Our time in Kusadasi was over and we were now on the home trek in Turkey, heading back to Istanabul via Cannakkale The fellow in charge of breakfast at our cheapo hotel was still asleep on the couch when we were ready to leave, so rather than stir him into action we decided to have breakfast on the way.

 
 
A good move it was, showing us what an upmarket breakfast looks like here. It was basically the same as we have had for 3 weeks - bread, tomato, cucumber, olives, cheese, boiled egg and jam or honey. A perfectly adequate and enjoyable breakfast , but this one was beautifully presented - as the photo shows.

    
 
Not long after we were stopped by the police along the road. It happens all the time - they check Bob’s drivers licence, passport and the papers for the hire car and send us on our way. This time an enterprising fruit grower had set up his stall right there. He was on his phone and didn’t notice me but the police guy yelled at him that he had a customer. I had been on the lookout for cherries as I had read they are in season and very good here, and it was true. Beautiful cherries

 .The drive to our stop for the night, Ayvalik, was along a coastline where the land was very flat. Quite different to the mountainous coastlines we have seen here. Ayvalik was on such a coast, and the beach in front of the hotel looked like scorched earth - not very tempting. For the first time we stayed in a larger type hotel - we have mostly stayed in pension type places- 3 or 4 floors - run by a family with some domestic help. This hotel was new, and the deal was based on half pension - so dinner was organised. It was buffet style and included a chicken dish and mashed potato. We have been enjoying the food here but there is not a lot of variety, so this was a welcome change.
  


 
Mountainous country returned the next day, and we made a diversion to Assos, a fishing village at the bottom of a long winding road. Very pretty, but no place to park, so we made for our last stop at Cannakkale. On the Dardanelles, this town is on the other side of the water from Gallipoli Peninsula. A walk around town and dinner by the water made it a very pleasant stop. Lots of fish restaurants, a large military museum, and strangely, a Trojan Horse on the waterfront. We didn’t go to Troy, so this replica built for the movie ‘Troy’ was interesting to see.

 
 
We were only 200 metres from the ferry, so we were up early to catch the boat across. Too early for the hotel breakfast, so I bought ‘simit’, the sesame covered bagel that is breakfast (and lunch, or a snack) for many people here. The trip to Istanbul was over 300 kms, and the car had to be delivered at Istanbul Attaturk Airport by 3pm, so we stopped only briefly at Anzac Cove and the Anzac Memorial. It is a beautiful piece of coastline, currently made pretty by wildflowers, but of course a sad place for many.
 
And so to our final destination here. This we made on time. Only a few rounds of the airport to find the rental car depot, and then we were on the shuttle to our hotel in Istanbul. Looking forward to our last four days here.