DAY 1: ISTANBUL / CANAKKALE
We depart from Istanbul hotel to the Gallipoli Peninsula. We start our Gallipoli Battlefields tour in Arıburnu. There is a stone inscription memorial of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s speech that he wrote in 1934 for visiting Australian mothers who came to see their sons’ graves. This moving speech that was read to the mothers explains that the Turkish hero of the Gallipoli war also new how to make peace.
This landing beach also has a cemetery that was established and looked after by CWGC.
Second destination is the Beach Cemetery that also includes the grave of Mr. Simpson so called Donkey Man.
Then we go and visit Lone Pine that has the Australian monument. This small piece of land had thousands of young men killed in its ground.
Our next destination is Turkish memorial which is dedicated to 57th Regiment that lost all its members.
Finally we visit Chunuk Bair that has the New Zealand memorial and a superb view of the area.
Then we go to the pier and take a ferry across from European continent to the Asian continent. We view the 15th century fortress Kilitbahir, the key of the seas. That moves us from 20th century warfare to the 15th century warfare. It is a preparation for following day’s Bronze Age warfare and mythological Trojan War.
We stay overnight in the hotel in Canakkale.
DAY 2: CANAKKALE / ISTANBUL
After breakfast in the hotel, we have a short drive to Troy. It is an archaeological tour as well as a mythological tour. We study Bronze Age, ancient, medieval wars in an about Troy in relation with the last one: Gallipoli War. We study the meaning of calling Mustafa Kemal Pasha as Hector II by journalist during 1st World War.
Then we take a ferry again back to European continent and drive back to Istanbul.