The coach left Istanbul headed for Gallipoli on time, with our bags stowed in the bus. What bliss having someone take my bag away and not have to worry about it and its weight. The coach was comfortable enough but certainly not luxury seating. I was disappointed to see there were no toilets in the rear, wondering what the story would be if people needed to go in a hurry! That question was soon answered by Berna our guide for the fortnight She gave us a full description of the days activities including times of comfort stops as she called them! Turkish guides are all licensed and carry papers with them in case the bus is stopped and checked, as indeed it was several days later.
Our excellent driver Birtol was indeed one of those professional drivers that I have come to respect,his driving was superb and his patience unending.
The scenery changed little in the drive to Gallipoli and Anzac cove but as we drew closer the flat land changed into hilly and some mountains. As we drove along side some of the Dardanelle sea, the strait between the Marmara and the Aegean there were some wonderful views to be seen. We reached Anzac cove in the middle of the day, the hottest part.

We stopped alongside the lonely cemetery by the sea shore. The many graves of the allied soldiers buried there a tribute to their sacrifice. Their ages ranging from teenagers to those in their the forties I must say it was an emotional visit . To actually see the area that these men fought in, certainly explained it with the beach being at the bottom of hills and mountains a very difficult scenario. Towering over the area a rock formation called the sphinx for its likeness to the egyptian relic. Anzac cove while named where the cemetery was located actually stretched a distance in a gentle bay of considerable size. We left here, the coach climbing up through the pine covered mountains.

Pine trees surprised me I had never connected them to Turkey. While ours grow a lot bigger and appear healthier, these seemed to survive the heat and the dry conditions they grew in, but lacked the size. Perhaps they were harvested at a smaller size.
The next stop on our Gallipoli tour was at the Lone Pine cemetery where the majority of the Australian troops were buried. A simply stunning location, overlooking the sea, with a memorial stone that also included the names of many New Zealanders who lost their lives along side the Australian soldiers. The middle of the graves was a Lone Pine obviously the reason for the name.

The next stop was to show us the Turkish memorial, our guide being Turkish . An outstanding memorial to their fallen and of which the guide was very proud. The final stop was to see the actual trenches the men had fought in, all restored now but you could imagine the horrors of having to be in them , whether in summer or winter. The day was extremely hot when we visited, a winter would be awfully cold and miserable without any fighting.
The memorial at Chunuk Bair to the New Zealanders that lost their lives in the first World War.

Leaving all the cemeteries and memorials behind the bus turned towards the town for the ferry crossing from the european side of Turkey to the asian side. There is just 3 % of Turkey in Europe with the remainder being on what is called the asian side. We arrived early for the ferry so waited a few minutes in the queue of vehicles parked in the street also waiting to board the ferry. The ferry arriving discharged its load of vehicles including many coaches, after which they started on loading the queue. It seemed at first that we wouldn’t make this particular trip as the boat seemed to be quite full, but no there was room just….for the bus.

We all got off and headed for the upper deck for the best views of the Dardanelle straits. Truly lovely in the mid afternoon sun, the ferry turning before going through the exit from the harbour. A twenty minute trip that was nearly over before we realised it, and had to get back on the bus ready to drive off, of course there is always one late person, today there was no exception, the guide rushing off to find them and just making it back before the driver took off. There has to be order with the loading and unloading of the vehicles and I gathered no one was allowed to linger once the ferry was docked!
From here we were driven to Canakkale where we were spending our first night of our tour after meeting at the hotel the day before.
The hotel turned out to be situated right on the beach front, as well as having pools . Once our luggage was in the rooms, which were very nice, we changed into swimming gear and went down to the pools. They turned out to be salt water pools that were really warm. The best part was you didn’t sink, floating became the order of the day! A chance to experience the Dead sea. for real.
Many people from the coach took advantage of the great conditions , some going down to the beach, some in the pools , some sitting at the bar holding a cold beer! After the pool there was time for showering and dress for dinner, something I hadn’t counted on, with my limited wardrobe a hard call. The dinner was a very nice one and the end of a perfect day.