Another early morning to get to the airport today. I thought we should be at the airport at 8 for a 10:30 flight, we ended up getting there at about 7:40, and had to wait an hour for check in to be opened by the still-yawning staff :) Once we arrived in Istanbul, we got an airport shuttle to Taksim Square, which is right near where we are staying (Off Istiklal). Istiklal is a major street, full of shops, pubs and people. We walked around the area for a while, and found Inci Pastanesi – the profiterole shop :) After profiteroles, we found the Turkish Pub, which has a good view for people watching, and had a few drinks. After a little while, we could hear a commotion coming up the street, and saw people with banners and drums protesting something. When they got closer, we realised that there were hundreds of people protesting, with a heavy police force in riot gear following them in case it got out of hand. We asked some of the staff at the pub what it was all about – turns out, they were protesting the recent ban on smoking indoors! One of the first things I noticed on arriving to Turkey is how friendly the people are here. Anyone we ask for help is happy to explain with hand signals and broken English, and they seem to really care. If you ask someone where something is and they don’t know, they will go and ask someone else, until they have directions for you.

August 19 – Day 36

We decided to do a city tour to see where everything was, which cost a bit but was worthwhile. After a loop on the bus, we went to Sultanahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque), which is beautiful, and very different to all the churches we have visited. We didn’t realise quite how much there was to do around Sultanahmet, and continued on the bus to a place for lunch. Over lunch, we decided to go back for a day tomorrow. From lunch (back at Istiklal), we walked to Galata Tower, an old tower that was used to spot fires in the city, and now houses a cafe and nightclub. The views from the tower were great, and got us heading towards Galata Bridge. After winding down through the narrow streets, we crossed the bridge (with its fishermen) and found a boat for a Bosphorus Cruise. From the boat we saw a number of waterfront palaces, lots of nice houses, and the bridge that connects Europe and Asia. There was no commentary, which was a shame. We were later recommended a night cruise that includes dinner and a show, but I’m not sure if we will have time. After the boat tour we got a bus back to Taksim, and found a tea house. The tea was delicious, but I soon felt the need for something a bit stronger, and had my first taste of Raki in Turkey – delicious, especially if you like licorice!

August 20 – Day 37

After walking down Istiklal and over the bridge, we found the Spice Market, which looked and smelled delicious. We walked though the market, then got lost (intentionally) in the streets leading up the hill to the Grand Bazaar. Itanbul’s Grand Bazaar is an amazing place. There are over 4000 shops, selling pretty much anything you could be looking for. I particularly enjoyed the Old Bazaar, where antiques are sold. After a tea in the Bazaar, we found an exit and walked towards the Blue Mosque. Across the road from the Blue Mosque is Yerebatan Sarayi (the Underground Cisterne), which featured in ‘From Russia With Love’. It is 143m by 65m, and was able to store 80,000 cubic meters of water, which was used in the palace and it’s surrounds. It was amazing to see. Afterwards, we walked down the hill and back across Galata Bridge, took the Tunel (Funikular) up the hill, then the Nostalji Tramvayi (Old Tram) back to Taksim. Public transport is easy to use and well organised here, which helps for the hills :)

August 21 – Day 38

Today was the day we visited Gallipoli. This is no small task when staying in Istanbul, but is well worth it. The alarm went off at 5, and we were the first to get on the tour bus, at 6am. After picking up other passengers, we set off towards the town of Eceabat, which is right near Gallipoli. Once there, we changed buses and met our guide, Hassan, who is excellent. He has a real passion for Gallipoli and was very knowledgeable. Also, if you let them know, they will take you to specific graves as part of the tour. We booked with TJ’s Tours, which I highly recommend. The first site that we saw was Brighton Beach, the long, wide beach where the ANZAC troops were supposed to land. Next we came to the Kabatepe War Museum, which has a number of photos, letters, uniforms and shrapnel on display. They have on display a few pairs of bullets that collided in mid air, which gives an idea of how much gunfire there must have been. Our next stop was ANZAC cove, which was incredible to see, particularly after passing Brighton Beach. You could not find more different terrain if you tried. It is very steep, although apparently the terrain has changed significantly over the years. Also, there is a road through it, which is a shame. The first thing I noticed about ANZAC cove is how beautiful it looks – it is hard to imagine how horrible it must have been. It felt very strange being there, I was speechless. After ANZAC cove, we continued on to the site where ANZAC Day services are now held, before continuing on to the cemetery at Ari Burnu. Next to Ari Burnu is a huge memorial showing a quote from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk:

“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country, therefore ret in peace. There is no difference between the Jonnies 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 bossom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.”

After a quick stop at John Simpson’s Grave, we visited the Respect for Mehmetçik Memorial, which shows a Turkish soldier carrying a wounded English soldier back to his trenches. Our next stop was Lone Pine cemetery, where there are many Australian graves. Next we saw Johnston’s Jolly, which is where the trenches were less than ten meters apart, and much of the fighting was with grenades. This is where soldiers were catching grenades and throwing them back towards the enemy trenches. The trenches are still there, but erosion is taking its toll. After Johnston’s Jolly we stopped at the Turkish Memorial and The Nek, before reaching the final destination of Chunuk Bair, where you can finally see what the campaign was about, and how much control the holder of the Gallipoli peninsula had. The tour took almost 18 hours from pickup to dropoff, but for the things you see and learn, it is well worth it, particularly if you are Aussie or Kiwi.

August 22 – Day 39

After a rare sleep in, we had good breakfast at the cafe in our street, which was a welcome change from our usual street vendor pastry breakfasts (1 lira per person, 80 Aussie cents). After breakfast we walked down Istiklal, got the Funikular down to Galata bridge, and went to where I thought the boat left for the Princes Islands. Turns out it doesn’t leave there, so we got a bus, and finally got on a ferry at around midday. We realised on our return that there is another Funikular that does the exact route we needed in about 3 minutes.. We had decided on Buyukada as our island to visit, since we didn’t have time to skip between them. As this is the fourth island along, we got to see them all on the way there. After a few hours exploring the streets and having lunch, it was time to get back on another ferry! This one took ages to arrive, and we ended up getting back to Kabatas (the mainland port) at around 7:30. This time we got the good Funikular back to Taksim, had another look at Istiklal before dinner, desert, and drinks. I would recommend trying some of the other islands – perhaps Proti, the first one, as it looked the nicest from the boat. I really enjoyed Istanbul, and would like to come back and explore more of Turkey one day.