Day 6: Gallipoli Peninsular, Turkey
Having spent most of this week looking at ruins, we decided that we couldn’t drive to Istanbul without stopping at the legendary Gallipoli Peninsular. The battles that were fought here in World War One in 1915 are a major part of British history, perhaps a turning point in world history and to Australians and New Zealanders a key part of the national psyche. The aim had been to open up the Dardanelles and march on Istanbul, but a combination of stubborn Ottoman resistance, bad luck and bad leadership meant that after a war of attrition the soldiers of the British Empire were pushed off the little strip of land. As fierce as the fighting was however, it is often referred to by historians as the last of the ‘gentleman wars’ where each side would treat each other with respect and dignity. To give dad a break from driving and to secure the services of a guide, we decided to take the Gallipoli battlefields tour that was offered by Crowded House hotel.
Brighton Beach, Gallipoli |
Anzac Cove, Gallipoli |
Lone Pine Cemetary, Gallipoli |
Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli |
The tour was now over and we headed back to Eceabat, stopping off for some complimetary watermelon from a fruit stall on the way back to the hotel. It had been a really good tour and I think it was far better for us to have a tour than to try and drive around the sites ourselves. Sometimes it is better to join the group and get a guide than to travel totally independantly and this was the case today.
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