At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them

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 at peace.
After having lost their lives on this land they have
Become our sons as well.

Our 7 day tour of Turkey began on a Sunday afternoon in Istanbul. After collecting our tour shirts and being briefed by our guide, the 4 of us, accompanied by Central Coast local Matt, decided to skip the official welcome dinner in favour of a night on the town. What happens on tour....suffice it to say that a great night was had by all involved! (And Dave and Bec B on the motorbikes was a real Kodak moment.)

The next day was spent sightseeing around Istanbul. We visited the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, the Topkapi palace, the Underground Cistern and the Grand Bazaar. That evening we had a boat cruise on the strait between Europe and Asia - Turkey is the only country that straddles two continents.

Our first stop the next day was Gallipoli. The first thing you come across when they stop the bus is the huge plaque with the moving inscription above. We had a while to just explore on our own - the beach, gravesites and memorials, including the Australian memorial at Lone Pine and the New Zealand one at Chunuk Bair. After a solemn couple of hours, we headed to Ayvalik, where we stayed in a resort with a huge pool and BBQ area and rooms with spectacular sea views. After dinner and showers to freshen up, we headed down to check out the hotels' discotheque, complete with smoke machine on the dance floor. The following day was set aside for sightseeing in the remains of the ancient city of Pergamum. We also visited a carpet place, where we were shown the beautiful Turkish carpets. I made the mistake of pointing out one I liked, the Turkish salesman saw me, and proceeded to chase Dave and I all the way out to the bus giving us the hard sell. Although when I found out that a lot of the couples on our tour had expressed interest and been taken aside into separate rooms to haggle prices, I didn't feel so bad. That night a BBQ was put on for us at the hotel.

The morning of the 24th we set off at 7am, the result of much pestering of our guide and convincing him that we were very keen to be among the first at Anzac Cove. After a lightning stop to visit the ruins of Troy, we arrived at Anzac Cove at 3. Our persistence paid off as we were the third group in. We all grabbed good spots on the grass for our sleeping bags, only to watch those spots grow smaller and smaller as the night wore on and more and more people filed in. By the time we wanted to lie down and attempt to sleep we were shoulder to shoulder, and the announcer kept coming on the PA telling us to move up even more. Dave and I were only able to manage a couple of hours, at most. There was also stuff on the big screens all through the night. Dawn started to break around 5.15am, and the service began at 5.30. It is difficult to describe how emotional it is to be at Anzac Cove for the service. Just being there at the place where it all happened, wrapped in the flag and listening to the national anthem and the Last Post brought a tear to more than one eye. Afterwards we trooped up to Lone Pine for the Australian service, and then up to Chunuk Bair where the Kiwis had their service and most of us Australians crashed on the grass.

All up, a very memorable week. We got back home on Saturday, and for the past 4 days have had Fiona and Matt staying with us. Dave and I have gone sightseeing with them, although I only got in one day before I had to go back to work. That Sunday we went down to Lords and did a tour, saw the famous Beatles crossing at Abbey Road and went down to the Thames. It has been great having them here, we only wish London could have been a little kinder with the weather!
Saturday we are off to Belfast for the long weekend, so will update you again soon.
Love to all xxoo.