The following description essentially gives some details about the elements which are displayed on the situation map. There is no special secret to unveil about the park as they will be about the mansion itself.

Overview

The property stretches naturally over the whole surface of a small flat piece of land leaning against the slopes of the caldeira about half-way to the crests: Criole people call that an Ilet. As one would expect, the slopes here are gentle or there aren't any at all, especially where the Mansion and the Golf Course have been built.

To the North and North-West, however, slopes become quickly steeper, for instance in the fruit garden, and, when they rise to steepily, natural forest soon enough claim its rights. As well to the North-East, however in a more gentle manner, since to the East, at the level of the hole Nr. 2 of the Golf Course, a natural window opens the view to the sea over a low point of the crest coming down from Look-Out Muzzle. To the South-South-East, that crest makes a short bounce upwards, like a small bellied hill, where the road comes and branches either to the Police Tower or to the Lantern in the neighbourhood of the Sugar Cane Plantation of the Governor (the « Cane Square »).

To finish with the general orientation, to the South of the Mansion the main entrance way, with its double rank of flamboyants (blooming magnificiently in their time of the year - before the Mildew appeared…), goes gently down to the iron gate and the road, while to the West-South-West becomes the ilet narrower and steeper beyond the Coconuts Plantation, the Vegetable Garden and the Gardner'S Cabin – actually a wooden House covered with shingle, covering a squarre shape of twelve by twelve meters, including a terrace-gallery surrounding the rooms: even if that house has no upper level, it would deserve a better name as that of a cabin! Especially when one knows that the gardner and his wife have no child…

In front of the Mansion

Let us go into a few more details to get a precise idea of the place: the main way flanked with flamboyants mouths on an esplanade, which seems to illuminate the Governor's Mansion with its white coral gravel, as well as it opens the perspective on it.

To the right and left, the esplanade is bordered respectively with two old mango and two old litchee trees, all four immense, above thirty meters in a height supported by enormous trunks and low branches. Those four trees seem to be less affected by the Mildew than many other plants… Under one of the mango trees has been hunged a swing under the biggest branch and there come often play Elorria and Poerava.

We'll only say at that point that the Governor's Mansion is covered in white-painted wood and built on a fundament made of big cutted blocks of volcanic stone making for a sufficient gap against ground humidity. The roof is made of layered alternating grey and black volcanic stones, similar to phonolith, which one finds in quantities on some remote slopes of the Furnace of the Octopus…

The double row of columns of the porch consists of ten unique pieces carved in the trunks of black trees unknown on the island. The foot and the top of each column are sculpted in the skeletons of whitened madrepores, the whole supporting a foreroof with, inbetween, an enormous lintel made of the same black wood as the columns. So let's say simply it's not the house of « Mister Anybody »! It is even a beautiful piece of architecture with its harmoniously alternating white and black (and grey) materials…

The Vegetable and Fruit Gardens

Let's stay at some distance of the Mansion first, where from the Governor might see us, and let's go over the path between the two litchi trees, to the left, where the hens of Ruggero, the gardner, and his wife, Irma, walk around and peck. One distinguishes then his Cabin in the middle of three fruit trees, of which one preferably also avoids to closen too much.

One could, at that point, turn left to go and play in the Coconut Tree Plantation but there is no time for it now! So let us turn right and lightly go up to the Vegetable Garden: everything grows there, under good care of the Gardner, onions, garlic, broad and other beans, manioc, sweet potatoes, green peas, lettuces (?!!), hebs and spices, etc. etc. That vegetable garden would be splendid if there weren't - as everywhere on the island! – that hated Mildew… The Gardner does all that he can and abundantly waters when there's no rain, thanks to a citern which collects water for the whole property from a small stream rushing down from the Rock - and that's important for the Golf too!

And there he comes, the Gardner, with his watering cans! By going upstream along the torrent wchich makes a bend slightly higher, one reaches the Fruit Garden where it is easy to thread one's way between the trunks and tall herbs. Actually, wild herbs grow everywhere there but it is cleared all around the trunks and the shoots were carefully cut at their stem; the reason? The few black dwarf goats, each being bound to a tree with a short rope and eating everything pointing its head out in their reach. The Gardner move then every morning to ensure a regular trimming and a proper care of the Fruit Garden. The first branches bearing fruit are beyond the reach of the poor goats, which were specially chosen for their little size (and important production of milk). Be careful because they bleat out the louder the better (or worse) if they are disturbed in their quiet daily activities!

In the middle of the Fruit Garden, one can get a slightly dominating view of the property for there is some slope already. That also means one can see and be seen from the Mansion (Windows of the Living and Society Rooms). The witness in the house would however have to already be focused on that part of the view. The Fruit Garden is thus stucked between the mountain bearing the natural forest and a thick copse making the limit to the Hole N°1 of the Golf Course.

The Golf (!) and its surroundings

Going forth to the East-North-East, one has the feeling that the forest and the copse closen up and thus enclose the Fruit Garden on this side, which is contradictory to the again slightly downward slope. Actually, at the end of the Fruit Garden, one discovers a passage between the forest and the copse which opens almost at the green of the Hole No. 1 with its flag put up just aside the hole.

Hence having no need to come back to the Vegetable Garden, there we are in the middle of the Governor's Golf Course – Who said it would be somewhat unseemly? Not at all! – a modest « Three Holes », that's it, which, however, is quite a source of hard work for the Gardner… From where we are, the complete picture of the Golf Course is easy to embrace, winding around a central thick islet of interlaced small bushy trees, which nobody could cross. Bordering it, from place to place, are sandy bunkers planted of hibiscus with their seasonal bloom which one can try to imagine beautiful by mentally removing the Mildew from them… Right to the South stands the Governor's Mansion with its Verandah; to the East, full view on the sea, as already discussed: we are here for sure at the most enjoyable view on the whole Governor's Estate! (If one excepts the view point from the bungalow at the pass, somewhat excentered…)

However, one should take good care about the issue of the seer seen while crossing there for one is then en pleine mire and without any obstacle from the windows at the rear of the House: Verandah, Kitchen, Elorria's and, most risky of all, Gomez Garcia'S Bedrooms! Hence, beware, it's a dangerous way, unless one decides to go forth a few more meters through the forest, which brings to the path climbing up to the pass of the Governor's Beach.

Back