Days 30 & 31, 24th - 25th April Gallipoli 100 year Commemoration

We were up early and sorted leaving our suitcases at the Selal Hotel. Graeme wasnt feeling good this morning after the pizza he had at a Irish Pub hotel in the middle of Istanbul - thought we would be safe eating there - but alas it turned out not later on! 

(We found out ages later,that he had actually contracted Campylobactor from that pizza which had big pieces of unpasturised cheese on it and he walked around with it for 2 1/2 months before getting diagnosed & treated. It led on to I.B.S and his gut hasnt been the same since unfortunately.)

We walked to the pick up point in the park with just a backpack and a small sleeping bag- since you need to carry everything you bring, we kept it light, even though it was going to be cold overnight. Its great that the hotel we came to again this trip, is in the perfect area to walk to the park!

There were thousands of people milling around and we found our group - then for a looooongggg wait 1 1/2hours after everyone else left for Gallipoli, the 2 missing bus passengers finally turned up. The guides had been yelling "Cheryl? Cheryl, wheres Cheryl" for them long after we were meant to be on the road. An Aussie guy and his wife turned out to be "Cheryl". He was sporting a big white haired mullet, in old trackies carrying a sleeping bag  tied up with a belt?!! Graeme thinks their luggage was lost and they were held up at the airport - hence the flow on affect with the hold up.

Got on the road - we have done this trip before in 2007 and remember that the roads were pretty rough back then. Roll on 8 years and I dont think they have been tarsealed since!! Really bad potholes but not too bad in the coach.
We had a couple of stops and were meant to get the 'last supper' at a servo type roadhouse, but by the time we got there they had run out of food and the queue to the not pleasant toilets was so long that we couldnt go before the bus left again - bit of a disaster but what can you do?! 

The 6 hour trip took 13 hours with all the checkpoints and coaches as far as the eye could see- was quite the sight and all pretty exciting, although everyone was pretty tired by the time we finally arrived late into the night.


There were many checkpoints to get through once we arrived at ANZAC cove, with regular and blue beret soldiers stationed every few metres for kms, with machine guns ready. Because of all the royalty and top military people, it was very closely watched. I had seen on the news at home they were worried about a terrorist attack.

 

As more and more people arrived they had to put the squeeze on, to get people to sit up. Those who had arrived earlier had been able to lay out in their sleeping bags but it had been made clear in the paperwork,  that with ANZAC Cove usually seating 4500 people for ANZAC day - and there being 12,000 tonight, that you would have to sit or stand and no laying down would be possible. It was tricky, as naturally some people didnt want to sit up - mainly 20-somethings and they had to keep telling them.
In the end one Aussie guy stood up when they were ignoring requests, and yelled that they needed to remember why they were here,what it was about and for gods sake to sit up and think of others. That worked well, along with Graeme going up the back to a few rows of people and telling them all clearly that they needed to get up like everyone else, show some humanity and respect and to let people in.

Everyone was given a red 'Diggers at dawn 2015 commemoration' jacket to keep warm.

As it got tighter it naturally compressed and there was definitely no room to lay down, but that was part of the atmosphere which felt pretty special in the dark. As the night wore on they had commentaries playing on the big screen that was set up in ANZAC cove, where the main commemoration was being held. There were high school students who got up to speak and exerts out of war diaries read, along with stories of the Gallipoli campaign. It was a long night and as you werent able to lay down, everyone got a little fuzzy and spaced out but the air was pretty electric. A lovely english couple gave us a food pack they had been given on their bus since we hadnt had anything to eat for dinner, which was lovely.

Graeme was still feeling pretty yuck, starting getting hot and cold sweats and at one point in the ceremony where we had been asked to stand for a couple of hours, he started to sway & said he was going to pass out. Sat him down at my feet and helped as much as I could until he felt a little better.
As dawn approached,  a fleet of naval ships slipped silently across the bay - about 6 of them - it was so still you could hear the waves lapping despite there being so many thousands of people there. They read the ode and the last post was played. It was all very surreal in the cold mist with so many anzacs standing shoulder to shoulder. The NZ & Australian prime ministers both spoke and then we were instructed to gather into the groups according to your allocated number, to walk up to either Lone Pine for the Aussies, or Chunuk Bair for the Kiwis.

   

The walk up was quite hard, it was a long way for the NZers, but imagine what it was like for the soldiers who endured it in harsher conditions and under fire as well, I told myself. Graeme was still feeling pretty awful with a crook gut and a fever, so I carried his backpack up the steepest part as he was not well.

We reached Chunuk Bair after about an hour or so then everyone rested while we waited for the next ceremony. It was an awesome atmosphere with exerts on the screens about NZers, some Maori songs that tore at your heartstrings and the national anthem - something we will always remember this day.

I remember spotting Helen Clarke behind the royalty, wearing a blalck beanie and sunnies. She was funny and stood up and took a couple of selfies of herself with the crowd! - she is living in the States now, so was good to see her there.  Princes Charles and Harry were there and Prince Harry especially, gave an awesome speech and he read from a soldiers diary - another good speech was from John Key. It was all really moving and everyone felt their allegiance so far from home, but on the shores of the battleground where so many men fell.

It was a long wait after it had finished and they moved us on again to another area and there were so many people trying to find spots out of the wind, but everyone rested on the grass until our bus was called. I remember the number "256" being called finally and there was a huge cheer from everyone on our bus. We met some lovely Australians along the way and we all had lots to chat about on the long trip home. It was a once in a lifetime event that we were lucky enough to be a part of - so grateful we got in on the 2nd ballot!

After being up and upright! for over 48 hours, we got back in late to Istanbul and our hotel about midnight. Up early tomorrow to fly out to Copenhagen. We have arranged a transfer to get us there.