Today we drove out of the big bustling city of Istanbul and into the countryside! The traffic in Istanbul is just out of control. I also had no idea how big the city was or how far is spanned.
But it sure was beautiful to be in the countryside!
We stopped for lunch and this is how they told us which bathroom is for men and women- loved it!
Our tour guide behind the food counter with the men explaining which food we should eat
We drove a bit more and arrived in Gallipoli, the site of a bitter battle between the Turks and the Brits (which were many Australians and Kiwis (from New Zealand)). Everyone on the tour is from Australia or New Zealand so it was quite sobering to be there with them.
First we saw a wall that explained what happened step by step
The Brits came in from the sea so it started there
Sweet pup at the memorial site
This was the first cemetery we visited
We were given a carnation and I felt this was an appropriate headstone to place it next to- I was choked up by the "rest dear son rest".
Then we got back in the coach and started the climb up the hit to the other sites. The soldiers fought the battle for 6+ months on the hill.
This statue is representing a real life hero- a NZ/Australian was shot and a Turk stopped the fighting to rescue him and bring him to safety
Then we headed to the Lone Pine cemetery where there were more headstones and a wall of remembrance to honor those whose bodies could not be recovered.
Then we headed up more to our final place of remembrance. Here they had these large stones engraved in Turkish- I am not sure what they said but they were quite big and seemed to have quite an importance.
They also showed how they built the trenches they fought in for so long. It was sobering to think how it used to be as they fought for their freedom
One final memorial (with a sweet dog)
Then we got back on the coach and our tour guide, Ahmet, told us we were going to miss one ferry and had to take the later one. So in the meantime he had a surprise for us! He took us to a winery! How cool!
Mike, an Australian who has lived here for 4 years and started worked on the winery, led our wine tasting. It was so nice to drink wine!
We tried 6 different wines- one white, one blush, and four reds.
This was my favorite red and I brought a bottle home with me.
Mike and the sweet lady who worked there
Before boarding the ferry, we stopped at this park that honored the men who fought the battle at Gallipoli.
Our ferry boat
Our boat ride from Europe to Asia
Selfie of some of us on the boat
Jennifer, me, Ian, Lesley, Aunt Jeanne
Before too long, we arrived to our hotel. Another beautiful view from our room.
Aunt Jeanne and I took a walk on the beachfront walkway and it was quite nice. Windy but refreshing.
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