They Have All Become Our Sons As Well

---

Good Morning All from a very warm Istanbul. We have completed our adventures in Greece & Turkey, and look forward to flying back to London late this afternoon. We have had a wonderful time in blazingly fine weather, but now we are getting increasingly tired (like a camera starting the day on that last third of its battery and ending the day with the battery light blinking), have both either got a cold or getting over one, and now crave some cooler weather and complete rest for a few days. We have seen some wonderful sights and taken hundreds of photos between us. We can share only a few.

Saturday 12 June.

Getting off the tram at Sultanahmet (to the Old City what Cathedral Square is to ChCh), we had little problem finding our Hostel using my trusty Google maps. The area that we are in is one of the oldest in the city; a maze of little streets, numerous hostels and hotels, numerous restaurants, and little grocery shops that remind me of 'Open All Hours'. There is even a little bakery just around the corner. We are very conveniently located only a 3 minute walk from Sultenahmet. In the other direction the sea wall of the Old City is only a hundred metres or so away. We have a ground floor room which is much better than our Athens room. It is a reasonable size, has good air conditioning (heat pump), and a big wet-wall ensuite which is completely tiled. It is lovely not being confined in a shower box with a wet curtain sticking to you. The third storey includes an office/dining room/kitchen for the family that runs the Hostel and who have apartments in the building next door, which have access from the same marble spiral staircase up the centre. There are two terraces on the roofs, from which a good view of the city is obtained while eating breakfast.

Having settled in, we set off in the afternoon to Suntanahmet for a look around. This is a nice big open space with gardens, a big fountain, trees, seats, etc. Immediately across the road to the west is the Blue Mosque, which we made our first place to visit. After eventually finding the tourists' entrance around the back, we removed shoes, Karen put on a scarf to cover arms and shoulders (supplied) and we went in with the crowd. I classify mosques as belonging to four groups. Firstly small ones with one minaret (seen in rural towns and city suburbs). Then there are medium to large mosques with 2 minarets. Then there are really big city mosques with 4 minarets. And then there is the Blue Mosque, an enormous structure with 6 minarets. Unlike a church as we know it, whose roof is supported by two or more rows of columns, the entire complex roof of the Blue Mosque, complete with main dome and several subsidiary domes, is entirely supported on four enormous pillars, each with a diameter of 5 or 6 metres. This gives a huge open floor space, which is entirely carpeted. Tourists were allowed to flow along one side, taking up about a quarter of the area. This allowed plenty of space and crowding wasn't a problem. The whole mosque is beautifully decorated, in the traditional muslim way.

We next crossed Sultanahmet to the eastern side (we lived near the southern side) to see the Agra Sophia. This is the ex-church that we were told several times in Greece that we had to see because it is the biggest and grandest of all Byzantine churches. I think it dates from somewhere back in about the 9th Century. When Constantinople was captured by the Otterman Empire however, they converted it into a mosque and added a minaret. At least as a result of them doing that, it has survived intact. Now it is not used for anything and has the status of a museum (which meant paying 20L to get in). One Turkisk Lira is almost the same as one NZ dollar. It is still very original, with some restoration work underway. It is an enormous structure. Climbing up a long ramp, we reached the upper gallery, high above the ground. This was something like 15 metres wide, and with an all marble floor. What a huge weight to support. It went right around three sides of the building, and has 67 colmuns on it supporting the roof. The centre dome is 56 m high and 32 m wide. After a wander around at floor level, we left, impressed by the size of the building, but not finding it all that interesting. So that was the end of our first day.

Sunday 13 June

Today we caught the open-topped double-decker hop on/hop off bus from the stop in Sultanhamet, and went off to see a lot more of the city. The bus was very good, with an interersting route, and headphones that worked very well, delivering a commentary (always in phase) in several languages in a clear, easy to follow, voice. One complete circuit took us just over 90 minutes. We then hopped off and went looking for Topkapi Palace, the palace of the Sultans of the Otterman Empire. At first we walked right around it, getting almost back to the ferry wharves, While there we popped in to see the nearby Sikesi Railway Station, the eastern terminal for the famed Orient Express. Back-tracking we found the entrance to the Palace (basically not far from where we started) and paid our 20L each to go in (this now being another museum). The Palace covers a huge area of the peninsula that juts out into the Bosphorus, within the walls of the Old City. Being on a hill, it commands great views over the Bosphorus as well. It is set out in quadrangles, with gardens in each. Most of the main sights were in the buildings surrounding one of these quadrangles. We were drawn by curiosity to first visit the Sultan's Hareem. This cost an extra 15L each, but, having come all this way, there was no turning back. And we weren't disappointed. This place was amazing. It was just as if the Sultan had gone away for a few days and left us house-sitting. Everything was there, and all in excellent condition. All his rooms (including his bathroom and toilet), the Queen Mother's rooms, the concubines rooms, the eunichs rooms, the grand hallways and lounges. Even his swimming pool (which looked like it only needed to be filled to be used). Only a very few of the crowd paid to go in, so we were unhurried in having a good look. Information boards were excellent. Another room in the quadrangle held the Sultans clothing, and those of a few of his children. 3 or 4 more rooms were treasuries, holding hundreds of jewel-encrusted gold objects of all types; cups, hats, swords, boxes, etc. There was huge crowds in these rooms however, with little ventilation, and we had only a quick look. Then it a visit to the shop before departing.

We got back to Sultenahmet just in time to catch the bus again for another circuit. This time it took us over 2 hours. The traffic was horrendous, including a broken down bus that caused us to double back at one stage. The route included most of the waterfront of the Golden Horn (the arm of the Bosphorus that is shaped like a horn and separates the southern and northern parts of the city on the European side, and much of the Old City walls on the inland side, where they are very extensive and quite formidable. Parts of them are still original, while other parts have been restored. There is still a 300 m section of an high aqueduct as well. That evening we went to a cafe/restaurant in Sultanahmet for dinner (hope you kiddies are proud of us). For 20L we each had a vegetable omelet with side salad and a bottle of water. Hardly extravagent, but a change from nibbling. Talking of nibbling, really only 4 things are sold on the streets to any degree (apart from water); bread, corn on the cob (boiled or barbecued), watermelon (cut up in slices in a plastic tray with a plastic fork), and ice cream. We tried the boiled corn once, bought the watermelon once (but had a lot more for breakfast at the hostel), but boughts lots of ice creams! The ice creams on sticks (magnums etc) taste just as good as at home and are no more expensive. So ended day two.

Monday 14 June.

Today was our 1-day tour to Gallipoli, and it turned out to be both one of the most interesting and one of the most arduous days of our lives. Getting up at 5.30 am, we were collected at 6.40 am. Having picked up a few others (about half a dozen Kiwis, half a dozen Aussies, 2 Brits, 2 Canadians, and one Yank), we set off on the 5 hour bus ride to Eceabat, a town on the eastern side of the Gallipoli Peninsula, about opposite the ANZAC landing beaches. Here we had lunch and picked up our local guide. We were in a big touring bus (less than half full) along with other people who were continuing across the Dardenelles to Canakkale that evening to visit Troy and another site. Our guide came from Canakkale and, as we found out later, had a very real connection with the Gallipoloi campaign. His Great Grandfather had fought there and, of the 44 men from his village who went to the fighting, he was one of only 18 who returned. Temperatures here have been around 35 every day. On this day however, on the beaches where there was no breeze, if it didn't get to 40 then it was in the very high 30s. This was extremely energy sapping, and we tried to keep in the shade when possible (for what little difference this made), but it wasn't possible. Only this morning our host at the Hostel told me that this is unseasonal weather. This is what they usually get in August, not June!

Travelling the short distance across the peninsula, we stopped first at the Gallipoli Mueum, which tells the whole story and which has an incredible collection of war material found in the years since. Then it was on to 'Brighton Beach', the beach to the south of Anzac Cove, where the Anzacs were supposed to land. This is a much bigger beach with more ground inland from it. There is some debate now however about whether it was a mistake to land at Anzac Cove or whether it was a deliberate change in plan to avoid Turkish guns placed on the peninsula at the southern end of Brighton Beach. Here we also visited Beach Cemetery, where Kiwis, Aussies, and English sailors are buried. Next it was on to Anzac Cove, a tiny beach only 600 m long and a few metres wide, with rugged valleys and cliffs immediately inland. Here, at 4.30 am on 25 April 1915, 15,000 Anzac troops were put down with all their supplies. Just how, in the space available, is anyones guess. Facing them were only 106 Turks with single shot rifles. The Anzacs made good headway inland, taking many of the high points, and would have reach the highest point, Chunuck Bair, had it not been for the heroic sacrifice of the Turkish 57th Regiment. Their commander told them that they had not come to fight, they had come to die. And every last one of them did. But they stopped the Anzac advance, and trench warfare set in for the rest of the 8 months campaign. Even today Turkey has a 56th Regiment and a 58th Regiment, but no 57th Regiment. We later passed a memorial to the 57th Regiment as we climbed the hills. And that Commander went on to lead the successful Turkish campaign and eventually become Kemal Attaturk, the Father of the Modern Turkish Nation.

From Anzac Cove we went a short distance north to 'North Beach', which is now where the ANZAC Day services are held each year. It is not a very big area so must be crowded on those days. It was busy enough this day, with half a dozen bus loads following each other around. We walked on the beach here, and looked at the pictures and incriptions set into a concrete wall. It was a time for quiet reflection on all those mothers' sons who never came home. In all there were half a million casualties in those terrible 8 months; 252,000 Turkish, and 248,000 Allied. To add to their misery, 1915 had the hottest summer for a long time, and each man had only a litre of water per day for everything (it was brough in cans from Egypt). The winter was then the coldest for a long time and, without any warm clothing, suffering was extreme. This may well have brought about the decision to withdraw.

Next, we started climbing the hills, passing famous names like Lone Pine, Johnston's Jolly, and Quinn's Post, stopping here and there to look at memorials, cemetaries, old trenches etc. At Lone Pine, 6,400 died in a few days in an area the size of a rugby pitch. This is now virtually a mass grave, and the site of the Australian Memorial. There are 600 Kiwi names on this memorial however, many of them buried at sea when they died of wounds. Further up, the road passes along what the Turks called 'Blood Ridge', where the trenches on either side of what is now the road were only 8 to 10 metres apart. Taking a break from throwing over grenades, the Turks would throw over tobacco to the Allies, who in turn threw back newspaper. In this way they both got a smoke! Then we came to the main Turkish Memorial, no different to the other except for two large bronzes; one of a Turkish soldier (carrying a British Rifle!), and the other of the last Turkish veteran who lived to 103. Then it was along another famous name, 'The Neck', to the summit at Chunuck Bair.

Chunuck Bair in Turkish literarily means 'high ground'. Here one gets a wonderful panoramic view of the Dardenelles to the south, and the Agean Sea to the north. What a huge advantage it must have been to Turks to be able to look down and see everything that the Allies were doing. On 8 August 1915 New Zealand troops captured it and held it for 2 days. The Turks lost 6000 casualties in 4 hours getting it back, including all the students of Istanbul University (they had no graduates for 4 years). In this area, in the 1920s, 6000 bullets and pieces of shrapnell were found in one square metre of soil. It was stirring to see the NZ Memorial sitting atop Chunuck Bair, but a time for thought when seeing the list of NZ soldiers from Regiments around the country. As always our time there was not as long as we would have liked, but at least we can say that we have now been there, and are so very glad that we did.

Our guide was very good. As we moved from site to site, he told the story fairly, sensitively, and emotionally in parts. There are something like 31 Allied cemetaries on the Peninsula, and 71 Turkish ones. Turkey never wanted to enter WW1. They were cheated by the British, and tricked by the Germans. They are a peace-loving country, and very glad not to have got involved in WWII. I shall leave the last word on Gallipoli to their leader. In the 1930s he wrote the following poem, now set out on a huge concrete 'page' in the hills:

“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country
therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
and the Mehmets to us
where they lie side by side
here in this country of ours
You, the mothers, who sent
their sons from far away countries
Wipe away your tears;
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
and are in peace.
Afterhaving lost their lives on this land
they have become our sons as well.
M.Kemal Ataturk

The 6 of us returning to Istanbul that night, didn't get to bed before midnight, but we did sleep a bit on the bus on the return journey.

Tuesday 15 June

Awakening to yet another hot day, we didn't try to do too much yesterday. Firstly we walked 10 minutes to the north of Sultanahmet to The Grand Bazaar, one of the largest covered bazaars in the World. It was enormous, with dozens of 'streets' that appeared to disappear into the distance. The range of goods was enormous and of good quality. This was more like a huge Turkish mall, except that goods spilled out into the 'streets'. We then walked east down towards the ferry terminals on the Golden Horn. All the streets along the way were like an open air extention of the Grand Bazaar. We walked through the Spice Bazaar, specialising in spices and nuts of all types, and in bulk. Then it was on to the ferry terminals where we bought tickets for a cruise on the Bosphorus, the narrow waterway that connects the Sea of Mamara to the Black Sea. With a couple of hours to wait, we had a bit of lunch and enjoyed doing some people watching. The cruise was interesting but a little disappointing that it didn't go far enough up the Bosphorus for us to even glimpse the Black Sea. We did however get to see just how huge this city is, spreading for many miles up the bosphorus on both sides. There are some very big houses on the sea front. As well,we passed under the two suspension bridges over the bosphorus; Europe to Asia in just a couple of minutes! We walked back to the hostel around the sea front, passing through a gate in the Old City sea walls to get there. We went out again at 7 pm to the same cafe/restaurant and again bought dinner (hope that didn't give you a heart attack CC). This time we had cheese omelets with our salad and water. Had just about run out of Lira, so cost us 12 Euro.

Wednesday16 June

And now for some final impressions on Turkey. On the whole Turkey is a friendly country which tourists can get along in quite easily without any language barrier problems. Its streets (especially when Istanbul is compared with Athens) are much cleaner, and in better repair. Police patrols are visible around town and in places such as the Blue Mosque and The Topkapi Palace. As long as care is taken with personal items, the chances of being robbed (literally rather than figuratively) seem low. The transport system is easy to use. We had been warned about how much hassling we would get from street vendors etc, and we certainly have our share of stories, but as long as you are careful with what you say and do, and get advise from someone who has been through it all, you can get by without going home with no money, but a carpet for every room of your house. I shall put the vendors into 3 categories. Firstly there are the mobile venders who sell water, corn, bread, watermelon etc, and the majority of tourist shop owners. These people hardly hassle you at all, if at all. Secondly, there are the restaurants, which includes about every 10th business in Istanbul. These generally spread out onto the street and out in front is always a man with the menu on a lecturn (or something similar) who hassles every person who goes past to eat at his restaurant or at least have a drink. You will hear things like “we have a table all ready for you”. We had to laugh yesterday when one offered us free food. Well, we have learnt that absolutely nothing is free in Turkey. He just forgot to add, we suspect, that he would charge us 20L each for water! You need to be thick skinned not to say anything to some of these 'pests', but it is generally the best approach. Otherwise you can just say that you have already eaten and then shut up. The third group is another story. These people are complete shysters, with no remorse whatsoever. Most of them work for rug sellers. I won't relate our actual experiences now(which cost us no more than a Lira in total), but just their modus operandi. One trick is to befriend you by taking a keen interest in the fact that you are a Kiwi, even saying things like 'Kia Ora' with a Maori accent etc. They then offer to help you (if you need it to go somewhere or find something). Soon after, the invitation will come to visit their rug factory where they will give you something free to eat and drink. If you cotton on to their game at this point, they will then ask for a 'donation' for helping you (even though they offered it and you didn't ask for it). What seems even lower is when you do something to help someone else. In return, they insist on doing something for you. Having done this, they then demand payment for their services. We think that these characters really give Turkey a bad name. If it happened to us 3 times in 3 days (even when we were half expecting it) imagine how many hundreds of thousands of tourists are swindled by these shysters every year. The truth is (and it's hard for Kiwis to believe until you experience it) that you just can't afford to accept any help from anyone, or offer help to anyone, or even talk to anyone, in Turkey unless they are previously known to you. This is not good for people who like to meet and talk with other people. For this reason, if for no other, we have found Turkey an interesting place to visit, but not one that would be high on our list to return to.

For the next few days, we shall have nothing to report on except, hopefully, our slow recovery to normal health. But we will be back at some stage.

P&K.

---

Photos

Welcome To Istanbul.
The Blue Mosque is in the background.

Balcony With A View
Our breakfast view from the roof terrace of our hostel.

The Blue Mosque
Some idea of the floor space. Note one of 4 huge columns in the background.

Blue Mosque Roof.
The main dome and some side domes.

Agra Sophia
Some idea of the enormous size of this building.

All Aboard.
Riding the top deck of the hop on/hop off bus.

Topkapi Palace.
The Sultan bids you to enter his hareem (if you're good looking).

Old City Wall.
One of several gates in a restored section of the wall.

ANZAC Cove.
15,000 Anzac troops landed here on the 15 April 1915.

North Beach
The current site for ANZAC Day services.

Why?
A time for thoughtful rememberance for all mothers whose sons never came home.

The Last Turkish Veteran.
The last Turk to fight at Gallipoli, with his great granddaughter.

An Anzac Trench.
These were often only 8 to 10 m from the Turkish trenches.

Chunuk Bair
Inscription on the NZ Memorial.

Lest We Forget.
A list of NZ soldiers who either died here, were buried at ea, or whose whereabouts is unknown.

The Spice Bazaar.
Buying salted almonds.

Comments

[Cathy Dutchak]

Hostel question?
Hi there! I enjoyed reading your blog! Lots of good stuff to know... Would you mind sharing the name of your hostel? I'm going to Istanbul alone on July 22. I want a decent and smaller hostel. I'm also 54 so wonder if I will feel really out of place at a hostel as I've never done the hostel thing before!! You seem pleased with yours! Thanks for sharing! Cathy