Gallipoli

So, we started out from Turkey early - 6:15 AM - on our way down to the Gallipoli Peninsula. While we booked the tour originally to see Troy, I am now so grateful we were able to see this important and beautiful area. We were on the tour with two couples both from Australia and our guide and driver. It was nice to be on a smaller tour and we seemed to get to the sights just before a big bus of people came in. We drove about 5 hours, with a 30 minute break for Turkish coffee, down the route shown here (though we were mostly by the sea rather than this exact route):


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This is the site where the ANZAC forces were supposed to land, but due to a current,
they landed upcoast at a very difficult place to pass.  What would have happened
had they made it to the right spot?

The ANZAC cove where the forces actually landed.  Not very welcoming.

Ataturk

As we drove, we watched the movie Gallipoli where a VERY young Mel Gibson goes to fight in WWI on the Gallipoli peninusula.  In 1915, the British launched this attach in an effort to overtake Constantinople (now Istanbul), however after 8 months of fighting, over 10,000 ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) and over 80,000 Turkish soldiers and civilians died, Turkey won the battle.  The Turkish general Ataturk who lead the fight against the invasion was credited with winning the battle and thus maintaining Turkey as an independent country. Therefore, the country was named Turkey.

While this battle is clearly significant for Turkey, it is also very significant for the people of Australia and New Zealand.  ANZAC day - April 25 - is celebrated annually with thousands of Aussies and Kiwis making a pilgrimmage to the ANZAC cove where so many soldiers lost their lives.  As one of our fellow travelers explained, this battle and the ANZAC forces involvement was so significant as it is what helped bring these two newly formed countries together to fight and unify towards a common goal.  As the movie Gallipoli illustrated, fighting in the war was marketed as a wonderful adventure, so many young men readily volunteered to go fight for their country not knowing what they were really getting into.

ANZAC cove

 It was amazing to see the beautiful memorials that were built for essentially the "invaders" of Turkey and how much respect the Turkish people have for the Aussies and Kiwis.  It was a true sign of the generosity and genuine kindness we saw in all the people we met in Turkey.

One of the cemetaries

Lone Pine memorial

View out along the coast from Lone Pine

Walking through the trenches with Mr. G (our guide)

 As we walked through these hallowed sites and Mr. G explained to us which directions the troops came from and how they came to fight at the top of this massive hill in these trenches, you could almost feel the presence of the thousands of men who died here.  It is impossible to describe the awe and expansiveness of this battleground.  Even the pictures do not do it justice.

Trenches

 After our afternoon tour of the peninsula, we took a ferry that we just barely made (that was one fun ride), to Çanakkale, which is on the Asian side of the country, where we stayed for the night.

Turkish flag on the boat to Çanakkale

Çanakkale - Asian side

View from our hotel

Smoking apple nargile (hookah) - apple
flavored tobacco

Fellow travelers and our driver and guide

Great ashtray in our hotel!
Don't smoke!  But if you do, put it out here...

Istanbul's Spice Market and Yeni Mosque

The Mısır Çarşısı or Egyptian Bazaar or Spice Market was one of my favourite places in Istanbul.  Its just opposite the Galata Bridge where fishermen spend their days collecting their catch and tourists enjoy walking to Asia and enjoying one of many beautiful views of Istanbul.

We visited the Spice Market each day we were in Istanbul to buy figs, apricots, cheese, bread, pistachios, and turkish delight to eat for our meals.  We met some great people there who loved seeing us each day.

The Yeni Mosque (New Mosque)

Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia means "Holy Wisdom" in Latin.  From the time it was constructed in 360 A.D. to 1453, the Hagia Sophia served as the cathedral of Constantinople.  Then it became a mosque until 1931 when it was secularized and changed into a museum as it has been since.  (Source: Wikipedia)

Until 1520, the Hagia Sophia was the largest cathedral in the world, and stepping into the space, one can feel the grandeur of this incredible building.  The vast open space is filled with the sounds of cameras clicking, visitors whispering, and birds flying and chirping.  There was a sense of calm walking through this space.  The worn footpaths made me wonder, over the past 1700 years, who all has walked through this space?  What were they thinking and feeling when they were here?

I cannot say enough how calming being in the building was.  I generally feel a sense of calm when walking through religious spaces, however this was different for me.  Perhaps it was the sense of peace that came from knowing that within these walls there was a sense of understanding that seems lacking in our world.  To see the symbols of both the Islamic and Christian faiths literally side by side and one a top the other - well that's a level of respect and understanding so uncommon in our daily lives.  Everywhere you look, there's news of another war or conflict or dispute.  And really, what is everyone fighting about?  It often comes back to some deep seeded philosophy that this group is bad because of XYZ.  But do we really know why?  Sometimes I wonder if we just lived our lives and let go of these past angers, if we might all be happier.

Well, if you want to know more about the history of the Hagia Sophia, its out there for you to find.  As most of you know, I'm generally more interested in impressions, feelings, and experiences than the facts and figures.  So, that's what you'll get here.  :)  I really think the pictures speak for themselves...I hope they give you a glimpse of the powerful experience it was to be in this amazing space.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque - Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque is the third largest mosque in Turkey and is about 400 years old.  It is most known for the 20,000 hand painted tiles that decorate the interior - most of them in various shades of blue.  The interior is vast yet cozy; simple yet so complex.  It's truly difficult to put into words the beauty.

Courtyard

Courtyard arcade ceiling

Being inside this incredible space was awe inspiring and incredibly peaceful.  While there were a few people praying when we visited (the mosque is closed to visitors during the 5 prayer times each day), most of the people inside were visitors.

While this was my first visit to a Muslim country it was interesting to experience the call to prayer which happens 5 times a day and starts before the sun rises.  The call to prayer is announced by a man in the mosque over a loud speaker.  There are many mosques in the city and several near our hotel.  The calls to prayer all start around the same time, but not precisely, so you get an interesting mix of calls going on at the same time.  This video was taken by the fountain between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque one evening as an example of the calls to prayer.

Call to Prayer Translation (from What is Islam? brochure given at Blue Mosque):
Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great:
Allah is Most Great, Allah is Most Great.

I testify that there is no god but Allah;
I testify that there is no god but Allah.

I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah;
I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

Come to prayer!  Come to prayer!
Come to salvation!  Come to salvation!

Allah is Most Great!  Allah is Most Great!
There is no god but Allah.

Turkish Delight

Blue Mosque

I can hardly believe it's taken me over a week to write about Turkey!  It was such a wonderful holiday...that I almost don't know where to begin.  Turkey is an absolutely special place.  The people are incredibly kind and generous, the sights are incredible, the history is rich, and the food is out of this world.  While we only saw a very small part of Turkey, I feel we got a great introduction to the Turkish life and culture.  I traveled with my friend Katrina (another English teacher and good friend) and we spent 5 days in Istanbul and also did a 2-day tour to the Gallipoli Peninsula and Troy (more on that in another post).  While there is so much to say, I will post now just on the general thoughts/experiences of Istanbul.  In the upcoming days, I'll post on our tour and all the sights of Istanbul separately.

Istanbul

Our preferred mode of travel is to "wander" which probably isn't surprising given my blog title.  We found so many unique shops, restaurants, and sights this way.  One of the first things we came upon was this lovely park cafe where we had our first Turkish tea.  The tea is steeped in the small top pot and there is hot water in the bottom.  You pour about 1/3 cup of strong tea in the cup then add hot water.  It is incredibly strong but absolutely wonderful!

With all our wandering, we met many wonderful people.  Most were store owners with often very creative tactics to get us to come in and buy things.  While we often just kept going, it was nice to be greeted with smiles and happy faces everywhere we went!  In some shops, we would even get invited to stay for tea.  Turkish people are very generous and often called us their guests.  They said if we drank tea together, we would become friends.  So, several times we had tea with the shop owners and learned about their lives and families.  It was a treat for me, as often when traveling it is hard to get meet (let alone get to know) residents of a city, so I feel like I got a true feel of Turkish culture through these many conversations.

Baklava

We also loved tasting the different foods (more on that from the Spice Market).  In between wandering, stopping for tea or coffee, we'd often taste new and interesting treats such as Turkish Delight (chewy candy) or Baklava.  Both became favourites for me!

A week in Turkey was hardly enough to see everything, but I feel I got a good sense of the culture and the sights of the country in just my brief stay.  I must return, as there is so much more to see and do!

View from our rooftop terrace at the hotel

Astronomical Clock Laser Show

Astronomical Clock Tower with the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn during the laser show.  

So, the astronomical clock tower in Old Town was built in 1410.  To celebrate this, in October the city created a laser show which was shown on the tower to commemorate the history of Prague and the Czech Republic.  Somehow, no one I knew had heard this was happened, so when they decided to re-show it yesterday, we all jumped on the chance to see it!

600th anniversary of the Prague Astronomical Clock (Special Emoteen Limit...

Prague through new eyes

Last weekend, my aunt and uncle from Germany came to visit with a tour group.  I met up with them and over 100 of their German tour group mates on Friday night for dinner.  I was instantly overwhelmed by the niceness of these German people.  In general, Czech people are not friendly to those they do not know.  So, getting onto a bus with 40 Germans was total culture shock!  Everyone was smiling and chatting.  It was great!

We ended up having a great Bohemian meal with pork, dumplings, cabbage, soup, and apple strudel and of course beer!  It was a very fun night!

On Saturday, I met up with them after a tour of the Prague Castle.  We walked through all my favorite parts of the city and it was truly a joy to see the city through new eyes.  While I'm still in absolute awe of the beauty of this city, its different when you're showing people around who haven't been here before.  It made me fall in love with the city all over again.  We ended our multiple hour walking tour of the city with coffee and cake at the famous Cafe Louvre (where Einstein and Kafka used to hang out).  It was a perfect Prague day!