Five on the Fly
Adventures of a family of five taking off to see the world for 10 monthsIstanbul – Gallipoli – Troy – Selcuk in 2 days
We only had 2 days to get from Istanbul to Selcuk (home base for seeing Ephesus) and it was important for us to stop at Gallipoli and Troy on the way. So, we decided to take one of the many tours that takes in the above, with guided tours and hostel accommodation included, to make this whirlwind sightseeing hassle-free. Our choice: Fez Travel!
Gallipoli is the equivalent of Canada’s Dieppe for New Zealand and Australia (ANZAC troups). The film Gallipoli with a young Mel Gibson is a drama depicting some of the events that took place in 1915 that led to the loss of many lives and a final victory for Turkey. Being so close to the sight, and with one Kiwi and three half-Kiwis in the group, we felt it was important to go to the site to pay our respects. Visiting the site put the history that the Kiwi Dad was taught throughout his lifetime in New Zealand into context. The kids enjoyed the personal stories of the individual soldiers that were told by our guide - and for them it was quite powerful to imagine that the ANZAC troups came all the way at such a young age to fight and die for their country.
Troy is a 15 minute ferry ride and half-hour drive from Gallipoli. This site was not to be missed for us as the children know the story of Troy well and Travel Girl is quite an avid fan of Greek mythology. As our guide mentioned, Troy is a place where myth and reality intersect. In fact, there are nine cities of Troy, Troy 6 being the probable Homeric Troy – and Troy 1 going back to a mind-boggling 8000 years ago.
Where are the Liebenbergs?
We’re in Turkey. Ya, we know, we’ve been on the road for a month now, and you haven’t heard a word from us. While we have had many frustrating internet connections almost everywhere we’ve been in Europe, we can’t blame our silence only on that anymore.
Anyway, we’ve decided that if we try to catch up on all the posts we should have written by now, we’ll never get around to filling you in with what we’re doing now. So…we’ve decided to start with what we’re up to currently, and fill you in with our first month’s travels as we get the chance.
We arrived in Istanbul late this afternoon from London, to be greeted warmly by our own private driver holding a sign with our name on it (amidst the sea of signs, Travelgirl was the first to spot our name). When our hotel offered to pick us all up from the airport for 15 Euros, we decided that we’d take them up on their offer – since this is our first stop in a country where we really don’t know the language at all.
We drove into the city along the waterfront on a beautiful day – looking out at the sea of Marmara (many boats, many playgrounds, and peculiar outdoor weight machine stations dotted the landscape).
Our hotel is under the shadow of Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque, and Sultanahmet Square – so after we settled into our room, we walked over to have a look at them. We’ll go back and explore them tomorrow morning.
On our way home we stopped for supper at a delightful Turkish restaurant. It seems that the Turks love children and welcome them with open arms into their eating establishments. Tonight, no fewer than a handful of male waiters positively doted on Coco – buckling her into a high chair, and insisting on bringing her a perfect little glass of kiwi tea - just the right size – when the rest of us had ordered tea after our dinner.
We’ve been really looking forward to our time in Turkey, and our first impressions have not failed us. It is hard to describe, but there is a real energy to this place – and even though there is a language barrier for us here, we’ve been impressed by the warmth of the people.
We’ve only a short stay in Istanbul before heading off to explore the rest of Turkey, but we’ll be back for a few days at the end of our stay.
Take-off!
The last two weeks before our departure flew by so quickly, with goodbye/pre-birthday parties and sleepovers for the girls, getting the house packed up for the arrival of our house/dogsitters and shopping and packing for our trip. Oh, and I decided to run a half-marathon two days before our departure because I thought it would be a good idea.
Anyway, two nights before we left, we knew we were pushing it to get it all done on time. Chris and I stayed up until 4 am the night before. If it hadn’t been for our great friends and their amazing help we would have never made it (you know who you are! Muchas gracias!) We were still packing the final bits and pieces, picking up last minute essentials (ie. the oral vaccine that somehow we missed) and trying to leave the house in a decent state, minutes before our friend Kerry drove us to the train station.
We made it to the train station on time and were surprised there by our friend Thel who had come to see us off! (thanks Thel, it was very touching – sorry I was busy ranting on the phone to Bell Mobility for most of the time!).
Anyway, once we boarded our short train ride to Dorval airport, Chris and I decided we needed to relax a little after all the stress, and splurged on a beer and glass of wine. It was a very relaxing train ride and an 
opportunity to take a breath and let it sink in that we were finally on the road!
Lost: one brand new Sigg water bottle on the train to Dorval
