CURRENT MISSION

I want to learn the culture of people in The Netherlands.

ABOUT ME

Gay married male in my early 50's. Husband's name is John. We have two grown children and five grandchildren. I have a wide variety of intrests. My passion is my heritage. All my ancestors came from The Netherlands. I love to travel. I am a work-a-holic so I really enjoy my time off from work so I can travel. Currently I work for a small liberal arts college as a meeting/event planner. I also bartend as a part time job, I teach dining etiquette classes, teach wine appreciation classes, cater food for smaller gatherings, buy and sell antiques and have my own business of making and selling a gourmet food product.

PHILOSOPHY

I treat others the way I would want to be treated. I appreciate people who are very direct and tell me how they are feeling so there is not misunderstanding. I am very gracious and try to go out of my way to please others. I am a very giving person, especially to people who treat me well or to my friends and people I love.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am willing to do what I can to help build the couch surfing community. In order for me to use the services of others I know I have to give back.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I am totally new to couch surfing.

Interests

Wow, this is a loaded question. People tell me I am confusing because my interests are so wide and varied. I enjoy food, antique shopping, flea markets, ethnic cultures, bike riding, hiking, reading, art, film, concerts, American country-western music, museums, cooking, wine, American football and opera. When I travel I try to hang out at the local pub and get to know the locals. I am pretty independent and am not afraid to travel alone. I usually travel to Europe or out of the United States at least once a year. Here in the United States I travel a lot too, some by car and some by plane.

• arts
• culture
• concerts
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• pub crawls
• shopping
• reading
• traveling
• music
• opera
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• american football
• soccer
• business

Music, Movies, and Books

Rarely will I see a mainstream film. I prefer the imported films and independents. Some of my favorites are Pelle the Conqueror, Shirley Valentine, Tie Me Up Tie Me Down and Priscilla - Queen of the Desert. Anything Merchant-Ivory is great. For books I love mostly non-fiction. Memoirs are a particular interest. I like reading about food and travel. If I had to pick something in fiction I would say Amy Tan is my favorite author.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can talk for hours about food and wine. But I am not a wine snob, ok, maybe a little snobish.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

•