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AGORA
PENSION|
AGORA PENSIONThe pension is in the centre of the village of Kapikiri and surrounded by antique ruins. It is operated by the Sercin family who are originally from this village. Orhan, the father, served for one term as the elected muhtar (the village administrator) and is actively involved to preserve and protect the natural, historical and cultural characteristics of the region. He is also part of a nation-wide organisation of selective group of small family-owned hotels. Their philosophy is to provide an alternative to large scale mass tourism, while respecting nature, history and local culture. The members of the organisation meet annually in Istanbul for several days and exchange ideas. Ozgun, his wife, prepares many traditional Turkish dishes, including a large variety of appetisers (mezes). Moreover, being a lover of good food and fine cuisine, she is very familiar with many dishes from different parts of the world and integrates them into her cooking. Their two teenage sons, Mithat and Oktay help out in every way and are excellent guides. They too have their own incredulous stories about the mysterious Latmos mountains. After a few days here, you may even make up your own tales and enrich the ancient Latmos tradition. The pension has ten rooms. Seven are in the main building with private bathrooms. They all have air conditioning(hot and cold) and radiators. One even has a traditional wood-burning fireplace. The temperature in the region is mild even in winter and one can walk around with a sweater on. But heating helps especially at night in winter and spring. There is always hot water. There are also three detached wooden bungalows, surrounded by trees and flowers, with common facilities. All rooms have recently been refurbished and renovated. One part of the building has been converted to a cosy traditional Turkish bath by using marble from the region, the same marble used in ancient times. It is ideal for a family, a group of friends or by yourself to relax after a good walk in the mountains, lose a few pounds or sober up in case you have indulged yourself too much in Turkish food and drinks. FOOD: Your stay includes breakfast and dinner. A typical breakfast consists of eggs from the village (not factory eggs), local honey, olives from the Latmos mountains, cheese, yoghurt, jams and butter made by Ms. Ozgun, fresh milk, oven baked dark village bread, fruits, tea and coffee…For dinner, we serve three to four hot and cold appetisers, with emphasis on local vegetables, endemic mountain plants and the use of local olive oil. Our main dishes combine local meat and fresh vegetables. They are often cooked in traditional clay pots (guvec) in our wood-burning out-door oven. Depending on the weather governed by the capricious Latmos gods and poor fisherman's luck, fish is also available. For desert, in addition to famous Turkish sweets made in our kitchen, we serve seasonal local fruits such as figs, melons, oranges, tangerines and grapes. The meat we use comes from the Latmos region where cows and sheep are still free from hormones and artificial feed. They do not need such stuff given the abundance of grass, oregano and other mountain plants. We also have a small garden where we grow some vegetables and herbs by using only natural fertilisers. Anything else we need is provided by local villagers who have fields by the lake. Anyone with special dietary needs should inform Ms. Sercin in advance. The philosophy of all-inclusive pre-packaged tours does not apply here! Ours is family operation free of formalities and rules. Lunch, snacks and picnic packages are also available for a modest extra charge. There are also a few other restaurants and cafes by the lake which you may want to visit during your stay. They are owned by friends from the village. In addition to soft drinks, we serve beer, raki and a good selection of reasonably priced regional and national wines. If you are not familiar with raki, we recommend that you consume it with “care”. It is called the “lion's milk” (aslan sutu) and some of our guests exhibit a remarkable personality change after a few shots. Thank Selene, mostly in a positive direction! Tea and coffee pots brew all day long and you may simply serve yourself for no extra charge. The pension has both an in-door and out-door restaurant section in the midst of flowers, oleander and eucalyptus trees. They have a view of the ancient Agora and the temple of Athena . The temple is almost intact and perched on a hill overlooking the lake Bafa and the islands, with the mountains in behind. We have also a small library of books in different languages providing information about the region. We have in our village a genuine troubadour, Mehmet Akgun, who learned playing the traditional string instrument saz when he was a young boy shepherding goats in the mountains. He sings the songs and tells the stories of the Latmos mountains. Apollon would be envious of him! Several times a week, he will come and sing for you.
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