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“St.
Barths – Gustavia Harbor” by Paul McGehee. The tiny island of St.
Barths (short for Saint Barthelemy) in the Caribbean Leewards is a
beautiful tropical oasis where the old island ways meets modern French
culture. It's a land of colorful villas on verdant hills overlooking
the aquamarine waters of the Caribbean Sea, gourmet restaurants and
opulent megayachts lining the harbor of Gustavia. Gustavia, the capital
city, has hints of the French atmosphere and high-end shopping of
Paris, 4,000 miles away, but also has references to the years St.
Barths belonged to Sweden for a century, starting in the late 1700's
(they sold it back to the French in 1878). The Swedes had named the
port town Gustavia after their King Gustav III. The town had three
fortresses to defend itself, named Oscar, Karl and Gustav. Forts Oscar
and Gustav guard the mouth of the harbor in this view, looking
northwest over the waters of Le Carenage. The historic bell tower of
the Catholic Church in the foreground was toppled over and partially
destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017, but is currently being rebuilt.
Through the years that tower has been destroyed and rebuilt several
times. St. Barths is a popular destination for tourists and celebrities
from all over the world. The tiny airport of St. Barths is legendary:
an airstrip at the base of an abrupt hillside peak over which planes
must fly, pull back on the throttle and drift down the length of the
hill to the strip. If the airstrip is overshot, you end up in the
water! Just one of the many magical moments you will encounter on a
visit to sunny St. Barths.
“St. Barths - Gustavia Harbor” is faithfully reproduced as an archival-quality print from
McGehee's original color pencil and acrylic artwork, each hand-signed
by the artist.
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