Two weeks ago I had a three day weekend for a national holiday called Children's Day. Gary and I were invited to visit the town of Ayvalik with a teacher friend of mine who spends each weekend there with her fiance. Ayvalik is a three hour bus ride north of Izmir. The word Ayvalik means quince which grows in abundance here as well as olive oil. We left on Friday morning and enjoyed the bus ride as much of the countryside is blooming with flowers and this was the furthest north we have been besides Istanbul. Ayvalik is a popular vacation destinations for people living in Istanbul and they get few foreign tourists in these parts. It is a small town with around a population of 35 thousand. We checked into our tiny pension and decided to head out for a walk. While there is a main road where cars are aloud, the sides streets are still cobble stone and fit nothing larger than a horse cart. Horse carts wait around for deliveries and pick ups and are busy through the side streets.
Ayvalik was originally a Greek settlement 3 or 4 centuries ago and it continues to have a very Greek to it. The island of Lesbos is just a short ferry ride away. Across the bay fro Ayvalik is an island called cunda (pronounced june-da). It used to be only accessible by boat but now a small bridge that crosses to the island. My friend recommended we eat dinner there. We did at a lovely restaurant called Ayni (meaning mirror). It was really different the usual Turkish food in that it had a very modern twist and we were able to try things we had not had before. For example, we had fresh sardines wrapped in grape leaves and walnut pasta. Yum! When we arrived we did not have reservations and they said there was no room in the restaurant but they could put a small table in the ally.
We quickly agreed and found this was great for people watching and for getting a feel of the small island. With bellies full we took the short and cheap (2 lira) bus ride back to our pensyion.
Saturday morning, we woke up to an amazing and huge breakfast in the garden of the pension. It was a family run place and they made much of the food. Borek, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, bread, jellies, eggs and other wonderful food was laid on a table before us. After breakfast we met my friend who toured us around Cunda and Ayvalik. We visited an old windmill atop a mountain and enjoyed walking the back streets. We stopped at the farmers market to purchase some of the fine olive oil and also visited some antique shops.
Later in the day we made a coffee stop by the water and my friends fiance met us (he lives in Ayvalik). He took us to an amazing fish restaurant and ordered all the food for us. It was a place where the locals go. Our meal was accompanied by Turkish music and many people dancing and having a good time. After dinner, we met a few of their friends at a bar for a night cap. It was good to get to know the locals. Sunday morning we spent relaxing and eating in the garden until it was time to catch our bus home. It was a wonderful and relaxing time. We hope to go back this summer to enjoy the beaches.
Ayvalik was originally a Greek settlement 3 or 4 centuries ago and it continues to have a very Greek to it. The island of Lesbos is just a short ferry ride away. Across the bay fro Ayvalik is an island called cunda (pronounced june-da). It used to be only accessible by boat but now a small bridge that crosses to the island. My friend recommended we eat dinner there. We did at a lovely restaurant called Ayni (meaning mirror). It was really different the usual Turkish food in that it had a very modern twist and we were able to try things we had not had before. For example, we had fresh sardines wrapped in grape leaves and walnut pasta. Yum! When we arrived we did not have reservations and they said there was no room in the restaurant but they could put a small table in the ally.
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