The saying "Rakı, fish, Ayvalık" is bandied around to describe Ayvalık, but I say, "Sun, sea, fish, Ayvalık, parting is hard." But when you connect with society, you get a lot more than just a few! First of all, there are the 22 islands, the variety of herbs, the famous papalina, the magnificent Ayvalık toast appetizers, the baby calamari, the extra virgin olive oil, the cracked olives, the fragrant soaps, the almond pudding, the mastic cookies, the curd dessert, the black mulberries, the verjuice, the turquoise bays, the rich history, the mosques converted from churches, the holy spring, the narrow streets paved with cut stone, the garlic-studded Greek houses, the beautiful doors of those houses, the colorful cats waiting outside for food. In the summer, boats carry passengers between Ayvalık and Cunda. In summer, the windy northeasterly winds sweep away the stifling heat.