Canakkale

This morning I had free time in Canakkale (pronounced Cha-nark-karl-ay by the locals) so I went for a bit of a walk around. I tested a proposed route with the young girl at reception and she thought it would be enough. I was trying to time everything to be on the 1pm ferry to be back at Eceabat (pronounced Etch-eh-bart by the locals) hotel where my tour operator was stationed by 1:30pm.

The Newcastle of the Dardenelles

The Esplanade

I headed out of the hotel and walked along the wide esplanade they've made along the 'harbourfront'. I couldn't help but be reminded of my recent visit to Newcastle. Thinking of Canakkale as "The Newcastle of the Dardenelles" was quite amusing; clearly, I'm very travel weary and need some rest!

The esplanade was pleasant led to a variety of statues and monuments, the most interesting shown below.

The Trojan Horse from the movie "Troy" of 2004	A model of Troy at the time of the legend	Artwork, apparently paying tribute to the legend of th e battle of Troy
Passers-By!	A famous Turkish Navigator and Cartographer	A statue (Ataturk?) telling schoolchildren to throw themselves in the Dardenelles?

I then walked into the town proper until reaching another main road and walking back the way I had come and passed the street with my hotel on it until I reached a river that was supposed to block my path; so said the map, and so had said the receptionist. However, when I got there, they've built a bridge. It is clearly new. Anyway, I turned back there, cut through a construction site (I only discovered I was in such a thing about a third of the way in!) and then wound through the main shopping district down to the ferry port and stopped for tea.

Flowers for my friend	Street scene of Canakkale	View from a bridge not on the maps
A construction site, without fences, signs, or anything.	The shopping district (early on Sunday morning)

I returned to my hotel in good time to check out and head out for lunch. I made the ferry as planned, only to discover as I arrived at the far side that I was being met at *my* hotel, so I was sped down to the other, quicker ferry and returned across the Dardenelles to meet my tour guide; only 30mins late! <sigh> All that careful planning only to have screwed up where I was supposed to be.