Moin, my name is Sophia and I'm a 25 year old student living in Erlangen, Germany. I completed my Bachelor's degree in Art History and Theatre and Media Science. Now I'm studying for my Master's degree in Literature.

I was born in Braga, Portugal, spent some years in Austria as a child but have been living in Germany since I was 10. So, I spent most of my life in Germany (so far) but I still feel very connected to Austria and Portugal and always enjoy going back to those places. (Even though I sadly totally “lost“ the Portuguese language!)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is a great way to meet locals and to get recommendations where to go and what to do.
Sadly, I didn't use my couchsurfing account when I was travelling and couchsurfing with a friend in 2016. Then, we did couchsurfing in Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Elgin (close to Inverness), Utrecht, Luxembourg and Zürich. Our hosts were such lovely people. I was really overwhelmed by their kindness. We were always welcomed with open arms! Thanks again and dank je wel! :)

Interests

I'm very interested in art, movies and literature and therefore enjoy reading and going to museums, theatres and cinemas. I like yoga, you can clear your mind, relax and focus on yourself.

My friends are very important to me - taking trips, cooking, having a beer or two, enjoying a cup of tea or coffee and talking about everything and nothing, watching movies and silly TV shows and having a good laugh!

I'm fascinated with language, for example it's always great to try to explain or translate idioms from one language into another one. It hardly works but it's a great way to learn more about a certain language and to get to know some weird and funny idioms because they're easy to remember that way!

• arts
• literature
• theater
• photography
• yoga
• movies
• traveling
• art history
• communications
• history
• food
• cinema
• museum
• independent cinema

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
Midnight in Paris, Hannah and Her Sisters, Habla con ella, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, La nuit americaine, Rear Window, Vertigo, Casablanca ... Basically anything by Woody Allen, Pedro Almodóvar, Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut. I'm nostalgic.

Music:
Florence + The Machine, Bon Iver, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Juliette Greco, Glen Hansard, Mumford and Sons, Kate Nash, ...

Novels like Truman Capote: Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roland Topor: The Tenant, Marguerite Duras: The Lover, J.D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye, Jeffrey Eugenides: Middlesex, ...
Poems by Mascha Kaléko, Jim Morrison, Sylvia Plath, ...
Plays by Woody Allen and Tennessee Williams.

I'm always happy to talk about movies and literature - and to get some recommendations of course! Check out my account on Goodreads if you like:
https://www.goodreads.com/SophiaIns

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Travelling via Interrail for about a month with a very good friend of mine. Besides staying in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Luxembourg and Zürich we spent about two weeks in Scotland. We totally fell in love with Edinburgh, Inverness and the Isle of Skye. We were very lucky to meet a lot of wonderful and nice people during that time. Some of them through Couchsurfing and also when hitchhiking.

Teach, Learn, Share

The Bom Jesus in Braga, Portugal is probably one of the most beautiful places on this planet. Even though everything around this place is changing it's staying the same as if time was standing still. It's magical.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Besides talking about (travel) experiences, plans and memories (well, only if you're interested, of course, I'd love to hear some of your stories and recommendations if you have the time to do so, I'm curious!), I could share recipes for German Kartoffelsalat and some Portuguese cuisin like Arroz Malandro and Bacalhau com natas!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Germany, Portugal