View of the Dardanelles Strait ( Copyright © Photo by Sezai KALAFAT )

Çanakkale (pronounced [t?a?nak?ale]) is a town and seaport in Turkey, in Çanakkale Province, on the southern (Asian) coast of the Dardanelles (or Hellespont) at their narrowest point. The population of the town is 96,588 (2009 estimate.) The mayor is Ülgür Gökhan (CHP).

Çanakkale Province, like Istanbul Province, has territory in both Europe and Asia. Ferries cross here to the northern (European) side of the strait.

The city is the nearest major town to the site of ancient Troy. The “wooden horse” from the 2004 movie Troy is exhibited on the seafront. Çanakkale is the second city to be situated on two continents after Istanbul. However Çanakkale is closer to mid-division than Istanbul. [1]

Antique history of Çanakkale

A province in both Asia and Europe

Turkey has territory both in the continents of Asia and, to a lesser extend, in Europe. Only two of Turkey’s provinces, namely Istanbul and Çanakkale, have territories that are both in Asia and Europe.

Çanakkale is separated by a strait, which is named after the city. The Çanakkale Straits (the Dardanelles) link the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas to the Marmara and Black Seas. The water of these two great seas flows in two separate currents, the lower flowing up the Strait and the surface one flowing down. The climate of Çanakkale is a mixture of that of the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

The Dardanelles Strait is 65 kilometres (35 miles) long and its width varies between one to six kilometres (0.75-four miles). Its average depth is about 100 metres (328 feet.)

Çanakkale as a tourism centre

Çanakkale itself is a giant history museum where the location of the ancient city of Troy (Troai), which enlightened the history of humanity, and where the Trojan War and the Gallipoli Campaign took place. It is a stage for great drama, from the great east-west war (Troy) in ancient times to the more recent great east-west battles of Gallipoli. The city of Alexandria Troas, where excavation work is continuing and which was once considered as an alternative for the capital of the Roman

Empire, and many other ancient sites are just an element of a cultural tour that should not be missed.

Çanakkale is also a tourism and aquatic centre with its very productive clean seas; with Mount Ida (Kazdaglari) where the God Zeus sat, watched and interfered in the Trojan War; where Hellenistic myths and Turkmen legends intertwine; and with Gökçeada (Imbros), the largest of Turkey’s islands and the tourism attraction of the island of Bozcaada (Tenedos).

Nowadays, the provincial capital Çanakkale is a modern city where daily life is easy with its university, high quality hotels and restaurants providing special delicacies of Aegean cuisine.

Dardanelles – Hellespontos

Çanakkale in Antiquity

Dardanelles and Hellespont are the old names of what is now Çanakkale. The word Dardanelles comes from Dardanos, a mythical ancestor of one of the survivors of Troy.

Çanakkale’s other ancient name, Hellespont, also comes from mythology. According to the mythological story of the “Golden Fleece”, that was intensely used by ancient writers, the region was named after means Helle, who legend says fell into the waters of the Strait and drowned while riding on a flying ram with a golden fleece when she and her brother were fleeing to the Black Sea city of Colchis.

Apart from its being on a crossing point between two continents, Çanakkale attracted the attention of the Eastern Roman Empire, later to become the Byzantine Empire; the Mediterranean countries for trading with the Black Sea, famous for its fish, and the Black Sea countries for whom the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles were the only opening from their inland sea to the world.

At times in history, armies from one continent crossed to the other by building bridges of boats or bridges supported by buoys.

Though there have been no specific find from Dardanos it is believed that its history goes further back than that of Troy. While the history of Troy I, discovered after excavations that were carried out over a period of years, goes back to 3000 BC, the earliest known settlement in the region has been dated to more than 5000 years ago.

The city of Troy that was founded in 3000 BC was destroyed by an earthquake 500 years later. Troy, which was to re-established and destroyed many times after that, founded a great civilisation.

Çanakkale has seen this and other civilisations rule the region at different times. In 500 BC, it was the Persians that flooded over all of Anatolia. In 386 BC, with the “Peace of Kings” between the Persians and the Spartans, Persian sovereignty in the region was reinforced. The Persian King Xerxes build a bridge of ships and buoys across the Strait in order to cross into Greece and Macedonia, passing his army over the Strait from Abydos to Sestos.

Persian rule in the region was destroyed with the defeat inflicted by the Macedonian King Alexander the Great on the Persian army at the battle of Granicas (the Biga stream) in 334 BC. Shortly after the death of Alexander, there were conflicts between the Macedonian commanders over control of the region. Under the rule of the Pergamum Kingdom the region was renamed Galat. It gained importance during the times of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The first territory seized by the Ottomans in the region was the town of Gelibolu. It was only later that full Ottoman sovereignty over the region was attained.

The history of the city of Çanakkale

The city of Çanakkale

The core of settlement in the city founded on the shores of the Strait in the Ottoman era was around the Çimenlik Castle, built in1462. The fortress, which remains well preserved to this day and now serves as the Naval Museum, had Muslim military personnel, staff and public servants that were appointed to defend the Strait from the fortress, and who established a residential district around the Fatih Mosque called Cami-i Kebir. At the same time the Romanians who had worked on the building of the fortress settled in the Çay (Streamlet) district.

Following the forming of these two districts, the Greeks who were heavily involved in the shipping sector moved to the town from surrounding areas. They founded the Rum (Anatolian Greek) district to the north of Cami-i Kebir. At same time Armenians also moved into the town and settled around the Zafer Meydan? (Victory Square) church area.

The marketplace for the city was established to the north of the fortress. As small industries developed on the bank of the Sar?çay, artisans settled to the south of the Armenian district and to the east of the Çay district.

Becoming a port city

The town, at the time known as Kale-î Sultaniye, took its current name Çanakkale either from the fortress, whose appearance was reminiscent of a bowl, or from the pottery for which the town became famous. (Çanak in Turkish means bowl)

Çanakkale progressed towards becoming a city up to the 18th century, due to the increasing economic importance of the Straits, growing more prosperous as it developed into a port city. As the older districts expanded the Armenians that used to deal with trade began settling in and built in the Jewish district. With the Straits trade and its being a port city foreign governments established consulates in Çanakkale, with the number of diplomatic missions reaching 20 in a short time. They formed the trade missions district on the waterfront.

With the decline of the Ottoman in the 19th century, many of the Muslims living on the Aegean islands, the Crimean Peninsula and the Balkans began migrating to the Anatolian mainland. Some of those who found their homelands unsafe moved to Çanakkale, with the Tatar district being founded. At the same time, the city’s non-Muslim population, rather than moving, continued to grow and spread, establishing a new Rum district.

MUSEUMS

THE ÇANAKKALE ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM:

Barbaros Mahallesi.100.Y?l Cad.  ÇANAKKALE

Tel : 0286 217 65 65 – 217 67 40 Faks  0286 217 11 05

E-mail: canakkalemuze@kulturturizm.gov.tr

Open hours : 08:00 – 17:00 (closed on Mondays) Entrance fee

THE ÇANAKKALE STRAIT COMMAND NAVAL MUSUEM:

Fevzipa?a Mah.Çimenlik Sok. – ÇANAKKALE

Tel: 0286 213 17 30 , E-mail: ckaleaskerimuze@ttnet.net.tr

Open hours  : Pbarring Mondays and Thursdays  09:00 – 12:00/13:30 – 17:00, Entrance fee.

THE ÇANAKKALE STRAIT COMMAND NAVAL MUSUEM:

Sedülbahir Köyü Morto Koyu – ÇANAKKALE

Tel: 0286 862 00 82

Open hours : 08:00 – 17:00, (closed on Mondays), Entrance fee.

KABATEPE MUSUEM:

Kabatepe – ÇANAKKALE

Tel: 0286 814 12 97

Open hours : 08:00 – 17:00, (closed on Mondays). Entrance fee.

HISTORICAL SITES

TROY:

Te?ikiye Köyü – ÇANAKKALE

Tel: 0286 283 05 36

Open hours 08:00 – 17:00 (winter), 08:00 – 19:30 (summer), open every day, Entrance fee.

ASSOS:

Behramkale Köyü   Ayvac?k – ÇANAKKALE

Open hours 08:00 – 17:00 (throughout the year), (open every day), Entrance fee.

ALEXANDREIA TROAS:

Dalyan  Köyü   Ezine – ÇANAKKALE

Open hours 08:00 – 17:00 (throughout the year), (open every day), Entrance fee.

CASTLES

Bozcaada Castle:

In the Bozcaada centre.

You can visit the site summer and winter between 08:00 – 17:00. Entrance fee.

Gelibolu Castle  :  Gelibolu

This castle in the centre of the town only has one tower that has survived to our day. Inside the tower there is a small museum.

Baba Castle  – Babakale-Ayvac?k

Located in the town of  Babakale, 115 kilometres from Çanakkale. According to the inscription on its gate, the castle was built by Vezir Kaptan Mustafa Pa?a (Minister Captain) during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmet III to protect the region from pirates. Early on it was named Hirz-ül-bahir (Enchanted Castle) and later in name of Latif Baba, a crewman of Piri Reis, who was buried in here Baba Kale .

Had?mo?lu Kona?? -  Bayramiç

The Bayramiç Türk Evi (Turkish house) is used an Ethnography Museum.Visiting hours: 08:00 – 17:00, (open all week), Entrance Fee.

Kilitbahir Castle

Visiting hours: 08:00 – 17:00, barring Mondays and Tuesdays, Entrance fee. .

CULTURAL CENTRES

The State Fine Arts Gallery

This mansion in Ottoman times belonged to the Dardanelles Brigadier General of Artillery Necip Pasha and was built between 1885-1900.

The architecture of the mansion is in the art nouveau style.

The mansion used to belong to British citizen and is publicly known as the Madam Hatti as, after her death, she left the building to the Çanakkale Municipality.

Today it is on the Kayserili Ahmet Pasha Street serving as an art gallery of the Culture and Tourism Ministry. In its entrance foyer there is a permanent display of a photograph collection of Çanakkale and throughout the year various exhibits of plastic arts are displayed.

Address: Kayserili Ahmet Pa?a Cad. ÇANAKKALE

Tel : 0286 217 61 61    Fax : 0286 212 45 22

M. A. Ersoy Theatre and Culture Centre

Kayserili Ahmet Pa?a Cad. ÇANAKKALE

Tel      : 0286 217 50 12 – 0286 217 37 91

Fax : 0286 212 45 22 – 0286 217 25 34

M. A. Ersoy Provincial Public Library

Kayserili Ahmet Pa?a Cad. ÇANAKKALE

Tel      : 0286 217 23 69

THE YALI HANI

There is no written record on the building of the Yal? Han. All that is known is that its history goes back to pre-1880 and that it was owned by Ahmet Turhanl?, known as Hanc? Ahmet A?a, since 1910.

It is possible to come across the Yal? Han in the memoirs of the German archaeologist Schliemann who discovered the location of Troy. It is known to be centre where the post carriers changed horses and rested. Schliemann in his memoirs said that the Troy pieces he smuggled out of the country passed through the Yal? Han. The Yal? Han was used for accommodation throughout much of its history. It burned down in 1940 and a large part of it was rebuild in concrete. It again provided accommodation since 1975.

Today its second floor (22 rooms) are not being used while on the ground floor seven rooms out of the 12 are being used for handcraft productions and displays while its courtyard serves as a coffee house and bar.

The Yal? Han hosts cultural and art activities staged by the governor office, the local administration and NGOs

THEATRES

Tiyatro Troya -  M.Akif Ersoy Tiyatro Salonu – Çanakkale

Tel :  (0286) 232 84 46 Mobile : (0535) 732 27 00

CINEMAS

Leya Sinemas? : Tansa? – Do?anlar Plaza Alt?  ?zmir Yolu – ÇANAKKALE

Tel :  (0286) 214 15 73

Leya Sinemas? : Belediye ?? Merkezi – ÇANAKKALE

Tel :  (0286) 214 10 66

Afm Sinemalar? – Gima Al??veri? Merkezi-ÇANAKKALE (286) 214 10 66

SERVICES

Laundries

Truva Çama??rhanesi     (0286) 217 97 50

Karadal Çama??rhanesi   (0286) 213 56 90

Y?kamatik (0286) 213 25 05

Sauna and Baths

Ferhat Hamam & Sauna    (0286) 217 33 45

Yal? Hamam?   (0286) 217 23 67

Büyük Hamam   (0286) 217 24 84

THERMAL WATERS

ÇANAKKALE-KESTANBOLU THERMAL WATERS:

There is a capacity of 3600 person/day/bath.

Physical and Chemical Specifications and the diseases which the water effective:

The heat of the water is 67 oC, pH degree is 5,9 and radon value is 2650 picocuri/liter. Water has a composition of chlorine, sodium, iron, ferrous, fluorine. It is convenient to bathe and to drink. It has positive effects for therapy of rheumatism, women diseases, respiratory system diseases, weariness of nerves and muscles, calcification. In the vicinity there are pine and oak trees.

KÜLCÜLER THERMAL WATER:

It is 18 km west of Bayramiç. There are pools and bath in the site. Thermal water contains of sodium sulphate and sulphur. The heat of the water is between 29-34,5 oCand there is 8,7 to 14,1 radioactivity. The water cures rheumatism, skin and women diseases, nephritis and paralysis.

ÇAN THERMAL WATER:

It is in the center of Çan and managed by the municipality. There are pools, a hotel, and a bath. The water contains sulphate. The heat of the water is 46 oC and 15 radioactivity. The water is useful in treatment of liver, intestinal, uriner diseases.

ÇAN TEPEKÖY THERMAL WATER:

It is in Tepeköy, which is a town that 16 km far away from Çan. The water contains sulphur. The heat of the water is between 37-48,7 oC. There are pools, baths and a hotel

B?GA KIRKGEÇ?T THERMAL WATER:

It is 45 km far away from Biga. There are 24 flats, a hotel with 152 beds, a kitchen, an indoor swimming pool, and a sauna. The rooms are centrally heated and there is cold and hot water in the rooms. The heat of the water is 53 oC. It has positive effects for therapy of rheumatism, articulation, skin and women diseases, and hernia.

Phn: (+90 286)-394 80 08 – 394 81 78

Don’t Leave Without

- Seeing Gallipoli and visiting Martyrs,

- Visiting Kaz Mountain,

- Watching sun set at Assos and seeing visual arts festival,

- Visiting Troja, and climbing to wooden horse,

- Tasting Bozcaada wines,

- Diving at bays of Gökçeada [2]

Sources:

1- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Çanakkale

2- http://www.canakkale.gov.tr/English/index.html

In World War I, Turkey sided with Germany and Austria. The Russians wanted a warm water port and had designs on Turkey. Turkey would have sided with the British, French, and Russians if they had gotten assurances that France and Britain would stop Russia from using the alliance to grab Turkey and a port. Britain and France would make no such assurance so Turkey felt it could not enter the war on the side of the very people threatening it. The other side promised to protect Turkey from Russia and so Turkey entered the war on their side.

The Russians, the British and the French saw Turkey as the Achilles heel of the enemy alliance. Austria and Germany and being Western and Christian they seemed more formidable than Ottoman Turks did. That was particularly true since the forces of Turkey were exhausted after the campaign against Serbia. The plan to take advantage of the situation came from Winston Churchill. Capture Constantinople and the ring around Russia would be broken. Constantinople was on the Marmara Sea, a sea almost entirely enclosed by land except for the narrow passage of straits through the Dardenelles. An Allied fleet was sent to the Dardanelles, to the neck of the bottle that was the Marmara Sea. Because of its strategic value the Turks had forts commanding the straits, but the allied forces thought of them as being held by a second class power that could be swept away.

On February 19 the fleet arrived and began the pounding of the forts. In Constantinople there was panic. By March the Allies had made significant progress and it looked like success was not far away. The German High Command saw the allied attack as a possible deathblow to their side and the Turks were demoralized. The forts that could defend the narrows were nearly destroyed. The largest armada ever assembled to that point was forcing its way up the narrow passage. A Turkish boat laid mines behind the fleet unknown to the invaders.

Then a mine destroyed a French battleship and within just a few minutes three British battleships were also destroyed by Turkish artillery on the land. It was decided that a navy action alone would not work. The attack was postponed with the commanders never realizing that the Turks were hanging on by only a thread. Most of the Turks had already run out ammunition and were fleeing. With victory in his grasp British Admiral De Robeck retreated. The Gallipoli peninsula west of the strait had to be invaded and the defending Turks routed. The British would lead this attack, but it was decided that the Australian and New Zealand ANZAC forces would do much of the fighting.

The attack was postponed for about a month when the Australian and New Zealand troops could be brought in.

There were several serious mistakes in the invasion when it came, but the gallantry of the Anzacs established a beachhead. Faced with overwhelming force the coastal troops began to scatter. But Col. Mustafa Kemal stopped them. “I am not ordering an attack. I am ordering you to die to save your honor.” Seeing the attackers making for the heights of Chunuk Bair, which commanded the entire area, he grabbed the heights first. He rallied the troops. “There is the enemy and you are soldiers. You cannot run. Dig in.” Well, to make a long story short, they dug in and the allied forces dug in. They fought for nine months. In August there was a major British offensive, but it also failed. Kemal was hit in the heart by shrapnel at this time… Or would have been but for a pocket watch that shattered but saved his life. It seemed like an omen.

Then the allied forces decided there was nothing to be gained. This was the beginning of the fame of Mustafa Kemal, known as Ataturk. Command by Kemal was decisive and quick. The command by the British was slow and telegraphed itself. Then men were just thrown at the enemy. There were large losses on each side but it was a great victory for Turkey. Battles of the Turks against the Anzacs were failing not accomplishing anything. After nine months there were 252,000 casualties on the allied side, 218,000 on the Turkish side.

The site of this fighting is our goal for today.

One of the peculiar things about this particular battle is the mutual respect with the two sides treat each other. We saw the same thing at the civil war sites in the US, but there you expect that because it was Americans on both sides. I guess this was a time when the Germans were using weapons like mustard gas. The British apparently half-expected the Turks to do the same. The only Turkish secret weapon was courage. Kichener in his dispatches takes the unusual step of praising the enemy.

Actually, I keep hearing good things about the Turks from unexpected sources. The author of the tour book assumes that most of the negatives you hear about the Turks are pure propaganda. The guy who was imprisoned in a Turkish prison says that the account was exaggerated. In actual fact it would appear to be a toss-up who is more enthusiastic about having Americans in Turkish prisons, the imprisoned American or the Turkish government. The difference is (or at least was) the Turkish government would actually do something about it.

The title Midnight Express refers to a train. The Turkish government did not want the expense and hassle of keeping Americans in their prisons. They made sure that Americans heard that they could sneak aboard this midnight train for Greece. They would end up in Turkey without passports, be arrested and would have to apply to the US Consulate for new passports. The next thing they would see would probably be the Statue of Liberty. It was a clever trick on the part of the Turkish government. It was an escape route for Americans and was absolutely pointless for a Turk to use. A Turkish prison escapee in Greece without a passport… well, there just would not be such a thing.

In this way the Turkish government could look like it was trying to punish the Americans, PLEASING THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT, but did not have to be strict. The book and movie Midnight Express was really mostly propaganda in America’s drug war. At least that is what the author of the Lonely Planet book thinks. People will believe just about anything bad about the Turks. They have their faults, but I am finding them a friendly and accommodating people, miles better than their reputation.

I can almost believe that most of the negative things we have heard are wrong. It has been my belief that Israel gets much the same treatment. I hear stories that make opening up a door at the end of a tunnel that everybody knew was there is the cause for riots and Israel is found to be totally at fault. These are stories that even on the face of them sound absurd and I am not sure how our commentators can deliver them with a straight face. Right now people are blaming Israel for not making new concessions beyond the peace accords when the other side has yet to renounce its goal of the destruction of Israel. That was the Palestinian’s most basic concession, it could be done with three sentences, and by now it is YEARS past due. Nobody in the press seems to have noticed. I can well see why Israel and Turkey might be making friends. They seem to be in the same position.

By the way I am not saying that Turkish prisons are actually pleasure domes. I have no doubt that Turkish prisons are bad. Whether they are as bad as Mexican prisons, which I have heard are very bad, I don’t know. Any poor country is not going to have very good prisons. The question is who gets put there.

We did not know if breakfast was included with the room, but it turns out that it is. It is a fairly standard Turkish breakfast. Tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, olives, juice, and of course bread. Then we headed out. Wow, sunshine. Our first sunny day. Well, we had some sun yesterday afternoon, but this is the first of the real sunshine that doesn’t go away when you start to enjoy it.

We stopped at the tourist aid to find out how often were the mini-buses to Troy. The man did not speak English (in tourist aid???) but showed Evelyn where to get the bus. Evelyn asked him “schedule?” No response. “When?” Same response (or lack thereof). She started digging through the phrasebook. I tapped my watch. He made a sign that said they run all the time. Sign language helps.

Following that we went to the Military Museum which is just down the street from our hotel. Everything of interest to tourists in Canakkale seems to be within a few blocks on the water. Admission to the museum is 100,000TL and there is a small two-story museum. It has just the sort of thing you would expect: uniforms, flags, grenades, and pistols. It also has magazine pictures from the campaign that sort of recreate the feel. They finish up with a display of books about the Dardanelles campaign and about Ataturk. Curiously, the famous painting of him shows his eyes to be very blue, an unusual trait for a Turk. However, the same painting also shows him with a narrow nose. Photographs show him to have a wide flatish nose. I suppose it is possible that his nose was broken in one of the military campaigns. The second floor is mostly pencil sketches of the area and landscapes by M. Ai Laga. It is a tiny military museum, but probably worth the 40 cents it cost to see it.

After the museum there is a mockup of a mine-laying cruiser. It is odd to see such a mockup and I am not sure if it was built for training or for an exhibit.

There is also a “castle” on the grounds. I think it would be more accurate to call it a fort. It is complete with its own museum. At this point Evelyn commented “Your 40 cents goes a long way.” Naturally enough I was forced to agree.

In the museum are arms from various points of history. And there are sketches of Ataturk doing various historic things. Not a great military museum, but it delivers more than you would think.

Following that we went to cash some travelers’ checks since the ATM machines seem to be of little help. I was surprised to see women working in the bank without headcover. They are dressed in business suits. I don’t know what happens when one insists on traditional dress. We each came in wearing our vests with lots of pockets. They look vaguely military. I think people thought we were terrorists. They sort of stared at us. I think they were relieved when we left. I think we ought to try to look a little more normal.

I stopped by the neighborhood store across the street. Two Pepsis, a large and small water for $1.70.

At about 11:30 we went to the tourist agency for our tour. We were there a little early and were talking to the boy who works there. He is studying English and working in the agency during the day. He invites us to come around for tea after the tour. Someone shows up with some box lunches and takes us to the dock where I ask a few questions, but he seems not to know English. I hope he is not our guide. Nope, he is just bringing us to the dock. We meet our guide, Ali. He has us board a ferry and I ask some questions about Gallipoli. I notice a lot of places have the suffix “tepe.” He tells me that means “hill.” We cross to the other side of the strait where there is a bus of other people who had just come from Istanbul. They seem to all be Australian or New Zealander except for a Scottish family and us. Cheapskate that I am I ask Ali questions to get the most from the tour. I tell Ali that the British generals were impressed by the Turks and I show him the quote from Kitchener. He tells me I seem to be the most interested in Gallipoli.

Actually just about everything at Gallipoli can be summarized in two points that are made again and again. 1) In the fighting the Turks surprised even themselves by being able to defend their homeland against the strongest military force in the world at that time. 2) Part of that force, the Anzacs, actually became good friends with the Turks whom they had been sent to destroy and maintained, or nearly maintained, a separate peace. The tone of the park seems to be one I saw at Civil War sites in our last trip. It speaks of the courage and nobility on both sides, even when they were trying to kill each other. The enemy was the British commanders. I showed Ali the quote from Kitchener praising the Turks for being more honorable fighters than the Germans. The truth is probably that British were not as inflexibly bad and the Anzacs not as totally sympathetic as the modern myth would claim. Like the Anzacs, the British were given a job to do. Unlike the Anzacs they were given responsibility to see that the campaign worked if possible.

Our first stop at the site of the battle is a military museum. In front there is a statue of two dead soldiers, one holding the flag, one with a gun and a vine growing up the gun. From there we want to some maps just outside the museum where Ali told us about the battle. The point that Ali makes over and over is how much the Turks and the Anzacs respected each other. The British had made stupid mistakes, the Anzacs and the Turks showed great heroism and in the end learned to respect each other and had pretty much set up a separate peace on the battlefield, refusing to fight with each other. The Australians and the Turks had trenches just feet apart. The Australians stopped lobbing hand grenades when it was found the Turks were catching them and throwing them back.

More small facts that are not in the history books:

In one of the British landings they faces some unexpected resistance. They disturbed hives of bees who also heroically defended their homeland.

The Turks considered a great secret that was only revealed recently that the Turks who fought the invaders were from the area they were defending and hence had a very personal stake in countering the invasion.

Once dug in trenches at times only 7 meters apart, the Turks’ and Anzacs’ deadly fighting seemed to kill birds and bees flying around but seemed to leave humans surprisingly unharmed. The two sides entertained each other by singing to each other and exchanging gifts. The Turks had their first taste of chocolate when candy bars came lobbing into their trenches. They returned fire with fresh fruit and vegetables. One day a note got lobbed into the Anzac trench: “I you tobacco. You me paper. Every day. Every day.”

Since Gallipoli was a defensive action, the Turks cannot be said to have gained much. What they gained was the friendship of the Anzacs, the pride of a military victory, and Ataturk.

The Anzacs and Turks are all considered “sons of the new Turkey”

New Zealanders sent their own architect to build their memorial at Gallipoli. The Australians were willing to let the Turks design their memorial. It could be the New Zealanders felt it was not right to let their nominal enemy build a tribute to them when they themselves would not.

The museum is still being built but the sort of thing in it in labeled boxes was letters from soldiers to their parents and other artifacts found on the beaches including shoes, horseshoes, dentures, a skull with bullet, and uniforms.

We stopped at various historic points in the site of the fighting. Most of what there is to see is the lay of the land, graveyards, and memorials.

We had a boxed lunch as part of the tour package. It consisted of a cup of water, a cheese sandwich, and an apple. Ali picked up some cigarette butts while we were sitting there. I figured we were going to throw out the wrappings of the box lunch anyway, so I picked up some trash, there wasn’t really much there to pick up, but it might have had some bearing on a later incident.

Another comment that I made that did not quite sit well with Ali was that the commanders must have sort have agreed to the friendship between the Anzacs and Turks. This creating a separate peace is at least insubordination and is probably a court-martial offense. Essentially it is fraternizing with the enemy.

We went to various memorials. At the one for the Turks, Ali asked Evelyn to place one flower of her choice on a statue. Evelyn pointed out that it said not to pick the flowers. Ali said “just one.” Ali then gave Evelyn a souvenir. It was a keychain with an Anzac bullet, It also had separately a Turkish bullet and a piece of shrapnel.

Our last stop is a monument to Ataturk next to a monument to the New Zealanders.

Driving home past the strait I saw dolphins in the water. I went to Alaska to see whales and did not get nearly so good a look at them. Eventually we got back to the dock and the ferry back to our hotel.

Our nice clear sky turned gray and windy and cold.

I tried to give a 10% tip to Ali. He asked what it was. I told him it was a tip. He seemed to be undecided about taking it, then did and thanked me. I guess that tips are not the custom for tour guides. I had told the boy at the travel agency that I would drop over for tea after the trip. I did with Evelyn and we talked about travel, my flash cards, his school, movies, music, and eventually politics. He thinks that last summer the Greeks set fire to Turkish forests. The fires started 35 different places at once. The fires had to have been set and by the Greeks. He started to drift toward saying that under the Ottoman Turks the country was well run and that he would want to return to those days. I suspect that he was driving at wanting an Islamic State. Of course that reasoning is wrong for multiple reasons. It is not true that everyone was happy under the Ottoman Turks. And there certainly enough countries that are under Islamic rule that are finding it no bargain, at least those who protest are. We were interrupted before he went that far, but I suspect that was where he was going. It is hard enough to do a decent job of running a government when running the government is your first priority.

Well, it was back to the room after that and then to the restaurant next door for dinner. I had eggplant and yogurt and fried calamari. Evelyn had yogurt and peppers and lamb chop for dinner.

Then it was back to the room to work on the logs and listen to music in Turkish. The evenings are not so hot, but then it gives me time to write.

Your diploma was written on sheepskin because Alexander the Great died so young. Some history. Alexander the Great captured the known world but had little preparation for what would happen after his death, particularly because he died so young in 323 AD. One of his generals Lysimachus got a great deal of the spoils. He secured the spoils in Pergamum, posting Philatarus, a eunuch, to watch the treasure. He then went off with hopes to win the rest of Asia Minor by defeating Seleucus. Philatarus faithfully awaited his master guarding the treasure. Eventually word came that Lysimachus had been defeated. This no doubt came as a terrible shock to Philatarus. Here he was guarding all this treasure and, darn it, there was nobody left to guard it for. Philatarus his lost his whole purpose in life. So he decided to go into politics, setting himself up as governor of Pergamum. The city stayed in the family down to Eumenes II who really built the place up including the medical center and the library. The most controversial move was to greatly extend the library. It had more than 200,000 books and was drawing scholars from Alexandria, which had 700,000 books. Egypt got worried and said that no more papyrus would go to Pergamum. This caused a problem in Pergamum. Some substitute for papyrus had to be found. Animal skin was used. Parchment was invented, or in Latin “pergamen.” Eventually however Pergamum became a province of Rome and when the library at Alexandria burned, Marc Anthony basically stole the library of Pergamum to restock Alexandria.

At 10:30 we decided it was getting late and we had to check out and get to the travel agent. At 10:36 we decided we had plenty of time and went instead to sit on the dock and take pictures. Things get done very fast here and most tourist-related things are very close to each other. Finally we are getting the sort of weather that makes you want to sit outside. Sitting on the dock and watching the rusty boats. This is a pleasant place to be if you are a rich tourist. Still this does seem to be a prosperous country. It has an active economy.

We go to the tour office and I work on the log. A young boy is scraping at the window to remove one of the destinations. When he is dome he comes over to see the little computer. I try to think what he would find interesting to see. Spreadsheets probably would not transcend the language barrier very well. I bring up the world map that shows what is dark and what is light right now. I show him where Istanbul is on the map. Now the clerk is also looking. The boy tells me to show him the map. I point out Istanbul. The clerk points out Canakkale on the East Coast of Africa. “Aegean” he says pointing to the Atlantic Ocean. I tell him no. Not quite.

Bus trips are a good opportunity to see how a wide range of people lives. There are people selling what I call bagels, but really are not like we think of bagels. They are about one inch in diameter and formed into larger rings maybe five inches in diameter. They are coated in toasted sesame. You see people selling things on sticks in the streets. They also are sold from glass-sided carts on the street. They seem very popular.

Maybe a third of the women wear head covering, even in hot weather. Only the husband may see his wife’s hair. It is how we feel about breasts. Even more unfortunate is that women cannot appear to be happy or friendly. Any smiling seems to have a sexual connotation. Being pleasant to people is a character flaw, to have low morals. It is making life unpleasant to no good purpose. Do they think that the women without head covering are constantly being raped? I doubt it.

After we travel I start to see camels. I have never seen camels like we see here. They are shaggy here. They have coats like sheep or even more like bison. Their features seem really exaggerated. They have really big lips. The first one I saw I was not sure was a camel, but I have seen two now. I have to watch for more. This area is mostly farmland with the occasional fields of sheep. We also see chickens. The chickens in Turkey are all free-range chickens. I don’t think it would even occur to them to raise a chicken in a box. That takes American genius.

At about 12:55 we stopped for lunch. Not as good as the Kofte Sandwich of our last bus trip, but still just fine. Evelyn has liver and rice;

I had fried eggplant and yogurt. For desert we shared a clay-pot rice pudding. A good meal for under $4 American. Evelyn took just about all the liver and left me just about all the eggplant. We were going to share, but at least at home I am not a big fan of liver. I was perfectly willing to eat half the liver, but she assumed I would hate it and took it herself. Actually liver is a nice surprise to me. It is something unhealthy that I am not fond of. There are so many foods that I like but are unhealthy or that are healthy but I don’t like them. It is a nice thing to find that a food I don’t like is unhealthy also.

At home I am not tremendously fond of eggplant, but here it is terrific. Put it in yogurt, add some red pepper, and sop it up with bread. Wow! I think when I go home I will eat more bread and yogurt. Eggplant made well will be a little harder to find.

I tried to tell Evelyn about the camels I saw. She didn’t see them and does not believe me. I let it go. We will probably see more. Let her think I am kidding for now. Where there are two camels there are bound to be more. I hope. The road follows the water and is quite beautiful some places.

I don’t quite follow what just happened. These buses have coolers with foil covered cups of water. People go to the back and pull out cups as they want them. I tried and the steward pulled my arm out and handed me one instead. He was keeping a Coke bottle in there and was probably afraid I would take that.

Tea is very big in Turkey. Pretty much wherever you go you see people drinking from little demitasse tea glasses. They are about three inches high, half that in circumference, and with a rounded waist. People have them delivered on trays to offices. You see a lot of delivery boys with tea trays carried with a tripod handle arrangement. There will be little tea glasses or Turkish coffee cups on trays. And yes, there is some Turkish coffee served but not nearly so much as the tea.

We each get a little cup of Fanta orange soda at 3:20. It is almost like airplane service.

Well, now. That was strange. That was very strange. About an hour ago I asked when would we get to Bergama. “Twenty minutes.” Nope. About forty minutes later the steward comes to me and says “Bergama. Let’s go.” I pick up my briefcase. The bus stops in the middle of nowhere by the side of the road. Before we know it out luggage is out and on the ground. Somebody whistled for a taxi. A driver pulls up and starts talking to us in German. When he finds out we are American he talks in a combination of German and English.

He organizes us, saying that he has a cheap place to stay-the Boblingen Pension. I might have said no thanks, but Evelyn points out it is recommended in the guidebook. This is not just a fast shuffle. The price is 3 million a night. $12. We had been paying 12,500,000TL. Even the guidebook that recommends this place says it is more expensive than that. The owner lived for many years in Germany, it says in the book. Could this be him? (P.S. Actually no, it isn’t. We never found out the relationship of the cab driver to the Boblingen Pension.) He talks about “Clinton sex scandal.” I can make out only about two sentences in three. We get to the place and it is spotlessly clean, surprisingly cheap, the most comfortable-looking room so far. Okay, let’s let him organize us. We don’t even check in, he just takes our bags to the room. He arranges to pick us up the next day. I think I trust him. Evelyn has other information from the Internet about this place. People who have stayed here liked it. Okay, so we stay.

We went up to his terrace above the building. I read the guest book. I am now convinced that the owner runs pretty much the best guesthouse in Turkey and kidnaps people to it so that everybody knows it. To look at his guest book everybody really does LOVE this place. The guest book is full of praise and the last entries were three different glowing reviews from yesterday. The guy must like what he is doing. He busts a gut and then charges a pittance compared to the hotels.

After sitting up in the terrace for a while we decide to go back to the room and then head out to get bus tickets for the next day. What we discover is that the Lonely Planet’s maps are not really to be trusted, but you can ask Turks if you are going in the right direction and they are happy to be helpful. The ticket-seller apparently knows English and has some good fun with our attempts to use Turkish to buy the tickets.

Next comes dinner. Well there are a variety of restaurants to choose from. As we are walking we run into a Canadian couple, the Sammons, who were on our bus to Canakkale, We also ran into them two or three times at the last site. He is a retired school teacher come to see Troy and other places he had taught about. Anyway, we run into them on the street. They are also staying at the same pension we are. We invite them to dinner but they just ate. We asked if they recommend the place and they did with some reservations. We decide to eat there. We share a cucumber tomato salad and some toasted cheese sticks. Then we have the mixed grill. They bring us chicken kabaps. We have some wait before they bring us what we ordered. It is good though.

From there we return to the pension. We met the real owner. He invited us up to the terrace for the nightly get-together. There is not much other entertainment so people get together to drink and talk each night. We figure if nothing is happening we can work on our logs. So up we go. We are the first to arrive and are happily working on our logs when the owner realizes we are up there alone. I think he thinks we really need someone up there or we will be disappointed. He does not know how far behind we are in our logs. So he joins us and tries to make conversation in Turkish, German, and just a bit of English. We have English and just a bit of German. That kept the conversation on the superficial level. He worked making air filters in Germany. I asked him how he was treated since I know that Turkish labor has a hard time in Germany. He did not understand the question and said he had been there 14 years.

Eventually the owner’s son showed up with a Japanese guest. The guest was a gardener and a martial arts expert. Eventually Craig, a New Zealander, joined us. Craig was fun to talk to. He had a sort of light-headed quality almost as if he were just barely drunk or stoned.

Craig went to Anzac Day because he thought it would be a hoot. But he talked to someone who was really into the battle and told him what it was all about. Now he thinks he might even want to read a book about Gallipoli.

I talked to the Japanese gardener. He was born in Brazil where his father was a farmer. The son was working in the tobacco fields at age 3. I passed along a question from a friend at work. Why are we seeing no more new Japanese samurai films? These are great films. Well, the samurai story is still being done for TV, but the Japanese film industry is going broke. They cannot compete with American films. I guess the thriving far-east film industry is Hong Kong’s.

We talked about sports, movies, camels (rare in Turkey, but there are some), vests, differences between British English and American English, and where water is safe.

As I was sitting there I fell prey to one of the real problems of travel for me. I felt a cold coming on. Vitamin C usually stops a cold dead for me when I am home. Not so when I travel. I don’t know the reason for the difference. Part of it may be that I can avoid chills better at home. Still the Vitamin C is worth a try. When I got back to the room I took a heavy dose.

It was nearly midnight when I went to bed.