CURRENT MISSION

live my one life fully and hopefully make a small difference somewhere along the line

ABOUT ME

Bit of a kid still, probably always will be. Living my blend of cultures - German, Irish, English - in a Portuguese setting for the past 12 years. Open to new things and sociable up to a point, but also need my own space. I don't believe in astrology but am a typical Aries. Love: the beach and the mountains, islands and language(s).

PHILOSOPHY

Haven't really got one. But I like the old Gandhi chestnut, how does it go: Be the change you want to see in other people?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

HAVE MOVED TO A SMALLER FLAT UNFORTUNATELY AND AM WORKING WITH MANY TOUR GROUPS, SO NEED SOME TIME TO MYSELF AND CAN HOST ONLY SPORADICALLY, SORRY I've surfed a bit more than I've hosted, mainly because I travel a lot and work as a guide, often with tour groups in town. Otherwise have written an article for an Italian magazine and a German National Radio programme on CS and am promoting it to friends, most of them incredulous... I love the idea as a counterpoint to the culture of money.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Two Nights in Dublin, where we popped each other's CS cherry as it were, an incredible three-week trip along the Algarve and Alentejo coast in Portugal. A few stays in Canada crossing the country by train: Montreal, Quebec, Jasper - just great. In 2015 I experienced the lovely dynamic community in the US, inspiring me to open up my Couch again one day.

Interests

sports: (hill) walking, surfing, foraging, travel, reading, cinema, dancing, environment & fair trade movement, wildlife, art

• wildlife
• arts
• culture
• concerts
• dancing
• environment
• recipes
• running
• walking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• surfing
• sports
• swimming
• languages
• tourism
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Coen Brothers-type: dark, whimsical comedy, French comedies like "Le Diner des Cons". Favourite film: Claire Denis: "Beau Travail".

Music: most things except jazz. Sigur Ros, Killers, electro house to dance to, Portuguese fado occasionally. Favourite album: Pi - Music from the Motion Picture (1998). Favourite songs: Big in Japan (Alphaville), Let the Music Play (Shannon) - yeah, the 1980s, terrible, I know...

Book: "Journey by Moonlight" by Antal Szerb (profound but funny novel set in Italy, about a couple falling apart on their honeymoon in Italy, (male) identity, childhood and death, by Hungarian writer killed in a concentration camp during WWII)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

"Coasteering" (Google it for images... it's a blend of swimming, cave exploring and jumping into the water off rocky cliffs, invented in Wales), Hook Head, Co. Wexford, Ireland, 2008 -

Teach, Learn, Share

Languages I guess. I always like to learn from other cultures: words, jokes, recipes, etc. Couchsurfers; record a CD for me from your country before you come over!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking vegetarian food, travel tips for Portugal and Ireland, hopefully respectful company

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Spain, Sweden, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy

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