Gallipoli

This is Lone Pine Memorial and Cemetery for the Aussies.

These are tunnels created by both sides trying to break through the No Man's Land which did not move for the entire battle.


This is Anzac Cove which was used in error as their was no way to improve the Allied position.



The day started with a panic as John could not find his debit card and suspected that he had left it at the ATM the previous night. After a search of the room, his wallet, his pockets, my stuff...., with no luck, it needed to be cancelled and with the help of a gentleman at the front desk, this was done. John checked his account and was certain that no one had used it after him so the day could return to normal.
Our tour guide is Yusuf, driver is Ozram and the bus attendant (man for all seasons) is Mustafa. We headed out very promptly at 8 AM to the Gallipoli Peninsula. This war site is very important to the Australians, New Zealanders and the Turks. In the interest of assisting the Russians with the control of the Dardanelles and keeping the Turkish out of WWI, it was decided by the British to take the Gallipoli Peninsula. The ANZACs were used and they were to land on April 25, 1915 and, whether by a change in the British orders or by accident where the current moved marker buoys, it was the wrong beach. The beach was almost inaccessible as there was a steep wall within 20 – 30 feet of the water. 16,000 men spent the night on the beach shoulder to shoulder as they could not move forward and lateral moves put them in gun sights of the Turks.
The front was only about 8 km long and in the 8 ½ months of fighting, it never moved. The Allied Commanders were all on an island some distance away and there were many problems with communications. As the messengers were sent out in the morning arriving later in the day, circumstances could be entirely different upon receipt of the message.
We saw remnants of the trenches and tunnels dug by both sides. We saw several commentaries most of which hold bodies of very young, one was only 14 years old, Aussies and Kiwis as the Turks were buried in their home communities. There are numerous memorials to both sides as there was mutual respect with agreed cease fires to bury the dead and sharing of water and food for chocolate. During these cease fires; there were even soccer matches between the sides.
The memorial at Anzac Cove with Ataturk’s words was extremely touching. This is the inscription.
“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their loves ...you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country therefore rest at peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace after having lost their lives on this land and they have become our sons as well...”
Annually, a dawn service is held to commemorate the lives lost during this battle of mistakes and unnecessary losses.
Leaving Gallipoli, we told a short ferry ride on antiquated old boat across the Dardanelles from Europe into Asia. In Canakkale we stayed in a lovely hotel overlooking the Sea of Maramar where I watched preparations for a most amazing wedding reception. There was seating for 310 around an outside pool. I kept wondering when the festivities were going to start as we checked in around 5 PM. We went for dinner around 7PM and still nothing so I thought maybe they wanted a special entrance at sunset but not to be. They arrived after dark when huge sparklers were set off along their red carpeted pathway as well as among the flower arrangements which had been strategically placed in the in the pool. Then immediately had their first dance and the party started. It speaks to the sound proofing of the building as I was concerned about the loudness of the band but I heard nothing until the fireworks went off at 11 PM. I was too tired to get up but John says there were great. By wake-up at 6 ish, all evidence of the party was gone,
We had a very early wake-up, bags out, breakfast eaten and on the road by 7:45 PM.