Hi,

I'm James, I'm married to Ioana; this is our joint account.

We're both 30 and live in London. I'm a product designer and Ioana is a Legal Secretary.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We want to travel, meet interesting people, and see the culture of the places we visit... guide books and Google just don't provide the same local knowledge.

Though not wanting to miss out on the main attractions of a place, we are also keen to see the beautiful places off of the beaten track, eat at the restaurants where the locals eat, and meet and spend time with the host and their friends, experiencing the true culture of a place.

Interests

I have a passion for art, design and photography. I enjoy oil painting (seascapes), love design (whether product, architecture, graphics, interior or fashion) and like taking photos with different analogue cameras.

I also enjoy cycling, the odd bit of sailing in the summer months and I occasionally play squash.

Ioana also enjoys it when we go sailing or cycling (though she's less keen on the London traffic). She is from a large family and enjoys hanging out with her sisters and brothers and playing with their children.

We both like to travel, meet interesting people and experience different cultures.

• arts
• culture
• books
• architecture
• design
• fashion
• photography
• traveling
• painting
• cycling
• sailing
• racquetball
• track and field
• law
• tourism
• squash

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
I like: Tunng, Eddie Vedder, Sigor Ros, Yann Tiersen, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Efterklang, Bon Iver, Moby, Jamiroquai.

Ioana likes: Backstreet Boys (hmm I should probably have got her permission before I published that!)

Movies:
My favourite film is Snatch.
Ioana's favourite film is Rush Hour (I have done well for myself and have a wife who is a fan of martial art films!). She also likes The Big Bang Theory and Friends.

I also enjoy the odd arthouse film, mainstream ones include: Darjeeling Limited, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Pollock, Amelie, Basquiat.

Books:
The Odyssey (Homer), The Language of Things (Deyan Sudjik), Dialogues with Marcel Duchamp, Design as Art (Bruno Munari), The Last Adam

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Giving blood!

Teach, Learn, Share

A banana is a herb and a berry. If wanting to divide a banana in 3 you can open it and push on an end and it will divide into 3, lengthways (don't try this if the banana is overly ripe... it will just mush!)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Friendship, interest and enthusiasm towards their culture. Shared passion for cultures.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Romania, Spain