Crossing the Dardanelles to Gallipoli
We had to get an early start since we had a ferry to catch across the Dardanelles to Gallipoli. While the sun had already risen by the time the ferry departed, the view of both sides of the water was still incredible.
ANZAC Landings
Upon arriving on the other side, we drove to our first stop on the Peninsula, the first ANZAC landing site. I first heard of the term ANZAC (Australian New Zealand Army Corps) on my trip through Australia. There were quite a few memorials dedicated to them throughout the country. Now to come full circle (in a sense) and be in a place where they were heavily involved is interesting.
Prior to visiting, I was aware of how bloody and tragic this part of the war was. However, once we got to the site of the first landings. And after looking at the cliff face that the soldiers had to try and attack, you gain an appreciation of just how brutal it must have been. And from there, you really get a sense of how somber the entire site is. There is a huge emphasis on remembrance and respect which really comes through.
Ari Burnu Cemetery
Our next stop was the Ari Burnu Cemetery This is a site that use to be where the ANZAC day remembrance services were held. It is a beautiful location that houses the graves of soldiers from different elements of the allied forces. Again, it’s a strong reminder to be thankful for those that have laid their lives down for our freedoms. And a reminder that war is a terrible thing that costs so much.
Johnston’s Jolly
From there we drove up the hill to Johnston’s Jolly. This was the site of some of the most brutal fighting, and evidence of trenches are still all over the area. At some points the separation between trenches was less than a two lane road. At one point a truce was arranged for bodies to be collected from the battlefield. Ibo made mention that because of the proximity of the trenches there was a small camaraderie developed between the opposing forces which made it even more difficult to fight against each other when called upon to do so.
Ataturk Memorial at Conkbayiri
From Johnston’s Jolly we drove to one of the highest points in the region: the Ataturk Memorial at Conkbayiri. This was the place where there was a strong concentration of Turkish defenses, and a place of great strategic significance for both sides. It was taken by one side then the other at some point during the war and again, was a very bloody affair. There are quite a few memorials at this location and the network of trenches still serves to bring a good sense of what the battle field must have been like.
Back to Istanbul
We spent the morning exploring the memorials around Gallipoli. However, from there we hopped back on our bus and settled in for the long drive back to Istanbul. Our whirlwind trip around Turkey was coming to an end. While I really enjoyed driving around a good amount of the country, the minute we hit the Istanbul city limits we hit traffic. And in a city of 17 million people, I did not enjoy the stop and go. It took us another two hours to get from the edge of the city to our hotel in Old town. From there we said our good byes to our faithful driver Omer and checked into the hotel.
Most of our group and Ibo made a visit to the Grand Bazaar. Gimpy and I decided to stay at the hotel to shower, pack and rest since we had a long day/night ahead of us. But that will be a story for the next post. Sufficed to say, there wouldn’t be much sleep over the next 24 hours, so we wanted to ensure we could sneak in as much rest as we could now.
Palatium Cafe and Restaurant
We all reconvened in the lobby of our hotel for one last dinner as a group before the tour ended. Ibo chose the Palatium Cafe and Restaurant for our last meal. The restaurant itself is a cool building with lots of large bean bag type chairs and a large outdoor patio. What’s also cool, is that the restaurant itself is built above old roman ruins which we got to explore before ordering food. I wasn’t able to get any good photos or video of the ruins below (it was dark) but I did find a pretty good walk through of the ruins on YouTube so check it out:
After the visit to the ruins we all settled back at our tables, ordered and enjoyed the time together. I ordered what I thought would be a fish stew or something, but it turned out to be a whole fish which I didn’t mind at all.
With dinner done and time passing quickly, Gimpy, another tour mate and I had a plane to catch. We said good bye to the group to catch a taxi for Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW). Our next adventure was about to begin.