(Written by Maurice)
The day started early for me. I was up and on deck for about 6:10 a.m. as I wanted to catch the start of the ride through the Dardanelles Strait. In particular I wanted to see the Turkish War Memorial which is located at the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. My Grandfather fought at Gallipoli with the 5th Manchester Regiment in the British Army alongside the Aussies and Kiwis. One of my earliest memories was listening to my Dad and my Uncle Al talking about how their Dad was at the Dardanelles, and wondering what the Dardanelles were. I soon found out and passing through that strait was something that’s always been on my ‘must do’ list. The memorial was an awesome sight. We passed by it just at sunrise and I thought how lucky I am to visit this place so many years after my Grandfather and under much better conditions. We owe those veterans of the Great War a huge debt, as we all know.
The Dardanelles is a very scenic cruise as it turns out. Europe on the left, Asia on the right. This truly is where East meets west. As we inched closer to Istanbul the water opened up into the Sea of Marmara, and then suddenly we were on the doorstop of Istanbul. We were following in the wake of 12 different civilizations that have ruled this place. The Romans, the Greeks and the Ottomans passed this way before us. Very cool – we could see the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia clearly (Pictures to follow, some day…). Istanbul is a city of minarets – hundreds of them attached to hundreds of mosques make for an incredible sight.
In the early evening we went for a boat cruise on the Bosphorus straint. The Bosphorus divides Europe from Asia and is one of the busiest shipping routes anywhere. We saw a supertanker and a submarine, among many other vessels. The architecture along the Bosphorus was also very impressive, with many palaces and private homes along the waterfront, and the ever present mosques close by.
A great day in a land that definitely feels very foreign. Tomorrow we will spend the day hitting the major sights of Istanbul
The day started early for me. I was up and on deck for about 6:10 a.m. as I wanted to catch the start of the ride through the Dardanelles Strait. In particular I wanted to see the Turkish War Memorial which is located at the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. My Grandfather fought at Gallipoli with the 5th Manchester Regiment in the British Army alongside the Aussies and Kiwis. One of my earliest memories was listening to my Dad and my Uncle Al talking about how their Dad was at the Dardanelles, and wondering what the Dardanelles were. I soon found out and passing through that strait was something that’s always been on my ‘must do’ list. The memorial was an awesome sight. We passed by it just at sunrise and I thought how lucky I am to visit this place so many years after my Grandfather and under much better conditions. We owe those veterans of the Great War a huge debt, as we all know.
The Dardanelles is a very scenic cruise as it turns out. Europe on the left, Asia on the right. This truly is where East meets west. As we inched closer to Istanbul the water opened up into the Sea of Marmara, and then suddenly we were on the doorstop of Istanbul. We were following in the wake of 12 different civilizations that have ruled this place. The Romans, the Greeks and the Ottomans passed this way before us. Very cool – we could see the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia clearly (Pictures to follow, some day…). Istanbul is a city of minarets – hundreds of them attached to hundreds of mosques make for an incredible sight.
In the early evening we went for a boat cruise on the Bosphorus straint. The Bosphorus divides Europe from Asia and is one of the busiest shipping routes anywhere. We saw a supertanker and a submarine, among many other vessels. The architecture along the Bosphorus was also very impressive, with many palaces and private homes along the waterfront, and the ever present mosques close by.
A great day in a land that definitely feels very foreign. Tomorrow we will spend the day hitting the major sights of Istanbul
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