After visiting Troy, our first overnight stay in Asia was in the port town of Çanakkale (pronounced Cha-knock-ka-lay). We stayed at the Hotel Akol which was right across the street from the waterfront and we even lucked out and got a room overlooking the water.

Çanakkale is the nearest major town to the ancient city of Troy, but even then, I wasn’t expecting it to have its very own Trojan Horse! But there it was, smack dab in the middle of the busy waterfront walkway. If you ask me (which you haven’t, but I’m telling you anyway!) this Trojan Horse is way cooler than the cheesy rendition at Troy itself! Çanakkale’s horse is the actual model used from the blockbuster movie Troy. That’s right ladies…Brad Pitt touched this one! The model was gifted to the city in 2004.

Çanakkale lies along the coast at the narrowest point of the Dardanelles Strait. The lively waterfront in this quaint town is filled with street vendors, happenin’ bars and restaurants, and is the perfect place for people watching. We even happened upon a bride and groom.

Unfortunately, our time there was short as we were scheduled to depart early the next morning. But we very much enjoyed our brief stay, capping off the evening at the Hangover Bar with a refreshing Efes (Turkey’s delicious local beer!)