Across the Dardanelles - by Michael

Walking to Redoubt Cemetery

Another buffet breakfast kicked off another busy day here in Turkey. In the morning, an energetic and charismatic as ever Professor Bruce lead us through Cape Helles. We stopped at Redoubt Cemetery, where we found the graves of men from a wide array of dominion military forces. Our pilgrimage to the allied cemeteries of Gallipoli complete, we made our way to the British Helles Memorial, a towering monument to the units and ships who fought in the Dardanelles. After yet another gift of historical knowledge from Bruce and the veterans, we were off again.

Turkish Police, with latest arrests ;)

We travelled next by bus to Sedd-el-Bahr. The fort gave us a great view of the sea, which was so highly contested during the Great War, although Bruce was much more observant of the diorama depicting the location. As always, a busy schedule meant that we were on the bus again, this time driving to the Turkish Monument. There, we found a (unsurprisingly) ‘monumental’ tower, dedicated to the Turkish martyrs who defended their homeland.

We ate our lunch with a remarkable view as we travelled by ferry along the Dardanelles, on our way to Canakkale College. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the school and its students.Nusret. Luckily, they spoke much better English than we did Turkish! Once there we explored the museum of the ship, where there was another diorama for Bruce to admire.

We were each partnered up with the students, who took us to the iconic Turkish minelayer, the

Teacher, Helen Ozer, introduces the Principal to Bill Sykes MP

New friends at Canakkale Koleji

After a quick game of ‘find someone who’ with the Turkish students, of which Lila emerged the winner, we were given leave to explore Canakkale under the guide of our new found friends. They were extremely generous, treating many of us to gifts of local food (which means ice-cream) and souvenirs. We exchanged explanations of our everyday lives, and we quickly informed them that we do not ride kangaroos or wear Akubras to school back at home. The universal practice of taking selfies was a common sight as the students took us to the Trojan Horse which was used in the movie Troy, and the market, which Otis did not have enough time to buy out.

After some final exchanges of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter accounts, we had to say our goodbyes to our amazing hosts and head to the hotel. A very eventful day, and a good way to end our time here in Turkey.

Until tomorrow,

Antio sas, iyi aksamiar, and au revoir,

Michael.