Gallipoli & Bursa

After flying from Hawaii via Los Angeles and New York to London Heathrow, I met up with Mervyn, as well as two other Kiwis (and veteran eclipse chasers): Robin Gledhill and Noel Munford. We all boarded the morning British Airways flight to Istanbul, though BA were offering up to £250 each to give up our seats, and go on the later flight instead. As tempting as it was, we really had to be in Istanbul that afternoon, as we had arranged for a private 3 day tour of the Gallipoli peninsula prior to the eclipse tour proper. Our flight path virtually paralleled the track that the Moon's shadow would take just 1 week later; both the south of England and northern France were overcast, while patchy cloud prevailed across most of Germany, Hungary, and Romania. I was relieved to see no cloud over the Sea of Marmara as we began our descent into Istanbul. At passport control, we Kiwis were delighted to be able to pass right through, while for once it was the Americans who had to go through the hassle of getting visas. In Istanbul, we rendezvoused with the last 2 members of our Kiwi contingent, Bill and Rose Allen (who had been on the Caribbean cruise also), and were met by our guide/driver Aran. First order of business was to get hold of some local currency, so it was off to the ATM to find out if my Hawaiian bank card and PIN would work. To my amazement, it did, and I was presented with the option of withdrawing a minimum of 5 million, and a maximum of 50 million Turkish Lira. A quick check of my pocket currency converter assured me that the maximum was equivalent to about US$120, so I suddenly found myself a millionaire 50 times over. Aran drove us southwest away from Istanbul, and despite having been awake for over 36 hours, I managed to stay awake for the 5 hour drive to Eceabat, and was rewarded with this superb sunset as we traversed the Dardanelles side of the Gallipoli peninsula. At Eceabat, we boarded a car ferry for the 30 minute crossing to the town of Canakkale. We spent the next 2 nights at the Hotel Truva, where a share twin room cost only US$20 per person, with breakfast and dinner included!

Thursday 5 August

This morning, I was woken at 4:30am by the first of the 5 calls to prayer that ring out across Turkey every day. There seems to be some friendly competition between the neighbouring mosques, as they all try to outdo each other in volume and style, but in every case, the message is the same: "God is Great. Come to prayer". After breakfast, we drove about 30km southeast to Troia (Troy), the ancient city immortalised by Homer, and now an archaeological site sponsored by Daimler-Benz. The wooden replica of the famous horse of Troy shown here seemed pretty tacky, but of course, that's what a lot of the tourists expect to see (some even ask if this is the original...).

Fortunately, Troy has a lot more than just the horse. There are in fact nine Troys, all built one on top of the other. Digging down in a deep cut reveals several of these layers, as shown here. Troy III dates from 2200-2050 BC. Much of the original excavation of the site was done by a German by the name of Schliemann, but he was mainly interested in finding treasure.

After lunch in Canakkale, we boarded the ferry again for the crossing back to the Gallipoli peninsula. Our van can be seen in the second row, ready to disembark as soon as the ramp goes down. From Eceabat, it's only a short drive to the opposite side of the peninsula and the Gelibolu Peninsula Historical Park. It was here, on 25 April 1915, that the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) fought for the first time as an independent unit as they attempted to establish a beachhead against fierce resistance from the Turks, who were under the command of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The Allies hoped to capture Istanbul, thereby forcing Turkey out of the war, while at the same time, secure an ice-free supply route to Russia, and open another front against Germany and Austria-Hungary. But the Allies were never able to advance more than a few miles inland, and withdrew after 8 months, after the loss of 33000 Allied and 86000 Turkish troops.

Now you might think that since our ancestors had tried to take this region by force less than a century ago, that we would be less than welcome as tourists. But nothing could be further from the truth. Australians and New Zealanders are welcomed as friends, and our cemeteries and memorials are treated with as much reverence as those to the Turks. This small beach, barely 120 metres long and facing steep hills, is now officially recognised by the Turks as ANZAC Cove. They weren't even supposed to land here; the planned landing site was a much flatter stretch of coastline just south of here, but no-one had factored in the strong currents, which pushed the landing craft into ANZAC Cove instead. As I stood with my feet in the beautiful, clear water of the Aegean, just as men like me born half a world away had done 84 years ago, I closed my eyes and tried to envision death raining down from the hillsides. But I just couldn't.

Although I have no relatives who died or fought there, Mervyn had 2 great uncles who did. With help from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission office in Canakkale, we had established that the name of one of them was marked on this memorial at Lone Pine. He was a member of the Otago Infantry Regiment which, judging by the number of names engraved here, had been virtually annihilated. And to think, some of them even lied about their age in order to be sure of being enlisted, because they were afraid the "Great Adventure" would be all over by Christmas. Not far from here is another memorial to New Zealanders at Chunuk Bair, the hill that the Kiwis captured and managed to hold for 2 days in August 1915, before being driven back by Turkish counter-attacks (not to mention being shelled by the British from behind!). On the same hill is a monument to Ataturk, who was struck in the chest here by a bullet, but saved by his pocket watch. No doubt, modern Turkish history could have been very different if an ANZAC soldier's aim had been only slightly off.

After what had been a rather emotional (and hot) afternoon, we crossed back to Canakkale once more by ferry. Before dinner, there was time for a stroll along the shoreline, and another spectacular sunset.

Friday 6 August

We left Canakkale and headed northeast along the southern shoreline of the Dardanelles, a very busy stretch of water connecting the Mediterranean and Black Seas. By now, we were getting used to "defensive driving", Turkish style, which usually involved extensive use of the horn as a pre-emptive strike against crazy lane changes and even more outrageous overtaking maneuvers. Just after lunch, we arrived in the city of Bursa (pop. 1.1 million), which is beautifully located in a very green valley, and up the slopes of a hill. After putting the van in a parking building, we headed for the Great Mosque (known as Ulucami) for our first experience with Islam. Outside of the mosque are rows of stools and taps for the faithful to do their ablutions (mainly washing their faces and feet) before entering the mosque. We were allowed to skip this part, but did have to remove our shoes before stepping onto the carpet inside. The roof of the Great Mosque consists of 20 domes, supported by 12 large columns. The central dome is made of glass which, coupled with the light cream coloured walls, gives the mosque a bright, airy feel in stark contrast to the dark, gloomy interiors of most western cathedrals. The fountain in the centre is not just for ornamentation; it is also used as an ablution area for latecomers! Robin and Noel seemed keen to practise the art of kneeling and praying, and some of the locals were only too happy to show them how (I'm not sure whether they made converts out of them). After the Great Mosque, we visited a kervansaray (once an inn for travelers on the Silk Road, now a shopping arcade) and then it was off to see the "Green Mosque", so called because of the ornate aqua/green tiles on the walls. Behind the Green Mosque is the Green Tomb of Mehmet I and his descendants, which was in remarkably good condition considering it is over 600 years old and in an earthquake zone. For dinner, we tried out the Bursa kebap, a delicious mix of sliced meat and meatballs with chunks of pide bread in a tomato sauce with chips (fries), melted butter, onions, tomatoes and yoghurt on the side. With bread, dessert, and a Coke, the whole lot came to less than US$10!

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