ABOUT ME

I might not have the patience to find out something very cool and original here, so the following might well be boring:

I live and study in Oxford, England, where I'm about to start my PhD studies in Islamic art and archaeology. Despite the English environment in which I live, of probably slightly because of that, I love to travel around the Mediterranean, and thus it is hardly accidental that my "work", i.e. research interest, also makes me go there from time to time. I cannot really singly out any particular place, I love Spain, Syria, Turkey, just as much as Morocco and Italy.

In the past few years, I studied mainly in Budapest in Islamic Studies and medieval history. This might go without saying, but also when I travel, I tend to look for "old stuff", such as ancient buildings and art, but OK, this is not perfectly true - in fact, I also love to try and see whatever the places offer, and I'm also a fun of modern street art.

I had the pleasure to live in five countries so far, apart from Hungary and England, I stayed for longer periods in Egypt, Syria and Morocco.

Otherwise, I love some daily activities, such as drinking a coffee with friends, chat with classmates, taking a walk, etc. I'm quite outgoing in general and always spend time with friends. Indeed, whenever I can, I love to go out, drink and have fun.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to travel and surf :)

I have been hosted at numerous places around the world, first in Spain: Madrid (1 night), Jerez de la Frontera (2), Jaén (1), Granada (2), Malaga (1) and Almería (2).

Another trip we made was in Northern Italy and we were hosted in Forlí (1), Firenze (2+1) and Venice (1).

In the summer of 2012 I surfed a night in Nitra (Slovakia) and in many cities in Turkey, I hope I can count them all:
Istanbul (2), Bursa (1), Manisa (1), Bodrum (2), Alanya (2), Adana (1), Konya (2), Ürgüp (2), Kayseri (1), Ankara (2), Istanbul (again, 4) and Edirne (1).
On the way back to Hungary we also surfed a night in Sofia, Bulgaria.

New updates from Morocco:
Tetouan: 2 nights, Fes: 2, Rabat: 2, Taroudant: 2, Agadir: 2, Marrakech: 1, Ouarzazate: 1 and Meknes: 2.

Second time in Spain I surfed in Malaga (1), Granada (2), Córdoba (2), Madrid (1) and Zaragoza (3).

The next station was Germany where I surfed in Halle (1).

London: 2 nights,
Palermo: 3 + 2 nights.

Interests

Being a student of Islamic studies definitely influences one'€™s opinion about the world. It doesn'€™t mean that he/she should be dedicated to any discriminative and blinding idea, but quite the contrary: It helps being open-minded and interested in different people'€™s way of living and thinking. This makes me even more dedicated to travelling in addition to historical and art historical interest.

I simply love to see how other people and think about others, etc.

If someone asks me about my interests, the first thing that occurs to me is Islamic art and architecture. But this is only the academic wording of the more general motion to come to understand otherness, different cultures focusing on material aspects. Otherwise, I'€™m pretty interested in any cultural, historical and art historical questions in Europe and elsewhere, but for my travels, meeting new faces and have new friend is no less important.

• arts
• architecture
• coffee
• bbq
• drinking
• traveling
• hiking
• sailing
• muslim
• swimming
• world cup
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Music is difficult to say, I listen to everything from Senegali pop through Hungarian folk to Irish rock.
Movies: English patient, Casablanca, Black Cat White Cat... and many others.
Books is again impossible to enumerate, but the first thing that comes to my mind is the Tales of the Alhambra (Washington Irving).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. Sailing in Croatia between tiny islands. It actually happened at least 4 times.
2. Visiting Petra, Jordan (where Indiana Jones and the last crusade's last scene was filmed), wandering around in 4 days.
3. Sitting in the Albaicin hill, Granada with the Alhambra in front (3 time).
4. Watching the World Cup final in Damascus, 2010.
5. Hiking in Syria’s mountains all around, meeting with fascinating people and discovering ruined castles.
6. Barbecue in a Syrian castle, Muhalaba.
7. Visiting Rumkale in Turkey by ship and swimming in the Euphrates.
8. Wondering around in Venice (3 times).
9. Having picnics on our rooftop terrace in Rabat, Morocco.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I prefer sharing a drink and whatever thought comes above that!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Egypt, Hungary, Morocco, Syrian Arab Republic, United Kingdom