Ypres - by Sam

Learning from Bruce at the picturesque Rampart Cemetery

Lila and David

After the punishing day of travel yesterday, we were given the welcome opportunity to sleep in until 9 o'clock. Bruce then led the way through the cold streets of Belgium to Rampart Cemetery, in which 11 Australian soldiers are buried, and then through to the famous Menin Gate.

Peter recites the Ode at Menin Gate

The 'In Flanders Fields Museum' was next, displaying vivid accounts of the nurses and doctors at the scenes, as well as an exhibit of shell shock and its effects.

Free time around the square was a bonus. 

Many of us succumbed to the Belgian chocolate shops. Bruce even bought 50 Euro's worth of chocolate!

Sanduni, Bill and Sam lay a wreath on our behalf at the ceremony

The highlight of the day was the Last Post ceremony at Menin Gate. We all thought that it was a privilege to be a part of this amazing tradition. We laid wreathes in commemoration and sang the Australian Anthem in front of the crowd.

 

With the Last Post buglers

Many Australians that were present came up to the group afterwards, thanking and telling us that they had only just stopped crying, and blessed the group for their efforts. 

One English lady, named Betty Elizabeth Herschel, was also present at the ceremony. She is a veteran that served from 1939 to 1945 as a part of the Woman's Army in London and Windsor. She was very proud to be present, and with us, that evening. 

After a well deserved Belgian hot chocolate, everyone retired for the day. 

Belgium has definitely shown its good side today!

British WW2 veteran, Betty, poses for a shot with the group

Thanks, Sam

Canakkale to Ypres

From Canakkale in the morning, we've bussed our way back to Istanbul, flown to Brussels, then traipsed back onto a bus for the drive to Ypres. So nothing to report today, just a photo of Travis demonstrating shower design at its ..... less than best!

Good night :)

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.

Lone Pine, the Nek, Quinns Post and more - by Lila

More, and lots, of delicious Turkish food greeted us when we awoke this morning: there is absolutely no way any of us can claim to be underfed! But today we needed it, with a massive day of exploring the peninsula ahead.

Our first stop was the wounded Anzac memorial which demonstrated the cameraderie of a Turkish soldier helping a wounded Anzac; it reminded us all of the humanity and compassion that was shown by both sides. The image was also masterfully re-enacted by Travis and Michael to the amusement of us all.

Bruce then took us to Lone Pine and down Artillery Road to Shell Green which allowed us all to collect some more mud on our shoes, as well as showing us the importance of the landscape in the battle. We continued on to North Beach and walked along Anzac Cove, with many people collecting mementos for home and Carl and Bill participating in a fierce stone-skipping competition.

We are all so appreciative of Bruce’s knowledge and expertise, especially when he showed us the subsided trench lines and a tunnel few, if any, of us would have spotted on our own. We then trekked past 4th battalion parade ground cemetery, down along the ridges and through Shrapnel Valley.

I know I marvelled at both the beauty of the landscape and the horrific challenges soldiers must have faced to confront the terrain. We were all pleased to spot a turtle on our way though, something I never knew existed at Anzac.

After lunch we returned to Lone Pine to meet the Australian Consul to Turkey,Nick Sergi. Charlotte and Steph gave us a beautiful and touching rendition of amazing grace in the pillar and Travis and Breanna laid a wreath on the behalf of the group. We then got the chance to hear Sam’s and Clair’s Adopt-a-Digger commemorations which were very touching before chatting and introducing ourselves to the Consul.

We visited the Turkish Cemetery of the 57^th Battalion, a place for us to reflect on the losses sustained by opposition forces. Bruce then showed us Quinn’s Post, the Nek and Walkers Ridge, some of the key places for Australian forces. The boys and “Mel Gibson” (a.k.a Charlotte) re-enacted the final scenes from the movie Gallipoli for us all at the Nek, the slow motion running skills were incredible!

Chunuk Bair gave us a chance to view the Dardenelles and a New-Zealand cemetery, as well as some last minute Turkish shopping for the shopaholics amongst us (cough-cough Otis). And in speaking of New-Zealanders the boys also tricked us into a hilarious performance of the Hakka which got us all laughing. We then headed off to Embarkation Pier Cemetery for my Adopt-a-Digger commemoration and also visited a wreck of a British landing craft near Suvla Bay.

A ten-out-of ten singing performance by Bruce finished off the day. It was a wonderful day full of appreciation and learning and I know we all feel very privileged to be here.

Until tomorrow, lyi aksamiar

Lila

Gallipoli - Anzac Cove, Ari Burnu, Beach Cemetery, Shrapnel Valley and Razorback - by Laura

We awoke this morning at 7am and had a quick breakfast to get on the bus for Gallipoli.  We stopped on the way for cheese toasties and the remaining few hours on the bus consisted of David’s jokes and sing-alongs from the back seat. 

We arrived at Anzac Cove and made our way to Ari Burnu Cemetery where Michael commemorated his soldier of choice: Peter Rados. Drenched by the rain, we took the bus to the next cemetery: Beach. Here, Sanduni presented her ‘adopt a digger’ to John Simpson.

This led to the discussion of whether we believe certain soldiers should be appointed with rankings of authority in the cemeteries in which they are buried.

 After walking around the cemetery and reading the many potent epitaphs, we made our way to the ridges where we trudged through mud and dodged low branches whilst still trying to take in the amazing view. Upon arriving at the ridges, Bianca, Steph and I gave short readings from the war journals of certain soldiers explaining the conditions of their horrific experiences. We gazed at the breath-taking scenery in front of us; the vast sea, green terrain and misty sky – then began the rough journey back down to our warmly awaiting bus. 

The bus took as back to our hotel where we enjoyed some hot chocolate by the fire – something we were all longing for. Although we were able to enjoy a small luxury at the end of the day, we are all reminded of the fact that visiting Gallipoli was a very special experience as we were able to put ourselves in the shoes of our soldiers; experiencing only a tiny fraction of the tremendously harsh conditions they suffered through. The visit to Anzac Cove was amazing and definitely an experience that will stay with us forever.

From Greece to Turkey - by Claire

Michael meets some of the rellies in Athens

Yummy stuff at the Pudding Shop for lunch

 The delicious buffet breakfast that greeted us this morning was almost enough to compensate for the 4am wake up call, necessary for us to say 'anito sas' to Greece and 'merhaba' to Turkey.
Upon arriving in Istanbul there was quite a dilemma when my suitcase was nowhere to be seen. One lonely red suitcase making its way around the carousel led us to discover a "Vicky from Istanbul" had accidentally taken my suitcase. But thanks to the efforts of Carl and Tric I was eventually reunited with it.


At the airport we were greeted by the hilarious Bitzy - the famous tour guide among SOAPies. On the bus she pointed out some features of Istanbul. The mosques stood out among the densely packed city of old buildings which was highlighted by a stunning 66 metre view of Istanbul from the Galata Tower.

We were also surprised to see beautiful tulips lining the streets as we were told 4-5 million tulips had been planted in Istanbul for the Tulip Festival.

Next up was the Hagia Sophia, an ancient mosque, and former Greek Orthodox basilica, now converted into a museum which is regarded by some as the largest and best mosque in the world. The features were exquisite from the marble floor and walls to the stainglass windwos, paint work and architecture. It left us all wondering how it was possible to build such a wonder.

Sanduni checks out Yerabatan Cisterns

From the Grand Bazaar - a fez for Carl and
fezette for the Jack Russell

After a huge lunch we visited the Yerabatan Cistern, an ancient underground water reservoir. Then it was finally time for shopping at the Grand Bazaar. We all fired up our bartering skills and eagerly shopped, ending up satisfied with some great bargains!

The eventful day ended with a scenic tour boat ride of the Bosphorous.

Cruising the Bosphorous

Next stop Gallipoli which we are all extremely excited for as we continue this amazing study tour!

Reunited at last! Claire and the
long lost luggage

Portiannou, Poliochni and more - by Charlotte

We started off our day at 9 o'clock, leaving Myrina and checking out of our hotel. About 7km out of Myrina we swapped the large tour bus for a smaller one, which was needed to wind our way around the small, twisting roads to the Thermal Springs.
The water in the spring is said to be very beneficial for muscles and skin and is around 40 degrees celsius all year - warmer than the hotel showers!

The soldiers staying at Lemnos would walk from the hospitals and camps to the spring where they could soothe their aching muscles and pains. It has been recently renovated - turned into a small luxury spa complex, which we were privileged to be shown around. The main baths were very large, clad in marble with gold taps and mirrors.
We boarded the bus again and listend as Bianca, Breanna and Lila detailed their answers to the "Great History Challenge", a task set to them by Bruce regarding the diary of Sister Donald, a nurse at Lemnos.
 

Remembering Kit McNaughton at Portianou

While this was happening, we were making our way to the Portianou Military Cemetery. Here Laura commemorated Kit McNaughton, an Australian nurse who served in Lemnos, although she isn't buried there. It was a beautiful, sincere ceremony which suited the picturesque setting perfectly.
Still in Portianou we visited the Folkloric Museum (an old Greek house which had been converted into an museum). There were countless artifacts from every aspect of the war, military uniforms, money, photos, knives etc.

At the Anzac Cafe

From there we walked down to a small village square where we had some refreshments, the very same square where the Anzacs had relaxed, in what is now known as Anzac Street.
After our quick refresher we boarded the bus once again, this time destined for yet another part of Lemnos' vast harbour, where there was the mass grave of  170 Egyptian laborers at the Muslim memorial. Here Sam lead us in a beautiful prayer - an excerpt from a note left by a Muslim soldier. We all faced east while it was being read.

While we were still at the memorial from where we could look across to the site of the field hospitals, Carl and Amanda read out diaries and letters written by the nurses at Lemnos. Doing this (and having Bruce help analyse) really assisted in the understanding of  how truly heartbreaking and unbearable the war was for all involved.
Leaving the harbour behind, we headed off to Poliochni (with a few photo stops along the way). Poliochni is the oldest city ever found. Built 1,000 years before Troy, it was inhabited by humans in six million BC. We had the incredible opportunity of walking through the ruins of this ancient civilization, taking many photos along the way.

At Poliochni with the remains of the
world's first parliament in the background

By now it was about 3 o'clock, so we drove to the sea side town of Kotsinas, enjoying the scenery, food and interesting church. Our tour guide, Bridget, showed us a beautiful Greek Orthodox church, the most interesting part of which was by far the crypt (deep underground beneath the church) which had a well of holy water inside.
We arrived back at Lemnos by 6 o'clock, so we had one hour to shop and have a look around the streets of Lemnos. It was only a 20 minute drive to the airport from Myrina. We have arrived in Athens and are excited for our (very early) flight to Turkey. It was wonderful to have such an amazing last day in Lemnos - it was a lovely way to end our experiences there.
We are all buzzing at the thought of starting another new adventure in another coutnry.
Until then,
Antio sas!
Charlotte