Gallipoli Battles

We had some extra time after visiting Troy. We decided to cross Dardanelles, one of the two water passages separating Europe from Asia (the other one goes through Istanbul). It is a 30-minute ferry ride.

We wanted to visit the memorial site for the Gallipoli battle of World War I. Unfortunately my assumption for the Gallipoli memorial site being in Gallipoli was wrong. After driving an hour on the wrong direction, we decided that we did not have enough time to visit the site before dark. We abandoned the mission and went back to our hotel.

500,000 people died in Gallipoli. It was between Turks and the forces from Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Although we did not visit the memorial site, the sign carved on the face of this hill summarized the bloodiness of the battles. It says: “Stop Visitor. The ground you are stepping on without knowing is where a generation has been lost.”

Troy Pictures

The Wooden Horse - Hollywood Version

And there is the "Brad Pitt" version of the horse used in the movie “Troy” few years ago. It is later donated to Canakkale, a closeby city. We drove 30 minutes from Troy to see the Hollywood version. No climbing on this one :(

The Wooden Horse

There is a replica of the famous Trojan Horse standing on the site to commemorate the legendary war.

Kids had a lot of fun climbing into the horse. That is probably the only think they will remember from Troy.

Walls of Troy

We spent yesterday morning at the historic site of Troy. The first settlement at Troy started in 3500 BC. It was destroyed and rebuilt nine times. It is depicted by Homer in the Iliad.

Here Sibel is walking along the fortification wall.

Stairway to Heaven

I took this picture at 7:30 this morning. It was a chilling yet spectacular morning.

The Village

We are staying in the new village down the hill from the ancient city of Assos. It is a small fishing village turned into a touristic getaway. Kervansaray, our little hotel (thank you Mine for the recommendation) is a charming place. We are the only guess in the hotel. We pretty much have our own maids, cook, waiters, and the doorman.