I am writing this as the New Zealand commemoration ceremony is being held at the high ridge of Chunuk Bair, where the stone memorial to the New Zealand soldiers and the massive statue of the Turkish military commander who was later known as Ataturk stand near each other. The base of the statue was undergoing some last minute alterations when we were there and it was good to see the organisers' frantic activity paid off.
Our morning began at 4:30am and we were up on the Pool Deck (Deck 9) by 5:00, where 400 deck chairs with rugs had been set up. These seats were already full by the time we arrived, so I had my coffee laced with rum standing up along with another 100 or so passengers. The full complement is 650 so that represented a terrific turnout. The chairman of Cruiseco (and occupant of the owner's cabin next door to us) delivered a very respectful speech, then the Captain and a guest representing the SA RSL also spoke. The ship's pianist played Abide With Me and the National Anthems of both Australia and NZ, but the most moving moment for me was the bugler standing high behind us on the bridge playing the Last Post and the minute's silence that followed, while the ships sharing the drift zone with us stayed close by with their running lights blazing.
When the service was finished, a list of fallen soldiers with a connection with passengers, including mine, was screened. I thought that they did a very nice job of a 'non- official' ceremony.
Shortly after our's finished, we were able to watch the actual Dawn Service live from ANZAC Cove on the big screen. I got a little thrill when I spotted our ship during their coverage.
We were allowed to sail by Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay shortly after the official ceremony was finished and it was interesting to see some of the landmarks we'd visited on Thursday from a different perspective. I had a chance to thank the manager of Cruiseco, who was also in attendance for the company's efforts for today. He was absolutely thrilled how well it had all been received.
Over the course of the morning we also watched the other two services live: from Lone Pine and Chanuk Bair. Seeing how those attending were rugged up against the weather made me feel quite sorry for them - especially as they have to trek out on foot. The weather has been quite overcast and chilly today so we were glad to return inside.
Other than doing some hand washing this morning, our day has been very quiet. We are looking forward to hearing what's happening with our first shore excursions and after than, a guest lecturer will be talking specifically about Ephesus.
Regarding the laundry. There are only three self serve washing machines for the whole ship. You can always arrange to have it done by room service ($5.00 a T shirt) so I suspect we'll be doing most of ours in our cabin and drying it on our balcony.
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