Exploring Galle Fort

We had no fixed plans today other than to explore Galle at our own pace. So we took our time over breakfast, sitting on the terrace with a view of the ramparts. We had the choice of different juices (it had to be mango of course!), 'proper' coffees (black Americano please) and a main course - I chose the muesli which was excellent, with a side of tropical fruit.

Galle was founded by the Portuguese, then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century. Later it became the southern headquarters of the British colonial rule. The British made several modifications, including removing the moat and building a lighthouse. Despite these, and later changes during WWII, it retains much of the structure built by the Dutch in particular.

The old town is still today encircled by a three-kilometre ring of massive granite and coral ramparts, broken up at intervals by fourteen bastions in various states of preservation. Within these walls its charming streets are lined with hotels, restaurants and shops aimed at the town’s many visitors. But it is also still home to a diverse population of Sri Lankan Moors (descendants of the Arabs who settled here to trade), Sinhalese, Dutch, English, Portuguese and German settlers. It is popular with ex-pat artists, writers, photographers, designers and poets who find a market for their creative flair in the smart boutiques and galleries.

We started our explorations with a walk on part of the ramparts, with views out to sea.

Looking inland we enjoyed watching some youngsters playing cricket (a national obsession in Sri Lanka) and enjoyed views across the town.

We passed the remains of Lloyds Naval Signal Station on Clippenburg Bastion. The bastion is one of the fourteen built by the Dutch, while the signal station was added by the British.

We’d intended to walk some distance further on the ramparts, but they were exposed to the already very hot sun. So we descended after a bit and sat for a while over cold drinks in a café attached to a hotel near the clock tower.

The tower was a British addition, built in 1883 to commemorate the jubilee of Queen Victoria. After our drinks we climbed back to the ramparts at this point. This took us to another of the bastions, the Moon Bastion, the site of the former guard room. There are sculptures here depicting the soldiers who used to guard the ramparts. The Moon Bastion offers a great view over Galle’s famous cricket ground just outside the fort.

Descending from the bastion we turned away from the ramparts into the old town. Although busy with tourists, locals were also to be found, most of them focused on tourist-focused businesses. As in Kandy I spotted several grinding gemstones for sale in the many up-market jewellery shops. Most of the shops are equally up-market and the restaurants on the whole are similar; this isn’t really a place for the budget-conscious! The beautiful red sign below was outside a spa and the crab near a seafood restaurant.

Groote Kerk

We followed Lighthouse Street and Middle Street to arrive at the Dutch Church. Also known as ‘Groote Kerk’ (meaning Grand Church), this Dutch protestant church was completed in 1755. It is fairly plain inside apart from the colourful stained-glass windows. The floors and walls are filled with elaborate grave markers from both the Dutch and British eras, some of which are decorated with a skull and crossbones.

Just inside the door on the left is an interesting carved wooden memorial. It is dedicated to Abraham Samland, a former Commander of Galle. The ornate display features colonial-era military emblems, including weapons, a helmet, and a central white garment.

Leaving the church we followed the ramparts at street level for a short distance. There was a snake charmer trying to charm money out of passing tourists while also charming his snakes. I took my photo from a distance, not to avoid the snakes (I rather like them and felt sorry for them in captivity here) but to avoid paying him and encouraging the practice.

We then turned back down Lighthouse Street to its southern end and our hotel, finding more appealing photo opportunities as we went. Galle has that appealing (to a photographer) combination of beautiful architecture with signs of dilapidation and decay. And I can rarely resist an ochre coloured wall!

We meandered back to the hotel as we needed to chill a little, and also to ditch the umbrella that it seemed wouldn't be needed. When we went out again after a short break it was to seek ice creams in lieu of lunch. This time we went to the Dairy King, opposite where we had been yesterday, as it had a cooler terrace. I enjoyed my choices of cashew nut and ginger ices.

We walked further up Church Street, made a short detour to check the restaurant where Selective Asia were treating us to dinner this evening (a thank you for our repeat custom), then followed Pedlar Street to the Old Dutch Hospital. This was built by the Dutch to look after the health of officers and other staff serving under the Dutch East India Company. Under the British it was extended and became a military barracks and after independence served as Galle’s town hall. Today it is home to an arcade of shops.

We checked a few of the rather pricey shops but didn’t buy anything as the most attractive items were either impractical to pack, too expensive for a holiday souvenir, or both. We then became distracted by the welcoming look of the Tap House bar at the end of the arcade, which seemed to blend Sri Lankan and UK pub style, so we stopped off for a drink. My passionfruit mocktail was delicious, and we enjoyed watching a bit of the T20 World Cup while there.

Talking of shops, I checked quite a few as we walked around, but didn't buy much as many things were either cheap and tacky, or lovely but pricey for holiday souvenirs. But we did get a small colourful mask to add to the medley of items displayed in our kitchen.
We next walked along to the lighthouse, spotting a beautiful White-throated Kingfisher on the way. He posed beautifully for us!

Established in the 1840s by the British, this is the oldest lighthouse in Sri Lanka. However the original building was destroyed by fire so this is a reconstruction completed in 1939.

Nearby is Meeran Mosque. This mosque is very unusual to look at as it has the style of a colonial church. The only giveaways are the Arabic writing and small crescent moon designs on the façade, and the crescent moons on the towers. There is a significant Muslim population in Galle Fort, historically linked to the Arab traders and merchants who settled in the area. There is some evidence of a mosque located on this site as long ago as the 1790s, although the current structure dates back just to 1904.

At this point we were feeling the sultry heat again, and our hotel was just around the corner, so we took another break.

In the evening Selective Asia had arranged for us to have dinner at their expense at the Merchant House hotel a couple of blocks away, as a thank you for our repeat booking with them. We had a table in one corner of the garden and enjoyed a three course meal, although with the exception of my roast cauliflower main the food wasn’t quite as good as we'd had at Charlie's on the previous evening - although it did have the merit of being served hot!

Back at the Charleston we had a drink in Charlie's to enjoy the fresher air off the sea before bedtime.