Day Eight. Gallipoli.

I don't have many photos from the services today as I wanted to experience it first hand, and not through a camera.
It was hard to get a decent sleep during the night because of the cold, the flood lights shining on you, the programs on the big screen, and the anticipation of the day to come. It was freezing, but not deathly cold. I couldn't sleep, so at breakfast at 2am haha. At 4:30am, we were woken by a Maori song being sung by two women. It was lovely. 4:30am was the landing time of the Anzacs on the Gallipoli peninsula. Then the service began at 5:30am. It was very moving and poignant, but surprisingly, I didn't cry. I think the tiredness and adrenaline of where I was helped with that.

Waking up

After the service

Breakfas!

Packing up

Sun rising walking up to Lone Pine

After the service, we hiked 3km up to Lone Pine. The kiwis headed up to Chunuk Bair. The Aussie service was at 10am, and the Kiwi one as 11:15am. There was a steep uphill 3.5km hike between the two places so there was no way you could make both. The walk up was on an unsealed road and the view was beautiful. I have never felt so much like I am going to turn into a piece of charcoal than I did sitting under that sun in the stands at Lone Pine. It was scorchingly hot. I ended up using my scarf as a cocoon type thing, and gave up all hope of appearing fresh. There were graves and a tree in the centre of the stands. It's not the original lone pine, as it was destroyed. Again, I didn't cry, as all of my remaining energy went into staying awake under the sun. I did get teary towards the end though, when the MC was concluding the service and said "Tread softly. As you're walking on the fallen graves of many men here. Tread softly and go in peace". Lone Pine was about the size of a football field, and during the war, was full of trenches. 7000 men died there.

Al, Dale, Tim and Brant at Lone Pine

Lone Pine service

Lone Pine

Laying of the wreaths

After the service, we slowly hiked up to Chunuk Bair to wait for our bus. It was so so so so hot hiking up there. There was a sealed road, but no shade. At one point, I walked through the trenches that were on the sides of the road to get a bit of relief from the sun. Trenches on either side of the road were from both the Turkish and Anzacs. They were no more than 7-8m apart.

Trenches

Trenches

Memorial site on the way to Chunuk Bair

Turkish monument

Gallipoli peninsula from Chunuk Bair

Stopping to buy ice cream on the way up, we finally made it. We had to wait about an hour there for our coach. Getting back onto the bus for Istanbul was so gross haha. Everyone was just covered in sweat. But we all slept anyway so you didn't really mind lol.
Arriving in Istanbul at 7:30pm, we headed back to the same bar as on the first night. After grabbing dinner, some of us headed to another bar. Feeling incredibly tired, I headed home with some of the girls at about 2am.