I visited Galipolli almost 25 years ago when I was packpacking around Turkey.I went there with a traveller's curiosity and left with a far greater insight into what it means to be an Australian. It is indeed a remarkably spiritual place and one all Australians should visit.
What most impressed me was the Turkish people, the way they embraced us Australian as friends when, quite clearly, they had no obligation to.
One old Turkish man who acted as a defacto guide for us, explained to us how the Australians came, the tactics they employed and how they fought bravely against his people on their soil and, as an afterthought, he asked "Why where they here ....so far from home?"
A good question and one I still cannot answer other than to say it is in our
young tradition to help out our mates and indeed on the beaches of that lonely peninsula the great ideal of mateship and the ANZAC Spirit was born.
Kamal Ataturks magnificant words make me feel very humble and if the boot was on the other foot I wish that we would have words of equal resonance.
The Turks lost a great many more men defending their country from the Allied invaders and yet their is no malice or illbearing towards us . A great lesson for us all I reckon.
All the best on your travels Micheal, I love Santorini as
well and If you can
do the walk down Samaria Gorge in Crete, then walk along the coast for a couple of days .Very easy to do as there are a couple of Tavernas on the coast that you can get food and beds at. You'll have another great experience that I think not many people do. It is a beautiful desolate coastline with just a walking track to follow.
All the best,
Campy