CURRENT MISSION

We are a couple traveling around Eastern and Northern Europe, looking for food, art, tradition, culture, and interesting people.

ABOUT US

Cielle is a graphic designer and brand manager who grew up in Oregon.
John James is a restaurateur and aspiring publisher who grew up in California.

PHILOSOPHY

The most important thing in life is the sharing and exchange of knowledge, and for us, that often manifests in food, plants, art, dancing, and the cultures and communities surrounding both.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

It's a community of people who help one another, so that's what we do! In the past, John James has used Couchsurfing to travel around Italy and Austria and find friends and allies in new cities.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

John James used Couchsurfing extensively as a way to meet people and learn about new cities as he traveled for eight months in Italy, Austria, Spain, and Norway during 2012.

Hopefully we'll find ourselves able to host travelers in Portland, Oregon.

Interests

Food and food culture, language, art (animation, classical art, comics, interior design, architecture, design, illustration, patterns), community and communal relationships, learning, reading, playing music, coffee and coffee culture, people, adventuring.

• arts
• culture
• folklore
• architecture
• design
• interior design
• graphic design
• illustrations
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• fine dining
• comics
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• animation
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

John James says:
One book: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
One film: The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9 by Jake Armstrong
One album: Manipulator by Ty Segall

Cielle says:
One book: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
One film: True Stories by David Byrne
One album: Charm Of The Highway Strip by The Magnetic Fields

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

John James says:
I opened a restaurant in Portland, Oregon called Fenrir (fenrirpdx.com). With no financial backing and no professional experience managerially, the three of us friends/owners managed to find national acclaim with our Scandinavian-influenced fine dining restaurant in less than a year of being open.

Teach, Learn, Share

What we like to teach and learn about:
cooking, music, community building, art, design, plants, cultures, languages

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United States