Profile information
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Host rating
100 %
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Last replied
14 Jul 2026
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Reply rate
94.8 %
Usually responds within 3 days
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Feedback
72
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Facebook verified
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Email verified
Country info
Badges (4)
Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks
Details
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Description
Hello everybody!
I am Lilian from Holland, and I have been living here in Cappadocia, Turkey, since 1979. My husband, Galip, is a native of Avanos. We are both potters.
We own a pottery studio /ceramic shop and the Hairmuseum/pottery in Avanos, Alongside a few guest rooms located around our own home.
As we get older, we would love to welcome some energetic helpers into our space!
In exchange for your support around the house and occasionally in the pottery shop, we offer you a wonderful place to stay right in the heart of Cappadocia.
🏡 About Our Property & Pets
The House: Our house is located in the historic old part of Avanos and is a traditional, partly-cave house.
It is a large, 10-bedroom house and is devided in several parts connected by terraces with wonderful views and peaceful courtyards filled with green plants.
We live in a part of the house, while the remaining rooms are reserved for visitors.
Our Animals: We share our home with 5 friendly dogs and 3 cats, plus several local stray cats that come and go. -
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Animal Care
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
Light maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
House & pet sitting
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Interests
Outdoor activities
Movies & TV
Charity work
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Politics / Social justice
Self development
Pets
Culture
Photography
Languages
Music
History
Drawing & painting
DIY & crafts
Books
Animals
Art & design
Architecture
Yoga / Wellness
Winter sports
Nature
Hiking
Dancing
Cycling
Camping -
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
🗺️ Exploring Avanos & Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a world wonder, the cultural capital of Turkey. It’s famous for its beautiful fairylike landscape with its cave churches and houses, underground cities. Hiking and hot air ballooning are loved by the many visitors.
If you love nature, culture, and history dating back to the Hittite Civilization (2000 B.C.) and earlier , you will love it here.
It is incredibly easy to connect with locals, both at our workshop and while wandering around town.
Avanos itself is the artistic heart of Cappadocia—a famous, ancient pottery and carpet-making town split by the beautiful Red River (Kızılırmak).
What the town offers:
Dining & Nightlife: Several restaurants and a couple of lively local bars.
Shopping: Many charming small shops and local boutiques.
Outdoor Spaces: Scenic riverside walking path equipped with outdoor exercise gear, restaurants and lovely picnic spots.
Iconic Bridges: Three distinct bridges, including a lovely pedestrian-only suspension bridge.
🎨 Free-Time Activities
🏠 Inside the House & Cultural Center: Library: We have a small library with books in several languages. You are welcome to read, borrow, or exchange them (please ask us first! ).
Music: Our cultural center is equipped with a piano, guitar, violin, flutes, and rhythm instruments. You are welcome to play them after coordinating with us.
Pottery: You can absolutely try your hand at one of our traditional pottery kick-wheels and get your hands ‘dirty’ with clay! -
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
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Help
⚠️ IMPORTANT: Please read ALL information below before applying!
🛑 ALLERGY & ENVIRONMENT WARNING:
Our region is naturally very dusty, our house is old, and we live with many dogs and cats. If you have any allergies to dust or pets, this position will not be a good fit for you.
NATURE &WILDLIFE: We live in a small countryside town. Humans are not the only living creatures here; you may occasionally see insects or mice. If this makes you uncomfortable, please do not apply.
Animal Lovers Only: You must absolutely love animals. We have 5 dogs and 4 cats at home. Our pottery studios are also home to 3 dogs, several cats, kittens, doves, chickens, and two ducks.
🏡 ABOUT US & OUR HOME,
Our home is located in the historic old town of Avanos and is a traditional, partly-cave house. We also run a connected pottery and cultural center.
Our daughters work with us, and their young children (born in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021) regularly come to work with them. We love exposing them to different cultures and foreign languages from around the world!
🛠️ DAILY TASKS & PROJECT HELP,
We do not expect perfection, but we want you to feel good about what you do.
To keep things organized, we will create a flexible timetable and discuss your tasks together so you can easily plan your free time.Your help will include a mix of the following areas, depending on your skills and interests
🐾 1. Daily Pet Care & Household Chores; Walking the dogs (morning and evening) Feeding the dogs and cats, and cleaning their food bowls.
Sweeping and washing down the yards. General household chores (cleaning common areas, rooms, and doing laundry)
🏺 2. Pottery Workshop, Cultural Center & Translation
Helping out in and around our pottery workshop and garden
Occasionally helping translate visitor information from English into Italian, Spanish, Chinese or any other language.
📦 3. Storage Reorganization &
Woodworking
Helping re-organize our outdoor storage space at the cultural center.
Sorting through various materials, antiques, used furniture and wood. We would love to host people knowledgeable about wood to help us upcycle these materials into new tables and seats!
🔨 4. Construction, Restoration & Art
Sandpapering and varnishing iron fences around our new wooden house in our garden near the river.
Applying a second coat of varnish to the wooden exterior of the house
Adding artistic wall paintings to a few plain white walls.
🎨 Part of our old house is under construction. Light restoration work around the house, (filling cracks in walls, sanding, painting floors, doors, or chairs)
🧸 5. Childcare. Occasionally looking after, playing with, and interacting with our four young grandchildren
🧹 Cleanliness & Shared Spaces
Please always keep your room, bathroom, and the shared kitchen/common areas inside and outside clean during your stay and leave them spotless when you depart.
It is always disappointing when a great stay ends with a messy room, so we highly appreciate your respect regarding shared spaces. -
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Turkish: Fluent
German: Intermediate
Hebrew: Intermediate -
Accommodation
📅 Stay Duration & Logistics Capacity:
We can host 1, 2, or sometimes up to 4 Workawayers at a time.
Duration: We require a minimum stay of 2 weeks, but we prefer longer stays.
Flexibility: If it is a great fit for everyone, you are welcome to extend your stay (provided we don't have prior bookings).
Conversely, if it doesn't feel right for either side, we can mutually agree on an earlier departure.
We want this to be a true win-win situation!
🛏️ Accommodation & Food Arrangements
The Rooms: You will stay in a shared bedroom. If we host more than two Workawayers, a second bedroom will be made available. These two rooms share a bathroom.
MEALS PROVIDED; We provide lunch only every day, which consists of homemade, traditional warm Turkish meals
Shared Kitchen: You are welcome to use the kitchen in your section of the house. The cupboards are stocked with essentials like tea, coffee, herbs, cooking oil, rice, pasta, and beans. You will need to provide your own additional food for breakfast and dinner..
Cleanliness Note:
Please always keep your room, bathroom, and the shared kitchen/common areas inside and outside clean during your stay, and leave them spotless when you depart. It is always disappointing when a great stay ends with a messy room, so we highly appreciate your respect regarding shared spaces. -
What else ...
🚌 Easy Bus Access to Regional Highlights
Our house is located in the historic old town of Avanos, which has excellent daytime bus connections to all major sights. You can easily reach nearby destinations using the local minibus (dolmuş), or choose to hike to them through Cappadocia's beautiful valleys.
Çavuşin, Göreme, Uçhisar, & Ortahisar: 10 to 25 minutes by local bus (or accessible via scenic hiking trails).
Göreme Open-Air Museum: 20 minutes by local bus.
Ürgüp: 30 minutes by local bus.
Kaymaklı Underground City: 45 minutes by local bus.
(We can share plenty of tips on other hidden villages, museums, and valleys during your stay!)
🌲 Outdoor Adventures Nearby.
Hiking: Endless trails through the region's famous volcanic valleys.
Horseback Riding: We have friends who own local ranches and can help arrange tours.
Hot Air Ballooning & Local Tours:
Easily booked through local travel agencies.
Swimming & Spas: Accessible at nearby hotels and campgrounds. -
A little more information
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Internet access
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Limited internet access
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We have pets
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We are smokers
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Can host families
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Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
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Can possibly accept pets
This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.
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How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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My animals / pets
The dogs; Bayram, Giovanni, Tommy,Lale and Zoei. The cats, Feo, Walabi and Jack. (11 months)
At home we have 5 dogs and 3 cats, all of them stray animals. All of them are lovely animals, and very happy to meet new visitors.
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (37)
I was a bit sorry I … read more
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Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(4.8)
I was a bit sorry I … read more
As for the work … read more
Luckily we had a beautiful end of the year cultural benefit project, with lots of activities for everybody. But that meant that there was very much to organise and to do.. Thomas joined with everything with all … read more
Love from all of us, all the best.
Yes, it was really so nice to have you here. So easy going and very helpfull with everything..you walked and feeded the dogs every day, cleaned the courtyards, painted doors and furniture beautifully, restored old chairs 👍 even the terrible storage place! you did that job with a laugh🤪 … read more
We will always remember them fondly. Thank you for … read more
Mariano stayed with us several weeks in December, and he was a great help with many different tasks, like organising and restoring the garden, keeping the courtyards clean, walking and feeding the dogs and cats every morning and evening! He was fantastisch … read more
We stayed with them 3 weeks in December and the place is warm, even if sometimes is really cold outside, and we felt really at home.
With Galip, due the not common language, we … read more
What a pitty Gabriel couldn’t come. Hopefully another time. When you might be in Turkey, Cappadocia, again,you will be very welcome.
Anybody who needs help I recommend Marina. She is very friendly, independed and clean 😄.
Greetings from … read more
The dogs and cats were adorable, and I enjoyed spending time with them, feeding and walking with them.
The job mainly involved cleaning the house and walking the dogs, which was easy for me, and I had lots of free … read more
Walking the dogs every morning and evening, looking after them, cleaning their bowls, the courtyards, the garden, some rooms, Ironing 😁, etc etc. and of course Sara’s house! ..
When you are around any other time you’re very welcome to pass by or do another workaway with us. … read more
Lilian is flexible with the work timetable: we chose to work full days so that we could enjoy Cappadocia the rest of the time ! It was amazing !
Especially we are thankful to them that we could join … read more
My Family, Galip, Sara, were so pleased with you, what a pity that I wasn’t at home during the time you were there.
Who knows we will meet some other time when you might visit … read more
After explaining just one time, we didn’t need to ask you anything anymore because you just saw what was needed and did it.. you looked so well after our 5 dogs and 3 cats, the courtyards and garden, the kitchen and rooms were … read more
exactly what I needed!
Thank you Lilian, for trusting me with your amazing, authentic and majestic home, your sweet dogs and super friendly cats.
For trusting me to get things done and giving me the freedom to do them.
For the open communication.
Thank you for all the information and time you spent showing me where … read more
Die Gegend ist wirklich wunderschön! Wir sind viel gewandert und haben verschiedenste Orte entdeckt.
In der Töpferei hatten wir viele sehr nette und interessante … read more
It was such a pleasure to have her with us.. She managed very well to find her way everywhere she was needed in our surroundings at home and the potteries, had a very good contact with all the people working with us and was very energetic and … read more
He … read more
They helped us with many things like painting (very professionally) all the fences around our terrassen, doors, windows, benches and … read more
We were able to help you with your website, take pictures of ceramics. Her husband is a very fun and happy person. Both are very caring people.
Lilian was always attentive to us, they taught us how to make ceramics and explained everything in her shop, we shared … read more
Sorry for being soooo late to send a feedback.... much later then you were...But of course we didn't forget you.. thanks a lot for your help..especially with Bayram, our very special lovely dog who will for sure also remember you :-))) but also with all the other things that always have to be done here around the house and the … read more
Thank you so much for helping us. Especially your help with the animals, the goats, and your advices has been so worthy..Unfortunately İ wasn't there, but İ only heard positive stories about you :-)
So next time, whenever you feel like coming back to Avanos, İ hope to meet you. You know the way, you will be very welcome to stay with … read more
The language barrier was difficult at first without Lilian but Jade whom I was also living with and whom works at the pottery was more than helpful and became my Turkish guide and then my … read more
We had a great time working together and discussing about everything and anything. Thanks for your help with lots of things that had to be done, especially in the pottery. You even tought pottery to some of our pupils! İ loved your compassion with people and all the information about your countries and cultures. We enjoyed your … read more
İ'm a bit late to send a feedback.. not because we forgot you, İ just didn't take time to write. We were very happy with your company and sharing, and of course your help with everything we needed to be done at home and in the pottery. We enjoyed very much to learn about your life and your country too..That is the beautiful thing of … read more
Thanks a lot for your help with everything we needed to be done at home and in the pottery, your happy company and all the information about you country and culture, mate! :-)). And of course we didn't forget your lovely food, especially your caramel pie!) And..Congratulations with your 2nd price from the workaway fotocompetition! … read more
The main job was clean and put in order one old house. Lilian and Galip are friendly and we had breakfast with the rest of the volunteers all together. The house is more than beautiful with a great view. Avanos is quiet but you have a lot of places to walk around and visit.
Some days we went to … read more
İ absolutely recommend anybody who needs help to accept you... İ am sure there … read more
We stayed with Lilian and Galip for 12 days, met their daughters and granddaughter. Everything she states on her profile is true! We were treated as family and were well-fed. They live in a beautiful and clean house with the greatest view of Avanos (a super town).
Their employees at both pottery shops were … read more
İ for sure recommend Sara.
Thank you Sara for your help and company.
When you make a good workscedule together with the people you stay with, anybody will … read more
Thank you very much for all your help and pleasant company! Very happy with the good and organised work you did for us. Always remember you, because İ see your work every day....(the tiles on the wall..., the planks in the workshop and the living room :-). Hope to see you back some time. (Spring??? ) You're always very … read more
You brought the Brazilian sun to all of us, while outside it was freezing and snow! So what else can İ say...You travel and we travel too in this way. A very nice experience to have you both, Nicoli and Parma, staying with us..you … read more
it was a wonderful experience to know them and see the good heart that everyone has and to be able to see and participate a little in the beautiful work they do with ceramics
We recommend everyone to experience this too.
who knows someday we can come back and help them one more … read more
very active and enthusiastic. (You can see her inner child when she laughs) She's also very sympathetic and understanding. I was suppose to stay only one week and she let me stay longer than planned as I had an unexpected small … read more
We went there to fill in the gap of a cook who just left, cooking lunch for the staff, but also some occasional odd jobs. … read more
The work included washing windows, cleaning rooms (dusting, mopping, vacuuming), and washing the patio. We … read more
