Essential Turkey Travel Talk Tour: Gallipoli, Day 8

Day 8: Saturday 5th November 2022

Start: Canakkale, Turkey

Finish: Istanbul, Turkey (Via Gallipoli)

Currency: Turkish Lira

Welcome back my literary friends!

Today we drive back to Istanbul on our ‘last travel day’ of the tour. Today we spend a bit of time on the bus, but we also have what is probably the most important stop on tour for me, and certainly the main reason I selected this trip in particular; Gallipoli.

I have the tissues packed in preparation, given that I struggle to get through an ANZAC  (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day dawn service without bawling, I am expecting it to be quite an emotional day.

My goodness. Where do I start? Breakfast was good, if a little overwhelming at the sheer amount of food on offer. I opted for yoghurt and honey which was delicious.

We departed the hotel at 8.15am as (being a Saturday) we needed to ensure we made it to the ferry in time to get the coach on board to cross back to the ‘European’ side. The ferry was packed with busses and cars, and just after 9am departed into the mist. A shiver ran down my spine as the land and sea disappeared amongst the fog. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread for the ANZAC soldiers who lost their lives at Gallipoli, understanding just how little we could see as we crossed the water.

It took only a few minutes to drive from the dock to Brighton Beach, the intended landing place of the ANZACS. Up the hill from Brighton Beach, we disembarked at ANZAC Cove, and stared down at the beach below. At this point our guide Mustafa explained what went so wrong on April 25, 1915. This was also the point at which I began to cry, standing at the bronze ANZAC plaque and looking across the shores of the cove and up at The Sphinx mountainous range behind us.

The next stop hit me harder than I’d expected; The ANZAC Beach Cemetery. At the entrance to the cemetery stands a memorial plaque, honouring the deaths of the soldiers, both ANZAC and Turkish, who fell on the dunes of Gallipoli. Written by Ataturk in 1934, the words inscribed on the wall were incredibly moving, and something I had not thought to come across at the Australian memorial.

Further up the hill, we visited the Lone Pine Memorial, walking amongst the identified graves and honouring the fallen. Beneath the Memorial tower, the names of all the unidentified lost were engraved into the marble. We then walked amongst the Australian tunnels, carved into the mountainside and since filled in from their original 2m depth, and now missing their pine timber roofs. We walked amongst the fallen soldiers honoured at Johnston’s Jolly before our final stop at the top of the hill; Chunuk Bair, the memorial for fallen New Zealand soldiers who fought for several days at the edge of the hilltop in a very bloody battle.

The drive to lunch from Gallipoli only took 30 minutes, and sadly the roadhouse was not ideal. But given that it is our last day, we all approached it with humour, laughing about how it was the most expensive meal we’d had all tour and how terrible it was!

By 2.15pm it was time to board the bus for our drive back to Istanbul, where we have our final night. I keep forgetting to mention how lucky we’ve been with this bus. It has both USB ports and power points for charging! The drive into Istanbul took slightly longer than expected due to heavy Saturday afternoon traffic. We watched the port pass us by as the river followed us toward the hotel. During this drive, Mustafa got word about a Marathon taking place in Istanbul tomorrow, with streets closed from approximately 6am – 11am. For this reason, my pickup to the airport will leave even earlier than I had hoped, at 5.30am. Better to be safe than sorry! Word is that the street our hotel sits on will be closed to cars and busses which means foot traffic only for most of the day.

Back in the Legacy Ottoman Hotel, we checked in quickly and said farewell to Mustafa. On the group WhatsApp a few of us arranged to meet for dinner at 7.15pm in the lobby.

Dinner was a Restaurant just off the main strip, where we ate and drank the local beer. I ordered the traditional Turkish pasta, which is like little lamb and cheese dumpling/ravioli in a yoghurt and tomato sauce. It was delicious!

Tips:

·        If you are leaving early and miss breakfast, the Legacy Ottoman staff will arrange a packed breakfast upon request.

Accommodation: Legacy Ottoman Hotel, Istanbul