Gallipoli Sunrise

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It was close to 8.00pm when the bus dropped me off in Eceabat, a town near the battlefields of Gallipoli. A sign pointed to Anzac House, which currently housed my tour party from FEZ. I was on crutches with a heavily sprained ankle, a result of a drunken fall down a flight of steps in Rome a few weeks back. Walking through the front door I was greeted by my tour guide and the owner of the barhostel, they had already sent the group that afternoon for the tour of the battlefields and midday service, and most of the group were in the lounge watching Gallipoli the Movie. Gutted at missing out on the tour and not having a bed for the night booked, I took it upon myself to have a beer or two to wash down the long days dust. The barman and I chatted about my trip here and i expressed my disappointment at missing out on today's tour, a thought came across him and he looked at one of the locals sitting besides me, they chatted in Turkish and the stranger, a local taxi driver offered me a proposal i couldn't refuse. He offered to take me to a friends place for the night, pick me up at 5.00am in his cab and take me to the battlefields for a personal tour.
I awoke with high anticipation, packed my backpack and waited for the cabby, he arrived on time and with a glimmer of light appearing in the sky we drove to Gallipoli. My bus was leaving at 7.00am so I had ample time to see the sights, he took me everywhere in that two hours, especially off the main stream beaten track where the tourists hordes would never venture, to show me some of the hidden treasures of the area. We drove to the highest peak and sat together overlooking Anzac Cove as the sun peered it's head above the horizon. It was a beautiful moment as we stared across the sea, my new friend pointing out the landing points and respective battlefields. We walked around no-mans land, which was far removed from the tourists and found fragments of shells and bullets.
I pocketed the most intact bullet as a reminder of this serene and desolate patch of earth, I was given the full package and a fantastic insight by a man very proud of his country and heritage. On the way back I thanked the man for giving me one of the best experiences of my life, my amazing tale getting me the title of "you lucky bastard" for a long time afterward.

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