DAY 13
Last day of our tour and an extremely busy one! Aleisha and I finally got our turn at the front of the bus.... YAY!
This morning we travelled by ferry across the Dardanelles back to Europe and the 20th century.
We visited the World War I battlefields on the Gallipoli Peninsula, where Allied troops, suffered heavy casualties in a disastrous campaign. We were shown Anzac Cove and the epitaphs of those who lost their lives there. It was just the beginning of a very sad experience.
We then paid tribute to the heroes of those tragic months of 1915 at the Anzac Cemetery at Lone Pine. What an amazing memorial to those heroic people who risked their lives for our country. As we walked through reading the plaques tears welled up in our eyes. One plaque I remember was to honor a boy who was only 16! I found 3 plaques who could possibly be ancestors - W. J. Sullivan, R. Sullivan and J. O'Sullivan. There could have been more but there was not enough time. I will need to look into my family tree again.
We were then taken to the statue of Ataturk and the memorial for the New Zealanders. Nearby were displays of how close the trenches actually were... Unbelievable!
A very, very sad experience. You don't need to have known any of the people to feel the incredible sadness of this place.
Back on the bus and 2 fighter jets fly above.... We had heard briefly about the bombings in Syria that morning, and this was further indication that something was up. A few minutes later, 2 more fighter jets went over. It felt slightly ironic that here we were visiting war graves when civil unrest is still currently going on today.
We then drove along the European shore of the Sea of Marmara back to Istanbul, and we made 2 further restroom/lunch stops before heading down to catch our afternoon cruise. Globus had chartered a boat for us (as well as the other Globus group) to sail along the Bosphorus for 70mins. We saw beautiful palaces, jetboats, military schools and houses which would have the most incredible views! A lovely way to finish the day!
After we docked we headed back towards the hotel to get ready for our farewell dinner tonight. We were, however, stuck in traffic. Allowing for peak hour traffic, our short ride should have only taken 1 hour to complete, instead it took 2!!! We certainly got our value for money up the front of the bus. With only a short distance to go, Aleisha and I walked up the hill to return to the hotel as walking was a much faster option.
A quick outfit change and we were back on the bus heading towards our special restaurant for our farewell dinner, but the traffic was still congested at 8pm! I can't believe how crazy the roads are over here. Everyone does what they want, whenever they want without following any particular road rules. Cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles just cut out in front of each other, some cutting across 3 lanes at a time! The sound of car horns in the air is a natural thing here, as drivers communicate their impatience with one another. People use mobile phones freely whilst driving too. I even saw scooters driving on the wrong side of the road just to try and get through the traffic. And pedestrians risk their lives by weaving through the traffic in an attempt to cross the road without the use of crossings or traffic lights. We were constantly shocked at the chances that were taken right in front of us - thank goodness our driver was extremely professional and was mindful of our safety at all times.
We finally arrived at our destination (much later than expected) and had to walk through what appeared to be restaurant alley - hoards of people dining at restaurants that spilled out onto the pathway. Our restaurant was quite nice and our service started promptly. We were served a selection of hors d'oeuvres to share amongst the table along with a glass of wine each. Next came a filo pastry of fish then a main course of fish (grilled sea bream). Dessert was a plate of seasonal fruit to share. The food was lovely and obviously traditional Turkish fare, but some members of our group were not happy.
Back on the coach for our return to the hotel. We had a final group photograph in the lobby and said our goodbyes to the guests who had been our friends for the last 2 weeks. Some had flights leaving as early as 3am the next morning!
No wake up call for us ..... Sooo looking forward to that. We have a few last minute places we want to see but have to remember to head back to the hotel early enough to avoid that terrible traffic!!!