The Turkish city of Balıkesir (bah-LUK-eh-seer), midway between Turkey’s Marmara and Aegean regions (map), is known for its olives and olive oil, and for the Yağcıbedir (YAH-juh-beh-deer) carpets woven in nearby villages.It’s also the capital city of the province of Balıkesir,which includes tourism towns on the Sea of Marmara such as Erdek, the bird sanctuary (kuş cenneti) at Manyas, the train—ferry—bus transport nexus of Bandırma, the hot springs spa at Gönen, and the Aegean seaside resorts of Ayvalık, … Continue reading Balıkesir, Turkey