Çanakkale Merkez, Turkey

Yesterday Lionel and I caught a local bus out to Troy. The wooden horse was there (circa 1975) and there were remnants of many cities…all called Troy and built on top of each other. There wasn’t much left and it was difficult to visualise what it would have looked like…I only have the movie set to go on! And the replica wooden horse from the movie in Canakkale…and it’s not very big! Today I went on a tour of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Our guide was a very knowledgeable Turk and he gave a very fresh, and honest account of the events leading up to the campaign. It really surprised me how small the ANZAC Cove area was, it looks so much larger on TV. The peninsula is dotted with cemeteries and memorials, Lone Pine and Chanuk Bair ( NZ memorial) were both very tranquil commemorative areas. The sea and shore looked beautiful and of course very peaceful; it’s difficult to imagine the thousands of soldiers and supplies scattered across this small area (and the state of the battlefields).