"Cok guezel" exclaimed our guide, Abdullah, as he expertly maneuvered the hairpin turns on the narrow gravel road.

Every turn brought a new view far below of sandy beaches, empty jagged cliffs and, in the distance, mountains sweeping into the sea.

My friend from Vienna, Christl, brought out her dictionary. It was not to look up "Cok Guezel" (by now she knew the Turkish word for "beautiful") but to find "That’s an understatement!" The scenery was indeed spectacular.

"It’s like Rio" said my well-traveled friend.

We were on the northern coast of Kapidag, the rugged peninsula that juts out into the Sea of Marmara like a giant hammer. When I discovered Erdek more than 20 years ago, I was captivated by its beauty and charm, and have returned frequently. Abdullah’s family has been in the olive oil business for generations and he is always delighted to show visitors the scenic attractions of Erdek and its surroundings.

For more than an hour we hadn’t seen a sign of another vehicle.

The small fishing villages were few and far between and hotels and restaurants were almost non-existent. Luckily we’d brought a lunch along and we were soon scrambling down a steep path to what looked like a perfect beach and the turquoise sea.

As we enjoyed our lunch of dolma, (grape leaves stuffed with spicy rice), kebap (succulent grilled lamb), kasar cheese from the eastern city of Kars and marvelous bread still warm from the oven, all washed down with the excellent Doluca red wine, we wondered where Abdullah had vanished to.

He soon reappeared in dripping wet bathing trunks, clutching a sack of mussels and sea urchins, which he had scooped up by hand from the sea floor. "Midye ve deniz kestame. Cok guezel! ("Mussels and sea urchins. How beautiful!"), he proudly exclaimed.

"No, cok cok guezel," replied Christl. After gathering wood and building a small fire to cook his treasures of the sea, Abdullah presented us with the final touch to complete our perfect picnic.

In the southern corner of Kapidag, which is a national park, lies Erdek, the ancient Arteke. Famous for its olives and superb olive oil, it has attracted visitors for thousands of years.

The setting is beautiful — a fine, deep harbor lined with plane trees and set in a natural amphitheater of wooded hills.

Long one of Turkey’s most famous and popular seaside resorts, it has been somewhat neglected since the over-development of the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. Still, in the summer its population swells from around 15,000 to more than 100,000.

Then, on the first of September, the crowds suddenly depart as families go home to start the new school year. The automobiles with Istanbul license plates — which make crossing the cobblestoned streets as risky as trying to cross Istanbul’s Taksim Square — are replaced by horse-drawn wagons as the town reverts to its role as one of Turkey’s largest olive oil producers.

Every Monday and Saturday Erdek becomes one vast open-air market filled with villagers from Kapidag stocking up on fruits and vegetables. The harbor will be a scene of frantic activity, and often confusion, as boats bring passengers from the nearby islands for their weekly shopping.

The markets are a riot of colors: violet eggplants, red peppers, incomparable peaches from Bursa, oranges from Fimike and wonderful Parmesan-like cheese from the nearby town of Mamyas.

Although the Sea of Marmara has become overfished, some days there is still a good catch and fisherman will be offering bluefish, anchovies, sardines, the eel-like garfish and the fierce-looking scorpion fish — indispensable for bouillabaisse and brodetto, an Italian seafood stew.

Avsa and Marmara islands are both popular resorts. Pasa Liman, the most beautiful of the three, has yet to be discovered by tourists.

Five miles from Erdek, near the village of Duzler, lie the ruins of Cyzikos, once a rival of Pergama and Ephesus and now almost completely vanished and untouched under dense undergrowth.

Newcomers would be unlikely to find the ruins without a guide. Any taxi driver in Erdek would be more than willing to provide transportation and act as a guide for about $20 for the trip. (Prices are negotiable.)

A half-hour walk into the hills from the Temple of Hadrian (in the village of Duzler) through olive groves and ancient irrigation canals leads to the ruins of the amphitheater, its 50-foot walls still very impressive, and a reminder that this edifice was once as grandiose as the Colosseum in Rome. From here there is a breathtaking view — the ancients knew how to choose sites — of the Bay of Erdek and the isthmus connecting it to the Gulf of Bandirma.

Legend has it that Kapidag was once an island and that Alexander the Great, after a victory over the Persians near present-day Biga, built bridges connecting the mainland to Cyzikos. Legend or not, it is easy to imagine, and to visualize, Jason and his Argonauts as they sailed into the Bay of Erdek to be royally welcomed by the king of Cyzikos.

Patrick Praetzel is a freelance journalist based in Turkey and San Francisco. He is the correspondent in Turkey for Opera News and Opera Magazine. He also contributes to the Turkish Daily News.

Know and GoGetting there

• From Istanbul, take a taxi to Yenikapi Harbor. The trip takes about 20 minutes and costs about $12. Then, take a hydrofoil to Bandirma Harbor (which leaves two or three times a day depending on the season). The trip takes about two hours and costs $15. From there, mini-buses leave every 15 minutes for Erdek.

• By bus from Istanbul, the trip winds around the coast of the Sea of Marmara, takes about six hours and also costs about $15. For bus schedule information, call Kamil Koc at (212) 444-0562 or (212) 658-2000.

Where to stay

There are many hotels on the two-mile sand beach, beginning with a 10-minute walk from the town center.

• Hotel Toronto has all the amenities one would expect from a four-star hotel, including excellent location, pool, private beach, and superb cuisine. Spacious doubles go for around $70 a night in high season (July and August) and far less the rest of the year.

• Hotel Pinar is also on a private sand beach about three miles from Erdek. It boasts particularly fine cuisine and extra-friendly staff. Doubles run around $30 a night including a buffet breakfast. For booking information, check online.

Where to eat

There are many fine restaurants, most specializing in meze (Turkish appetizers) including eggplant salad, stuffed mussels, yogurt, olives and borek (spinach or cheese fried in sheets of filo dough). For the main course, lamb shish kebab is a special favorite. These are located along Liman Cadessi, which is directly on the harbor. Hotels can direct you there.

• Kafkas serves delicious fresh fish; try the grilled sea bass) and wash it down with the Turkish national drink, the anise-flavored and potent raki.

• Marina is especially recommended for those in the mood for a pizza.

• The Vulkan Pastry Shop in the center of town is a must-visit for a mouthwatering array of pastries. The cakes and baklava are "out of this world" and created by the master pastry chefs from the Black Sea.

You will find it hard to spend more than $5 or $6 per person at any of Erdek’s restaurants.

Tours

For tours to Cyzikos and Kapidag, contact Abdullah Pektas at (+90) 266-845-6462. And remember to ask him for some samples of his olive oil.

— Patrick Praetzel

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