The Hellespont

Troy was able to control trade between the ancient nations through its position on the Hellespont. Even in its decline the Byzantine Empire remained rich by controlling the strait. Russia and the Ottoman Empire fought over trade in the channel (by then called the Dardanelles) and the passage of German ships from the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Mamara prompted England's campaign against the Ottomans in the First World War.

I wanted to have a look.

Obligatory photo of the Sphinx

The tour bus took us to a number of sites relevant to the ANZAC Gallipoli campaign. There were three or four busloads of people there that day so it was not as contemplative as it could have been. Nevertheless I was interested in seeing the places I've heard about since I was in primary school.

ANZAC cove mid summer. Thirty eight degrees in the sun.

It was immediately obvious how terrible a landing at ANZAC cove would have been. The hills sit hard against the water, the rise is almost verticle, and Turkish troops already in place had a commanding view of the landing site.

We walked along the beach and took in a couple of the cemeteries and monuments. The most powerful of these was the Atatürk quote/monument on the beach.

The view from Walker's Ridge

After we we had toured the sites we drove down to the ferry which would take us across the strait. The ferries cross near Channakale. This part of the Dardanelles has been of crucial strategic importance for thousands of years (since Troy! Troy!) and the area is littered with ruins and castles.

Castles!

The crossing takes about 20-30 minutes by ferry - straight across from Europe to Asia. The town itself looked like a lot of fun as we came in from the water, but we didn't have time to wait there. There was just enough time for one cheesy stop.

After making the film Troy, Warner Brothers gave the horse they used in the film. I was impressed by the scale of this regifting.

Still hot

Given what happened the last time someone accepted this horse as a gift, I'm surprised they took it. Maybe they didn't see the movie?

Szczecin in

The first stop in Poland was Szczecin, a town in the north west.

My first view of scenic Szczecin

This was my first trip to Poland and while I had been told what I could expect I was still taken a little by surprise.

There's a lot of strange juxtaposition; historical sites next to industrial buildings, a group of restaurants surrounded by abandoned buildings falling in on themselves. In Copenhagen I had experienced what I called 'European City Fatigue,' checking the boxes of what to see; the palace, the cathedral, the old town, etc.

Outside the old barracks

Szczecin had all that... kind of. It was fun to walk around and have a look. Oh, and I forgot my camera, so all my photos were taken with my phone. At the hotel they gave me a tourist map which had all sorts of helpful descriptions of things I could see around town. I could just google the items and look them up, but I think it's more fun to use the Polish version.

The monument of Duke Boguslaw and Anna Jagiellonka

The map also provided me with two recommended paths; the City Tourist Trail and the 'Zloty Szlak' or Golden Route. I took the tourist trail because, really, the golden route was just straight up the main street.

The mast from the steamer s/s Kapitan Maciejewicz from 1929

The weather was fantastic, bright skies and warm without being hot. I had heard so much about the terrible Polish weather I was a little surprised. Though the people at the hotel told me it is usually much hotter, 30 degrees or more. I'm going to miss that.

The Royal Gate

It was also not as flat as I was expecting. Obviously it's no Norway, there are no towering mountains. The highest points are all man made. But it wasn't as flat as Sweden, either.

The Fountain with the Eagle Sculpture with the Architectural Basilica under Invocation of St. James

I wandered the old town in the evening, looking for dinner. The place I chose was based on the smell of the meals being eaten out on the front porch.  I got a goulash and a beer. The goulash was incredible, a huge serving of stew on an enormous potato cake.

$12

Way to go, Poland.