CURRENT MISSION

To get out of Germany and live in Australia, New Zealand or Canada

ABOUT ME

So, who the hell am I? My name is David (you can call me Dave) Laidlaw, born in Edinburgh, Scotland way back in 1962. I left Edinburgh at the age of 21 to "go and travel the world", and I continued to travel throughout Europe, the Middle East, West and South-East Asia and Australia for the next 7 years before coming to Munich, Germany to live. I have been here in Germany since 1989 and if you were to meet me and ask my profession I would immediately know that you were a German (the Germans have an annoying habit of asking "What are you?" before they get around to "Who are you?"), and then I would tell you that I like to refer to myself as a "struggling graphic artist". My first 5 or 6 years here in Germany were spent in and around the city of Munich – famous for its parks, its beer, its night-life, and as the birthplace of National Socialism – although none of these were the reason I decided to live in this particular city (the main reason was the women – but that's another story!). I moved away from Munich about 7 years ago and I now live in a converted brewery out in the Bavarian countryside on the border to Oberbayern and Ostallgäu in Waal, a little village of 1200 inhabitants with my faithfull dog Shiva, and we love it here. Before arriving in Germany, I spent nearly 7 years travelling around this planet we all reside upon, and during these travels I had many experiences – some pleasant, some not so pleasant – and some of these experiences I felt the need to write down on paper to give family an friends an insight to what it's like to travel on a shoestring. Some of these experiences can be read on these very pages.

PHILOSOPHY

Respect life and all cultures. Common sense isn't all that common. A life without religion is a life without fears.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Having spent quite a large part of my life "on the road" and meeting some fantastic strangers who often helped-out whenever I needed to get from A to B, or a dry roof over my head, and many other forms of hospitality, I'd like to take this chance on offering my hospitality to other travellers.

Interests

Music, Nature, Art & Design, Photography, Travel, Ancient Cultures, Animals, Art-House Cinema, Reading, Writing ...

• animals
• dogs
• arts
• writing
• design
• photography
• beer
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• religion
• beaches
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

I love to watch movies, but please spare me from Hollywood!
A well-told story beats the hell out of $10,000,000 of special effects!
Some of my favourite Movies: "Chopper" (Australia 2000), "Funny Games" (Austria 2002, not the US remake!), "Jesus Christ Superstar" (USA 1974), "Man Bites Dog" (Belgium 1993), "Powaqqatsi" (USA 1988), "Reservior Dogs" (USA 1992), "This is Spinal Tap" (USA 1984), "Trainspotting" (Scotland 1997), to name but a few.

... and what about Music? Oh yes please, and lots of it! Everything from AC/DC – Beatles – Clash – Nick Drake – Eels – Marianne Faithfull – Gomez – Haindling – InXS - James – King Crimson – Lemonjelly – Massive Attack – Nits – Sinead O'Connor – Pink Floyd – Queen – REM – Steely Dan – 10cc – U2 – Stevie Ray Vaughan – Tom Waits – XTC – Yes – Zappa (and just about everything else inbetween!).

"A Short History Of Nearly Everything" and "Travel Notes" from Bill Bryson, "Hitch-Hikers..." from Douglas Adams, "The Fun Stops Here" by Godley & Creme, amongst many others.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I travelled the world on a shoestring for 7 years, so there are quite a few amazing things I have done and/or seen, including saving a "baby whale"(?) from being beached on a Goan beach in India; meeting up with a family of wild orangutans in the Sumatran rainforest, or nearly being blown up by a terrorist's bomb in Jerusalem

Teach, Learn, Share

Should you be on the look-out for a graphic artist (for whatever purpose), then don't hesitate to drop me a line or check out my little website at www.starsgrafix.com. Wherever you are in the world, I'm sure I could make you a competitive offer you can't refuse!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Egypt, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Palestine, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United Kingdom