Blogs from Marmara, Turkey, Middle East - page 179

Long trip to Istanbul (12 hours) - only real break was at a gas station buffet where the food was very very very dodgy…complaints to tour guide fell on deaf ears - he just doesn’t give a rats arse. On the way back to Istanbul we stopped in Busra to visit the Mosque (probably seen enough of these now!) and to visit the famous Silk Bazaar - Mum and Elise would have loved the Bazaar, there were hundreds of wedding stores!!! We had a fantastic group dinner and lots of drinks in the party strip of Istanbul - our last official night together as a Tour Group. ... read more

Turkey (the best trip yet) This was an amazing trip. On Friday night I arrived in Istanbul with Darci, Tyler and Jamie, and we meet Lauren there (my friend from home who is studying in Cario, in case you don’t know her). Lauren stayed till Sunday though was not able to join us for the second part of the trip. This trip is so hard to sum up in words though I will do my best… SATURDAY Palace: The first day we went around the city and to the place that the sultan and his harem used to live. It was just a bunch of rooms with expensive furniture and paintings. It was cool at first but got dull by the end. I could never live in a place like that. There were so many elegant ... read more

This is a favourite place of ours, absolutely stunning sights, friendly people (even over friendly!), the first hotel we stayed in since Rome and the longest stop on our tour (3 days). We were staying very close to city centre and all the attractions which was fantastic to be able to walk everywhere we wanted. Arriving in Istanbul after a long drive from Gallipoli (couldn't get much sleep on the bus) we were running on empty. On our way we found out we needed a visa for Romania (apparently we hadn't read our paperwork properly and everyone else had got their visas before the tour started) - we weren't the only ones who didn't have it, Sam and Jude were in the same boat too(so to speak). We had to get passport photos taken (looking really ... read more

The next morning it did take 5 hours of driving to arrive at Anzac Cove and Line Pine. It was two days before Anzac Day and it was great to walk about the beautiful area when it was quiet. While our tour manager knew a fair bit about the area, his struggle with the English language and worrying about tour co-ordination meant that we didn’t learn much, but reading the headstones and plaques, seeing the trenches, hills and beaches was enough to know what went down there. We went to a museum of artefacts from the war including many photos. One of Morat’s best stories was about in June 1915 when a ceasefire was called to clean up and bury the dead and the Aussies got their first look at the Turks, and the Turks let ... read more

Cold! Cold! Cold! Little sleep during the night due to the crowded and very very cold conditions @ Anzac Cove. There were estimated to be between 8,000 to 10,000 people - the organisers had apparently only been expecting between 5,000-6,000 people this year with the increased security and tighter alcohol controls. We have a great position - corner of the stage right on the edge of the Cove with the Sphinx directly behind us - quite spectacular. An amazingly serene sunset last night. During the night the organisers provided Bands (playing music from the period Circa 1915), Andrew Denton interviews and a number of short videos about the landing and the campaign. It is hard to truly appreciate the magnitude of what the Anzacs faced - at least until you see and experience it yourself. It ... read more