From Suleiman to Simpson - Turkiye Days 3 & 4

Thursday was the day for my walking tour of Istanbul. I joined up with my group, which was made up of mostly Germans (Note: Germans are much better tourists than Americans). We walked in the square where the Hippodrome (coliseum) used to be, saw the Blue Mosque from the inside (quite impressive), and visited the Haghia Sophia (now a museum). I feel I can't go into much detail about these things, as the pictures I will eventually upload will do a much better job than I ever could.

We went to have lunch at the same restaurant as the day before, and then went off to see Topkapi palace, a Versailles-like structure with great gardens and a very interesting story. Unfortunately it's been a while and I don't remember it. Anyway, after the palace, we went to see a rug presentation by a local company, before finishing off the day at the Grand Bazaar. I swear the tours are centred around getting me to spend all my money in Turkey rather than somewhere else (and it f***ing worked, too).

After my last night in the beautiful Rast Hotel, I was picked up by my new driver, who may have been crazier than the first guy. I set off to visit the West coast of Turkey, driving to Eceabat, a small ghost town which was once a fishing village. I decided at this point that Portugal, coastal Turkey, and most of Newfoundland are exactly the same place. None of the non-capital cities actually have people living in them, the boats are all wrecked or unused, and no one in any of these places speaks comprehensible English.

After this epiphany, I got in the tour van to visit the Gallipoli sites. For those of you who don't know, April 25th is ANZAC day, celebrating the tremendous contribution of Australian and New Zealand forces to the Allied push for control of Turkey. This year will mark the 95th anniversary. Seeing as this is primarily an Australian event, I was not surprised to meet a great number of Australians this day as well as the next.

Our tour took us to ANZAC Cove, where the forces first landed. We also saw many of the CWGC-maintained cemeteries, and the memorials for each the Australian, New Zealand, and Turkish forces who fought over the year the Allies attempted to gain control of Southwestern Turkey. All day, the weather allowed for amazing views of the Cove, as well as the legendary Sphinx rock formation. This was a great learning experience and a much-appreciated tour between historical periods.

That night, with a hotel reservation in Canakkale, a nearby tourist-oriented town, I was informed that I was instead to stay in Eceabat (that ghetto I referred to earlier). Disappointed, but with no real choice, I unpacked in my new (and still under construction) room. I found a place for dinner, ate, watched some Turkish TV, switching to the US Army "Pentagon" propaganda channel whenever one of the locals sat on the couch with me. Surprisingly effective for emptying a room of Turks. That was my payback for the reservation change.

Apparently this spite didn't last too long as I slept quite well in my room that night, eagerly awaiting the last two days of my trip.