|
| |
|
AYVALIK |
| |
|
|
| |
AYVALIK , 2km west of the main coast road, is a small fishing port
that also makes a living from olive-oil production and low-key tourism;
it makes a nice base for beach lounging and ruin-spotting at Bergama ,
70km southeast. Refounded during the 1400s on ancient ruins, Ayvalak
suffered two serious earthquakes last century, though the most
devastating effect on the town occurred when its mainly Greek
inhabitants were kicked out during the exchange of populations that
followed the Greek-Turkish war of 1920-22. There's not a great deal to
see, though its tangle of central streets, lined with terraces of
sumptuous Greek houses and clattering with speeding horsecarts, is worth
a wander, and there are some decent beaches in the surrounding area.
The centre is focused on the small square Iskele Meydana 1.5km south of
the main bus station . Buses from the south will drop you off near the
centre on Atatürk Cad, but some buses from the north don't make the
detour into the town, in which case it may be easier to pick up a
connecting service at Edremit, 40km north. Confusingly, and despite what
ticket-sellers in Edremit's bus station may tell you, few buses to
Ayvalak actually enter the town's otogar , stopping instead 50m away on
the adjacent main road. The tourist office (summer Mon-Fri 8am-noon &
1-6pm, Sat 9am-noon & 2-6pm; winter Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1-5pm; tel
0266/312 2122) is about fifteen minutes' walk south of the town centre
on the main coast road, but you're more likely to use the information
kiosk on the seafront (June-Sept). There's a wealth of pensions in
Ayvalak's old houses, the best by far being the beautiful Taksiyarhis (tel
0266/312 1494, info@taksiyarhis.com ; £5-10/$8-16), behind the
Taksiyarhis church, signposted inland and uphill from the seafront.
Alternatives are Yal s (tel 0266/312 2423; £5-10/$8-16), housed in a
beautiful old seafront mansion, and, also signposted from the seafront,
Chez Beliz , Fethiye Mahallesi, Marezal Çakmak Cad 28 (tel 0266/312
4897; £5-10/$8-16; May-Sept). Eating possibilities include Osmanl s
Mutfa ws on Talatpaza Cad, which offers well-priced superior Turkish
dishes; Kardesler Pide Salonu , opposite the PTT on Anönü Cad, with a
good choice of kebabs; and Öz Canl s Balik on the seafront, specializing
in fish and meze . There's a clutch of drinking dens between the main
street Edremit Caddesi and the parallel Anönü Caddesi, plus Circus Bar ,
on Gümrük Sok. Internet access is at Star Internet , 39 Atatürk Cad,
five minutes' walk south of the tourist office.
You can buy tickets for ferries to the Greek island of Lésvos ($40 one-way,
$50 open return) at Jale Tour, Gümrük Cad 24 (boats June-Sept Mon-Sat;
tel 0266/312 2740), and Yeni IstanbulTur next to the Aziz Arslan Otel (boats
June-Sept 3 weekly; tel 0266/312 6123). Bear in mind, though, that if
you arrived on the Greek boat, you may only be permitted to travel back
on the same vessel.
|
| |
|
