The old city of Galle, located on the southern coast and the
final World Heritage Site on our itinerary, is a neighborhood surrounded by
massive fortress walls. Elsewhere along Sri Lanka's southern coast, the vacant shells of former homes,
piles of cinderblock rubble, stand ghostly tribute to the havoc wreaked by the
tsunami. But, in Galle’s old quarter, colonial-style buildings, all shutters,
archways, and balconeys covered with flowering vines, flank the streets.The fortification, serving little modern protective purpose, actually saved the old quarter from damage during the devastating 2004 tsunami.
A meandering gridwork of cafes, guesthouses, and giftshops,
Galle is also graced with walk-able fortress walls. We walked the majority of
the walls, perched high above the crashing waves, taking to the streets
whenever construction prevented passage. A beautiful vantage point for watching
the sunset over the ocean, the fortress walls seemed popular with tourists and
locals alike.
Wandering through the local Antiques Museum, we witnessed
local men hand carving gems, something done by machine these days. But Galle
strives to keep alive traditional handicrafts. We were lucky enough to see an
elderly woman making lace by hand, sun-wrinkled fingers flicking bobbins over
and under each other, a craft that is quickly fading away as the older
generation disappears in Galle.
Full of textiles, antiques, tea houses and beautiful ocean
views, Galle was a lovely place to waste several days roaming, looking for
local knickknacks or napping the day away.
