Colombo 2; Fort and Galle Face Green

Our hotel is in Fort, now the central business district of Colombo.  There was a fort here, but the walls were demolished between 1869 and 1871 as the fort was obsolete and room was needed for new military barracks and urban development.

There is still a strong colonial feel to the area, and we start our walk at the Colombo Clock Tower (1857), also known as the Old Colombo Lighthouse; it is no longer the tallest building in Colombo.  We see the Cargills Department Store, the Grand Oriental Hotel (GOH), the Dutch Hospital (actually in front of our hotel) and Fort railway station, still a major rail hub in Colombo.  Then it is past the old Parliament building (where the Presidential Secretariat is located).  There is a good view of the iconic Lotus Tower and Beira Lake from near here.

We then walk down the Galle Face Green, on the south side of Fort; it used to be much larger and it was used for horse racing, golf, rugby and cricket (not all at the same time!) - it is now a popular destination for locals.  At the southern tip of the green is the Galle Face Hotel; founded in 1864, it is one of the oldest hotels east of Suez.

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