People talk about ‘bucket lists’ – things they feel they must do before they die. One of my few regrets was that I had never made it to Turkey when I was in Europe previously. Now I can tick that box!
Our time in Istanbul was designed to be a mid-tour break but once on the move it is actually quite difficult to just stop. In typical form for this group we tackled a walking tour through the city, a day on the Gallipolli peninsula, a lot of walking and many expensive trips to the Grand Bazaar! With the exception of a couple of Turkish baths this was NOT a relaxing holiday.
The highlight for us all was the time we spent at Anzac Cove. Our Turkish guide was fantastic – well briefed on both sides of the conflict and fluent in English. Many tears were shed as we absorbed the enormity of what our forefathers endured. That so many men perished attacking and defending a tiny sliver of land was sobering in itself – that they spent 9 months wrestling across mere metres wrenched at my soul. Three nations were born in this theatre of destruction – for me, Anzac Day will never be the same.
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