Kolin Canakkale

... Iliad existed. One of the arguments is that the poet's epic account of the Trojan War is an amalgam of battle stories based on geopolitics of the day, with a little Aaron Spelling thrown in for flavor.Then Schliemann, a self-taught archaeologist with an ancient-Greece obsession and an even stronger lust for buried treasure, descended upon the nearby village of Hisarlik and started poking around. His shoddy excavation resulted in significant damage to ...

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... stone cylindrical drum tumuli employed during Hellenistic times. Don't pass this up just because it's too hot.<br><br>On the paved road heading back to the southern entrance, notice the crumbling but imposing Roman bath, built around the end of the 2nd century and later converted into a Byzantine basilica. From the looks of several of the archways, one more earthquake and this structure is road dust. <br><br>Next to the parking lot of the Pamukkale ...

... lost the war. Their victory, forged on the back of over 250,000 deaths, seems like it was hardly worth it, and indeed after the war ended the Ottoman Empire was disbanded and the Turks didn't exactly have the easiest of times.<br><br>But Gallipoli is also not some place that the Allies can really celebrate. They too lost 250,000 men, 10,000 of which were Aussies and Kiwis, fighting a war half way around the Globe for their queen, but never once setting ...

... playing a song and only you can hear the music and not your voice. Then you need to sing the whole song on the mic to the bus; hilarious! Unless it's you doing it of course. The other is the booth of truth. This is where you must get on the mic at the front of the bus and answer any and every question thrown at you, honestly, until the questions run out. It is extremely funny and embarrassing. We all have so much fun with it ...

... from Homers Odyssey tells of the Trojan horse and Helen of Troy. The reality is the place is layers of history and ruins built on top of layers from earlier times so there are about 10 periods identified in the ruins from pre-Christian times up to 1200AD or so. A fascinating walk for a few hours around the excavations and ruins. The entry has a wooden horse there for the tourists which of course is a photo opportunity.

... the endless convoys of heavy lorries that ply their routes. Petrol is very expensive at around $2 a litre GBP1.30. Tuesday 19th May Ferry crossing of the Dardanelles to the Gelibolu peninsula - Gallipoli, the World War 1 campaign that haunted Churchill for the rest of his life. It is estimated that 130,000 men, on both sides died here during the 9 month campaign for April 1915 - January 1916. Unlike northern France where many of the battlefields ...

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... and I heard a young American guy comment 'gee, that's pretty scary stuff and they're only 16. I'd hate to see grown men do that'. A fitting comment.<br><br>We left all of the friends that we had made over the last day and a half as they ventured on for a late night transfer to Istanbul. We stayed in Eceabat for the night, the main town on the Gallipoli peninsula, choosing the safety of a day time rather than night time transfer given the state of the driving we have seen so far!