Hello there, bonjour!

I've made Ottawa🇨🇦 my home for 20+ years and love the city. Currently living in a well-located apartment in Centretown, about a 15-minute walk from Parliament Hill and close to many points of interest.

My day job is writing government speeches.🖊 Every Thursday, I also host a weekly progrock/jazz music program at the local community radio station, CHUO 89.1 FM.🎙 (www.facebook.com/lavillachuofm)

I'm usually available on evenings and some weekends. Also, I like to run when the weather is nice 🏃 though I’m a passionate indoorsman when it gets cold around here 🥶.

What else—I can recommend where to hear the best live music 🎶 in town.

Most of all, I'm ready to host you!

Hosted CS guests from: 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇳🇨🇱🇫🇷🇨🇦🇬🇧🇲🇾🇦🇹🇵🇱🇩🇪🇧🇪🇲🇽🇨🇳🇸🇰🇳🇱🇰🇷🇸🇪🇧🇷🇹🇷🇻🇳🇾🇪🇮🇹🇪🇸🇨🇭🇦🇷🇷🇴🇨🇿🇷🇺🇵🇭🇫🇮🇹🇼🇦🇺🇬🇷🇫🇴🇸🇮🇨🇴🇮🇷🇩🇰🇩🇿🇨🇷🇮🇪🇦🇿🇪🇨🇱🇻🇺🇬🇹🇭🇯🇲🇰🇿🇸🇬🇳🇿🇳🇬🇷🇸🇯🇵🇬🇪🇩🇴🇧🇭🇮🇲🇮🇱🇹🇳🇺🇾🇵🇪🇴🇲🇨🇩🇧🇬🇭🇳🇧🇳🇮🇩🇵🇹🇳🇴🇭🇺🇲🇦🇸🇩🇳🇵🇲🇹🇦🇱🇲🇰🇪🇬🇱🇧🇦🇪🇨🇺🇱🇹🇿🇦🇰🇪🇹🇿🇸🇦🇲🇩🇸🇾🇲🇪🇪🇪🇦🇲🇲🇶🇲🇴

Surfed with CS hosts in: 🇨🇦🇺🇸🇨🇿🇫🇷🇧🇪🇫🇮🇦🇹🇭🇺🇭🇷🇷🇸🇧🇬🇹🇷🇷🇴🇩🇰🇳🇱🇸🇪🇦🇱🇲🇪🇲🇰🇬🇷🇸🇮🇸🇰🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇱🇵🇸🇯🇴🇴🇲🇦🇪🇲🇽

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

These days I'm usually travelling with Veronica. V may be relatively new to CS, but she's eager for more unique experiences on the road! See her expanding profile here: https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/veronica-allenger

Sabina Lindgren introduced me to the CS community back in 2016. Sabina is a veteran couchsurfer and all-around wonderful human being based in Sweden🇸🇪. Check out her great profile! https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/sabinalindgren

Interests

• cats
• books
• running
• politics
• reading
• minimalism
• jazz
• guitar
• geography
• history
• languages
• couchsurfing
• craft beer
• radio
• hospitality
• maps
• ramen
• flags
• vinyl records
• railways
• progressive rock
• balkans
• duolingo
• raki
• halfmarathon
• kanji
• eurail
• pálinka
• speechwriting

Music, Movies, and Books

Musical interests run the gamut from modern and classic-era progressive rock to avant-jazz, extreme and experimental metal, Scandinavian folk, early 70s soul, Glenn Gould’s Bach, and the Greek crooners. One musical artist I could not live without: Leprous

Happy to welcome all your musical recommendations!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Three-week homestay with a host family in Graz🇦🇹. [1995]

JET Program English teacher in Yamaguchi🇯🇵 for three years [2001-2004]. If you've done something similar, it would be fun to compare experiences!

Sampled 38 craft beers in four days in Portland, Oregon🇺🇸. [2016]

Eurail/Interail experience from Budapest to Istanbul and back! 🇭🇺🇹🇷 [2019]

Spent a week camping above the Arctic Circle in Sweden🇸🇪. [2020]

Lived in Tirana, Albania🇦🇱 for three months, hitchhiked for the first time, and helped clean up the hiking trail at Dajti Mountain. [2021]

Visited the towns of Šurany and Nové Zámky🇸🇰 to see where my Hungarian grandfather was born and grew up. [2022]

During a fall trip to the Middle East, was hosted 23 straight days by Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Iranians in Oman and Egyptians in Dubai. [2023] 🙏

Travel through the years…
1989/91/92/93 - 🇺🇸
1995 - 🇩🇪🇦🇹🇸🇮🇭🇺
1997 - 🇺🇸
1998 - 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇪🇸
1999 /2000 - 🇺🇸
2001 - 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇭🇫🇷🇯🇵
2002 - 🇯🇵
2003 - 🇯🇵🇰🇷🇺🇸
2004 - 🇯🇵
2005/06/07/08 - 🇺🇸
2009 - 🇨🇺🇺🇸
2010/11/12/13 - 🇺🇸
2014 - 🇩🇴🇺🇸
2015 - 🇺🇸🇲🇽
2016 - 🇸🇪🇩🇰🇩🇪🇨🇿🇸🇰🇭🇺🇺🇸
2017 - 🇭🇺🇺🇸🇩🇰🇸🇪
2018 - 🇫🇷🇬🇧🇧🇪🇫🇮
2019 - 🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇭🇷🇷🇸🇧🇬🇹🇷🇷🇴🇸🇪🇩🇰🇳🇱🇧🇪
2020 - 🇸🇪
2021 - 🇸🇪🇩🇰🇦🇱
2022 - 🇸🇪🇹🇷🇦🇱🇽🇰🇲🇪🇲🇰🇬🇷🇭🇺🇦🇹🇸🇮🇸🇰
2023 - 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇱🇵🇸🇯🇴🇴🇲🇦🇪
2024 - 🇲🇽

Teach, Learn, Share

I have a passion for the cuisine of Hungary🇭🇺 — I'll be happy to prepare for you my signature dish: pörkölt and nokedli. 🌶+🍅+🥒 =🥘 If you have a favourite recipe from home, let’s make it! 🍽

16 highly recommended adventurers and travel vloggers — all worth checking out:

Eva zu Beck🇵🇱 https://www.youtube.com/EvazuBeckOfficial
Abrar Hussan🇵🇰 https://www.youtube.com/c/WildlensbyAbrar
James Leithart🇺🇸🇦🇱 https://youtube.com/c/JamesLeithart
Rick Steves🇺🇸 https://www.youtube.com/user/RickSteves
Geography Now/Paul Barbato🇺🇸 https://www.youtube.com/GeographyNow
Bald and Bankrupt/Benjamin Rich🇬🇧 https://www.youtube.com/baldandbankrupt
Eamon and Bec🇨🇦 https://www.youtube.com/EamonBec/
Syifa Adriana🇮🇩 https://www.youtube.com/SyifaAdriana
Alina Mcleod🇨🇦 https://www.youtube.com/AlinaMcleod
Drew Binsky🇺🇸 https://www.youtube.com/thehungrypartier
Itchy Boots🇳🇱 https://www.youtube.com/itchyboots
On Her Bike🇵🇱 https://www.youtube.com/onherbike
The Man in Seat 61🇬🇧 https://www.youtube.com/seat61
1 Bike, 1 World🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 https://www.youtube.com/1bike1world
Nora Adventurism🇳🇱 https://www.youtube.com/Nora_adventurism
Indigo Traveller🇳🇿 https://www.youtube.com/@IndigoTraveller

What I Can Share with Hosts

What I Can Offer Guests:

- private room with deluxe airbed for two
- pull-out couch for two in a more open space 🛋
- shower/bath 🚿🛁
- balcony that gets morning and afternoon sun 🌇
- wifi📱

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Oman, Palestine, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Albania, Canada, Japan, Sweden