Let me just get this out of the way: Guliz was a really good host. I was in a bind looking for a last-minute bed to sleep on for four nights, and she replied to my request within the hour. And what I found at her apartment was exactly what you see in these photos: a clean, bright and comfortable room. In my days staying with her, Guliz allowed me to borrow a fan for the evening (it can get kindda hot in the Istanbul summer), she gave me recommendations for places to eat and things to do, and she let me borrow her card to take the train.

But what was really awesome about staying with Guliz was the unexpected. During a conversation the first night in her apartment, she told me that she's directed several documentaries, and I figured out that her most recent one was screening at a few theaters in town. The following night, I went to watch it, and I got to see a very interesting biopic about a complicated Turkish artist who was dedicated to his craft, even if it meant sacrificing his family and his own health. Back at the apartment, I drilled Guliz with questions about the documentary, and she very graciously answered every one of them. She was super cool about it.

I liked the architecture and most of the peopple I got to meet in Istanbul. And one of the most memorable things I experienced while I was there was getting to meet Guliz and through her work learning about a country I knew little about it.