July 10, 2014, CANakkle on the Turkish Bus
Today was the day for AlteCocker to get the hell out of Istanbul. So she takes a Turkish bus to Canakkle, the main access town for the Gallipoli peninsula. In fact, the bus crosses The Dardanelles on the ferry to get to Canakkle--which was worth the price of admission. Unfortunately, for the Allies in World War I, they got stuck. The battle was also the making if a Turkish General named Mustafa Kamal. He later became known as Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. So there are two sides to the story. Americans tend to know the Australian/New Zealand side of the story, but there is certainly another side to all of this.
AlteCocker took the bus company "Metro", mostly because it was the first company she saw when she got to the Main Otogar (bus station) in Istanbul. She later realized that 3 years ago she took Nilufer. There are tons of bus companies in Turkey--all pretty much doing the same thing for the same price. There are 2 drivers in each bus on longer routes and a steward to keep passengers happy and pass out snacks. The Turkish bus is definitely much better than Greyhound although the bus to Canakkale was not as nice (and clean) as the one AlteCocker rode back. There was a lunch stop at a place specifically set up for buses. Don't ask about the toilets: They were disgusting and, to add insult to injury, they charged for them. Ugh!
Now, if you go to Canakkle by bus, do not do what AlteCocker did. Have your luggage in hand at the end of the ferry ride and go to your hotel then. AlteCocker was dropped way out of town to the Canakkle Otogar and then had to pay for a taxi to her hotel--predictably near the ferry. Live and learn. The only positive thing about the taxi ride was that AlteCocker got to see the wooden horse in the harbor (which she would have seen later anyway). Troy is 37km away and the Trojan Horse is sort of beat to death as a result. The horse in the Canakkale harbor is from the film "Troy". AlteCocker has not seen the film but perhaps she should.
AlteCocker booked the Egem Hotel through booking.com for the two nights. It was not the greatest, but, for the price it was fine. It was about $80 for the TWO nights.
AlteCocker took the bus company "Metro", mostly because it was the first company she saw when she got to the Main Otogar (bus station) in Istanbul. She later realized that 3 years ago she took Nilufer. There are tons of bus companies in Turkey--all pretty much doing the same thing for the same price. There are 2 drivers in each bus on longer routes and a steward to keep passengers happy and pass out snacks. The Turkish bus is definitely much better than Greyhound although the bus to Canakkale was not as nice (and clean) as the one AlteCocker rode back. There was a lunch stop at a place specifically set up for buses. Don't ask about the toilets: They were disgusting and, to add insult to injury, they charged for them. Ugh!
Now, if you go to Canakkle by bus, do not do what AlteCocker did. Have your luggage in hand at the end of the ferry ride and go to your hotel then. AlteCocker was dropped way out of town to the Canakkle Otogar and then had to pay for a taxi to her hotel--predictably near the ferry. Live and learn. The only positive thing about the taxi ride was that AlteCocker got to see the wooden horse in the harbor (which she would have seen later anyway). Troy is 37km away and the Trojan Horse is sort of beat to death as a result. The horse in the Canakkale harbor is from the film "Troy". AlteCocker has not seen the film but perhaps she should.
AlteCocker booked the Egem Hotel through booking.com for the two nights. It was not the greatest, but, for the price it was fine. It was about $80 for the TWO nights.
July 11, 2014: Gallipoli Battlefield Tour
Gallipoli Battlefield is on the other side of The Dardanelles, so, if you stay in Canakkale, you will have to cross over to the Eceabat side to pick up the Gallipoli tour. AlteCocker initally wanted a full day tour, but the longest tour was 6 hours unless you wanted to hire a private guide. The hotel set up the tour for me. The way AlteCocker thinks it works is basically everyone has his hand in the till. That means the hotel gets commission and the tour company, based on numbers, decides whether to do its own tour or to book you in with someone else. When AlteCocker found out that she was booked in with Crowded House she was not a happy camper. That company runs a day tour from Istanbul where the people go on the bus 5-6 hours to Eceabat, then do a 5-6 hour Gallipoli tour and then have to return to Istanbul 5-6 hours. Ugh. A large bus full of people! Not what AlteCocker wanted, but she is happy to report that it turned out just fine because the guide was superb. It is only later, upon rereading "Lonely Planet", that AlteCocker realizes she has had the famous Bulent "Bill" Yilmaz Korkmaz. No wonder the tour was so good! Unfortunately, however, she asked "Bill" the same damn question everyone asks--about his Australian accent. He has never been there, but absorbed it from all the Australian tourists.
The tour began by crossing over to Eceabat via the ferry (crossing The Dardanelles again but in the other direction) and eating lunch at the Crowded House Hotel--which was a very lousy lunch. The toilets were, however, not like the ones at the place the bus stopped and they didn't charge!
The tour covers all the main sites on the northern part of the Battlefield. Included are several cemeteries, but you certainly will not see all of them. There are just too many. Most of those taking these tours are from Australia and New Zealand for whom it is a pilgrimage. As an American, you are looking at someone else's battle. In a big way the Gallipoli campaign was the making of Australia and New Zealand as nations separate from the British Empire. April 25th is a national holiday in Australia (like July 4th). They remember those who died (for absolutely nothing as it turned out) and celebrate their courage as those who sent them "over the top" wasted lives. April 25, 1915, was the day of the Gallipoli landings. The campaign continued until Gallipoli was evacuated on January 9, 1916. The evacuation was the most successful part of the campaign, as it occurred without the loss of a single life (the only successful part of that campaign from the Australia/New Zealand point of view). Before going AlteCocker did watch the film "Gallipoli" by Peter Weir. She had seen it years ago, but it was worth viewing again as preparation. Should you take this tour, you should see the film first.
The headstones in the cemeteries are squarish and a lot of them have personal inscriptions from the families--very unlike what is found in American military cemeteries. Interestingly, and something few outside of Turkey seem to know, the Turks lost more men at Gallipoli than the Allies did. They won because they were fighting for their homeland and simply exhausted the Allies. Also notable about the gravestones is that they all have the exact same sort of cross on them. All the large memorials also have crosses--something we do not see at American service cemeteries. AlteCocker guesses that the "colonies" were still heavily into the established church at the time--and, if you were not Church of England, you were a Catholic.
Someone on the tour found the grave of her great uncle at one of the cemeteries--quite an emotional moment to watch.
The tour does visit "The Nek" where troops were sent "over the top" and did what they were told knowing they would be killed. It is the subject of the last scene in the Peter Weir film.
You do see the place where the annual ANZAC commemoration is held at dawn on April 25th each year. The tour finishes at Chunuk Bair (the high point on the Gallipoli Peninsula that was the goal of the campaign). Additionally, you see the large memorial at Lone Pine.
The whole experience was definitely worthwhile. However, you do not visit the southern part of the Peninsula on any of the group tours. While AlteCocker would have liked to have seen that, 5 hours of battlefield tour on a hot day exhausted just about everyone. If she were ever to go to Gallipoli again, AlteCocker would take the separate tour of the southern part.
Warning: The toilets on the Gallipoli tour were gross (but not as bad as the ones at the bus stop place) and they charged. It seems there is a pattern to this. AlteCocker guesses that you need to beware of toilets that charge you. One would think that, if they charge, the toilets would be clean (and would flush) but, no. The perils of travel in Turkey.
At the end of the tour, it was back across The Dardanelles to Canakkale again. Because we missed the ferry, we were taken to Kilitbahir, south of Eceabat for a different ferry. Hooray! AlteCocker got some close up photos of the fortress at Kilithahir, which is the narrowest place in the Dardanelles (and the place where the British lost a lot of ships to the Turkish mines placed there during World War I).
Dinner was at the Kavala Restaurant in the Canakkale harbor. It was recommended by the hotel for AlteCocker on the first night but AlteCocker could never locate it due to confusing directions combined with her lousy Turkish. She saw it from the ferry (right in front of her nose, of course) , so she tried it the second night. AlteCocker went there because it had a menu with fish on it as opposed to the ubiquitous Turkish kebab places. They are fine, but no one wants kebabs 24/7 (except maybe Turks). AlteCocker had sea bass and a salad. Turkish desserts tend to be of the baklava type--OK once in awhile but AlteCocker passed on dessert in favor of an ice cream cone. The young daughter of one of the owners amused AlteCocker by cleaning all the ash trays (much smoking in Turkey--almost a universal addiction) and playing with her small dog, which AlteCocker did pet.
The tour began by crossing over to Eceabat via the ferry (crossing The Dardanelles again but in the other direction) and eating lunch at the Crowded House Hotel--which was a very lousy lunch. The toilets were, however, not like the ones at the place the bus stopped and they didn't charge!
The tour covers all the main sites on the northern part of the Battlefield. Included are several cemeteries, but you certainly will not see all of them. There are just too many. Most of those taking these tours are from Australia and New Zealand for whom it is a pilgrimage. As an American, you are looking at someone else's battle. In a big way the Gallipoli campaign was the making of Australia and New Zealand as nations separate from the British Empire. April 25th is a national holiday in Australia (like July 4th). They remember those who died (for absolutely nothing as it turned out) and celebrate their courage as those who sent them "over the top" wasted lives. April 25, 1915, was the day of the Gallipoli landings. The campaign continued until Gallipoli was evacuated on January 9, 1916. The evacuation was the most successful part of the campaign, as it occurred without the loss of a single life (the only successful part of that campaign from the Australia/New Zealand point of view). Before going AlteCocker did watch the film "Gallipoli" by Peter Weir. She had seen it years ago, but it was worth viewing again as preparation. Should you take this tour, you should see the film first.
The headstones in the cemeteries are squarish and a lot of them have personal inscriptions from the families--very unlike what is found in American military cemeteries. Interestingly, and something few outside of Turkey seem to know, the Turks lost more men at Gallipoli than the Allies did. They won because they were fighting for their homeland and simply exhausted the Allies. Also notable about the gravestones is that they all have the exact same sort of cross on them. All the large memorials also have crosses--something we do not see at American service cemeteries. AlteCocker guesses that the "colonies" were still heavily into the established church at the time--and, if you were not Church of England, you were a Catholic.
Someone on the tour found the grave of her great uncle at one of the cemeteries--quite an emotional moment to watch.
The tour does visit "The Nek" where troops were sent "over the top" and did what they were told knowing they would be killed. It is the subject of the last scene in the Peter Weir film.
You do see the place where the annual ANZAC commemoration is held at dawn on April 25th each year. The tour finishes at Chunuk Bair (the high point on the Gallipoli Peninsula that was the goal of the campaign). Additionally, you see the large memorial at Lone Pine.
The whole experience was definitely worthwhile. However, you do not visit the southern part of the Peninsula on any of the group tours. While AlteCocker would have liked to have seen that, 5 hours of battlefield tour on a hot day exhausted just about everyone. If she were ever to go to Gallipoli again, AlteCocker would take the separate tour of the southern part.
Warning: The toilets on the Gallipoli tour were gross (but not as bad as the ones at the bus stop place) and they charged. It seems there is a pattern to this. AlteCocker guesses that you need to beware of toilets that charge you. One would think that, if they charge, the toilets would be clean (and would flush) but, no. The perils of travel in Turkey.
At the end of the tour, it was back across The Dardanelles to Canakkale again. Because we missed the ferry, we were taken to Kilitbahir, south of Eceabat for a different ferry. Hooray! AlteCocker got some close up photos of the fortress at Kilithahir, which is the narrowest place in the Dardanelles (and the place where the British lost a lot of ships to the Turkish mines placed there during World War I).
Dinner was at the Kavala Restaurant in the Canakkale harbor. It was recommended by the hotel for AlteCocker on the first night but AlteCocker could never locate it due to confusing directions combined with her lousy Turkish. She saw it from the ferry (right in front of her nose, of course) , so she tried it the second night. AlteCocker went there because it had a menu with fish on it as opposed to the ubiquitous Turkish kebab places. They are fine, but no one wants kebabs 24/7 (except maybe Turks). AlteCocker had sea bass and a salad. Turkish desserts tend to be of the baklava type--OK once in awhile but AlteCocker passed on dessert in favor of an ice cream cone. The young daughter of one of the owners amused AlteCocker by cleaning all the ash trays (much smoking in Turkey--almost a universal addiction) and playing with her small dog, which AlteCocker did pet.
July 12, 2o14: Troy and Bus Misadventures
AlteCocker was going to give the ruins at Troy a miss due to lack of time, but it turned out there was a tour going in the morning with the same company that did the Gallipoli tour, so she went. If you are staying in Eceabat, you will start earlier than those staying in Canakkale because this time you are the ones who have to cross on the ferry. The guide was well worth having as the ruins are confusing on their own. There are nine levels at Troy and the first guy to excavate there, Heinrich Schleiman pretty much made a mess of the site (in addition to stealing things--many of which are either in private collections or lost). So it helps to have a guide. If you go on your own, there is an acoustiguide tour. There is also a regular bus from Canakkale but AlteCocker did not take it because she had a tight schedule to make her bus back to Istanbul.
After the tour, AlteCocker went to the Metro terminal opposite the ferry to pick up her bus, as she had no desire to trek out to the Otogar again. Once through that stupidity was enough, but more stupidity was to come. just you wait.
Please note that your bus time, is not the bus time at the Otogar. It is the time the bus boards the ferry. There is ample opportunity for confusion here. Before boarding, AlteCocker had sume lacmacun (a sort of Turkish pizza) for lunch. She knew that awful bus stop with the dreadful toilets was probably in her future (and she was right).
The bus back was a much better bus that the one she had coming down. Seating was 3 across rather than 4 and the little TV screens worked. Unfortunately, AlteCocker had packed up her tablet because there was a USB port on the bus. Same snacks as going to Canakkale.
Then we arrived at the Istanbul Main Otogar. A few people got off at a place that, well, basically looked unsafe with traffic coming and going. AlteCocker waited thinking the bus would pull up to one of the bus bays where she had boarded. All of a sudden the bus took off. Apparently it was doing a tour of other Otogars in Istanbul. AlteCocker should have gotten off at the first stop. Instead she got off at the second. They had free shuttle buses to Taksim Square from there. Problem: AlteCocker had to wait about 50 minutes for the next one. So she is dropped at Taksim Square thinking she will take the historic tram back. Wrong: She had to walk back. She just missed the last tram. Ramadan celebrations were running full steam at Taksim with a community Iftar meal similar to what she experienced in Cevezli 3 years ago, but on a much larger scale. Huge crowd sitting with their boxes waiting for the announcement that the fast was over. Unfortunately, AlteCocker found out about the easy connection on the underground Metro on the next day. Isn't that the way it always is on a vacation?
AlteCocker began a reluctant trek up Istikal Caddesi to her home. The restaurants were absolutely mobbed to the point where, to get a seat, AlteCocker would have had to climb to the second floor of wherever to eat (and she had a small piece of luggage with her), so she passed on eating and just got back. When she reached her apartment, due to her failure to take "advantage" of the disgusting toilets at the bus stop, it was a race to get up the stairs and do what she needed to do in the apartment. Then it was time for laundry and a shower--and to update the blog.
The blog will continue on the main Istanbul blog here until AlteCocker goes to Izmir for Ephesus and other sites when there will again be a separate blog. AlteCocker will be flying so no risk of getting off at the wrong bus station for the reminder of her stay in Istanbul. P.S. She knows from which airport the plane is leaving. Istanbul has 2, so you do need to know that.
After the tour, AlteCocker went to the Metro terminal opposite the ferry to pick up her bus, as she had no desire to trek out to the Otogar again. Once through that stupidity was enough, but more stupidity was to come. just you wait.
Please note that your bus time, is not the bus time at the Otogar. It is the time the bus boards the ferry. There is ample opportunity for confusion here. Before boarding, AlteCocker had sume lacmacun (a sort of Turkish pizza) for lunch. She knew that awful bus stop with the dreadful toilets was probably in her future (and she was right).
The bus back was a much better bus that the one she had coming down. Seating was 3 across rather than 4 and the little TV screens worked. Unfortunately, AlteCocker had packed up her tablet because there was a USB port on the bus. Same snacks as going to Canakkale.
Then we arrived at the Istanbul Main Otogar. A few people got off at a place that, well, basically looked unsafe with traffic coming and going. AlteCocker waited thinking the bus would pull up to one of the bus bays where she had boarded. All of a sudden the bus took off. Apparently it was doing a tour of other Otogars in Istanbul. AlteCocker should have gotten off at the first stop. Instead she got off at the second. They had free shuttle buses to Taksim Square from there. Problem: AlteCocker had to wait about 50 minutes for the next one. So she is dropped at Taksim Square thinking she will take the historic tram back. Wrong: She had to walk back. She just missed the last tram. Ramadan celebrations were running full steam at Taksim with a community Iftar meal similar to what she experienced in Cevezli 3 years ago, but on a much larger scale. Huge crowd sitting with their boxes waiting for the announcement that the fast was over. Unfortunately, AlteCocker found out about the easy connection on the underground Metro on the next day. Isn't that the way it always is on a vacation?
AlteCocker began a reluctant trek up Istikal Caddesi to her home. The restaurants were absolutely mobbed to the point where, to get a seat, AlteCocker would have had to climb to the second floor of wherever to eat (and she had a small piece of luggage with her), so she passed on eating and just got back. When she reached her apartment, due to her failure to take "advantage" of the disgusting toilets at the bus stop, it was a race to get up the stairs and do what she needed to do in the apartment. Then it was time for laundry and a shower--and to update the blog.
The blog will continue on the main Istanbul blog here until AlteCocker goes to Izmir for Ephesus and other sites when there will again be a separate blog. AlteCocker will be flying so no risk of getting off at the wrong bus station for the reminder of her stay in Istanbul. P.S. She knows from which airport the plane is leaving. Istanbul has 2, so you do need to know that.