Just before leaving Istanbul I had the chance to spend the weekend with a complete stranger. Well, Gurcan wasn't entirely a stranger. I met him through the couchsurfing.org project, a social network of people that like to meet local people when the travel on one side, and people that enjoy hosting and learning about other cultures on the other side. I had spent some time during the first few days in Istanbul to fill in my couchsurfing profile including some photos so that potential hosts get a better idea who they might be meeting. Then I looked up possible hosts in the city. With more than 5000 couchsurfing members in Istanbul this was quite a challenge. In the end I picked two guys and sent them a request to either meet up for a few hours or surf with them. And this is how I got to meet up with Gurcan at a subway exit in Istanbul on a Saturday noon.
We spent the weekend together and it was a really great experience of Turkish hospitality. We checked out the cinema program in a gigantic mall...
...enjoyed the view from his flat over one of Istanbul's many living quarters...
...and I got introduced to some new Turkish fast food: Kumpir. Yummy!!
After having spent a lot of time in the busy historic areas it was very relaxing weekend and I even got spoilt twice by Gurcan's cookings skills. Two days and many conversations later, on a Monday morning, Gurcan went back to work and I took a bus to get to my next destination: Antalya. Thanks for this fantastic weekend, Gurcan!
You are always welcome :)
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