Julian Hartley's Photo

Verified Profile

  • Payment verified
  • Phone verified
  • Government ID verified
  • Address Verified

Maybe Accepting Guests

  • 8% response rate
  • Last login 5 months ago

Join Couchsurfing to see Julian’s full profile.

Overview

  • 13 references 12 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in English; learning Russian
  • 28, Male
  • Member since 2015
  • Student at Edinburgh University
  • Studying English Literature
  • No hometown listed
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

I am a 23 year old from the UK, who just finished studying English Literature at university.

In February and March 2015, I cycled from Utrecht to Florence, and then back to England through France. I couchsurfed along the way, and it was talking to the kind, wise, generous people who hosted me that made it such a great and eye-opening experience.

In the summer of 2015, I spent three months working in St Petersburg (the Russian, not the Floridian one), which was interesting, to say the least.

In 2016, I cycled around the Baltic Sea with a friend, doing a loop from Hamburg to Hamburg. We passed through Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Kaliningrad and Poland. If we hadn't stayed with local people in those countries, it wouldn't have been half the experience that it was.

In 2018, I cycled from Calais to Athens with my dad and brother. We couchsurfed a lot, particularly in the Balkans, which was fascinating.

My flat is tiny, and always seems to be being deconstructed and fixed. Nevertheless, please do send me a message; if someone in my family is away (as is often the case), and it's not too busy a time, there might well be space for you. Given how small it is, though, stays of one night are probably the maximum I can offer.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

What with planes and hotels, most people don't actually travel - they just eat and sleep somewhere else for a while.

Interests

Music. I've sung in choirs all my life, and I play the accordion and the cello.

Cycle touring.

Hellenistic bronze sculptures.

Music, Movies, and Books

Bonobo, Vaughan Williams, Palestrina, Deadmau5, John Browne, Kiasmos, Faure, Durufle, Elgar, Rachmaninov, Paco Pena, Dvorak, Allegri, Phonat, Tavener.

I love literature - particularly that of Nabokov, Tolstoy, William Blake, Philip Larkin, and Milan Kundera.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Nominated for a Grammy Award in 2012. Not sure why.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can pass on a bit of my meagre Russian, or perhaps teach you something on the accordion, if you have one lying around.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I will stroke your pets.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bermuda, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom

Join Couchsurfing to see Julian’s full profile.