Aegean Coast Road Tripping: First Stop Gallipoli!

snapshot of the GPS telling us to drive across the Dardanelles

(good thing there was a ferry) 

 We FINALLY headed out on our Aegean Coast roadtrip! This is one of the "classic" trips, that is a must do if you are ever posted to Turkey! We had been wanting to do it since we first arrived, but as life gets in the way and other vacations got scheduled it just kept getting pushed back. As we are inching our way ever closer to leaving though, we knew it was time to get our act together.

As it turns out, I don't think that I would have done it any other way! Going in May was amazing. The weather was so fabulous, just the perfect blend of not too cold and not too hot! Also, the wildflowers were out everywhere-mainly the zillions of gorgeous wild poppies! I was in heaven. Lastly, I decided that it was perhaps the best choice we could have made to wait. The things we saw on this trip were SO amazing. Truly things we will remember for a lifetime, and some of the absolute gems of Turkey. What a better way to finish off our time here, than by taking one last awe-inspiring and terrific family vacation! It was a "Saving the Best for Last" kind of roadtrip, and we feel like we are ending on a super high note. It really was the one last thing on my big list to do before we leave. Now I can buckle down and get us moved back around the world.

Our first main stop was Gallipoli. 

Although the U.S. was not a major player in this campaign of World War I, it was a long and devastating for over 500,000 soldiers who laid down their lives here. It was a bitter stalemate, with terrible trench warfare (sometimes only a few meters apart) for control of the Dardanelles-and eventually the hope was Constantinople, the Bosphorus and the Black Sea (aka-Russian considerations). The Turks representing a majority of the soldiers fighting for the Axis powers at the time, and Australian, New Zealander (ANZAC), British, and French troops for the Allies.

After World War I, and after the new Turkish Republic was founded, Ataturk gave a moving speech featured on the Memorial at ANZAC cove.

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives…
You are now living in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours…
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace, after having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
Ataturk, 1934

We thought it was important to try and teach the boys what we could anyway, to help them understand some of these major world events. Noah's great-grandfather fought for France in World War I. Shot in the back even, and was saved by a can of sardines in his backpack. Although, he was not involved in the Gallipoli campaign ( he was back in Germany) we wanted Porter to try and understand somewhat about his countrymen and have something to try and connect with this experience.  Hopefully he will remember this somewhat, and understand a little of the gravity of what happened here.

Porter with some of the artifacts from the battlefields

Noah showing the boys the "big picture"

Battlefields in the background

After we saw the war sites, it was time to head on across the Dardanelles for the rest of the trip. We took a ferry, and the boys loved it. Miles even got to drive, which he L.O.V.E.D.  

Why can't I always ride like this in the car Mom? 

Ya, the ferry was big hit!

Once we safely were back on dry land, we re-buckled all the kids in their seats and struck out for more historical adventures! Those stories to come shortly…