Middle East - Anthony Ham [470]
Eating
In contravention of the way these things usually work, the settlement at the bottom of the hill is actually the ‘posh’ part of town where prices, if not standards, are higher than at the top. Be sure to check the cost of fish and bottles of wine before ordering. You can eat for less than TL10 in Behramkale.
Getting There & Away
To get to Behramkale during the summer, catch the regular shuttle (TL1) from Assos. In winter, workers shuttle back and forth and you can normally jump on one of their buses.
Regular buses run from Çanakkale (TL7.50, 1½ hours) to Ayvalık, where you can pick up a dolmuş (which leaves when full) to Behramkale (TL3, 20 minutes). Some dolmuşes make a second stop down in Assos.
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AYVALIK
0266 / pop 34,650
Back from the palm trees and touristy restaurants on Ayvalık’s waterfront, the tumbledown old Greek village provides, in the words of hotelier Annette, a ‘wonderful outdoor museum’. Horses and carts clatter down the village’s narrow streets, past headscarf-wearing women holding court outside picturesque shuttered houses.
Olive-oil production is the traditional business here, although the town is now better known as a gateway to local islands and the Greek isle of Lesvos.
The otogar is 1.5km north of the town centre and the tourist office is 1.5km south; in summer there’s an information kiosk on the waterfront south of the main square, Cumhuriyet Alanı. Offshore, you can visit Alibey Island (Cunda), which is lined with open-air fish restaurants and linked by ferries and a causeway to the mainland. In summer, it is included in cruises (incl meal per person around TL10-12) around the bay’s islands; cruises leave Ayvalık at about 11am and stopping here and there for sunbathing and swimming.
Sleeping & Eating
Taksiyarhis Pension ( 312 1494; www.taksiyarhispension.com; r without bathroom per person TL28, breakfast TL7) These 120-year-old Greek houses beside the eponymous church have exposed wooden beams and a jumble of cushions, rugs and handicrafts. Facilities include a communal kitchen, book exchange and bicycles for hire.
Annette’s House ( 312 5971; www.annetteshouse.com; Neşe Sokak 12; s/d €21/42) On a square that hosts a Thursday market, Annette’s is an oasis of calm and comfort. Nothing is too much trouble for the eponymous German owner, who presides over a charming collection or large, clean, well-decorated rooms.
Şehir Kulübü ( 312 1088; Yat Limanı; fish per 500g TL15; 10am-2am) Jutting over the water, the ‘city club’ is the top choice for reasonably priced fish. You choose your fish from the giant freezer and mezes (TL4 to TL7) from the counter.
Martı Restaurant ( 312 6899; Gazinolar Caddesi 9; mains TL14-22; 7.30am-midnight) Another excellent choice, Martı specialises in Ayvalık and regional specialties as well as fish.
Getting There & Away
There are frequent direct buses from İzmir (TL7.50, three hours) and Bergama (TL7.50, 1¾ hours) to Ayvalık. Coming from Çanakkale (TL12, 3¼ hours), some buses drop you on the main highway to hitch to the centre.
For Alibey Island, take a dolmuş taxi (white with red stripes) from the main square (TL1.50) or a boat (TL2; June to August) from behind the tourist kiosk nearby.
Daily boats operate to Lesvos (Greece) between June and September (€40/50 one way/return). There are two boats a week from October to May. For information and tickets, contact Jale Tours ( 312 2740; Gümrük Caddesi 24).
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BERGAMA & PERGAMUM
0232 / pop 58,210
As Selçuk is to Ephesus, so Bergama is to Pergamum: a workaday market town that’s become a major stop on the tourist trail because of its proximity to the remarkable ruins of Pergamum, site of the preeminent medical centre of ancient Rome. During Pergamum’s heyday (between Alexander the Great and the Roman domination of Asia Minor) it was one of the Middle East’s richest and most powerful small kingdoms.
İzmir Caddesi (the main street) is where you’ll find banks with ATMs and