Russell's Top

A very civilised start to the day leaving Istanbul at 9am (often our tour days start at around 8am) as we headed west towards Gallipoli. Perfect time of year to visit Turkey - warm but not too hot, and the countryside is green and lush - looks beautiful.

We have long wanted to visit the Gallipoli site and it did not disappoint. The Lone Pine cemetery was probably the highlight with its well maintained graves and the views out towards The Dardanelles. At Anzac Cove (the landing place), you couldn't go down onto the beach but it certainly indicated just how difficult the terrain was that the Anzacs had to climb. The Anzac Cove commemoration area just a little further on, was a pleasant area overlooked by a rock formation known as the Sphinx. We looked at a Turkish cemetery and also some of the original trenches which are now quite shallow due to the passage of time. Also visited Chanuck Bair which is very important to the New Zealand Anzacs.

We boarded a ferry and crossed from Europe into Asia, staying the night at Canakkale.Read more