The South - Sri Lanka - page 232

This walk will take you past many of Galle's highlights as you traverse four centuries of
history. One of the Fort's great charms is that detours and aimless wanderings are rewar-
ded, so don't hesitate to stray from the following walk.
Start at the 1 Clo ck Towerr, which unlike so many worldwide, actually displays the cor-

rect time thanks to the fine engineering of the 1882 British mechanism inside. Pause and
look out across the cricket field to the New Town, with its ceaseless bustle. Walk down
along the inside of the wall and pause at the British-built 2 Main Gate . Avoid the careen-
ing three-wheelers and cross Lighthouse St, following the walls to the 3 Sun B

Clock T

Sun Basttiion,

with its fine views of the harbour.
Curve back down off the wall and proceed up Church St to the heart of old Dutch Galle.
Admire the deep porches of the 4 Amangalla hotel. Cross Middle St to the cool confines
of the 5 Dutch Reformed Church . Across from the church is a 6 bell t ell towerr(built in

1901) which rings for tsunami warnings. Continue south on Church St to 7 All Sa All Saiintts

Anglica n Chuurcchat the corner of Church Cross St. Built from 1868-71, its solid rock con-

struction would look right at home in an English village. Leave some money in the dona-
tion box as it needs a lot of restoration. About 50m further on is the 8 Old Llo

glican Ch

s Offffiice,
with its preserved ship arrival board, in the 19th-century commercial building just north of
Galle Fort Hotel.
Retrace your steps and turn east on Queens St. Admire the 1683 9 Duutch G

Old Lloydd's O

ch Goverrnorr''s
HHouuse. A slab over the doorway bears the date 1683 and Galle's ubiquitous cock symbol.
Walk down the gentle hill and stop to admire both sides of the a Old Gate . Now make
your way back up the walls to the Fort's northeast corner and the b Zwarrt B t Basttiion(Black

Bastion), thought to be Portuguese-built and the oldest of the Fort bastions, with some
portions dating to 1580.
Make your way down to the vast leafy expanse of c Couurt S quarre. As the name im-

plies, various courts and related offices ring the sides. On weekdays you'll see people in
the shade of the huge banyan trees nervously awaiting their turn in court. Follow Hospital
St south and you'll encounter the lavishly restored d Dutch Hospital , which once was
filled with victims of the plague. This part of the wall is the shadiest and most pleasant in
the heat of the day. You might even consider a dip at e Lighthouse Beach .
At the southeast corner of the Fort you can't miss the British-built f Lighthouse . Just
west along Rampart St is the bright white and imposing g MMeerran Mo

t Squa

que, the centre of
Galle's vibrant Muslim community. Continue west to have fun and frolic at h Flag Rock , a
good place to see so many of the submerged rocks that have claimed dozens of ships

n Mosque