Hi, I'm Joe, I'm 33 and originally from Birmingham, UK, but for the last 7 years I've lived in Brighton. I love music, specifically playing blues guitar and aside from that my passions are cooking, books, walking, climbing, cycling.

I've been in the Netherlands for 2 months now and I really love it. I am learning Dutch and am planning a bike tour of the whole country.

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

I was getting a bit bored of my life in the UK so I decided to hit the road. A couple of volunteering opportunities briought me to the Netherlands. I didn't intend to stay so long but I have started learning the language now, so I would like to stick around and see how far I get with it.

I am about to start cycling around the Netherlands and Belgium, so I am looking for couches in all the places I will pass through. I am counchsurfing not only because it saves money but also because I would like to meet and get to know local people, share skills and stories and, of course, learn more Dutch!

Interessen

As mentioned above, blues guitar is the main one. I'm trying to hone my skills as a guitarist and singer, specialising in the old American country blues and ragtime of the early 20th century.

I studied literature at university and still love books, though I'm also exploring a minimalist lifestyle at the moment so have had to say goodbye to a few shelves full!

• books
• literature
• singing
• cooking
• meditation
• walking
• music
• guitar
• blues
• cycling
• rock climbing
• volunteering

Musik, Filme und Bücher

Music: mainly blues these days, but I still have a soft spot for the punk rock that I grew up with. I'm concerned that this profile is beginning to make me sound rather noisy. I assure you I'm quiet as a mouse when I'm indoors.

I have never been massively into movies but Netflix is broadening my horizons somewhat. Even so I still spend most of my time on there watching stand-up comedy.

My favourite books are probably Crime & Punishment, Pride & Prejudice, War & Peace... and to prove I don't only read books with "&" in the title, Ishmael (by Daniel Quinn), pretty much anything by George Orwell, Ham on Rye (Charles Bukowski). I'll stop there because this list could go on forever.

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

I once spent four weeks on a silent meditation retreat in a field in Devon. That was amazing in a quiet sort of way. It gave me absolute proof that sitting quietly and watching your breath can completely transform your mind...

...and that returning to city life can transform it back again very quickly.

Lehren, lernen, teilen

I love cooking. I make amazing homemade pizzas and can certainly do that for you, or teach you how to do it.

And as I've already said, I (attempt to) play and sing the blues, so could sing you a couple of songs or even teach you some guitar if you like...

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

I think I covered this in the previous section. I can cook you pizza and play/teach guitar. Also you can laugh at me trying to speak Dutch!

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Belgium, Czech Republic, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Poland, Spain, Wales

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

England