Sidestepping Gallipoli

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Today we are on the move, leaving Istanbul behind. The open road for me is a time for reflection and resolution. We are due to visit the Anzac landings at Gallipoli, a place of war and the tragic deaths of hundreds of thousands of young men caught up in battles not of their making.

I'd mentioned to our tour leader that I'd prefer not to go on the tour here and could I be dropped off somewhere to wait until the group finished looking around Gallipoli. I really didn't want to spend part of my holiday going to a place that represents how crap human beings are, showing how little they've learnt from history and how a few men in power make decisions that destroy so many young men's lives and those of their families.

As it turned out me and another girl who also wanted to opt out (avoiding the rain on her part) were able to go on to our hotel early, taking the ferry across the Dardanelles to the little fishing town of Canukkale.

Having to justify my decision to a few of the group who hold different views to me and didn't understand why I was so anti visiting the site was a tad frustrating. For them it was important to pay respects to those who fought and lost their lives and learn about the battles and I respect that, but please understand in return that this isn't the only way to react on a human level to such terrible events. Mine is equally valid and in no way is intended to cause ofense or detract from their point of view. Enough said.

It was a really miserable rainy day so the two of us who arrived early in Canukkale early had a little wander around the town before holing up in a little water front cafe drinking hot chocolate to warm up and trying one of the delicious cakes on offer.

Once everyone else returned from their visit we went out for a meal and had a look at the large wooden horse used in the Hollywood blockbuster film about Troy that we'd somehow managed to miss on our earlier wanderings.

An end to a difficult day, let the better bits of this trip continue tomorrow.

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