Saturday May 11 was a special day as we were invited to the Sakinc mountain house near Elma Mountain just east of Ankara off of the Hasanoglan exit on the road to Kirikkale. You might remember that the Sakinc's are the parents of Alice's doctoral student at Auburn, Eren. They are the friendliest people and mom, Serin, is the best cook in all of Turkey, and that is saying something!
We drove there with Mehmet, who was also invited, and arrived in mid afternoon. A true feast awaited us (see pictures below). Everything was so fresh and delicious! After eating all of the food we could hold, we enjoyed the gardens of this rural paradise. Ali Haydar has filled every inch of his garden with fruit and nut trees, vegetables, flowers and other greenery. Most of their foods (other than meat) come from their garden bounty. The love he has for this place and his produce are evident.
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| Entrance to the mountain house getaway of the Sakinc family |
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| The house blends modern convenience with traditional styling. The Sakinc's have many historic implements both outside and inside to remind themselves and their guests of food production and rural life during earlier times |
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| View from front garden at Casa Sakinc |
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| Some of the fruit trees |
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| Some of the flowers and vegetables |
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| In bloom |
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| Tulips (which are originally from Turkey before they found their way to Holland) |
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| More flowering plants |
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| Ali Haydar under one of his grape arbors |
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| View from the upper living area which is glassed in on three sides |
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| Randy and Mehmet chill out before the meal |
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| Randy was happy to meet the big puppy Rex, who was lively and sweet |
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| Ali Haydar mans the grill - meats included salmon, sucuk and chicken |
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| Boran enjoys his dinner (but not as much as he enjoys his puppy companion Rex) |
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| The best cook in Turkey - Serin Sakinc. Sorry to all of the other great cooks in Turkey, but here is the best one |
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| The salads and vegetables were amazing. Serin's eggplant (in any form) cannot be bettered |
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| More salads and bulgar pilav |
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| Even more - her Russian salad set the standard |
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| A plate full of deliciousness! |
Also, the surrounding area is truly beautiful with the distant Elma Dagi, the highest mountain in Ankara, and the valley and green hills. We enjoyed a spectacular sunset and also the company of Eren's sister Evrim, her husband Altan and cute son, Boran. A special guest was their five month old Golden Retriever puppy, Rex, who was a delight.
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| Serin and Alice relax after dinner in their traditional Ottoman style living room |
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| Mehmet plays the Sultan |
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| Evrim serves fruit, Maras ice cream and baklava for desert |
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| A toast to the good life at Casa Sakinc |
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| After dinner goodies (yes, that is raki in the background) |
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| Alice and Boran enjoy the coming dusk |
When we left just after sunset, our stomachs were full of excellent garden fresh food, our hearts were filled with the hospitality and jolly nature of the Sakinc family, and our heads were empty of the stress of the urban world. Thank you Sakinc family for sharing your little bit of heaven!
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| Paradise found at Casa Sakinc |
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