Gallipoli

Sunday October 9
Gallipoli

We'd visited a travel agency a few days ago to see if we could get a ferry to anywhere in Greece from Istanbul.  Impossible.  Everything is much easier by bus.  So we came up with the option of going on a tour of Gallipoli then being dropped off on the way rather than going back to Istanbul.

Our pickup was at 5.45am.  Alarm went off at 5.15.  Power blackout!! Oh no.  Had to pack by torchlight, but I don't think we missed anything.  Negotiating the steep tight spiral staircase down 3 flights in the dark with our bikes was a bit challenging.  Just made it to the bus in time.

It was about a 4 hour trip to Gallipoli.  We picked up another 2 young Australians, and 2 guys from Brazil who'd never heard of Gallipoli and were doing the trip to Troy instead.  Drove to Eceabat to pick up our guide then multiple stops touring the Gallipoli Peninsula.

It was such a beautiful day, and the scenery was so nice.  Hard to picture the war and the thousands that died on both sides.  Learnt a lot more about the war, and how the Anzacs landed in the wrong spot.  Who knows, the war may have been a lot shorter if they'd got things right.

A memorial to Turks who died in the hospital set up on the Peninsula

 

Anzac Cove

The hills behind Anzac Cove

Ataturk is absolutely revered by the majority of Turks.

Most were in their 20's

There was even a McLaren listed - I'm not aware of any of my relatives being at Gallipoli though

Lone Pine, a battle that only lasted a few hours but with hundreds killed

A Turkish memorial - very crowed with Turks

Part of the Turkish memorial

Ataturk

The view of the Agean Sea, Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay from Chunuk Bair - this is the high point that the allies were trying take to then get control of the Dardanelle straits.  This would provide a supply line to Russia who was fighting with the allies.

The trenches as Chunuk Bair