ABOUT ME

As a traveler, I had a pretty good start in life. My dad is French, my mother German, hence I got to speak both French and German since I was small. We also moved around quite a lot in France and Germany, which actually isn't such a biggy in Europe. Still, it was probably where my hunger for travelling started. Also I went to an international High School where you can meet such unexpected mixtures as a guy half-Mexican, half-Rumanian (true story !). As a teen I started trekking with friends in the Alps and in Spain quite a lot. However, up until now besides I have expanded my explorations rather slowly. After High School I ended up studying Chemistry and therfore until a month ago, I was a student in Paris and Berlin with full semesters, small budget and few holidays. Still, I managed to learn Russian and a little bit of Spanish in addition to English and had some time to explore the Baltics, Poland and Russia. I really enjoyed the feeling of exploring countries rather off the track (which is feeling yo get especially when you work for a while outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg). That's why in summer 2010 I decided to take the Transsiberian with a friend from Moscow to Beijing. It was the first time I left Europe for real. We saw the breathtaking landscapes around the Baïkhal, did horse trekking around Inner Mongolia and climbed the Chinese wall. I thought this trip would provide me with a feeling of achievement, after all we had crossed two continents and were coming back in one piece... But n the end I realised that after this trip I was only getting more restless. In a nutshell, I think I have the fever : travel fever ! I probably catched that somewhere in a Russian train or in a hostel in Ulan-Baator talking to one of these extraordinary travelers. You here about these people, listen to stories, but actually to me they were nothing more than street legends... until I met them myself. Guys touring the world on a mystic quest, couples, buddies, drunkards, lonely wolves, all sharing that special something that makes this weird bunch of people with a backpack a community. I realised I wanted to be part of it for a while longer than just a month. I'd like to know what it feels like to go on without a plan, just openig up to opportunities and people you chance upon on the road. That's why this year I am leaving "for good" : at least 8 months of travel, starting with South America. My Spanish sucks, but I hope to improve that on the way, my backpack's far from ready and there is still two vaccinations I haven't done... but who cares ! I am leaving in 10 days (end of December 2011) and damn excited about it !!I won't give you the usual bullshit about being open-minded and loving travel. I think you got the picture. I haven't seen most of this amazing planet, but I intend to change that, so you might get your own chance to judge me as a person. After all this is what couch surfing is all about : meeting people that live in the country you are trying to get to know. In a nutshell it's not your couch I am most interested in. I'd like to hang out with you, get to know your country with your help and maybe tell you the occasional fun fact about Europe.Looking forward to meeting you !CheersCyriac

PHILOSOPHY

Living whithout risking is risking not to live

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

For now, I will be traveling a lot and hopefully will meet a lot of interesting people on the way (through couch surfing or not). When I'm back it will be my turn to host people and make them discover my country beyond the touristy track.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have only surfed somebody's couch twice so unfortunately I lack experience. As my university was quite far away from Paris in the countryside and over the last year and a half I moved around a lot for internships, I haven't hosted many people. However, a couple of close friends are much more active than me and shared their experiences with me. My goal is to learn from you guys on my big trip how to become a good host and share my cultural background and ideas with the host/traveler.

Interests

Long story but it mostly involves nature. I like to see beautiful landscapes, explore desterted spots, breathe fresh air, eat good stuff and nap on a soft patch of green grass. Not hard to guess which sports I like most : trekking and climbing (specially bouldering). The Alps are quite pefect for that.I used to play the contrabass but my studies unfortunately swalowed that. However, I still enjoy a wide range of music. Berlin is the perfect pace for that : I often sneak into rehersals at the opera, enjoy jam sessions in small crowded jazz cafés (A-Trane, Ä or Yorkschlösschen) and I even took a liking in minimal music at clubs such as Wilde Renate, About Blank or wherever the ocasional rave party is happening.I am also quite the bookworm with no real trend. I mix Zola with Uwe Tim, Proust with Klaus Kordon, loved Kerouac and Hemingway, was bored to death over Thomas Mann. Sometimes I feel like enjoying some good fantasy (Game of Thrones) other times I want to feel sad for humanity (Archipel Goulag, Soljenitsyn). Depends on my mood...Oh yes, and last but not least I like food and cooking ! A lot ! This always plays an important part in my travels as I want to get to know the local dishes. Looking forward to South America for that !!

• dining
• cooking
• partying
• clubbing
• traveling
• socializing
• bouldering
• music
• jazz
• opera
• backpacking
• surfing
• sports
• rock climbing
• track and field
• chemistry

Music, Movies, and Books

see the interest section ahead for books and music.For moovies I like Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrik quite a lot. Marcel Pagnol used to be my favourite (Regain, La Femme du Boulanger) but I have the feeling I outgrew it somehow... Heat is a must on my list, followed closely by the Usual Suspects. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Trueman Show should not be missing.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

the Baikhal lake in it's vast splendor, indifferent to the struggles of mankind

Teach, Learn, Share

I have been teaching German for two years in Paris and really enjoyed that, especially because it implied sharing a part of my cultural background with people to whom most of it was quite new. I imagine teaching sience could be fun too. I'd like to give it a try sometime soon.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Russian Federation

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany