Friday, November 28, 2008
Travel from Canakkale to Istanbul, Turkey
Well we left the hotel at 0800 today which is actually much earlier than any other morning at this point but we had a ferry to catch. It was suppose to leave at 0830 but it was a few minutes late. The ride was like 10 minutes and we just had some sightseeing to do on the other side so we were not too worried.
Sam, Winston and Paul on the ferry. Don't ask....we didn't know what Sam was doing half the time either.
The trip took us across to Gallipoli. Gallipoli was the site of some very important and intense battles in 1915 and 1916. Any Navy that could break through this point had a chance to capture Istanbul, which sits on a very important sea passage. Istanbul of course was also the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Britain was hoping to capture the Ottoman capital and access to Eatern Europe.
Before we hit the site though we made our way to the museum. It contained all kinds of items for the battle including pictures, uniforms, stories and many other things.
Here is one of the many human remains found at the site. This skull still contains the bullet that killed this soldier.
The remains of a soldier's boot found on the battle field. It still contains part of the soldier's foot bone.
I must say that the battle we learned about while here was one I had never heard of before. Paul, Monica and Rashmi, who are from Australia, were very familiar with it though. With the risk of butchering the history, here is the story. During World War I, in March 1915, France and British troops went in to attempt to capture the area. They were turned back. On April 25, British, Australian, New Zealand and Indian troops went in and fought the Turkish forces for what ended up being 9 months before the Allied forces withdrew.
Hanging out at Anzac Cove. Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day is celebrated every April 25 in Australia and New Zealand as well as a few other countries to honour the soldiers who fought in this great battle.
They landed at Anzac Cove. I have never been to a war memorial that was actually on the site of a battle before so even though I did not know of the battle before, it was very interesting to be there....and I have certainly learned about the battle now.
One of the memorial cemeteries you will find on the hill.
As we got farther up the hill we visited a few cemeteries and we stopped by what remains of many of the trenches. At one point the Allied and Turkish trenches were only a few metres apart so it is safe to say that both sides suffered heavy losses before the battle ended. When the allied forces did retreat they suffered very few loses by setting up dummies and self firing guns.
The remains of one of the trenches. You can find them all over the hill and you can really see how close the two sides were to each other.
Standing at the top of the hill looking out at the view it hits you. The area was so peaceful today and the view was spectacular. Hard to believe the amount of death and fighting that took place on this spot so many years ago.
Hanging out on top of the hill. It really was a great view.
Ed taking some pictures...with a great view in the background.
The man who lead the Turkish troops in this battle…..Mustafa Kemel who later became Mustafa Kemel Ataturk who of course went on to form the Republic of Turkey and act as its first President. It was a huge victory for the Turks and just so neat to be there.
One of the memorial statues of Ataturk in the area.
After that we hopped back in the van for the approx 4.5 hour trip to Istanbul. What can I say.......it was very uneventful. We listened to a some music, took some naps, saw some country side but we were all very happy to be getting to Istanbul.
A fishing boat going past Anzac Cove.
Well, the hotel in Istanbul is in a great location but I will be attempting to get a new room tomorrow. They have put me in the basement, with a bathroom window that does not close. Apparently the hotel is full tonight so I cannot get a new one. Anyway, we headed out for some dinner. Ergun has checked out a lot of places for us along the way so we had another great dinner. Best calamari I have ever had and then some great salmon…..which Sam helped me finish. At the hotel we played a little bit more poker before heading to bed. Off to see some more of Istanbul in the morning.
Ekrem and Ergun, our great driver and tour guide.
Julie
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