
Ayvalık is a popular North Aegean seaside resort for local people, with ferries to the Greek island of Lesvos (Mytileni).
Surrounded by groves of olive trees which produce much of Turkey's best olive oil, Ayvalık ("Quince Orchard", pop. 30,000) has an interesting history.
After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Greeks of Ayvalık moved to Greece, and Turkish citizens of Greece moved to Ayvalik. Thus, even after the Greeks left, you...