Ayvelik, the coastal town much beloved by Turkish tourists, is where I spent three leisurely days. It's known for its olives and even boasts an olive museum, although I never did find it. (People kept, comically, pointing in opposite directions. I don't think anyone had actually been there.) But Ayvelik, I learned, has a sad history. In 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence, Ayvelik's Greek Orthodox population was exchanged for the nearby Greek Island of Lesvos' Muslim population. Orthodox churches were converted to mosques and abandoned houses were left to crumble. Can you imagine: you'd have to leave behind your home and business and neighborhood. You're close enough to visit your old house, only a 2 hour ferry ride away, but you can never return. It would be analogous to the government requiring all native Midwesterners living in New York to relocate to Chicago, permanently, and vice versa. People would be furious!

An Icy Dip in the Aegean

From Ayvelik, I took a day cruise around the surrounding small islands. Instead of white sandy beaches--I'll see those on the Mediterranean Coast--there were rocky uninhabited islands. I jumped directly from the boat into the icy Aegean for a swim. Brrrr! Colder than the Atlantic! Lunch consisting of salad and grilled sardines was included and everyone threw their uneaten fishy bits overboard, attracting a flock of scavenging sea gulls.

What do you get from two snakes fighting over a bowl of milk?

From the seaside town of Ayvalik, I hopped on a bus to visit the ancient city of Pergamum, 55 kilometers away. Local ladies with bags full of hot green peppers climbed onto the bus, headed for market. It was bright and sunny and everyone seemed very jolly.

Pergamum was renowned as the medical capital of the world in its time and has really cool Greek ruins, most notably an acroplis on a hill outside of town with a 10,000 seat theater constructed on the steep slope.

Fırst, I stopped at the archeology museum and heard an interesting story, which I will retell for you:

A man came to the Roman physician Galen for treatment. Galen determined that he had been poisoned and called for his family to collect him and take him home to die. While waiting on the steps for his family to come, the man saw two snakes fighting over a bowl of milk and vomiting their serum into the bowl of milk. He grabbed the bowl, intending to drink it and die...but he was cured! And thus was the existance of antidotes discovered. I love this story, and here is a depiction of the two snake and their bowl of milk.
There is also a Medusa mosaic that I remember from my Ancient History class textbook from 7th grade. Look famililar?
After the museum, I wanted to see the acropolis. I was advised not to attempt to climb up to the Acropolis due to the fact that it is a long hot, treacherous climb. Rumor had it that there was an operational cable car. I asked the museum staff, who did not speak English and they called a friend, spelled 'cable car' and discovered the Turkish translation, telefinık. Incredibly helpful, and so much beyond what I would ever do for a tourıst in New York!

As an aside, people have been so ıncredibly hospitable and helpful here! One young man lent me his sister's old cell phone to use for the duration of my stay here when it became clear that my unlocked phone, from Thailand, was not zoned for Europe. One gentleman, on the ferry from Istanbul to Bandirma, pleaded with me for the duration of the ride (2 hours) to come home wıth him to his village, feast on Kurdish foods and experience real Turkish village life. I declined, politely yet firmly, because I suspected that he wanted a third foreign wife (wife one was Finnish while wife two was Australian). Quite honestly, it's hard to know what is hospitable and what is creepy when you don't know what cultural norms are. Nonetheless, it's made me vow to be more helpful to poor lost tourists in New York.

That said, I was thrilled to discover at the museum that the telefinik was running. I love cable cars. Riding in them is like flying!

The acropolis was great and the theater was my favorite bit.Imagine attending a play or an early opera here!
And then it was back down the hill into the town. Here is a little boy who would not desist tormentıng his poor donkey.
And this is a crumbling house in the sister town of Bergama.

Fishy dinners in Ayvelik

Here's my simple dinner of fried sardines and a salad. It's been fish and salad for me every day because, you know, kebabs are not really my style.

Fıgs, anyone?

Fıgs are 2 Turkish lira a kilo, or 63 cents a pound and perfectly ripe and succulent!

Clearly, the cats run this town

Cats are everywhere in Istanbul and everyone, it seems, has a favorite stray that they feed. The cats also engage in commerce, like this very special Van cat with one green eye and one blue eye at a fabric store in the Grand Bazaar. Annoyed by the attention she was receiving, this cat leapt onto her perch and glared at her crowd of admirers. Her owner stroked her cheek and she promptly snapped at him. What attitude!

I met another cat at the Aya Sophia who was guarding a "No Entry" portion of the museum.

I imagine that if you tried to enter, she would bite your ankles!

Where in the World is Kutlwano now?

Answer: Istanbul!
It's time for another little trip, so it's off to Turkey that I go. While I would have loved to go to India, J. vetoed it as too potentially hazardous and if there is anything he requires, it's peace of mind. So Turkey it is, for five weeks. I expect the food will be delicious and the ruins will be impressive. Possibly, there will be lovely beaches and maybe even a Greek island or two to visit.

As an added bonus, my friend Jenny is spending the first bit of her honeymoon in Istanbul due to Hurricane Irene related itinerary changes and I will get to see her for the first time, as a married woman! (She and her husband eloped). Jenny was my roommate my senior year of high school and we've stayed in close touch. I'm amazed that we've managed to see each other at least once a year since then, although we have always lived in different cities and sometimes different countries.