Friday 13th May – A change of Countries
We didn’t need to get up too early this morning as our plane was not until 2pm. However I’m not used to sleeping in so was awake by 6.30 and this was a good chance to catch up with the blog for the last three days. We had another really nice breakfast and I managed to get my blog on line, even although I had Ngaire nagging me she wanted to go and I had said 10.30 we were out the door by 10.45. I did notice only half the blog went up and I had to reload it at the airport. We didn’t want to pay the E6 for ringing a taxi so we started walking towards the square. We managed to get a young taxi driver to pick us up after about five minutes. He was interesting and explained about the hardships for the young people. No money and hard to get a job, he was getting on a very good day a max of E50. He and his fiancé were hoping to immigrate to Melbourne in three or four months. We were at the airport with heaps of time and checked in. A bit boring hanging around an airport but they did have free wi-fi so bearable. We were nearly half an hour late getting away after being bussed to the plane, an Airbus A319-100.
We were in Turkey by 3.45, getting a permit for Margaret was a breeze and cost E15. Customs in this part of the world has been a non event you just walk straight out after emigration and picking up your bags. The Trafalgar rep picked us up as we walked out and placed us in a spot while he found some more customers and put us all on a mini bus. An interesting ride into the city with heaps of traffic and at one point a car skidding to a stop beside us. For a long part of the trip they had a dedicated bus lane in the middle with those bending Mercedes buses stacked to the gunnels with people. Some of the buses were extra long with two swivel bits. As seems to be the way we dropped all these others off at flash hotels before getting to our own, the Holiday Inn. Renee I know you didn’t pick this for us but if you had you would have got a 12. Although it didn’t look much from outside for us peasants it was like a palace, huge inter connecting rooms, a shower that was probably bigger than eight times the size of Mykonos, a flat screen TV (our first) with heaps of English speaking channels. We were in heaven and just relaxed until our 7 o’clock Tour Briefing.
At our briefing we met a wide assortment of people, no Kiwi’s that we have picked up on yet. Our tour guide seems like she is going to be a fun person and seems to have a good knowledge so all looks good. Doug is not the oldest and the ages are up there but there did appear to be a lot of humour in the room so all bodes well.
Doug wasn’t feeling so well so he headed off to bed while the girls and I went off to find something to eat. We found a huge mall where we went through scanners before we were allowed in. There were about eight floors of higher class shops, the top one being all food places and of course with such a selection choosing something became difficult. We settled for these thin pizza based things with a small amount of meat and other stuff all with a Turkish name I can’t remember.
We browsed around the mall and then back to our palace.
Saturday 14th May – First day and off to Gallipoli
After a 6.30 wake-up call and a hearty breakfast with a selection so large and yummy looking it was difficult to make choices we are on the bus and off. Istanbul is a hustling bustling city with traffic jams and horns blowing and it takes us a while to be clear of the city. We have a four and a half hour bus ride to lunch. We could have almost been driving through New Zealand country side as it was lush and green with fields of different colours. The yellow field were a bit different apparently they were canola plants for which you make the oil.
Lunch was a roadside café and ok. It was a bit like lining up in a work cafeteria (when we used to have them), you pointed at what you wanted and they slopped it on a plate for you.
We were then off to ANZAC Cove. Now I didn’t think I was that emotional but I did find a tear coming to my eye more than once as you begin to chock up. You did really did have to wonder what our boys were doing here dying on the other side of the world from their loved ones. It was a beautiful place, quiet and a beautiful sunny day, so peaceful but there was nothing here to fight over.
This place is also seen by the Turks as their birth place, Obviously they won this battle and their commander who incidentally had been hit by a bullet but survived because it hit his pocket watch by his heart became a super national hero and went on to be responsible for Turkey becoming an independent Republic. Ataturk’s photo apparently is in every house in the country and they worship him. He had no blood line and no one is allowed to take his name as a family name. I get the feeling we will be hearing a lot more of him even although he died in 1938. We went from the cove up to Lone Pine Cemetery, the monument erected by the Aussies. I was surprised to find the Kiwi names on the side of this monument where the Aussie names were on a wall in front of it. There were many gravestones around the monument. I am definitely going to have to do a bit of research around what actually happened here.
Well we are starting to understand the tourist season. As we drove up to the top of the hill where the Turkish monument is there are buses for Africa. There must have been 100 or more and of course a parking nightmare. I don’t think I would like to be here on ANZAC day, well I would really but it will be a traffic nightmare. I was surprised to find a huge New Zealand monument right next to Ataturk’s. There were also a few reconstructed trenches.
I think this is a place that all Kiwi’s should make the effort to visit at sometime in their life. I just wish I had more time it had all been very rushed.
We were on the bus and off to catch the ferry across the Dardanelles to Canakkale. Again a pile of buses waiting for the ferry. We got on the second ferry, an old dungier but it was only a 30 minute trip, smooth and picturesque
Off the ferry and a 15 minute ride to our 5 Star Hotel, the Kolin, it was nice but not up to the standard of the night before. I think they were swamped by tourist buses. It was out of town so nowhere to walk to except a K Mart type shop across the road. They have a funny law in Turkey, apparently you are not allowed to take food or drink into a hotel. After going down to the bar and finding the cost of a beer was 11 Lira we decided we were going to be criminals. We visited the shop across the road and stowed a large bottle of wine in Margaret’s handbag. Suddenly realised that these handbags that Margaret buys are good for something. It’s a drink in our room before dinner at seven.
Dinner is a Buffet with a fine selection of good food especially the meringues which one managed to find its way onto my plate for each round. After dinner while the girls went exploring I went to investigate what a Turkish bath was and decided to indulge. It was really great and highly recommended. A sauna before a really vigorous scrub down with a course mitt, then covered in smelly soapy stuff with a bit of a massage and a slop down to clean all the soap off.
I slept like a baby.
Sunday 14th – Day 2 Canakkale – Troy – Izmir
Another 6.30 wake up call but because of all the buses at the hotel we needed our bags outside the door by seven this morning before heading down to breakfast. It was bedlam with so many people but we did manage to get in a good breakfast before piling on the bus. We took off 1 passenger short and had to stop on the road while someone went back to find her.
Troy was not to far away and we were about the third bus there. Well an even messier big pile of rocks. Apparently Troy had been built over the top of ten times so that seemed to be the theme. Troy is credited with having the first ramp in the world. Can someone check that out for me please? For those of us that had been brought up on the myths of Troy this place was a disappointment. They blamed this German bloke Schilman for going in there and breaking all excavation rules and just digging a big trench as he searched for the treasure of one of the kings of Troy. Sounded like another excuse to me and was typical of what we had been seeing in Greece where they didn’t really appreciate what they had. They did have a replica of the horse but it was that big it would never have fitted down any of the streets. They were apparently questioning whether the ten year Troy war was another myth. The whole experience is about myths so not a problem.
We were in the bus and a three and a half hour ride to lunch. Lunch was really nice with me having a Lamb Kebab which looked nothing like I expected and was really nice. The others had Turkish pizza which is not round like an Italian one but more in a boat shape cooked in a wood fired oven and again really nice. I know this because I ate some. Next stop was a visit to the Asclepion Medical Centre a pre Roman Hospital where it sound like if you were to sick they wouldn’t let you in. It sounded more like it was a mental hospital. It had a theatre, tunnels, covered walk way and stuff. At the end of the day just another pile of rocks but I found it quite interesting. You could see an Acropolis way up on the hill a couple of kilometres away. Our guide, Gokce, pronounced “got chee” said they think they have discovered a tunnel between the two but yet to be confirmed. That would be impressive if there is.
It was only about an hour to our hotel from here with a nice drive around the coast. The hotel, Swissotel was right in the middle of Izmar and pretty flash, 5 star apparently. I will only give it 11 points as the buffet selection let it down a bit and the room was a bit small, but a bath and a shower and a few other modern bells and whistles. Gokce said if we had come in privately it would have been over 500 lire. Izmar was Gokce’s home town and apparently renown for its beautiful women.
Before dinner we went out and walked down the promenade and found a bar with outdoor seating for some beer and wine. A 750 ml cost us 7 lire here and a smaller beer at the hotel was 15 lire. This was Sunday evening and there were 100’s of people out walking the promenade. For 10 lire we could have had a puff on one of these Turkish pipes but the guy couldn’t tell me what we would be smoking.
No Turkish bath tonight. It was too late
