One large complex I visited with special permission from the municipality was the old Kirlangic* (Swallow) Olive Oil Factory. I remember their logo on the oil cans my mother used to purchase, a black swallow with wings spread against the greenish yellow background of the oil can. The buildings were designed for function and separated into several structures. Some of them were connected to each other while others stood alone, perhaps lost their connection to the rest of the buildings. As I walked slowly from one building to the next, sometimes through the rubble and avoiding certain dangerous looking paths, the true master of the mostly abandoned complex walked by: a large dog who totally ignored me.

I was pleased to hear that the municipality was planning to convert the place into a large cultural center, very good news indeed. I truly hope that the project materializes and the dilapidated complex turns into a vibrant cultural center. That will change the future of Ayvalik in very significant and profound ways. Best of luck to all involved.

Here is a small collection of the photographs to provide a sense of what I experienced. I hope you experience the place through my photography and through my eyes.

(* Pronounce Kirlangic as kehr-lung-itch)

We had coffee, then delicious home made lemonade. She was a very gracious hostess and we chatted about the community service and organization in Ayvalik. She apparently was quite active in making things happen.

Here are some pictures from the visit. The last few black and white photographs were taken with an infrared camera, thus the white foliage.

Suleyman was waiting for us as we exited the ferry and I relinquished the driver seat and enjoyed the scenery. Roads were better than the last time we drove this route, mostly divided highways with intermittent construction to make the rest the same. We drove to Balikesir where we took a lunch break at a restaurant where everything was made with olive oil, not surprising since the region is known for olive orchards and oil production. From there we drove to Edremit, then a stop at Laleli Shop, ending in Ayvalik in about an hour and a half.

Just as luck would have it, my young friend Erdinc who took me to the dome of Hagia Sophia three years ago was in Ayvalik to bid on a renovation project. We arranged to have them briefly at the house which they truly enjoyed, then went to Ayna for dinner. It was a very enjoyable evening. They told us about their work and extended an invitation to visit them in Bursa where they had been working on the restoration of Yesil Cami (The Green Mosque). The project was coming to an end and there would be an opening ceremony on May 11, 2012. That’s the reason for our departure from Ayvalik on May 9, so that we can spend a day touring the mosque and other places they suggested. During their visit I also learned that Erdinc and Canan got married after working together for quite a few years. Belated congratulations to both.

As we approached Karakoy landing I noticed that the general texture of the district was reasonably intact with the Galata Tower dominating the vista. At least from a distance many of the buildings appeared to be in decent condition, some were even very well maintained. A short hop from the landing was the restaurant about which we had heard quite a bit from Ergun and Binnaz. It was on the ground level of an old building and inside was carefully decorated to reflect the late 19th, early 20th century look. The walls were covered with tiles which reminded me of Pandelli, another old restaurant inside the Spice Bazaar on the other side of the Golden Horn.

The food was quite tasty and variety was satisfying. Oya, being on a restrictive diet was not a happy camper. While we had raki or wine she ordered non alcoholic apple cider. We are looking forward to the day when she can enjoy her glass of drink with the rest of us. We enjoyed the dinner, conversation, and then we all took the ferry back to Kadikoy except Bevan. Here are some photographs from this outing.

After a short walk we arrived at Tunel (with one “n”), quite possibly the shortest subway in the world. A short ride of a minute or two brought us to Istiklal Avenue, one of the most famous, once glorious shopping and promenade street in Istanbul. Since we had plenty of time we slowly strolled towards the restaurant and made a pit stop at Narmanli Han to look inside the courtyard. Its gate has been closed for quite a while and the building is in desperate need of repair. With its rich history, it certainly deserves a better future. The guard allowed me to step inside the gate and take a few more shots and showed me the storm damage to one of the chimneys because of the wind. The gorgeous wisteria was sadly stained by soot where it dared to climb to the chimney tops. At the corner of the big gate on the street a young man was petting a white cat from Narmanli Han. When he left, a plastic mannequin head wearing a sleeping mask appeared behind him with a price tag, of what, it was difficult to discern. Even a dummy may need to cover its eyes to fall asleep I guess.

We arrived at Asmali Cavit restaurant to meet my cousins, their families, and my uncle and his wife. They all arrived on time, my uncle looking great as usual at 84. We all expressed how jealous we were of his appearance and dignified manners. For several hours, we enjoyed each others company, the young generation’s presence among us, good food, reminisced about the old days, and remembered the family members who were no longer with us. Around 11:00 PM it was time to leave and we realized that it was raining hard outside. Ergun called for a taxi for the three of us, and the others headed back to where they parked their cars. Another surprise was waiting for us, the usually comfortable moving traffic at that time was going very slowly. The driver, sometimes taking shortcuts on the back streets managed to move through the traffic jam and we were home in about an hour. The actual distance: about 15 miles. As he went the wrong way on some of the back streets, the driver told us that driving like that was for the pros, and we should not try that!

A very enjoyable evening indeed and my uncle said that we would do this again when Elif and Mina arrived. We are looking forward to that now.