CURRENT MISSION

See as much of this world as humanly possible!

ABOUT ME

I'm a Law Grad who has turned his back on the profession and is sort of in transition right now. I'm also a bit of a writer. During the pandemic, following a long hiatus I resumed writing and I actually wrote a novel. It's now being shopped around to potential agents. Meanwhile, I just finished a novella and I'm currently working on a series of short stories. So I guess you could say that inspiration struck and my muse is back! Edited an anthology that was released a few years back. Somehow became one of the most popular online speculative fiction book reviewers in the world. Don't ask me how, for I have no idea!

If you are a fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones or if you are a fan of George R. R. Martin, you should know that the author lost a football bet we had a few years back. As a result, there is a character based on me in the fifth volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. Indeed, I'm actually the real Ser Patrek of King's Mountain (we wanted a Montreal reference)! ;-)

Having now been to 67 different countries around the globe, my objective is to somehow visit all of them before they nail shut my coffin! ;-)

PHILOSOPHY

If you want to be seen, stand up. If you want to be heard, speak up. If you want to be appreciated, shut up!!! :P

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Having traveled quite a bit, I know just how special it can be to interact with locals. It allows you to see the flip side of any given destination and gain insight regarding stuff not covered in any guidebook. So if I can show people another side of my city/region, or just offer them advice on what to see and do, then it's all good! =)

I used to be in charge of two regular CS activities in Montréal: The Happy Hour events and the coffee/tea/hot chocolate evenings (Fika). They're more sporadic these days, but feel free to join us if either event is happening during your stay!

Here's a great video that should give you a taste of the different sides of Montréal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEsBm48iskY

Here's a little "I Love MTL" photo project I'm working on: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152018418610574.889879.579970573&type=1&l=6889a44244

Here are a few more MTL videos for you to enjoy!

- Montréal Timelapse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO6s0IjA80U

- Best of Montréal 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=794tq-lljLM

- Summer in Montréal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psBeCR4Omc0

- Winter in Montréal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adnt79JlRU4

- Igloofest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc0FRH-n-P4

- Nuit Blanche: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov8BRTh-ZlU

- Fireworks competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T93YYML4H2Y

- Osheaga music festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=409hslfxIG8

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Whether as a guest when I travel, or as a host showing my city around and/or sharing a meal or drinks with foreigners, I've been lucky enough to meet a bunch of great people. As a traveler, it allows me to get the lowdown and learn more about my destination. As a host, it has allowed me to rediscover Montreal and enjoy it in an entirely different way. So it's a win-win situation for me! To me, CS is more about the people you meet than a couch to sleep on... =)

Interests

Architecture, history, culture, hiking, nature, food, beer, wine, music, sports, Cirque du Soleil, photography, and much, much more...

My Instagram is patstdenis99

Music, Movies, and Books

Too numerous to possibly enumerate...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I believe that every destination has something amazing to offer. Hard to come up with one particular thing.

Just returned from walking the Camino de Santiago (Camino Frances) and that was something special.

Teach, Learn, Share

Try to live a dream instead of dreaming your life away.

Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.

She says life isn't big, no, it's kind of small
Made of small moments, they're all strung together
If you don't look out, you might miss them all
Then it's just passed you on by like the weather

What I Can Share with Hosts

Other than my knowledge of everything related to Montréal, as a hiker I can also recommend various hikes in different regions around Québec and even the Canadian Rockies!

I can also help you plan the next leg of your journey. I've been on roadtrips across Québec, so I know a lot about most regions and their national parks.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Palestine, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada

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