Canakkale & Gallipoli

Canakkale Harbour with Dardanelles Strait ferries in the background

Very busy town being on the otherside of the Gallilopi pennisular. Absolutely heaving with Turkish on holiday, being a Saturday. Just dozens streaming on and off the ferries including multiple buses. Bus stations or Otogars are up to 10km from citycentre so we took the C9 as recomended by our hotel host. The hotel is the oldest in Canakkale, 700years.  A classic interior almost French including the antiquainted plumbing.

We found an upstairs bar, The Kangaroo, which was a great spot to watch the habour comings and goings. A wander around we came across the replica of Troy used in the movie. Actual town just down the road. Lots of seafood bought from the the Argean Sea which is at the  bottom of the Dardenelles Strait and the Sea of Marama at the top. Found a vegeterian restaurant to our delight complete with resident cockerpoo.

Just delivered fresh fish to habour restaurant

Local barber with coloured towels drying outside

Sunday was our tour of Gallipoli with Crowded House Tours. Met our guide outside our hotel, collected another three folks outside theirs and on to the ferry. The guides were a  brilliant foil with one unhinged and the other brimming with information. In six hours we covered NZ no#2 outpost and cemetery, Lone Pine, Johnstones Jolly, Turkish Cemetery, Chunuk Bair, Anzac Cove and commerative site, the embarkation pier cemetery and several more iconic spots bombing around in a mini bus with 12 of us plus guides. At each spot tbe guide, with historical photos would take us back to 1915.  News to us but his and others research showed we were not slaughtered on the beaches but on Ridge no# 2. Troops on the beaches had been brought back by medics in the hope they would be evacuated, which could not happen. Hence later arriving waves troops thought they had been killed on the beach. 

A pilgrimage for Kiwis, Aussies and Turks. Such an utter waste and monumental military mistakes by the heiracy. Sobering to say the least but thankful we could honour this place. We put poppies out at Chunuk Bair.

Lone Pine

Our very competent guide Hasan with photos taken at ANZAC Cove.

Johnsons Jolly - trenches between Chunuk Bair and Lone Pine where Turks and Allied were 10m apart.

Anzac Cove with Sula Bay in the distance where the Brits made their amphibious landings.

Anzac Cove where the 25th April ceremony takes place

Anzacs scaled up this gully in an effort to get to the Dardanelles Strait

Gun placements and remaining guns, rail tracks protecting the Dardanelle Strait which succeeded in destroying or turning back the British and French warships whose intention was to sail up to Istanbul and take it.

Anzacs scaled up this in full kit in two hours

Definitely felt the need to retire to the Kangaroo bar after that epic. 

Next day got to the bus station in plenty of time only to find our booked bus was cancelled. Depot chap useless so we found another bus pronto so we could connect at Tekridrag for the airport. Another kerfuffle when the next  bus had wrong month on the e- ticket.  Not to be deafeated we paid for another, too difficult to argue in Turkish.  

Arrived back to Istanbul airport in plenty of time for our flight to Mardin in the SE of Turkey near the Syrian border. In Mardin found our hotel on the east side of the old city. All yellow stone buildings overlooking the Mespotamian plain.