Seeing Turkey in 10 days is indeed ridiculous and although we tried, there’s only so much one can do! The highlight was without a doubt the ANZAC day services at Gallipoli – an incredibly patriotic, moving, reflective and proud moment in our lives that we will never forget.
It wasn’t long into the trip before we encountered a Kiwi. On board the flight, we were sitting next to a guy from NZ who was in Turkey for the same reason we were. This was just the start of things to come! Turkey was almost taken over by Aussies and Kiwi’s for the next week or two.
Off the plane in Istanbul, we were almost convinced we would lose our luggage, but low and behold it was there. So off on the shuttle bus to the hotel with a bunch of other Aussies and Kiwis. This was our first exposure to the m i l l i o n s of tulips in Istanbul! How incredibly stunning it was – rows and rows and rows of them, seemingly going on forever. Angelina would love Istanbul! Along with this the beautiful bay we drove along was also gorgeous!
So at the hotel we had our briefing with the tour guide and the bunch of Aussies and Kiwis we would be traveling with for the next 10 days. A friendly mouse was weaving in between our legs (and up some peoples legs) during the briefing – all part of the fun I guess! hehe. We had a group dinner then went for a walk around the tourist part of town at night. We saw Hagia Sophia (St. Sophia) and the Blue Mosque along with a beautiful garden filled with more tulips! We got some Turkish delights (yummo) on the way home.
Sunday morning we were up ready to go and visit the sights of Istanbul. We started with the Hippodrome with an Egyptian Obelisk (we visited where it came from in Egypt!), Serpentine Column and Constantine Column. The German fountain was the first time we saw the Ottoman seal which was really lovely and also how we learnt about how Turkey ended up siding with Germany in WWI.
Next we headed over to Hagia Sophia for a looksy inside. This place was huge and the mosaics were absolutely amazing for how old they were. Built in 532, it was a church for 910 years and a mosque for 481 years. Since 1934 it has been a museum. The freakiest thing for me was when I was taking a photo of a mosaic of Mary, my camera picked up her face with the face detector… Sent a chill down my spine!
We then headed to Topkapi Palace. A beautiful set of buildings with the highlight being the Spoonmakers diamond – 86 carats of pure brilliance! We wandered around looking at the clothing, jewels and affects of Sultans from over 500 years ago which were in extremely good condition.
Then onto the blue mosque. I’m sure it was blue somehow, but I never figured it out really (not even at night did it seem terribly blue). But it was quite big inside but I was mostly distracted by the stinky feet as we all had to take our shoes off.
After this, we were on the bus for a cruise down the Bosphorus river comparing the European and Asian continents. Off to bed for an early start the next day on the road to Cappadocia.
It didn’t take us long to figure our that Yavus, our tour guide, was a pretty funny fella. At some point, he taught us a Watermelon song which was an absolute hit and had a way to take the pee out of us all!
So anyway, a nice long 12 (or something) hour drive from Istanbul to Cappadocia was spent sleeping, reading and playing cards. Once we arrived, we could see the fairy chimneys everywhere! It was quite a spectacular thing to see and very… well, strange! We opted in for a Turkish bath and this was an experience to say the least. You start by warming up in a sauna then a quick (and I mean QUICK) dip through a cold pool then back to the sauna (to rest the heart rate I imagine). After that, you go to a room and lay on a slab of hot concrete. Not very comfy and not entirely nice to be honest! It’s so hot to lie on, you feel like your skin is burning! Next you get a scrub down by a Turkish guy, then a massage from another Turkish guy then a shampoo from yet another Turkish guy. It was relaxing, but it was also very quick, so no time to really enjoy it!
Next day we were up at sparrow fart for our hot air balloon flight over Cappadocia. We had ummed and ahhed about the flight for ages, but had heard from a number of people that if you are going to do it anywhere, Cappadocia was the place. So we did! And boy was it stunning! Our very talented pilot took us right through the middle of some chimneys and through the valleys. It was amazing! Finishing with the traditional champagne toast, we headed back to meet the other half of our group to see Cappadocia from the ground.
Goreme Open Air Museum was quite fascinating. We saw how the Christians hid by carving out rooms in the side of the hills. There were some very very old mosaics on the roof of a church and in other places that had stood the test of time and their colours were still amazing. We saw quite a few different places around Cappadocia and experienced Turkish ice cream (which was kind of gross to watch). That night we had a Turkish night in an underground restaurant where we saw traditional dancers and lots of drunk Aussies and Kiwis! Including some right outside our door at 4am!
Next morning we were up early (again!) and drove out of Cappadocia to visit an underground city. This place was pretty facinating as it was literally all underground with a ventilation shaft, a morgue and of course, a church. It was used to hide from invaders around the time that Christianity was outlawed.
After a long day of driving, we had a swim in the natural hot springs in our hotel – the water was almost radioactive! But supposedly very good for you with all its minerals etc. Next day we visited Pamukkale where the ancient city of Hierapolis was built – and parts still stand. The beauty of Pamukkale is the mineral chalk deposits that have white washed the entire hill on which Hierapolis was built. It was said that Cleopatra bathed in the hot springs in Hierapolis.
That afternoon we made it to Ephasus – the ancient city that has evidence of existing since 1500BC. It was here we saw the origins of Nike, restored remains of the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Artemis, the Temple of Hadrian and the 44,000 capacity theatre. We checked into our hotel in Selçuk where we had a BBQ dinner to prepare for our next big day.
Up at a stupid hour, we drove to Pergamon, an ancient city with an amazing hilltop view. We ended up walking up the whole hill as the staff (who were meant to arrive at 8am) were late letting us in. But we had a nice walk with a stunning view and beautiful fresh air and eventually made it inside as the staff rocked up. Dating back to 281BC, this city is in great condition. But we were all focused on getting to Gallipoli as it was ANZAC eve.
More driving and we stocked up on supplies at the supermarket in Canakkale before catching the ferry across to the Gallipoli peninsula. We made a beeline for the queue lined up to get into the dawn service area. Given there were thousands of people already there, it was not surprising our group missed out on a spot on the grass all together. So we split up, some groups finding spots on the grass, others in the stands. We managed to find enough space for 2 people, then asked people around us to move… and keep moving to eventually fit the 6 of us. In the end, there was loads of room as people moved here there and everywhere.
We went for a walk along the beach and were struck by the power of the events that happened here some 94 years ago. We watched the sun set over the horizon and the night set in along with the cold air. I remember thinking to myself how cold the diggers must have been in the snow on cold winters nights. And here we were tucked into our warm sleeping bags with layers and layers of clothing on.
We watched the big screens show stories of soldiers from both sides and we listened to letters being read and music being played. Our group fell asleep at some point during the night to be woken a few times by the MC asking us all to squish up to let more people on the grass as they were still arriving.
Then dawn came and the iconic rock was a silhouette against the deep blue morning sky. As we listened to the service and heard the lone bugler play the Last Post and then Reveille, the sun slowly woke up and we remembered.
The most moving of all were Ataturk’s words to the Australian mothers…
Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in 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 faraway countries wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosum and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well.
With tears in our eyes, the service was moving and very very sad. As it concluded, we all started the walk to the Australian and New Zealand ceremonies that were due to start in a few hours time. As we walked past ANZAC cove and up the hill to the Lone Pine, we realised how difficult the terrain must have been to navigate.
The service at Lone Pine (and also at Chunuk Bair) were more informal and actually quite enjoyable. The MC was brilliant and he made the morning a wonderful experience. It was also just an amazing experience to be in a country on the other side of the world with thousands of other Aussies. And seeing the haka at Chunuk Bair was another highlight I won’t be forgetting in a hurry. It was an undescribable experience – but it really felt like we were part of something amazing.
After paying our respects to all soliders, it was time to leave. We were really quite impressed with how the whole event was planned. From the first minute until the last, there was no confusion and everyone was well informed as to what was going on and how you could get help. As each bus pulled up at the Chunuk Bair memorial, it was called out over a megaphone. We all had our bus number attached to our bodies, so we were on the ball when it came our turn. Once on the bus and around the corner, we saw the HUGE line of buses still to come (and we’d waited over 30 minutes already). What an incredibly massive event to organise – and it went off without a hitch with everyone being respectful and friendly.
Completely wrecked, our bus took us back over the Dardanelles straight on the ferry – Kim and I not even realising we were on the ferry until people were getting back on the bus as we were sleeping! Needless to say, it was a quick dinner and early bed for most of us.
The next day we were up early again and traveling back to Gallipoli to see it without the crowds. This was something that made our tour stand out from the rest. To be able to take in the beach, the memorials and the museum with far fewer people allowed you to really get in touch with such a fundamental part of Australia’s (and New Zealand’s) history.
After a zillion photos of ANZAC cove and revisiting all the memorials and wandering through the countless plaques, we headed back to Istanbul to end the tour.
This was definitely an experience that will be hard to beat. To get both ancient history and modern history so close to home, yet so far away is an incredible experience.
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