Day 12 of Sri Lanka Trip, Galle on July 22, 2017
Twelfth day of our tour of Sri Lanka as we continued our journey on the Southern shore of Sri Lanka.
Mirissa Beach
We spent the previous night in the coastal town of Mirissa, and had our dinner in the I&I Roti Shop. It was so nice that we decided we would have our breakfast there too.
After breakfast, we had the option to go whale watching, that's what the town of Mirissa is famous for. But since it's not whale watching season, we decided to enjoy its beach with some beach volleyball instead (we had barely used that volleyball since we bought it in Trincomalee).
Unfortunately, unlike Trincomalee, the beach of Mirissa is shallow and slanted towards the sea, which made volleyballing sort of difficult. But with cow manure of Trincomalee replaced with pleasant foot traffic of Mirissa, we had great fun that morning.
After checking out of the hotel in the noon, we made our way West towards the town of Unawatuna, which is essentially the closest town to Galle that's got a beach.
Well, this tiny bay is next to a petrol station (that’s why we stopped in the first place), where there’re few tourists around, and so I guess the stilt fishermen were out of job.
Once in Unawatuna, we had more beach activities. But with blistering sunshine, volleyball on the spacious beach of Unawatuna no longer was a viable option. So I tried to go for a swim in the sea, which was cool by and large, except occasionally I was thrown out of shape by some huge incoming waves.
So fast forward to that afternoon, as I figured the best time to visit the historic city of Galle was near dusk, with pleasant sea winds and spectacular sunset.
Moon and Star Bastion
We began our tour of Galle Fort at Moon Bastion which was on its Northern wall, where Galle Fort Clock Tower was located and local younglings were playing.
More information about the bastions of Galle Fort can be found at www.galleheritage.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17&Itemid=11&lang=en.
Further away in this photo is Galle International Cricket Stadium. On our way here, our driver proudly pointed us a sign in the stadium stating an upcoming match between Sri Lanka and India, two nations fond of cricket.
On Star Bastion separating the Fort from the sea.
The Dutch didn’t build the fort right into sea (which could be technically challenging I guess), so there’s this piece of beach that’s large enough for trees to grow.
After that, we went down the rampart onto the main street of Galle Fort.
St Joseph's Chapel
We wandered into this small church just like any other church sprinkled around the town of Galle. Fee people were around, we took a few photos and left before our presence would disturb its tranquility.
Lined with plants.
Where colonial colors of the building was contrasted with modern vogue storefronts.
I’m not sure why they have these vents as low as towards the ground, but the bright white paint on its walls spoke of the affluence (and maybe unique taste) of its owner.
The complex first built in 1684 as the headquarters of the Dutch commanders. During British rule the complex was used as the quarters for its soldiers. In 1865 it was converted into the New Orient Hotel.
Dutch Reformed Church
The foundation of Dutch Reformed Church were initially laid in 1682. In 1755, Commandeur of Galle, Casparus de Jong (Lord of Spanbroek), and his wife Geertruyda Adriana Le Grand donated the money for the church to be constructed as a thanksgiving for the birth of their daughter for which he had waited for many years. The child was not baptized until the church was completed. It is one of the oldest Protestant churches still in use in the country.
Fortunately, we made it to Dutch Reformed Church at 6pm, just when it's about to close. Towards the end of our brief visit, some clergies ushered us out and closed its gate afterwards.
Original organ built in 1760.
Constructed with wood imported from Malaysia.
A small choir pushed to the side of the church.
And among historic churches, fashionable shops and restaurants represented the modern part of Galle Fort.
With the Buddhist temple that I saw later in the day, the world's major three religions could all be found in this tiny Fort area, speaking of its culture blend.
After that, we reached the Southern boundary of Galle Fort, where local people were emerging themselves in the sea breeze after a blistering summer day.
Meeran Jumma Masjid against Fiery Clouds
And after that, we watched a spectacular sunset over the Indian Ocean, with sparse clouds decorating but not obscuring this magnificent scene.
Sunset over Indian Ocean
Galle Fort West
Sunset Glow over Indian Ocean
After that, we made our way North to the parking lot, where our driver would take us back to our hotel in Unawatuna.
It seemed there was some activity going on, I guess it’s wedding.
On our way back, our driver took us to "Old Dutch Market" just outside Fort area, which was called "Galle Fruit Market" on Google Maps. It's a historic place that went back all the way to colonial periods, but nowadays it only sold overpriced fruits to tourists.
Apart from that, we found a restaurant on our way back, where we had dinner. And that's the end of day.
END