Istanbul / Gallipoli

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Left for Gallipoli about 8am. It is a quiet drive (about 4 hours) with many of us sleeping off hangovers and the effects of a great night.

Stopped at a ‘service centre’ for lunch - not great idea on our tender stomaches, but one of our crew managed to neck a bottle of Vodka and get himself wiped out - made a fool of himself (especially with his mates telling everyone he wouldn’t spew - which he obviously did end up doing - the nurses on the bus had to hose him down at one of the memorials!!).

The closer we got to Gallipoli the more surreal the feeling was on the bus - there seemed to be a mix of excitement, reflection and anxiety at what we were about to experience.

First stop at Gallipoli was Lone Pine. Pulling into the area was quite emotional and a very moving experience - its hard to fully appreciate the true extent of the tragedy of Gallipoli until you see the graves and truly appreciate the geography of the area.

I spent our ½ hour of time just wondering around by myself looking at the names on the graves and contemplating the waste of life.

We visit several memorial areas including the Turkish (57th Reg) Memorial and the New Zealand Memorial (Chunk Bair) before we left for ANZAC Cove.

Arrived at ANZAC Cove at approximately 5pm and secured ourselves a spot right on the side of the stage area and in front of the Cove.

A very serene sunset - with the Sphinx looking down from behind me - quite an amazing experience.

The Anzacs would never have stood a chance when they arrived - how they survived and achieved so much astounds me - they were bloody marvellous.

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