Galle is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the administrative capital of Southern Provence
, Sri Lanka and is the district capital of Galle District. Galle is the fourth largest city in Sri Lanka after the capital Colombo, Kandy and Jaffna.
We stayed in Galle fort, at The Galle Fort Hotel, one of the grand mansions in the fort and it will have it’s own blog. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. The architecture is a mix of Dutch Colonial period and Portuguese style and native traditions. The city was extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century.
We stayed for two weeks, and even tho there are many highlights and much to do, that was a little too long. Join the locals for a morning or afternoon walk around the ramparts of the fort, and take in the wonderful mix of Architecture.
The food in the local restaurants and hole in the wall Roti shops is wonderful.
Other prominent landmarks in Galle include the city’s natural harbour, the National Maritime Museum, St Mary’s Cathedral founded by Jesuit priests, one of the main Shiva temples on the island, and Amangalla ( this will have its own blog) the historic luxury hotel.
On 26 December 2004 the city was devastated by the massive Tsunami caused by the a massive earthquake that occurred a thousand miles away, off the coast of Indonesia.This was the first time I visited Galle, thousands were killed in the city alone. Galle is also home to a cricket ground, the Galle International Stadium which is considered to be one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world. This ground was severely damaged by the tsunami, it was rebuilt and test matches resumed there on December 18, 2007. Our very own Shhaaaane Warne donated a lot of money to help rebuild the Stadium so just being Australian guarantees a very warm welcome and many friends.
Comments 1
Wow, one day I will travel there. What a life you lead Lorrie.