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Yalova ( Now is the City )... The southern shore of the Sea of Marmara is a land of small villages surrounded by olive groves, orchards, sunflower fields, rolling hills and rich valleys. During the time of the Ottoman Empire the choice olives for the sultan's table came from here, as did snow to cool his drinks. The latter came from the slopes of Bursa's Uludag (the Bithynian Mt.Olympus). The region's few cities are of moderate size, but of significant interest to visitors. You can enjoy this region and its sights in only two days: catch an early ferry from Istanbul to Yalova, make a quick tour of Iznik (the ancient city of Nicaea) and spend the night in Bursa. After seeing the sights of Bursa, the next morning catch a bus westward to Canakkale. You'll reach that town on the Dardanelles in time for a late supper. But three days is a more realistic time in which to see all there is to see. If you have another day, you can truly enjoy the Marmara's southern shore. Plan to spend most of your extra time in Bursa, where the mosques and museums are particularly fine (this was the Ottomans first capital city, before Edirne and Istanbul). You can even bask in hot mineral baths at Cekirge, a spa suburb, and take the cablecar to the top of Uludag, which is snow-capped for most of the year, and offers skiing in winter. If you must, you can rocket down to Bursa from Istanbul just for the day. But this means a lot of travel time for only a few hours' sightseeing, when the city really deserves an overnight stay. On your way to Bursa, you will probably pass through the Sea of Marmara port of Yalova. This small town is a farming and transportation centre. The highway between the industrial cities of Bursa and Izmit (not to be confused with Iznik) passes near here, as does the ferry bus link between Bursa and Istanbul. It's a pleasant enough town, with a few modest hotels and restaurants, most within two blocks of the ferry dock. Everything else you'd need is here as well, including banks, chemists/drugstores, etc. The market area is a short stroll straight from the wharf. Other than these few amusements, there's nothing to detain you in Yalova. You can plan to head for the spa at Termal, the ancient city of Iznik or booming Bursa without delay. Twelve km west of Yalova, off the road to Cinarcik, is Termal, a spa. The baths here take advantage of hot, mineral-rich waters that gush from the earth and were first exploited in Roman times. The Ottomans used the baths from the 1500s and Abdul Hamid II repaired and refurbished them in 1900 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne.

He had the work done inthe wonderfully gaudy Ottoman Baroque style. Atatürk added a simple but comfortable spa hotel, where time seems to stand still: at luncheon you may still hear a violin-and-piano duo play a lilting rendition of "Santa Lucia", as though the great Turkish leader were resting and taking the waters here, as he did in the 193Os. You can come just to stroll through the shady gardens and have a look at the facilities, or you can come to bathe or stay the night.

On the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara, the popular resort of Yalova has been visited since Roman times for its thermal waters which are beneficent for rheumatism sufferers. The baths of the main resort a few kilometers out of town are set in pleasant gardens adding to the relaxing atmosphere. In the town of Yalova itself, many inexpensive hotels and guest houses provide comfortable accommodation. Near Yalova, in Samanli village, is the Yalova Karaca Arboretum, a large, lovely park with beautiful trees from all over the world; visiting-hours are from noon until sunset on Sundays only. Seventeen kilometers west of Yalova, the relaxing resort area of Çinarcik has lovely beaches and modern holiday complexes.