A little piece of Europe in Sri Lanka..
If Beirut is the Paris of the Middle East, then Galle (pronounced Gawl which rhymes with ball, before like me you embarrass yourself) is surely the Paris, of South Asia.
A little bit of History..
Originally Galle was primarily an important trading port between the Arabs and East Asians, and you can see why, with its coastal placement right between the Middle East and China.
This strategic location soon drew the interest of the European traders. It was the Portuguese who colonised Sri Lanka first, naming it Ceilao, and built the Galle fort walls in the sixteenth century for defence purposes. In 1640 the Dutch captured Galle and fortified it further. Galle remained under Dutch control until 1796 when the British took over Sri Lanka, as part of the British Empire, and named Sri Lanka a more British version of Ceilao- Ceylon. (Hence Ceylon tea).
Ceylon gained independence after the end of WW2, and later changed its name to Sri Lanka to distance itself from its colonised past.
Across Sri Lanka, remnants of European influence remain dotted around the country, such as the British built railway stations originally constructed as a means to transport tea and coffee from the plantations in the hills to the ports for trading. However, the European influence remains particularly strong within the fort walls of Galle.
Having never been to Holland or Portugal, I can’t verify the similarity there, but in my opinion it definitely has elements of an old fashioned British seaside feel, combined with some Southern European and also Middle Eastern elements, such as spacious courtyards which provide a welcome relief from the blaring sun.
Galle seems quite far removed from the rest of Sri Lanka- as soon as you enter the walls, prices increase, as do the number of European tourists.
I certainly don’t recommend you come to Sri Lanka and only see Galle. Sri Lanka has so much more to offer. But it is lovely for a day or two of pottering around.
Although be warned, in late March the heat is intense! I basically sweated my way from one ice-cream to another.
Anyway, enough of me blabbering on.
Here’s my day of Galle in photos!
A day in Galle..
I arrived and cooled down with an iced coffee..
And picked up some cool postcards here…
I wandered around the streets..
After over-heating it was time to indulge in some delicious ice-cream… this one was gingerbread flavour!
I sat and watched the world go by..
And had a look round the boutiques
And art galleries and shops..
Until it was time for another ice-cream..
Sunset is the perfect time to walk the fort walls when the city starts to cool down…
And enjoyed an ice lolly! I couldn’t say no hehe..
I walked to the lighthouse (first built by the British in 1848 although has since been rebuilt due to a fire in 1934)…
I watched the locals enjoy themselves on the beach…
And tried the local ginger beer, and loved it! My new favourite drink!
Soon it was time for a bite to eat and yet another iced coffee!
I stayed at an awesome little Hostel (which serves alcohol yay), well it is run by an Irish woman after all!
And that pretty much sums up my day in Galle. Basically a lot of drinking coffee and eating ice-cream!
I hope you enjoyed reading about the pretty city of Galle and seeing some of my photos. All photos were just snapped on my phone.
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Thanks for reading
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