Well at the moment we are in Canakkale which is 5 hours or so south of Istanbul. We got on a ferry early in the morning from Istanbul to Bandirma & from there we caught a 2.5 hour bus all the way to our hostel. We were booked into the Hotel Efes but after spending a little more than we wanted in Istanbul we decided to stay at the slightly cheaper ANZAC Hostel right on the water front.
Today we got up at 6.00am and jumped on another ferry but this time is was across the Dardanelles to the small town of Eceabat on the way to Gallipoli. After getting the bus across the peninsula to the small museum we decided to walk to ANZAC cove which we had read was a nice walk 5 kilometer walk. The road just winds along the coast front through the exceptionally green pine trees. All of a sudden you start seeing bunkers up on the hill and then in the sand dunes and then just out in the open on the beach and rocky outcrops. I wasn't really expecting to feel anything from my visit to Gallipoli but I must say I found it quite sad & touching as we read all the plaques, stories and finally the long list of names of those who had died in action. We were the only ones at each site as well so there was a kind of eerie silence as the wind whistled though the trees. As I looked at the names and ages of the Australians who fought and died I couldn't help but to think that if I was alive back in 1915 it could of possibly been me. After seeing ANZAC Cove ^ the area where the service is every year as well as Lone Pine memorial I really think Gallipoli should be on every Australians must visit list.
That afternoon we decided we decided to try to make it to the fabled city of Troy which just happened to be a 35 minute drive south of Canakkale & 3 hours from where we were in Gallipoli. After waiting for the bus that never turned up we decided to start walking and hitch a ride to the ferry terminal. After about 500 meters of walking the third car we flagged pulled up and happily let us in the back of their van even though they spoke no English at all. We managed to get our destination across to them and before we knew it we were back in Eceabat catching the ferry.
Once we got to Troy we had about 2 hours until the last bus. After reading about the stories of Homers Iliad and seeing the big screen epic, I think Troy has been a highlight for me. As crazy as that may sound to a lot of people it is a very cool place. There are 9 different cities that have been uncovered at the sight so it can be a little confusing which Troy you are looking at but the very well posted signs make it all a lot easier. There is still strong debate about whether it's Troy VI or Troy VII that is the on from Homers stories but either way I could help but think about the amazing history that possibly played out here. I just wished we had more time to explore it properly.
The next day we caught a 38 YTR ($38AUD) bus to Selcuk which took a very tiring 8 hours.
