Ayvalik was the next pleasant harbour town. Linda was starting to realise that harbour towns tend to be built on hills as she hauled her baggage up through the narrow alleys while we hunted down the recommended pension. She was just on the point of refusal when our efforts were rewarded by by the double oak door of the pension. This converted Ottoman house was actually quite a treat as the elevation provided a splendid view over the rooftops of Ayvalik down to the sea. In addition to the double bed our room was large enough for two separate lounging areas and about 14 puffed up cushions (at £11 per night). The town is full of interest and bustle (and the first couple of large supermarkets we have seen). We ate most nights in a small ... read more

We landed at Istanbul airport last Thursday (24/6)and progressed through the formalities to find that the collection service from the pension had not appeared. This meant an immediate introduction to the Turkish public telephone system - which seemed exteaordinarily expensive simply because the cheapest phonecard cost 20000000 lira. Using currency with such big numbers takes some getting used to, I have made some sort of cock-up every day so far. We stayed 5 nights in Istanbul. It is probably more noteworthy what we didn't do than what we did do. We didn't go to the Topkapi palace. We didn't go around the Blue Mosque or the Aghia Sofia even though all of these were on our doorstep. We did take the tourist ferry up the Bosphorus (£2.60) towards the black sea where we just had time ... read more