Turkey Part 2

We travelled to the Gallipoli Peninsula the next day. We had lunch in the township of Gelibolu (Gallipoli) picking our fish from the counter and then eating it on the waterfront, overlooking the Dardanelles. Then we drove to the Aegean side of the peninsula, visiting ANZAC Cove (below), where the allied troops landed, and then memorials at Lone Pine Cemetery, Chunuk Bair (left) and the local museum. It was more emotional than we expected, seeing the futility of the Allies’ position and the “ideal” site where they should have landed. We felt very connected to our NZ history that day and it was great to have another 2 couples, Kiwi and Australian, to share it with.

Here is another of Nathan’s poems:

As I approach the Aegean Sea
One word resounds within: Gallipoli
And soil red reminds me of men fallen
Motivated by duty to their Monarch, Nation and Maker

As I stand in ANZAC Cove
Inexplicable tears rise, like the terrain reaching to heights above
And thoughts come crashing in
Like the men who stormed these pebbled shores:

Another’s war
Grand plans gone wrong
Human folly
A misjudged landing
The cutting of apron strings
The birth of a nation’s identity

As I stand at Chunuk Bair and gaze at my country’s memorial towering there
Another voice reminds me of others who fell in shared ground
Foes then, but friends now
And the shared experience that gave birth to the nation I stand in now

As I leave the Aegean Sea and the hills behind
I remember those who gave their lives
And hope, beyond all hopes
That their memory will live on!