On and on and on west we went, along the top of the Sea of Marmara to the Gallipoli Peninsula. The trip took most of the afternoon, arriving in Eceabat around 5pm. Gallipoli needs no introduction, especially for Kiwis and Aussies, and the place certainly has a Kiwi/Aussie feel - our hotel ("Crowded House Hotel") even had an Aussie bar.
But the main reason for visiting is obviously to see the battlefields, Anzac cove, the war memorials etc. We decided to do it as a little tour put on by the hotel the following day, which was probably the best decision we made all tour as it gave us real insight into the objectives, successes, failures of the mission. Our tour guide was even the grandson of one the Turkish soldiers!
The first stop was Brighton Beach, a nice wide expanse of beach where the ANZACs were supposed to land in 1915.
Around the corner to Anzac Cove, a rocky little beach flanked by hills, were they actually did land. The error (made in the middle of a very dark night) is one of the reasons for the failed campaign, given the Turks had a strong defence helped by the natural terrain.
Inland by less than a kilometre to the highest point actually reached by the allies in 8 months of brutal fighting, to see some of the memorials.
Fairly sobering afternoon really but very insightful. A full afternoon in the sunshine, we made it back to Eceabat for the 6pm ferry crossing to Cannakale.
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