I'm one of the 6,000+ Americans living in Munich, Germany, and I've been here 23 years (plus another 4 elsewhere in Germany). My daughter and I love to travel, see new places and meet interesting people. Munich is a vibrant international city that welcomes everyone and expects people to live in harmony despite differing lifestyles and viewpoints. This is my attitude as well, which is why I love living here.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My daughter and I love to travel and meet new people. The son of friends of ours couch-surfed his way coast to coast in the U.S., and told us about all the wonderful people he met. So we thought we'd give it a try, because we enjoy having visitors too.

We have a nice apartment in Munich, Germany that includes a guest room.

Please note that I accept only verified members and all requests must be made through Couchsurfing.org. Also., Couchsurfing is about getting to know people and learn about their world. If all you want is a cheap place to stay, please contact one of the youth hostels in town.

Interests

In addition to my work, I stay active through my volunteer work in several organizations whose aim it is to help the community of Ilembula, Tanzania. Our motto is to help them help themselves.

My hobbies are long distance hiking, snowshoe hiking, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, gardening, traveling and reading.

• beer
• walking
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• volunteer work
• cycling
• hiking
• skiing
• snowshoeing

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy many kinds of music, from rock to classics to folk. I love going to rock concerts with my teenage daughter. We just saw Adam Lambert and Queen, yet I also just attended a classics concert featuring music from the world's three great religions from the middle ages .

Munich has several movie theaters showing films in English, and I frequently go with a friend. I prefer comedies and/or films based on a true story, such as the recent "Imitation Game".

Biographies and mysteries are my favorite type of books. As a co-organizer of the annual English Book Sale for charity here, I'm faced with constant temptation in the form of interesting books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I bicycled over the Alps twice when I was 43 and 44.

I love walking and could walk for hours! Over the past four years, I've hiked 750km from Munich to Lyon, France and 90km of the Italian Alps part of the Way of St. James and loved it! It's a wonderful experience! This year we'll continue from Lyon onwards in France. Someday, I'll do the big one - all 796 km from St. Jacques Pied a Port in France to Santiago de Compostella in Spain.
I hope to eventually have visited all 50 states in the U.S. So far, I've visited 25.

Teach, Learn, Share

If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to share my experiences as an ex-pat living overseas, and give an insider's look at life in Munich and Germany.

What I Can Share with Hosts

An opportunity to stay with us in Munich, Germany and see our beautiful, interesting city. You can also take day trips to the surrounding areas and Salzburg, Austria (Mozart's hometown).

Munich is famous for its beers, which adhere to the "Reinheitsgebot", a purity law from 1516 that strictly limits what can be found in Munich's beers: water, malted barley, hops and yeast (and wheat in wheat beer). We'd be happy to present you with a bottle or two of this famous beer. Please note that the beers brewed for export don't have to comply with this law, so this is your chance to sample the genuine thing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States