We leave Cannakale by car ferry for a half hour ride and return to 'Europe,' and visit the Gallipoli Peninsula - a place of enormous significance to Australians and New Zealander. Located at Turkey's most westerly point this area is now serene, but the role it played in April 1915 during the First World War is now firmly etched on the psyche of the New Zealand and Australian nations. We visit the beach and cemeteries of Anzac Cove, then head up the hill to pay homage at the poignant memorials of Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair. The latter the highest ground secured in the campaign on the 8th of August, 1915 (by New Zealand and British troops) before being beaten back due to lack of reinforcement. From the Ataturk Memorial at this spot we see the Allied troops goal - the Dardenelles. We looked down upon the rough and barren hills and gullies that became the graveyard for so many thousands of young men from both sides. Around this area we find remnants of trenches used by the Turkish soldiers. After touring the former battlefields we headed back to where our adventure began - Istanbul. We arrived back in Istanbul in the late afternoon where we say goodbye to Ergun and Selo who are leaving tonight to return to Ankara. The 5 of us had a final dinner together in a restaurant near our hotel.
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| Sunflowers everywhere |
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| Hundreds of kilometers of farmland |
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| The outskirts of Istanbul |
Ann
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