Seen on route, a stork
Yet another sleeping crocodile
We stopped here for lunch
After lunch, we continued on the Galle. It was time for the children to leave school, so we were held up for some time. This little girl was waiting in a Tuc Tuc.
For a while, we were travelling along the coast, where we saw these colourful fishing boats.
Our hotel for the night was the Fort Printers at Galle, an historic building which is now a hotel, but changed little in structure because of local regulations. There are 13 rooms available and all are large. Headmaster's is over the kitchen and looking out over the courtyard, so noisy when people are eating. Unfortunately, we didn't get to dinner there; we were both very tired and not at our best, so we just went to bed and slept despite any noise.
Our room
The corridor outside.
Tissa took us on a walking tour of Galle, now a world heritage site, explaining the different periods that have influenced the city, Portuguese, Dutch and British.
Galle had been a port since the time of the Greeks and romans but the Portuguese arrived in the early 16th century and built the city in the late 16th century and lost in to the Dutch about 70 years later. The British took the fort at the end of the 18th century and stayed there until independence in 1948.
Today, the city is a blend of all the cultures with Dutch churches, British official buildings but just a little Portuguese architecture.
This gate is Portuguese, although the crest, which was added later is Dutch.
Similarly, this gate is Portuguese, but the crest is British
Lighthouse
And fortifications.
By the morning, we were rested and ready for the drive to our next and last hotel, Mount Lavinia near Colombo.
- Pat and John on tour
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