ABOUT ME

I am a half-English half-Italian man. I have a little of the English sense of humour, but then also like to drive erratically and take a long time over meals.

I like jumping off high things into water.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have joined Couchsurfing due to the good things i have head from people who have done it before which address thoughts I have had during recent travels. I do like hostels, a great hostel can hold you captive for days, even weeks. However, in a hostel, when you are there you can sometimes feel that there might be better way to meet a more varied mix of people. I'd like Couchsurfing to facilitate authentic experiences and to introduce you to people you might never have met otherwise.

Interests

Some of my favourite ways to spend my time are; eating and drinking, I grew up in a restaurant and a good meal to me is always a social occasion. I love travel, seeing the world is more than a life's work and I'm trying to work as often as I can. Then there is film and the theatre, I have worked as an actor for many years and feel there is nothing quite like being on the stage in front of an audience, whether they like you or not. I love table tennis, shooting pool, writing, wildlife, driving, and of most of all meeting the wonderful variety of people the world has to offer. I love exploring and anything that gives you freedom to go where you like. Skiing and cycling are two ways in which you can cover tens of miles in a day under your own steam and which allow you to go in pretty much any direction you please. Similarly if I go to a new city I like to just start walking, purposefully lose yourself and see what you stumble across. Adrenaline-y things like cliff jumps, bungee jumps, rope swings and other things....

• animals
• wildlife
• horses
• writing
• acting
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• walking
• drinking
• traveling
• billiards
• cycling
• camping
• bungee jumping
• skiing
• tennis
• table tennis

Music, Movies, and Books

Favourite music is a tough one. I enjoy pretty much everything. Indie - The Arctic Monkeys being one of my all time favourite bands, The Heavy, The Strokes and Jamie T. Hip-Hop & Rap is what I spent my teenage years to; Common, Talib Kweli, Kanye, Nas, Wax Tailor, DJ Format and Eminem amongst others (I like to think I'm a half decent rapper myself). Macklemore's album is a recent gem. I love Electrco, Parov Stelar is a hero, RJD2, Bonobo, Plej, SBTRKT. Bakermat!! I love everything else from House music to classical, each genre has it's time and place. Recently I have been to see both Clint Mansell and Yann Tierson perform live.

Movies are equally hard. Some of the favourites, in no order, would be. In Bruges, La Haine, The Usual Suspects, Snatch & Lock Stock, Layer Cake, Twelve Monkeys, Goodfellas, Casino, The Secrets in Their Eyes, The Great Dictator, Miller's Crossing, Memento, Un Matrimonio al Italiana.

Books - things I am reading at the moment are; Feral, Between the Woods and the Water, The Establishment. Past highlights include A time of Gifts, The Wasp Factory, The Pillowman, A Curious Incident. And of course most things by Roald Dahl. I am always trying and failing to read more than i do......

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm not sure if it is better to put a thing i have done for myself or for someone else, so here are both.

For myself.....In 2013 I flew to South Africa with a good friend. We bought a second hand 4X4, put a tent on the roof, and drove from Cape Town to Kenya, then turned around and went back (a different way). We were on the road for 7 months and travelled 35,000km. Our rooftop tent gave us the ability to camp anywhere. It is on that trip that I learned there is nowhere better to be than in the middle of nowhere sat next to a fire with meat on it and onions in it. Also on that trip I fell asleep in my chair next to the fire and woke up with a Hyena's nose pressed on the back of my head. Fright of my life.

For someone else....My mum and dad are both animal lovers who absolutely love horses, and in 2012 I got a job for a week working at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee pageant in Windsor. On the Grand finale night I managed to sneak my parents in and into seats one box down from the Queen herself, they had such an amazing time that it makes me feel like a hero to this day.

Currently I am living and working in Spain, I have taken a pandemic induced break from working in the theatre industry in London to work as an English language assistant here. This is my second year and I am very much enjoying it. Last year I lived in Almería, which is in the only desert in Europe, and now I am in Alicante. I’m pretty confident that I can officially say I can speak Spanish.

Teach, Learn, Share

As cliche as it might sound, you do all these things just by talking to people. You can learn so much about someone by talking to them for mere minutes, even seconds. Some of my favourite experiences I have had in my life have been the fleeting moments you have with complete strangers on the street, on a bus, in a bar. You can learn a great deal from pretty much every other person on this planet, and the more I learn the more i am certain we all want and enjoy the same things. In life at home or abroad the only thing you need to do is be open, the rest looks after itself.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My infinite wisdom over a drink, both take roughly the same time to dispatch. A walk, a dance, and some food - I am equally happy cooking or being cooked for.......

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kosovo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Greece, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom