How did I choose? I decided on this particular AirBnB in Istanbul because the books were crooked. I knew I would feel comfortable there. Someone real lived there. To my utter delight, when I arrived the host informed me that in the shower, the blue was hot and the red was cold. I said, “Just like in my Japanese apartment! I’ll feel right at home!”
The guy missed his cousin’s wedding waiting for me. I didn’t know this – my flight only arrived after the ceremony, and I had only had a chance to book the place a few minutes before I boarded my 10-hour flight.
The residence has gorgeous, old-style grandeur with the kitchen cleanliness of a college dorm. Since I only needed the water cooker for my instant coffee, the kitchen met my needs perfectly. The books invited me in just like Rilke promised they would: love the questions themselves, like books in a very foreign language, until one day you live your way into the answers.
House shoes, dripping shower, wet bathroom floor when I arrived, best sleep I've had in a long time, high ceilings, living spaces designed and built to serve many generations and hundreds of years without withering or needing much care. A balcony reminiscent of the movie Labyrinth. Antique chairs that are so adorable you want to keep them, until you sit in them and recognize that these are antiques. A nook inside a picture window with just enough cold wind seeping through that you’re convinced it is truly a room separate from the main living room space. You sit down on the stool there, anticipating what it will be like. You look up and are enchanted by the glowing, majestic Galata Tower right there between buildings.
Let's be honest: you're on AirBnB because you want _this_ experience in Istanbul. Book it already! And tell Akif I sent you.