5th June 2011
This morning we left Istanbul on the first day of our guided tour. We expect to spend most of the day at Gallipoli , about 3.5 hours drive from our hotel and then are heading to Assos to stay overnight on the Aegean Coast.
The weather is very warm ( 30 degrees +) and a nice breeze seems to come up each day.
When we reached Gallipoli, first stop was for lunch in a little local restaurant on the water. The lunch was included in the tour and the food was very good. It also gave us a chance to continue our research into local beers.
Lunch at Gallipoli
After lunch we drove on to the battlefields and spent several hours traveling to the many historic sites. Our guide is excellent and very knowledgeable. The story of human tragedy really comes home when you are standing at the scene and hear the stories of specific incidents that occurred where you are standing. The futility of the battles and the repeated errors of judgement by the allied commanders also defies belief. It is hard to believe that site at Anzac cove was chosen by anyone as a sensible place to launch an attack.
Anzac Cove
One of the many cemeteries looking towards the Sphinx (showing the ground the troops were expected to advance across)
The monument at Lone Pine
After quite a moving visit to the various sites we headed off to the town where we would be staying overnight , Assos. First we had to cross the Dardenelle Straits by car ferry and then had another 1.5 hrs drive, so we didn’t arrive until around 8 pm.
Aboard the car ferry crossing the Dardenelles
The arrival into Assos is stunning as we wound our way down a narrow, and steep, cobbled road which took us down around 200m to a pretty little port village, and our hotel right on the waterfront. It was a great start to our first night on the Aegean coast.
Our Hotel in Assos
Our Hotel with yachts berhed in front of the restaurant
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