We arrive at a large, two-storey house with a garden and a pool. Immediately we can tell that we are at the right house. A vehicle that looks like a bicycle with a roof is visible through the large windows. Upon being invited in, we don’t quite know who is who in the minimally furnished living room. Two young men are working on their laptops at a large dining table. An older man introduces himself as Nicola, the owner of the strange vehicle, and finally Erol joins in. He is an enigmatic entrepreneur whose age is difficult to estimate. While he talks to us, he keeps pacing back and forth so that we constantly have to turn our heads. 

A year earlier, he states, he had started to take in bicycle travellers. Now he continues because the requests just keep coming. In addition to the steady flow of bikepackers, Erol is granting accommodation for two young Russian men, who are acquaintances of his twenty-something girlfriend Natasha. What exactly Erol does for a living, however, we will never know. Although he proudly shows us all kinds of projects in his house – a room for photo shoots, a 3D printer and some kind of compostable plastic – he is vague about how exactly he finances his lifestyle. 

Erol provides us with a bedroom and bathroom just for ourselves. We even get clean towels! Overwhelmed by the hospitality, we suggest cooking for him and the whole group as a small gesture. Erol, however, politely declines, stating everyone here has their own schedule. We should, however, feel free to take whatever we want from the kitchen.