Middle-aged flash packers

A day of emotional extremes.

The morning started off with an attack of the giggles for me.

While we were having breakfast, it was very quiet and Steve blew his nose really loudly. The people near me jumped out of their skin and I got that awful desire to fall about laughing so I had to excuse myself and go to our room to calm down. (Shades of The Bellevue Mum!)

After composing myself we set off to look at the Gallipoli memorials etc for all the people who died in the war. It was a beautiful day and the sea was sapphire and turquoise. As usual there was no-one about. What have I done? Why is everyone avoiding us? I expected tour buses by the dozen.

Anyway, we drove along the coast and came to the cemetery on the beach for the Anzacs. The graves with the personal inscriptions from families and the ages of some the young men who died just did for me and I sobbed my way round. I did the same at the next one, as did Steve, so we decided no more graves. The waste of life, whichever country they come from, just can’t be worth it. Pawns in a political chess game.

We scooted around some other less emotive memorials and after a particularly awful lunch headed back to Eceabat.

We had a quick snooze (emotionally drained) then headed off to look at the fort in Kilitbahere. We wanted to walk there as it wasn’t far from our hotel but the road was too dangerous.

Unfortunately we were not permitted to wander around the fortress which was a bit frustrating but we passed the time having a look round the old bunkers and a little museum.

Later we tried to find a 3000BC Stone Age mound which was supposedly in the middle of the town. Couldn’t find it! Not only are people avoiding us, they’re hiding things too!

Tomorrow we have to catch a ferry and cross the Dardanelles. Then it’s off along the coast to just outside yeni Foça, a Turkish coastal resort. Surely there will be some humanity there?

graves looking out to sea

naval memorial

Turkish fallen soldiers memorial