We’re back in AMS, though still often in NYC.

CURRENT MISSION
Understanding Life, the Universe and Everything

ABOUT ME
There's two here, to begin with. Well, three actually. We're a gay couple living with our dog Doeke in the eastern docklands of Amsterdam. Martijn is an IT manager, András is a medical doctor-slash-medical microbiologist. We both like to be part of, and contribute to, our local community, but we also like to think of ourselves as citizens or the world. Hence, we like to meet people, and listen and learn.

Being fervent travelers, always looking to try to understand the places we visit instead of just following a guidebook, we signed up for CS. Both to surf and to host, in the hopes of getting a bit closer to achieving that goal - even when we're not traveling ourselves!

PHILOSOPHY
Life is too short to not learn, question and experience more

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We've hosted people from all over the world and had nothing but great experiences. Surfing in the US and Brazil have been amazing experiences: we had the privilege to really be part of the places we visited, and to stay with veritable friends in places unknown.

This is why we love CouchSurfing. We expect other people to have a comparable view of this extraordinary way to travel. Therefore, we strongly encourage everyone who wants to stay with us to invest in writing requests that reflect this CS spirit: personal, informed and a compelling story. We get many requests and need to filter a lot. Requests that do not fit may not even get a reply. As for timing, we typically decide about 4-2 weeks in advance whether we can and will host. We don't do last-minutes, but writing 3 months in advance won't help much either.

Music, Movies, and Books

The arts should be like life itself: surprising, fresh, marrying the old with the new, asking questions, and preferably never quite fully understood. Project that unto movies, music and books and you know what might interest us :-)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Wandering through Rome; diving with a school of eagle rays in Mozambique and with whalesharks in the Maldives; dancing the samba in Rio's Lapa district; being witness to an offering to the goddess Pele on the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii; hiking the Manaslu circuit in the Nepali Himalayas; going to Burning Man; drinking more whisky than we'd care to admit at Feis Ile on the Scottish Isle of Islay; enjoying the great food and wines of Burgundy and the Rhône Valley; watching the sun rise on the summit of Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka; exploring dutch colonial history in Indonesia; working with incredibly talented kids in one of Cape Town's townships; experiencing the kindness and beauty of the people and landscapes of Rwanda; living in New York City for 4 years (2018-2022).

Teach, Learn, Share

Ideas; experiences; one's take on life, the universe & everything; food & drinks; music; movies; books

For those interested, we can teach you dutch and how to cook dutch food (in season)! Martijn can also tell you a thing or two about whisky, and ask András about making some interesting cocktails. Or let's discuss (and cook, and drink!) the great wines and cuisines of the world!

Also, Martijn is a PADI Divemaster, so for those who care to explore the dutch underwater world, feel free! He’s also a bike riding instructor, so... 🚲

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Maldives, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, Portugal, Rwanda, San Marino, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Netherlands, United States

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