Hello there!
As I said before, after vacation I hope to finish all unfinished projects. And I am here today coz I do want to finish my story (and live again) of journey around Marmara Sea with my family on rented car. If you'd like to enjoy previous, link to them are at the bottom of the post.
In short, since we landed in Istanbul, we've visited Iznik (former Nikea), Bursa, Birgi and ancient Ephesus. Our route deviated slightly from the sea, and so far we have seen many mountains, even with snow. But it's time to enjoy the sea view. It was in April, countries were mostly closed for travelers, and Turkey was also all in red zone. All of us and my daughter especially miss the sea...
I was going to visit Bozcaada island next day, and book a hotel somewhere close to it in the mainland. But plans changed again, because I wasn't sure till the last moment if ferry routes will be open or not. But we weren't allow to enter the country without HES-code, and to generate it we all should submit all details of our route including hotels.
So, I booked a nice place in a small nice town of Ayvalik at the seaside. Once, most settlements at the western coastline of Turkey were populated by Greeks. Usually they have Greek names in addition to their modern onces.
Ayvalik’s ancient name was Kydonia. Both names means "the place of quince", but as we drove I saw mostly olive trees and pine trees. They say olive has been important to Ayvalik in all ages.
Our Martı Boutique Hotel was small and very nice. Paid parking was just in front of it.
An elderly friendly woman was waiting for us at the reception. She did not understand English, so we communicated via Google translate. Fortunately and surprisingly, we were the only guests at the hotel, so we could choose any two rooms. We are lucky, because it seems that the sound insulation between the floors in this old house is not very good.
The interior resembled a country hunting lodge. All rooms were differently decorated and staffed, but all are very nice and cozy. For 61 euro we got 2 rooms for 1 night.
Without unpacking or changing clothes, we rushed right to the promenade in search of food, because during 4 four days here we learnt that at 5 o'clock everything will close and the city will look like a ghost. As we walked we saw cafes are closing, and our chances to get some food decreased with every minute. Indeed, we've found only 1 cafe that didn't close yet. Like any other, they had only kebabs, pides and so on. Meat, dough, vegetables. We so much missed anything different, but no choice this time (and on other days, ehh).
While waiting, my hubby and I sat at a bench and watched the sun going down into the sea in front of us. My daughter Nat spent all time by the edge of the sea, as close as she could. Sea addicted :D When suddenly a very beautiful oriental melody started in the main square. It sounded around, along the streets, above the roofs... Only three of us, sunset and this melody.
After dinner in the breathtaking background we wented for a late night stroll. Empty and absolutely quiet city made a strong impression. After we came back into hotel, I even checked if I can cancell my booking reservation in the next city tomorrow, but not. Anyway, we agreed to spend the next day here, let it take as much time as needed. For me it was the most spontanous trip in my life )))
The next day after breakfast we packed up, dropped our baggage into the car and went for a walk. I did not recognize the city, it looked like a fest! The streets are crowded with people and cars. Shops with herbs, olives and olive oil (now I ask myself - why didn't I buy anything there??), clothing stores, cafes and restaurants. Long rows of people on the street in front of each bank (don't they have internet-banking??).
Oh, by the way, we need to change a some cash. And exchangers are not seen anywhere. The bank staff does not speak English and does not change money (if we are understood correctly). In the main square, I saw a travel agency. Oh, they almost certainly know English here. Well, they don't. The young girl tried to explain to me where to exchange money, but it sounds like an underground exchanger.
Then, a lady from the next office decided to help us. She went outside into the main square, full of people, police and cars, and shouted: - Does anyone speaks English? (my translation). No one backed down. But she didn't give up. She caught a guy on a bicycle (literally), said a few words to him, pointed at my husband, and sent them both out with an energetic gesture. My daughter and I stood trying to intuitively understand what was happening here.
After a while hubby returned. It turned out that he exchanged money at a jewelry store. And at the same time exploring a very lively area with a farmer's market, fish market (yay!), a mosque and many cafes, workshops and shops. Just perfect! What a wonderful idea it was to stay here for a while.
Is it possible to travel around the sea and not taste fish? Especially since all three of us love it very much.
It turned out that the owner of our hotel speaks English. I asked him on the phone where we can eat fish. To my surprise, he said that due to the coronavirus and Ramadan, all fish restaurants were closed, and "no fish".
But after I've read in details about Ramadan on the net previous night (there are no bans for fish) and saw a lot of fish on the market, I said to myself: so much fish means people buy it, and cook, and it. Let's find out! The direction is port.
But let's have some coffee first.
Turkish people not only respect, but really love their first president - Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. This statesman has achieved truly impressive results. The cafe we entered was empty. On the wall hung a large full-length portrait of Ataturk. And coffee cups were decorated with a replica of his signature.
Another, more alive attraction, was host's cat. All white and very fluffy, but seems that noone has a picture of it.
We are not limited in time. Our car is ready to go, and our next bed is in unknown town. So, we just enjoy our nice sunny day, and sea breath, boats, streets and markets.
I wouldn't want to bore you. I'd just say that I finally found a cafe that served fish, on the waterfront. We ordered at random, according to the photo, three different species of fish. It turned out that it is a perch, dorado and mackerel. All wishes come true :)
Well, that's it!
Thank you forjoining me today! Hope it was interesting reading and viewing :) If yes, I hope to see you again soon.
Please note, that all photos used in my posts are taken and owned by myself. Nobody can use them without my consent. If you wish to use any of my images please contact me 
If you missed previous parts, you can catch up with me here:
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See you,