So finally the real tour begins. For Capetonians, the routine is rather fierce. Wake-up call at 06h30. Suitcases have to be outside your door by 07h15. Breakfast starts at 07h00. And the bus departs at 08h00. Those of you who know Niel (and myself, lately), will understand just how challenging this is! But surprisingly, we are not the last to be seated on the bus!
It takes a while to leave Istanbul. And even though we feel that we can finally say that we have, we are told that to Turks, they still consider themselves to be living in Istanbul, even though the numerous apartment buildings have finally been replaced with some sunflower fields. It's always refreshing to know that we are not the only country with some housing problems. The Turkish government are very active in building large apartment buildings in order to provide housing for people who illegally occupied government land at a time when the government was more concerned about their votes, than ensuring that people were appropriately housed.
So far, we are thoroughly enjoying Ilker's eagerness to share the insights and strong traditions and beliefs of the Turkish people. 97% of the population of Turkiye (they don't believe that the English name should be Turkey) are Muslims. Yet, they seem to have a more modern approach. They believe that the Holy books should be seen as guide books, that need to be adapted based on the times we are living in. So it's okay to be eating pork, because, today, pork is not as unhealthy as it would have been in those days. I get the sense that the Turks are practical people, who are working hard at building a good country, with strong traditions and heritage. In Ilker's words: "If a country does not know where it comes from, it cannot go into the future"
Our first stop (other than comfort and lunch stops) is at the sight of the Battle of Gallipoli on the Dardanelles Strait. The story of this very bloody battle during World War I is fascinating and very sad. Wikipedia has a good version of the story. Five hundred thousand soldiers lost their lives in this battle that lasted months. And in many ways, things could have been so very different. The ally forces were bullish that the capturing of the Dardanelles would be a quick and easy job. They were way ahead on numbers, as well as supplies, and believed that they would very quickly manage to advance to Istanbul, and gain control over the Bosphorus strait, and therefore easy access to Russia. They made a few mistakes, though. The biggest one being the fact that they missed the planned landing site by a mere 400m. But sadly, the coastline there very quickly changed into a very steep incline, which made it a lot more difficult to advance. And this with Ataturk waiting for them at the top of the hill. Ataturk was really in charge of the "reserve" soldiers - waiting to be deployed where needed. He was fearless. And even when his soldiers had used all their ammunition, he ordered them to use bayonets. His orders to his troops were not to advance, but rather to die for their country, while they wait for backup troops.
The Battle of Gallipoli was known as the last battle of gentlemen. The troops did not shoot at each other to actually kill each other. They only shot at their "enemies", because their "enemies" were shooting at them. Yet, at night, when they could not see to actually shoot, and because their trenches were so close to each other, they would sing songs for each other, or exchange food and water. They would even try and save each others lives, if an unfortunate soldier found himself injured in or near the "enemy's" trenches.
The youngest soldier that lost his life in this battle was allegedly 13 years old, and seeing all the graves and reading the names of these soldiers, had a profound effect on us all. Such a waste, that could have turned out so differently, had they just bothered to correct their 400m mistake. The most moving of all, however, is the very beautiful speech that Ataturk made, when requested to ensure that the fallen soldiers were suitably honoured.
After a fascinating day, we arrive in Canakkale, a town that has two universities, and therefore buzzes with energetic and ambitious students. Our hotel has a wonderful view of the Dardenelles, and so once we were checked in, we went for a sunset stroll along the beachfront. This, followed by a wonderful buffet supper, made for a great ending to an interesting day.
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