We are 32-year-old couple living in the Netherlands in a town named 'Hilversum', which is pretty much in between Amsterdam and Utrecht. It's quite central and public transport takes you to most larger cities in less than half an hour. But it's also close to nature and the forest, so win-win :)

Matthijs is an online marketeer/content manager for the local government and I am a photographer specialised in horse photography. In our spare time we like to drink a beer or cocktail, take walks, listen to music or visit my horse (I do, Matthijs not as much ;) ).

We are the happy owners of one of the best-sleeping-couches in the whole wide world, so couchsurfers are more than welcome. Or if you prefer, you can sleep in a normal bed in the bedroom and I sleep on my amazing couch in the living room. Or if you prefer, you can sleep in the attic on our floor mattrass so you have your own bedroom. Or, why the hell not, you could even camp in our backyard if that's what you're into. Everything's possible!

If you're visiting Hilversum and not looking for a place to sleep, I'll still be glad to offer you something to drink or lunch/dinner & show you around in the area. So feel free to contact me.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because it's an amazing way to discover places & meet new people.

I've only had really positive experiences with couchsurfing so far :) In Budapest I stayed with two different couchsurf hosts with a friend of mine, and it was a great way to meet people and really get to know the place you visit. In Riga we had two amazing hosts again... And then again, in Ireland. So yeah: pretty much everywhere in the world the couchsurfing community is so open and kind! For me, couchsurfing is just such a great way to go places or meet people. I used to attend some CS meetings/pubquizzes here in the Netherlands, which was always great fun. So now that I've finally got a place of my own, I'd like to return the favor and spread the kindness by offering a place to stay, a drink or a chat.

Interests

Photography, travelling (lol before covid yes :( ), hiking, horses, go out to the bar, Scotland, spending time with friends, cooking.

• horses
• photography
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• wine
• red wine
• beer
• coffee
• vegan
• traveling
• socializing
• cycling
• hiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Not a fervent reader or movie fan at all. It's not that I don't enjoy reading or watching a movie, it's just that I never make time to do so.

Matthijs actually compensates that by reading a lot: Murakami, modern classics, Johan Harstad, etc, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Visited Scotland on my own for over 6 weeks. As I'm quite a people-dependable-person (if that's even a term), I found that quite amazing of me to do something like that without my friends- and even better, I learned to enjoy my own company. Another cool thing would be working in Qatar for a month, had an amazing time there.

For Matthijs this would be living in Berlin for a year, playing in a punk band and recording an album, and walking the Camino de Santiago.

Teach, Learn, Share

We could try and teach you some Dutch (swear)words! That's pretty much the best we've got to offer. No, just kidding, we could introduce you to typical Dutch food like oliebol (only in December :( ) or poffertjes or boerenkool or drop. We can share vegan meals and recipes with you. We make awesome vegan pancakes. Yay for pancakes!

And of course I'm willing to share the bit of knowledge or the view/vision I have on photography, or on horses. I promise not to talk about horses too much. Really, I'll try.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We would like to exchange stories, experiences and weird facts about our contries. We could even translate typical Dutch sayings for you in English to make you laugh (because they never make much sense), etc, etc.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Curaçao, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Qatar, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands