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photographie-irie > Citadelle La Ferriere, Milot, Haiti          

Famous mountaintop fortress on the northern side of the island, built by King Henri Christophe at the start of the 19th century to defend Haiti if the French tried to retake their former colony. It is the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere, has undergone considerable restoration, and is considered one of the cultural wonders of the world by the United Nations, along with the Acropolis, the Egyptian pyramids, and the Borobudur temple in Indonesia. It's scale is massive, dominating the hillside with walls over 12 feet thick and 120 feet tall. For all it's impenetrability, it was never attacked by the French.
photographie-irie > Sans Souci Palace, Milot, Haiti         

President/King Henri Christophe built this as his palace starting in 1810, modeled after the Sans Souci Palace in Potsdam Germany. Completed in 1813, it served as his residence for the remainder of his life. The complex lies on the hillside just below the Citadelle La Ferriere fortress Christophe had built over the same period of time. While the Citadelle has been restored, the widely spread ruins of Sans Souci offer their own quiet majesty in memory the buildings that once still stood before an earthquake took its toll in 1842.
photographie-irie > Haitian Boy at Sans Souci Palace, Milot, Haiti     

The open nature of the ruins makes them prime for aimless wandering, apparently for locals as well as visitors.
photographie-irie > The Citadel, Milot, Haiti     

Viewing the deforested interior of Haiti from atop the Citadel. Deforestation if one of the many tragedies of Haiti, a forced reality of no alternative fuel source. Trees are still now taken down for charcoal, the only common means of cooking in this impoverished nation. Solutions come hard when no one seems to care, and the problems seem so hard to solve amid absent infrastructure and overwhelming continuing social challenges.
photographie-irie > Bringing the Catch, Near the Cormier Plage, Cap Haitian, Haiti     

The wonderful beach at Cormier Plage resort was as much a pleasure as the resort itself, which offered beautiful, relaxed setting, friendly Haitian service, excellent food fresh from the sea, trees and fields, and a nice reef for snorkeling. The resort's owner when we visited was Jean-Claude Dicquemare, a prior diving partner of Jacques Cousteau, so scuba diving was available as well. Franklin was our most notable, excellent bartender/host among a friendly array of local talent servicing guests, oftentimes just the two of us.
photographie-irie > Fishing Boat, Beach at Cormier Plage, Cap Haitian, Haiti     

Remember the Haitian boat people exodus in the early 90's, when exiles crossed the open seas to the United States in overloaded, leaky, ramshackle boats? Similar boats are a way of life to harvest the bounty of the sea within the country as well. Although often colorfully painted in bright colors, as are tuk-tuks and many buildings in Haiti, this boat is a bit more a patchwork affair.
photographie-irie > Port au Prince, Haiti     

Looking from the Hotel Oloffson.
photographie-irie > Presidential Palace, Port au Prince, Haiti      

This grand edifice with it's immaculate grounds is quite incongruous in both history and place. Historically Haiti has been downtrodden by corrupt kings, presidents, "presidents for life" and military leaders, one after another. And the building itself stands out in stark contrast to common living conditions throughout the capital city, excepting those lifestyles of the upper tier ruling or drug-running classes (if they are different).
photographie-irie > Fast Food Rat, Port au Prince, Haiti     

Wandering a park near the Presidential Palace, this happenstance find on a cement wall bordering the park felt strangely evocative of the stark discontinuities between that nearby palatial structure, the Presidential Palace, and the realities of everyday Haitian life and culture.
Citadelle La Ferriere, Milot, Haiti     

Famous mountaintop fortress on the northern side of the island, built by King Henri Christophe at the start of the 19th century to defend Haiti if the French tried to retake their former colony. It is the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere, has undergone considerable restoration, and is considered one of the cultural wonders of the world by the United Nations, along with the Acropolis, the Egyptian pyramids, and the Borobudur temple in Indonesia. It's scale is massive, dominating the hillside with walls over 12 feet thick and 120 feet tall. For all it's impenetrability, it was never attacked by the French.
 > Citadelle La Ferriere, Milot, Haiti          

Famous mountaintop fortress on the northern side of the island, built by King Henri Christophe at the start of the 19th century to defend Haiti if the French tried to retake their former colony. It is the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere, has undergone considerable restoration, and is considered one of the cultural wonders of the world by the United Nations, along with the Acropolis, the Egyptian pyramids, and the Borobudur temple in Indonesia. It's scale is massive, dominating the hillside with walls over 12 feet thick and 120 feet tall. For all it's impenetrability, it was never attacked by the French.
Citadelle La Ferriere, Milot, Haiti     

Famous mountaintop fortress on the northern side of the island, built by King Henri Christophe at the start of the 19th century to defend Haiti if the French tried to retake their former colony. It is the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere, has undergone considerable restoration, and is considered one of the cultural wonders of the world by the United Nations, along with the Acropolis, the Egyptian pyramids, and the Borobudur temple in Indonesia. It's scale is massive, dominating the hillside with walls over 12 feet thick and 120 feet tall. For all it's impenetrability, it was never attacked by the French.
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Keywords: fortress jungle haiti citadel milot cap hatian cittadelle
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