Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Anzac Day at Gallipoli

We flew back to Turkey to catch up with friends and attend the Anzac services at Gallipoli. We left Istanbul the day before Anzac Day on a "tour" with Samyeli Tour Company (I WOULD NOT recommend using this company, but that is not what this post is about). We got to Anzac cove around 8pm and settled in for the night. Surprisingly, the night passed fairly quickly, there was entertainment by the Australian and New Zealand army bands, documentaries and interviews all through the night (I nodded off a couple of times - sitting up! - but Jon was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the whole night long). Before we knew it, it was time for the Dawn service. It was such and emotional, incredible and moving ceremony - from the minute we took our seats the night before until we left Lone Pine the following morning. It makes you so proud of our soldiers and our country, so aware of the heartbreak and loss our young country sustained and so thankful to live in beautiful Australia. I felt so far from home (by far the most homesick I've been!), but surrounded by fellow Aussies, in a strange way I felt at home there too. I'm so grateful for the respectfulness and generosity of the Turkish people who allow us to come, year after year, to remember and mourn our boys.  photo.JPG Waiting in line to get to Anzac cove photo.JPG photo.JPG photo.JPG The other guys settling in for the night photo.JPG photo.JPG photo.JPG photo.JPG photo.JPG At Lone Pine (still don't think Jon gets the whole focus thing...) photo.JPG photo.JPG Lest we forget...

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