I'm thinking everyone must have a "Bucket List" these days huh? You know what I mean - the list of things you wish to tick off before you depart this world? Well for as long as I can remember, visiting Gallipoli has been on my bucket list. My great grandfather fought at Gallipoli and my dear Poppa was a POW in Egypt in WW2. I remember going to Anzac parades as a child and ever since then Anzac Day has been a very special day for me and I have hardly ever missed a service, no matter where in NZ or the world I have been on 25th of April each year. Being in Europe in April this year I decided that 2012 would be the time to go to Gallipoli and fulfil my dream of seeing and experiencing Anzac Day there for myself.
I decided to go on a 5 day tour which included not only Anzac Day at Gallipoli but also tour of the peninsular a few days before hand and a bit of sightseeing in Istanbul. It's a three hour flight from Barcelona to Istanbul. The night before I flew we had a big football party at Agusti and Annabel's house. Barcelona vs Real Madrid - exciting stuff pitting two fiercely rival Spanish teams against each other! It was a great night, and after just a couple of hours sleep I was heading to the airport - bound for Turkey.
I spent my first day wandering the streets of Istanbul, I have been there before so I knew just where I wanted to go again, The Spice Bazaar and down to the Bosporus for a fish sandwich! It took less than a minute from stepping of the tram before I was accosted with the words "kiwi kiwi" and taken into a store to be sold many scarves... As usual I was told I had "very beautiful eyes" and one guy tried to not let me leave the shop until I had kissed him! Turkey hadn't changed!
That night I met up with our tour group and most of us went off to a Turkish dinner and cabaret type show. There was traditional dancing, and then some belly dancing which was, I must say, incredible. My favourite bit was when two guys came on stage with their shirts pulled over their heads and did male belly dancing - see the photo below - very entertaining! There was plenty of audience participation and I was dragged onto the stage at one point which was daunting but a whole lot of fun! It was a good way to meet the tour party and set the scene for our departure to Gallipoli.
The following day we drove the four hours thru to the Gallipoli peninsular, and watched the Australian movie Gallipoli on the tour bus along the way. I am so glad we got to go a few days before Anzac day as it allowed us to have a walk along the beaches and thru some of the cemeteries without the thousands of people that would descend on the area in the following days. I shared a quiet moment on my own with some fallen NZ soldiers up at Chunuk Bair - the highest point ever captured (albeit momentarily) by the NZ Forces. I lay down on the side of the grassy hill beside them for a while in the quiet sunshine, thinking of the sacrifice these men made for people like me. In the end all I could say was "Thank You" as I got up and walked back up the hill.
That night we had fantastic accommodation in a beach resort an hour or two from Gallipoli. A few of us drank the bar dry in an impromptu party by the pool that finished in the wee small hours - I made some great friends and man did we have some laughs! In all my 15 years of travelling throughout Europe I have never really done a young person's tour thing - I hoped I hadn't left it too late to have fun - but I needn't have worried!
The following day we went out into some local villages, visited museums and saw Turkish carpets being made - as you do... And then we set off for Gallipoli - stopping in the wonderful town of Channakkale for a few beers before catching the ferry across to the peninsular. By the time we got to Anzac Cove it was 9pm and there were already thousands of people there. Every single grass spot had been taken by people in their sleeping bags, so we were left like hundreds of others, contemplating a night in grandstand seating. However a few of us found a not so comfy spot lying on some concrete which would leave us in a prime position for the Dawn Service.
The scene at Anzac Cove on the eve of Anzac Day is hard to describe. Huge big screens light up the clearing above the beach where we have all come to pay homage to our fallen compatriots. From 8pm until 5 am the big screens show short documentaries on Gallipoli, stories about the battles, and personal tales of the men that fought here. The combined Australian and New Zealand Army Bands were playing songs from the era at one in the morning, and food stalls sold sustenance to keep us all going. Many slept, but many of us stayed awake right thru to take it all in. At one stage the sea below us was lit up and the cliffs behind us too. It was more than surreal as we imagined the landing of the boats here nearly 100 years previous, and contemplated those daunting cliffs the same way the soldiers must have back then.
The Dawn Service began at 5.30 am with a Karanga from two very emotional Maori women who were fantastic. There was a Call to Remembrance and we sang Hymns and said prayers. The famous quotation from the former President of the Republic of Turkey (1934) Ataturk was read out - and for those of you who have never heard it (I warn you it's an intense few lines....)
"Those heroes that shed their blood, and lost their lives
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries
Wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in our bosom, and are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land,
They have become our sons as well".
After the Ode of Remembrance the Last post was played, a minutes silence taken and the National Anthems of New Zealand, Australia and Turkey were played as the flags were raised. There was a fly over from a Turkish Airforce helicopter and the laying of the wreaths. It was an emotional hour for all those who were there.
After the Dawn service the Aussies all gather at the Lone pine memorial and us Kiwis head on up to Chunuk Bair. No matter which way you look at it it's a very long hike up some steep paths to get to these memorials. I stopped at some burial grounds along the way and climbed an extra km up a steep hill to Plugge's Plateau - which was well worth the effort. To capture this point was the first objective of the Anzac troops on April 25th 1915. It is situated high above the cliffs and the views down to Anzac Cove are impressive. The cemetery at Shrapnel Valley is truly beautiful with its trees blooming with stunning pink blossoms. All the places where our men are lying in peace are places to behold.
The New Zealand memorial service was a much smaller affair than the Australian one. I had a front row spot which was cool. I chatted before hand with some members of the NZ Army and Navy. The NZ Government was represented by the Honourable Nathan Guy, Minister for Veterans' Affairs - and I got to shake his hand too as he thanked people for coming. We sang the waiata How Great Thou Art which is amazing in Te Reo. The army band played a bit of nostalgic Dave Dobbyn and the Chaplain from the NZ Army did a great job with the service. It was light hearted at times and I tell you when that flag was raised and the anthem sung again a thousand proud kiwis stood tall.
Our tour finished back in Istanbul with a lovely informal dinner. Not only did I make some great new friends on the tour, I fulfilled a lifelong ambition to pay my respects to those brave men who died by the thousand at Gallipoli all those years ago.
"At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM".