This morning we are collected from our hotel by a local guide, Simon, in a mini bus and we catch a ferry across the Dardanells and onto the Gallipoli Peninsula. The peninsula is a National Park and in the area around we are diving in Ian now allowed to be built on by the people who own the land. They can farm it but they are not allowed to build any new buildings.
Our first stop is at Brighton Beach which is where the Anzac soldiers were suppose to have landed as it’s a very gentle rise to the objective point that they were trying to capture.
Next we stop at the beach cemetery where the soldiers who died in the hospital are buried.
Driving on a little further we pass shrapnel gully and then stop at Anzac Cove opposite the sheer cliffs with the Sphinx at the top on the left.
We then stop at Ari Burnu cemetery.
On the way up the hill there is a statue of a Turkish Soldier who carried an injured Australian soldier to the Australian front line and put him down.
We then drive up the hill to Lone Pine and visit the cemetery there.
We stop and look as some of the Allies bunkers, one of them has a tunnel through to shrapnel gully.
We then visit the Turkish cemetery which has a lovely statue of the oldest Turkish veteran when he visited Gallipoli at the age of 109 with his great grand daughter.
We visit the neck which is a ridge across the top of the hill that has commanding views over the beaches. There is a statue up here to Ataturk and more restored trenches. Some of the Turkish visitors have a photo taken with Kay.
On the way back to our hotel we stop in the small village opposite Canakkale to look at the fort, which was closed unfortunately, but we visited the museum instead, which was very interesting.
Tonight there is a lovely sunset over the water as we walk along the promenade on our way to dinner.
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