General Information
Languages- DutchExpert
- EnglishExpert
- FrenchExpert
- GermanExpert
- SpanishIntermediate
- LingalaIntermediate
- ItalianBeginner
- LithuanianBeginner
Groups I Belong ToCouch Information
Couch Available: Definitely! Preferred Gender: Any Max Surfers Per Night: 3
Shared Sleeping Surface: No Shared Room: DependsYou will sleep in a separate room. Two people can sleep in a bed. If you are more, or if there are other guests already, we'll improvise with thermarests in that same room or in the living room. Shared shower/toilet. We live at the very edge of the city center of Haarlem, famous for its historic architecture and museums, 20 minutes from Amsterdam, 20 minutes from Schiphol Airport (car; bus = 35 mins) and 20 minutes from the beach. Good public transport nearby. Ideal for cyclists.
By the way: Haarlem is NOT a suburb of Amsterdam. It is an independant city, that even got its city rights before Amsterdam. Haarlem has 1000 years of history.
We're two persons (and cat). ***Latest news: it seems that my girlfriend and her cat moved in :-)) so we're 3 people and 2 cats now***
Our house is on a court. We'll be happy to show you around and if you're courageous you might want to test my cooking skills :-P or we can test yours... Weekdays we like it quiet from 21.30 but we don't lock the door early... Weekends are less strict of course.
We really enjoy hosting and being hosted, and we hope that you will enjoy being together with us.
No smoking in the house or within 2 meters from our doors or windows.
Please do not ask us to host you if your only goal is to save on accomodation costs.
Check out the Haarlem group here on CS!
Some of the things to see and do in Haarlem
(not by far comprehensive!)
Events: Most of them are annual
· Bevrijdingspop, one of the Netherlands' biggest free open air festivals (rock/pop etc). May 5
· Luilak, regional tradition. All night long there is a huge plants/flower market and in the morning the youth goes through the streets making noise (to wake up people) and draw on windows and cars with candle wax and butter. Friday before Whitsunday.
· Haarlemmerhout Festival with music, dance, food from around the world. June
· Dancevalley festival July
· Jazz festival August
· Vaardagen Big nautical event on our river Spaarne, not in 2008
· Open Monumentendagen. "Open door days" in most of the historical buildings (and there are lots of them!) September
· Jopen festival Historic festival with live music, craftsmen at work, etc September
· De Stad als Podium Music, theatre, exhibitions, etc etc etc September
· Haarlem Salsa Dance Festival, October
Some of the museums etc:
· Frans Hals museum Dutch masters of the Golden Age (and more)
· Teylers Museum science and art in Hollands oldest museum
· National Psychiatry museum
· Museum de Cruquius Former giant steam pumping engine, now museum about how the Dutch fight with the water and claimed land from the sea. Part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage
· Vleeshal and Vishal contemporary arts inclusing photography
· Nieuwe Vide contemporary arts
· Historical photography archive
· Kunstfort exhibitions in a 19th century fortress
· Mechanical Organ Museum
· small historic trams and buses museum
· De Adriaan museum in a windmill
· De Zandhaas working windmill where wheat flour is made
· Archeology museum and lots of info on archeology in Haarlem
Nightlife:
· Salsa @ the railway station
· dance and world music @ the railway station
· Reggeaton, Merengue, Bachata, Salsa, Zouk
· Live bands (Dance, Rock, Alternative)
· Dance club
· sunday afternoon jazz
and countless bars and restaurants of course
Some of the hangouts @ the beach: relaxed · trendy
Some other things:
· National Park (recreation and widlife)
· Theatre, modern dance and arthouse movies in a beautiful building
· Typical village
· Ice skating open October - March
· Serious indoor ski
· Serious indoor climbing
· Haarlem Night Skate 7 evenings throughout summer, starting in May
· Grote Markt (our 'Plaza Mayor') and its webcam and its 700 years old churchTourists tend to see Haarlem as a good base camp for visiting Amsterdam. Although this does indeed apply, most of the venues listed here not only attract people from Haarlem but actually attract people that live in Amsterdam.

Friends (110)
MGIEDRIAUSIA 33, Female Vilnius, Vilniaus Lithuania Friends since April 2007 "He is my boyfriend" Friendship Type: Best Friend
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Trike 26, Several people Vancouver, British Columbia Canada Friends since February 2009 "He's God" Friendship Type: Best Friend
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Marta Cremers 27, Female The Hague, Zuid-Holland Netherlands Friends since June 2007 "We had great time in Haarlem & Amsterdam!" Friendship Type: Close Friend
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Andrea Szalai 25, Female Gyal, Pest Hungary Friends since August 2006 "my first CouchSurfing experience (1st long-term host)" Friendship Type: Good Friend
16 |
Maria Grazia Maffucci 39, Female Torino, Piemonte Italy Friends since July 2007 "... I came back in Haarlem :)" Friendship Type: Close Friend I vouched for COUCHISTA
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Ira Polubok 24, Female Getxo, Basque Country Spain Friends since July 2006 "I've been his guest in Haarlem for one night and so far complain I haven't had more time in travel schedule to stay in Klaas' place for more time." Friendship Type: Good Friend
1 3 |
FRAU SCHNELL 38, Female Berlin, Berlin Germany Friends since August 2007 "hosted him and his girlfriend giedre" Friendship Type: Good Friend
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Tomas Sautu de la R 29, Male Rosario, Santa Fe Argentina Friends since June 2007 "i stayed in his house for 2 nights and went to a party togethers in groningen" Friendship Type: Good Friend
2 1 |
Isabel Rossignoli 28, Female Madrid, Madrid Spain Friends since September 2009 "He guided me around Haarmel and hosted me" Friendship Type: Good Friend
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Isabella Andert 22, Female Vienna, Vienna Austria Friends since April 2007 "Klaas saw that I was host-less for the weekend and immediately invited me and my mom to stay at his place" Friendship Type: Good Friend I vouched for COUCHISTA
1 3 | | 100 more friends |
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Personal Description Did you know that people that don't have a credit card can not get the green 'verified' tick?
Predictability is what I don't like in life. What I do like, is raising my teenage daughter (am doing that as a single parent since she was 3,5 years old). Then I coordinate (part time and together with others) a small 'social company' where we help people that have a background in psychiatry reintegrate in society. And I have my own small business for training and advice to graphic arts companies (studios, printing companies etc).
Ever since my first trip abroad, when I was 6, my travel hormones have taken over. "A day without laughing is a day lost - a year without travel is a year lost".
As we host together and often travel together, this profile is as much my daughter's as mine. As for her, she is a very creative person, always drawing, painting or making music.
Same username at HC and BW
How I Participate in CS- So far (sep 2009), hosted some 200 people and were hosted by some 40.
- Organised some CS meetings
· HaarlemHosts and GlobalGuests meeting
· Midsummer night Aftercamp 2007
· Flower parade meeting 2008
· Liberation Day Picknick & Festival
· Houtfestival meeting
· Midsummer night Aftercamp 2008
· Typical dutch NYE
· Let's go ice skating!
· Eat&Meet Homedinner and Afterparty
· Eat & Meet Homedinner & BALKAN BEATZ at Patronaat
· DAROM 2009 - Couchsurfers help clean the Lithuanian forest!
· CS at Annual Flower Parade, 2009
· CS at Bevrijdingspop open air music festival, May 5, 2009
· TRIKE - spectacular CS band from Canada live on stage!
· CS at Houtfestival open air world music, June 21, 2009
· Midsummer Night Aftercamp/Ivana Kupala 2009
· Culture Immersion
· CS edutainment meeting: Are you normal? Are they mad?
· Haarlem -> Hamburg invasion
· Party @ Hafenklang Hamburg
- Maintain the CS WIki page about Haarlem at http://wiki.couchsurfing.com/en/Haarlem
- Promote the idea in my social and professional environment :-)CouchSurfing ExperienceIn most of our non-European trips we have been surfing couches, before joining this site. Our couch has been surfed by people from Honduras, Cameroon, Congo, Poland, Israel, Iran, USA, Belarus, Hungary, Greece, Russia, Switzerland, Slovakia and many many others.
My daughter and I have stayed with hosts in Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Austria, Hungary, Belarus, Lithuania, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia.InterestsMountains, music, photography, languages and linguistics, architecture, cats, sub-saharan Africa, cooking & eating, dance (mainly n'dombolo and salsa), maps, history, ski, railways, graphic arts, publishing, parenthood and above all: human diversityMusic, Movies, BooksMusic: Koffi Olomide, Zaiko Langa Langa, Wenge Musica, Bozi Boziana, Magic System, Samira Said, Ranin, Aventura, Victor Manuelle, Velvet Underground, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Unicorns, Regina Spektor, Antsy Pants, Cansei de ser sexy, Hot Chip, TRIKE!!!!, De Marvas, Lhasa de Sela, An Pierlé, Goran Bregovic and some 300 others.
Movies: Luis Buñuel, Abel, Samsara, the science of sleep, Laurel and Hardy, Symetria, etc etc
Books: no novels please. I like language when it's spoken. And I am an image person.Types of People I enjoyPeople that are willing to get rid of their prejudice and that help me get rid of mine. And humor is a key element in life.Teach, Learn, ShareI would like to learn how to spit fire. Maybe we can do a photography project together (check my portfolio at www.vanhuizen.info) and if you are not a photographer, maybe you can model for me. Or maybe I can help you with that printwork that you need for your non-profit organization. Or we can exchange massage. Or I can show you the successes and failures of social housing projects here because you are writing your thesis about this. One Amazing Thing I've Seen or DoneThe most negative experience: living under Mobutu's dictatorship in Congo (then Zaire) in 1994
The most positive experience: living with the hospitality, solidarity, humor and optimism of the people of Congo (then Zaire) in 1994Opinion on the CouchSurfing.org ProjectCouch surfing should be a standard part of every persons education. Yes, this site is great!
About the list of traveled locations below: For some reason, CS does not allow me to indicate the following countries, even though I did really travel in them... Palestine, GDR and TRNC Locations TraveledTRAVELED: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, DR Congo (Kinshasa), Equatorial Guinea, France, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Laos, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, West Bank LIVED: Bangladesh, DR Congo (Kinshasa) WANTS TO GO: Yemen References
From Rénia Sastrowidjojo Rotterdam, Netherlands Nov 9 Positive Klaas decided to do a roadtrip to Hamburg to see Trike playing as well. As Hamburg was on my list of cities to visit and i liked the idea of a (half) spontaneous roadtrip, i joined in. Klaas is an energetic and caring person. While i already felt pretty tired, he was up and jumping and dancing during the concert after so many hours of driving and even drove me to my host making sure i'd arrive safely. I'm looking forward to a next meeting organised by Klaas...
Enjoy the Live in Your Livingroom concerts in Haarlem and see you soon.
From Lidia Bogdanova Vragender, Netherlands Nov 2 Positive Some people call him God. Some people spread rumours about him. You never know before you meet him in real.
I do feel safe with Klaas. We easily invaded Hamburg.
I enjoy events organized by him.
We want more! We want more! We want more!
From Anne Mercier Hamburg, Germany Nov 2 Positive Klaas surfed my couch during the Trike-concert-dance-your-ass-of-weekend!
He organized the whole meeting and introduced me to Trike and their music (I will possibly be grateful for the rest of my life...). Being kind of a Trike-maniac Klaas floated the whole crew with his enthusiasm for the band and was a huge factor that made the night as mind-blowing and great as it was.
Klaas was also a really really good guest, he was thankful, friendly and absolutely amicable.
It was such a pleasure to have Klaas around, I would offer him my couch again and again and again!
Hope to see you again!! Sinterklaas!
From Ralph Muhle Hamburg, Germany Nov 1 Positive I saw a nice kind of humor and ...
... next time more.
From Isabel Rossignoli Madrid, Spain Sep 17 Positive The best of my trip to Netherlands was all the amazing people, like Klaas, that I met there.
We met in Haarmel for a CS event. We share an amazing day full of concerts, museum, typical food, horror movie... and finally we were speaking during hours, I learn a lot listening and talking with him. He shared with me, not only his house, also his thinkings.
Take care and let me know your next steps, hope to see you again, when are you coming to Spain? big hug
From Dragoljub Jankovic Ivanjica, Serbia Sep 2 Positive Klaas was my guest with his daughter
Maan, and it was my first couchsurf
experience as a host.
They were very, very good surfers!
We have talked a lot, we had many
interesting topics to speak about,
we spent a lot of time together and
they were so nice...
That's why I wish to host them again!
From BEATRICE1975 Alessandria, Italy Aug 28 Positive I met Klaas through HC in July 2007.
Maria Grazia (anoroll) and I wanted to spend a long weekend in Amsterdam and asked Klaas for hospitality. He hosted us for three nights.
Klaas is one of those people that make hospitality networks the great place they are. All the good things that can be said about him have already been written, and I can only fully confirm that he is a smart and brilliant guy, with a HUGE and warm heart, a deep soul, a great sense of humour (and a great patience to bear other people's (bad) sense of humour :)) and an overwhelming spirit of hospitality. But, Klaas, I would also like to add that, if I sum all the cares and attentions you paid me and (for sure) all other guests, you have surely bought a place in paradise not only for yourself but also for the whole population of Haarlem! Last but not least, I would like to spend one word on your AMAZINGLY LOVELY cat, who would definitely deserve her own separate comment :)
From Sara Zamorano Zurich, Switzerland Aug 3 Positive Klaas and Maan hosted my daughter, my friend and me for 3 nights. klaas is a very friendly and open-minded men who has a very creative young nice daughter maan. it was a pleasure to met klaas and maan!:-) thank you again for the uncomplicated stay in your house and the interesting conversation!i hope we see us again sometime in zürich!you are always welcome!
From Lesia Bašić-Lazhevska Sanski Most, Bosnia and Herzegovina Jul 31 Positive Klaas and Maan were amazing guests, because they came by car, hehe. Kidding of course, overall i was amazed with their readiness to accept the culture they came into, with their attention to us (they brough us little souvenir from Netherlands) and to the history of Bosnia. Klaas has a huge life experience but yet we saw how he is using every situation to learn more. And Maan is so so sweet, my younger brothers-in-law fell in love with her and cant sleep at nights now :)))))
Hoping for a future meeting, guys, here in Bosna or up there in the "mountains" of Holland :))))
From ASRYE Skofja Loka, Slovenia Jul 28 Positive Klaas and Maan are truly great people, and they were great guest aswell! They only stayed with us for one night, but it was great talking to them about the Netherlands and Slovenia and couchsurfing in general. I would gladly host them again anytime! Thank you for biscuits and the postcards (you are both trully gifted artists!) and I wish you a nice and enjoyable trip through the rest of ex-yugoslavic countries! Don't forget to let me know how you liked čevapčiči. :D
From BROTUNDTULPEN Neubiberg, Germany Jul 28 Positive Klaas and Maan were our first "couch-experience" and it couldn't have been better. Nice, helpful and very empathetic people. We had dinner with them and some friends in our garden and enjoyed their precence a lot.
Klaas and Maan, You will always be welcome in our house!
From Marina Altukhova Moscow, Russia Jul 20 Positive Hell yeah Nathalie, Klass is a persdon to meet!
funny, laid-back and easy-going guy who made our day in Haarlem - both with breathtaking ride and photoshoot.
U're the man.
Hope to see u once and once and once again!!
From Anshul Khanna New Delhi, India Jul 14 Positive I surfed Klass's couch in Haarlem and had a great time with Him and Giedre. They took me to some nice Bars even when they were tired and sleepy :). Wish we had more time to spend together... may be in India next ;) ???
From Ralph Peeters Kessel, Netherlands Jul 6 Positive I went to Klaas his event on the beach around Haarlem. Thanks again for organizing this. I had a really good time.
From Sharla Holladay Sherwood, United States Jul 5 Positive We surfed with Mahn and Klaas for one night, they were very accommodating to us. Klaas showed us around Harleem and we had a nice dinner over a couple bottles of wine. Good to meet you guys!
From Robert Phillips Vancouver, Canada Jun 10 Positive Klaas and Maan were a fabulous -my son and I enjoyed our stay immensely-they kindly took us on a driving tour to the sea then we shared drinks and intriguing discussions-highly recommended-Robert and Dante
From Antje Meyer Kranenburg, Germany May 19 Positive We act on impulse to spend two days in Haarlem. Klaas en Maan welcome us very spontaneously at their home. They were very friendly, open en trustful to us, so it takes no time to feel welcome and comfortable. They also showd us a little van the surroundings. Realy creative and nice people!
From Marshall McDonald New York, United States May 10 Positive Klaas & Maan were wonderful. Maan played some Interpol on bass. Klaas cooked an incredible dinner. We shared wine and before bed Klaas caught a spider and expressed his love toward it. It was my first couchsurfing experience and I couldn't have has a nicer set of hosts. Woowoo!
From MZVELEZ616 Newark, United States May 3 Positive Klaas and Maan were wonderful hosts. They both were very gracious and courteous. I felt very welcome in there home and got to enjoy a wonderful dinner they prepared. I learned many things from both of them and was glad to have gotten the chance to be hosted by them. Maan plays the guitar wonderfully. Thank you both very much for everything!
From *JOSEY Nijmegen, Netherlands Apr 20 Positive We spontaneously decided to spend the weekend at the North Sea- and Klaas and Maan were able to give us spontaneously a real home! We felt welcome to act like we felt and experienced a lot of freedom and trust. And the best is: He has got the complete Jacques Brel collection!!!
From Christina Molliconi Thomaston, United States Apr 13 Positive Klaas & Maan are such gracious hosts. We so much enjoyed our stay with them. it was all we could do to not take Domino with us. If the opportunity presents, I would love to stay again with them.
From Jennifer Killham Glen Ellyn, United States Mar 23 Positive Klaas and Maan are exceptional hosts. Many thanks for a delightful evening! I'm in agreement with Maureen and Kayloh: Klaas and Maan are topnotch. Keep the events (and the Bols) coming! I hope to see you both again.
From Maureen Hartlooper Hoofddorp, Netherlands Mar 21 Positive Thank you Klaas and Maan for your hospitality during your home dinner event! I really enjoyed your home cooked meal and the company of the group. So most likely I will see you again on your next organised event!
From Kayloh Lincoln, United States Mar 21 Positive I can see that Klaas has made Couchsufing a significant part of his life and truly enjoys hosting travelers. He and his daughter are both smart, have a wide variety of interests and are a great resource to learn more about Haarlem. I hope to go back to there (this time in the light of day) to see more of the town!
From Ineke Vermeulen Utrecht, Netherlands Mar 19 Positive Klaas is a very cool and laidback guy, with a really Dutch type of dry humor. He and his daughter have been very nice to us. And, not unimportant, he makes great coffee!
From Giedrius Balbieris Kaunas, Lithuania Mar 1 Positive Klaas is great cs host. His experience shows very much - he is proactive and great with sharing all useful local information. Although my visit overlapped with other demanding activities for Klaas, participating in those made it even more exciting. Yet, I feel like there are still many unexplored lands in our friendship story. Please come over to Kaunas.
From Trike Vancouver, Canada Feb 25 Positive Klaas is the coolest human being anyone could ever meet. Trike loves him. Stephen has sexual dreams about him. Xania thinks he's God. Too bad all talent skipped his generation and went straight to Maan!
From Stefan Bakker Amsterdam, Netherlands Feb 14 Positive Hi Klaas, thanks for setting the really nice ice skating afternoon. Very enjoyable, and nice to (briefly) meet you too.
From Annemarie Kok Haarlem, Netherlands Feb 7 Positive Thank you very much for the dinner, i really enjoyed the evening meeting a lot of new people and seeing TRIKE play live :)
From LEXZZ Beverwijk, Netherlands Feb 7 Positive Klaas organised a meeting for Haarlem's couchsurfers, whereby he hosted two guests from Canada as well.. It was my first time on such an event. Met some really nice people, had a great dinner and then we all together went to a concert of his two Canadian (couchsurfing) guests, band called TRIKE. Fantastic evening... Thnx Klaas!
From Marc Rodriguez Chicago, United States Jan 16 Positive Klass and his daughter hosted me for a traditional Dutch dinner in their home one cold night in January. I enjoyed my conversations with both of them and had a wonderful time touring the city. Klass is a great host and I would suggest him to anyone.
From FRED_CRIS Barcelona, Spain Jan 7 Positive This was our first CS experience as guests and it was excellent!!!
Klaas is a great person, friendly, and helpful (he even picked us up after we got lost in the streets of Haarlem in a freezing night). His daughter Maan is a lovely and creative girl (keep up with with your art!).
They hosted us for three nights in a very nice room with a comfortable bed and made our stay SUPER!!
Klaas really deserves to be an ambassador. He and Maan welcomed us with open arms and lovely oliebollen, we also played a Dutch game which was real fun. Also, his New Years Eve Party with couch surfers and family was great.
Klaas and Maan: We wish you the best and we want to thank you again for your hospitality. We hope to see you in Barcelona.
From Bingjing Zhang Delft, Netherlands Jan 4 Positive Klaas hosted a NYE party at his house and we met in the party. It was a great party. Klaas and his families prepared a typical Dutch NYE party for us with Dutch snacks, Dutch dishes, Dutch games, Dutch celebrations and fireworks. I enjoyed my first NYE party here in the Netherlands a lot. Klaas also offered me a couch in the night. I like his kindness, caring and thoughtfulness. : )
From Daniel Fudala Aberdeen, United Kingdom Oct 9, 2008 Positive Klaas and his daughter were my guests for 2 nights! I really enjoyed their company and willingness to get to know Polish culture. We did some some sigh-seeing with other HC members and at the end of their stay..Klaas fixed my bicycle!! Take care!
From ANNETTE10827 Berlin, Germany Sep 25, 2008 Positive On a lovely summer Sunday in Berlin, I met Klaas and his girlfriend Giedre at Alex, and together with a russian friend we explored Berlin. From art events in Xberg to classic museums and street cafes, we had a great time. I really enjoyed showing them around, and I'm very sorry I was not in the best mood ever because of my damaged shoulder, and had to leave early. But thank you for this wonderful day!
From Annelea Blignaut Sonlandpark, South Africa Aug 19, 2008 Positive Klaas and Maan were my first surfing experience with CS and I could not have asked for anything better.
Thank you for taking me into your home and opening up your lives to me; thank you for the lazy breakfasts together over numerous cups of Bosnian coffee and especially the chats that flitted from light to serious to hilarious. I loved the bike ride and getting to know Haarlem through your eyes.
If you make it to Bosnia while I'm still there, you definitely have a place to stay!! Actually, you will have a place to stay where ever I am :-)
Thank you so much for making my first surfing experience a rich one!
From Andrea Szalai Gyal, Hungary Aug 14, 2008 Positive My best Dutch friend! And my native Dutch teacher! I can thank you so much.
I'm proud to be respected by you and proud to be one who can respect you, Big Dutch White Man :)
From SWITZI Zermatt, Switzerland Jul 31, 2008 Positive I had a really funny day and evening with Klaas and his sweet daughter Maan.
From MOTHERANDSON Bern, Switzerland Jul 30, 2008 Positive Nice people. Very nice people. And the daughter is an amazing young woman, couldn't believe her young age...
Having had Klaas and Maan at home was like having old friends from Holland over for a week-end. Thank you for the relaxed time we had together!
From Eliane Andres Zeneggen, Switzerland Jul 30, 2008 Positive I hosted Klaas and his daugther for 3 days and I really enjoy it because they are so kindly and polite.
You are everytime welcome in my home! Maybe once in winter for skiing!
From ELFLI Muotathal, Switzerland Jul 26, 2008 Positive Hoi:) Klaas and Maan! You were great guests, i really enyoied to host you...You're so extreme nice and open mind people, we had very nice conversations and funny moments...It was a pleasure to meet you two and i hope we will see each other again, in (neverland:) holland...thanks a lot for the cds and the big list:)you have a really good music taste...and maan, i wish you always many muse to play the guitar and painting, you're really talented!And I wish you both another many good travel experiences and just nice people...loveley greetes (also from picasso, athena, shiva and luna:) take care
From Kristina Beatrice Holler-Bouldin Nuremberg, Germany Jul 15, 2008 Positive I had a real good time at Klaas' place. He's a nice person and so is his daughter! We made music together, went to a lake to go swimming, did a great outdoor photo shooting and had lots of good talks! I hope to meet you guys some time in the future! Be welcome at my home any time! Thanks for everything.
From YELMAYA Amsterdam, Netherlands Jul 3, 2008 Positive Fortunately, I attended two great CS events organized by Klaas. First, CS @ HoutFestival, then Midsummernight AfterCamp. Midsummernight AfterCamp was definitely the most fabulous CS event I have ever attended. Everything was very well organized by Klaas, so the only thing left us to do was enjoying
midnight by hearing the sound of the waves and feeling the sand. (Actually, I had still been feeling the sand till I went to doctor to clean them:-))
I highly recommend not missing any "Couchista event". I will not!
Klaas, thanks for HoutFestival, thanks for Midsummernight AfterCamp, and thanks in advance for the next:)
From Timo Millitz Utrecht, Netherlands Jul 2, 2008 Positive Again he did it to organize this Midsummernight Aftercamp! And it was totally super again :D
He is a good person to have a chat with and keeps on shaking great fun making campsite games out of his clothes! :)
From Heather Frase Ithaca, United States Jun 16, 2008 Positive Klaas and Maan -- what beautiful people. We very much enjoyed our time in the Netherlands- they opened up their home and their wonderful creativity to us, making for some everlasting memories. Klaas has also inspired us to throw night long parties with fellow couchsurfers - perhaps for the summer solstice :) Take care friends!
From Sabine Löhnert Koblenz, Germany Jun 8, 2008 Positive Klaas came to our house just for some few hours of sleep... but anyway Paul and Johanna had a good talk during breakfast with him. A nice chap, hope we meet again with more time...
See you!
From Maria+Jens Antwerp, Belgium Jun 3, 2008 Positive One more good reference :-) Make no difference but it's true. a nice person, very nice conversation having dinner in Dusseldorf.
From Mariane Cavalheiro Sao Paulo, Brazil May 11, 2008 Positive Klaas is the kind of person that is very into the spirit of Couch Surfing, w/ a lot of experiences to share and have fun together.
Was a pleasure to help him to organize a meeting for the Liberation Day.
Hope to have the chance to meet more times in my season here.
Cheers,
Mari
From Émélie Caron Ottawa, Canada May 6, 2008 Positive Klaas and he's daughter Maan host me even if it's a not really and perfect week for them. They are really nice peoples... But the cat don't like me I SURE! :P Seriosly, I'm really happy go in Klaas house. I just come for Amsterdam and finally I have see Amsterdam, Haarlem and alot of small cities around in bike! :) Thanks for your welcome!
From Maikel Lourenssen Oss, Netherlands May 6, 2008 Positive Couchista was already known from some groupposts before I met, Later we met and were hosted by the same host in Groningen wich was great.
Now in May he organised the CS part of the liberation festival and his attitude about couchsurfing is something I really admire in him.
I share his thoughts about spreading the CS spirit around the world.
From Marina Zaytseva Boblingen, Germany Apr 28, 2008 Positive Met Klaas in Haarlem!He is a good meeting organizer and a person with good sence of humour!!!!!!He shared his CS experience with us!!!!!!!I think Klaas is a perfect host--that what I saw!!!!!
He likes ice cream even if he has cold!!!!
Hope you feel much better now!!!!!!!!!
From Benjamin Agostini Verdun, France Apr 19, 2008 Positive He 'n his daughter Maan hosted us for 3 days! They were our first experience in couchsurfin'... and what a great experience!!! Klaas' the better host you can imagine! Even if we were a bit shy at once, they made us enjoy so well that we left them with a point of sadness!!! Hopin' they'll soon decide to visit us...
And don't hesitate, if your vertebras may cross Klaas' hands, they'll don't have any regrets;))))
From Neo Zhang Nottingham, United Kingdom Apr 18, 2008 Positive Klaas and his daughter gave me a lot of help during my trip in the Netherlands. They are very kind people and they like help every guest as far as they can. I enjoyed very much when he sent me to the train station by his bicycle:)
From FRAU SCHNELL Berlin, Germany Apr 12, 2008 Positive Klaas and his girlfriend Giedre made theyr never ending honeymoon trip in my city. What did you say, Klaas about Dolce vita? He really knows how to keep and to share it. i had sooooo relaxed hours with that red traffic light abusing couple! see you at latest at your wedding!
update: i visit him and his daughter in Harlem. What a nice family, what a nice city!
From Robin Kwast Rocca di Papa, Italy Feb 17, 2008 Positive He surfed my couch together with his girlfriend. It was really a great experience to have him over in our house, and the 3 days were actually too short. I hope to meet him again, either in the Netherlands, or somewhere else.
From DANCING ANGELA Vienna, Austria Feb 12, 2008 Positive Klaas was a great host in Haarlem, he took us to the beach and to see an old windmill. We had a lot of fun walking around Haarlem and we also went out to dance Salsa at the train station. He is very trustworthy and a good person. Du musst uns in Wien besuchen kommen :)
From Isabella Andert Vienna, Austria Feb 12, 2008 Positive Klaas is an incredibly nice, warm and open person, knows and has so much and shared his experiences and his joy of life with us unconditionally. He made our stay in Haarlem a wonderful time which we will never forget. I wish him all the best and that he can live the life he is dreaming of. Don't forget we're waiting for you in Vienna!
Update: Meeting Klaas for a day is like a week in a Kurhotel (health resort) for the soul. We met again at the little DuLac meeting in Amsterdam and then I went back to Haarlem for a day and a night, more or less. He is one of the nicest people I know, it's so good talking to him and I finally got the chance to also meet his daughter, which was cool too, she's friendly, polite and has a great taste in music :)
Update again: Finally had the honour to host Klaas and Maan in my humble home in Vienna - that was great!
See you again soon, I hope :)
From Élise et Lukas Chaperon Montreal, Canada Jan 22, 2008 Positive Thank you because you've been a great city guide. It was nice to see both Haarlem and Amsterdam! It is so pleasant to feel the nice complicity you have with your daughter. Thank you again for your hospitality. See you in Montreal!
From Svetlana Staskova Blarney, Ireland (Republic of) Jan 18, 2008 Positive I could not host but my family did that.I came to see Klaas& his daughter one evening.We had a nice talk and I am glad Klaas& his daughter liked Eastern Slovakia.
From Eivind Moerk Oslo, Norway Jan 16, 2008 Positive Klaas is one of those people that makes you think: "If just everyone was like Klaas, what a wonderful world that would have been." He is a brilliant CS host, not only did he provide us with a place to stay and good food, he also, and more important perhaps, gave us inspiration and new ideas. I believe in your mission Klaas!
From AVONWINT Laconi, Italy Dec 20, 2007 Positive dear klass, you don't need any reference letters.
you and your daugther are cool!
you were and you are really welcome to Laconi...
From Jeremy Forbes Savannah, Cayman Islands Dec 13, 2007 Positive My trip to and stay in the Netherlands was great due to my amazing host!!! He was really hospitable and we had some really nice conversations. Is very knowledgeable about the area and is willing to help make your stay in the Netherlands a comfortable and memorable one!!!
From MEGATRAVELER Panama City, Panama Nov 14, 2007 Positive Klaas and Maan are a class act!
The reason I headed to Haarlem and requested to surf their couch was simply because it was COUCHISTA's profile that really inspired me to join CS in the first place. This being the case, I felt the need to meet my mentor and Klaas accepted happily. I was not disappointed and was enlightened from the first moment we established contact. My inadequacies became apparent soon enough and I was able to learn from that.
Klaas is a wonderful host. Very open, respectful and direct at the same time. He made me feel welcome from day one and prepared one of his famous recipes for dinner, accompanied by delicious red wine and quality conversation.
I was happily surprised when we had lunch one day at one of the local bagel cafes in Haarlem and I was able to appreciate Klaas's photography. His work is magical, he is a picture weaver.
Infinite thanks for shedding light along my path!
From Alena Borries Leipzig, Germany Sep 15, 2007 Positive My first Couch Surfing experience ever and really a great one!!! Openminded and very interesting personality. Together with his cute daughter they showed us around and made our stay very comfortable. Wonderful hosts!!!
From SVOOP Barcelona, Spain Sep 7, 2007 Positive Klaas and his impressively smart and talented daughter Maan are travelwise and easy guests. It was nice to show them a little around in Barcelona, although we were not very lucky with the weather that weekend.
From TayW Victoria, Canada Sep 4, 2007 Positive Peaceful was my night at Klaas'place. He gave me some good ideas to think about, I enjoyed looking at his photography, and we shared in the wonders of dutch peanutbutter at toast time.
From DELALUCY Barcelona, Spain Sep 4, 2007 Positive Klaas and his impressively smart and talented daughter Maan are travelwise and easy guests. It was nice to show them a little around in Barcelona, although we were not very lucky with the weather that weekend.
From CURLYGIRL21 Saint Louis, United States Aug 30, 2007 Positive Klaas was kind enough to let my daughter and me stay with him last summer. He made our visit very easy and comfortable. I apologize for not writing a reference much sooner.
From Xavier Escofet font Vilanova I La Geltru, Spain Aug 19, 2007 Positive It was such a big pleasure to host Klaas and his daughter!!!
It was just one night, but enought to understand that they are one of this real CS people.
Hope to see u soon.
From Xavi Tarafa Mercader El Masnou, Spain Aug 18, 2007 Positive Klaas and Maan stayed at home two days.
It was so nice to host them. We enjoy nice time talking about photography, global warming, Catalunya and Catalan...
Come back whenever you want.
From JENTE Berlin-Friedrichshain, Germany Aug 18, 2007 Positive With some people you feel that one night is just so short. With Klaas & Giedre I started some really interesting conversations and - oops! our time was gone :) They are funny, smart and special personalities that care much for the world outside, and great guests!!
From John Torrente San Francisco, United States Jul 29, 2007 Positive klaas is intuitive, engaging and wonderful company. he has great positive energy and an obvious thirst for life and its possibilities. thanks for the thoughts klaas, hope to see you down the road.
From Maria Grazia Maffucci Torino, Italy Jul 28, 2007 Positive What could I say about couchista? ... I could say that he's an open mind, nice, pretty, patient, true person, and all positive things you can imagine. All these things are true beyond doubt, ... he is a WYSIWYG person, What You See Is What You Get, and now he probably won't decide if he wants hug or fight me, again ;D
Klaas you are a person that deeply touch the soul of other person, I don't know why and how but this is what I felt when you hosted me and this is exactly what I'm feeling now.
Bear hug, this is the only way I know to explain it :)
See you again.
========
... some months after.
Meet couchista in person is always a particular experience for me and I'm not able to add more then this, too deeply experience.
Only one thing, "Il nous fallut bien du talent
Pour être vieux sans être adultes" ;)
Hug tightly.
From EVA WELTWEIT Cologne, Germany Jul 25, 2007 Positive If Klaas is not at home when you arrive at Haarlem, don't be mad at him and leave again, even if it's raining and if it rains exactly all the times you are sitting on the bench in front of his lovely house - he'll come and he'll make your stay in Haarlem really a heaven. He takes a lot of time for his couch surfes, even as he had had an enormous amount of them (over 70 in one year!) - we for example went picknicking with him on a lake in the dunes by bike, which was just really great. He's also always open for good conversation and has very true opinions on everything. In his house he's helpful with everything - might it be towels or a sleeping bag or dinner or breakfast. He's also like a child, loves to play with the sand and laugh a lot. Thanks a lot for everything.
From Zara Woolley Cusco, Peru Jul 8, 2007 Positive Klaas and his daughter are wonderful, caring and interesting people (and the cats pretty good too!!). Klaas kindly allowed me and my friend (a non CS'er) in his house for 2 nights. Funnily enough his birthday happened to be the day after mine so we were able to party together twice :) Skipping along the beach is certainly something that was a highlingt of our stay, even if it was on a VERY windy, cold and dark beach!! Klaas has a lot of knowledge about Haarlem and the surroundings and is very happy to share it with you, which we were grateful for. We couldn't have asked for a better time in Haarlem and hope that one day he and Maan might stay with us (Australia, Spain or Holland, it doesn't matter which one!!!)
Happy CS'ing to both of you.
From Roman Kalyakin Amsterdam, Netherlands Jul 7, 2007 Positive Klaas is a very nice person with a good sense of humor and big concern about CS idea. That's true and I would stop writing general description here if I didn't want to say more. Klaas is a very intellectual person with a wide experience in living on this planet. If you're not only interested in partying and relaxing, you'd rather skip it and talk about more elevated things with Klaas: philosophy, arts, life in general. Yes, and from the first time we met his house is the main thing of interest for me in Haarlem.
From Alex Mikhnenko Groningen, Netherlands Jul 1, 2007 Positive We had a very pleasant conversation @ CS/HC-BBQ party in Groningen. Klaas is a very nice person with an excellent sense of humor! We were amazed by his knowledge, especially about our home country - Ukraine :) We hope to meet him again!
From Kliment Yanev Cologne, Germany Jun 27, 2007 Positive He organized a wonderful meeting near haarlem and hosted me and my parents and brother the next day. We had a really nice talk in the evening and found many mutual interests. Would be absolutely amazing to meet again, I'll look you up next time I'm in the area
From OLENKA84 Ternopil', Ukraine Jun 26, 2007 Positive Klaas,thank you so much for your hosting and for such GREAT time!!!I never can thought that such a big boy :)can be so sweet and can play as a child!:)
It was my first experience with couchsurfing and i am really very excited that I met you!When we meet people like Klaas then we really want to do something - just enjoy the life like him!!!See you soon:)
From Kelly Schiller Austin, United States Jun 25, 2007 Positive Klaas is so completley laid back and fun to be around. He organized an amazing party in the pastures that I was lucky enough to be invited to. He put up a good mud wrestling fight as well. I only wish I had jumped over the fire with y'all!
From La Puce Emond Montreal, Canada Jun 24, 2007 Positive Klaas took care of me so kindly, offering me tea and bed and lift, friend, cat and humour, which i really appreciated. To thanks him, I haven't went to his party... Pretty relax big little boy, nice to meet you. :)
From Lucas Lichtenwaldt Dinuba, United States Jun 24, 2007 Positive Klaas was a most excellent host who has a great sense of humor! He led us on a tour of his wonderful town and we were invited on a one hour canal tour with a guy who was getting his boat ready. We accepted and a little over three hours later returned back to shore! So let this be a warning to you... make sure to bring a jacket when walking with Klaas. You just might make an unexpected adventure!
From Alla Bol Saint Petersburg, Russia Jun 11, 2007 Positive This was one of meetings which prove that we do not need much time to get strong impression. I spend only a few hours with Klaas and other CSrs during a picnic in Amsterdam, but I got a feeling that I understand Klaas very well and we could be good friends. Our deep conversation about emotions and passions in different cultures made me thoughtful for next few days :). Funny, that I was supposed to leave Amsterdam in the morning this day and I was a bit upset that I cannot join CS people for this picnic. Due to several troubles on my way to the airport I missed the flight. And it seems that Amsterdam did not allow me to leave the city without meeting Klaas and other CSrs!
From Jemma Sutton Ansan, South Korea Jun 8, 2007 Positive My first couchsurfing experience was with Klaas and i really couldn't have asked for anyone better. Klaas and his daughter are intelligent, engaging people who made me feel very welcome. They gave me the opportunity to see a different side of Amsterdam that you would not find in a guidebook. Good food, great music and a lovely cat, which i still want to adopt. Thanks again and i hope to see you again in the future, Jemma
From Orinta Piksryte Dublin, Ireland (Republic of) Jun 2, 2007 Positive It's very easy to get along with Klaas. Charming, full of energy and interesting stories, genuine, friendly, open-minded, very helpful... Nice to talk, laugh or dance with, or just stay in silence. Thanks for showing the real Haarlem. :) Hopefully I'll get more opportunities to hear about ur experiences and even to follow ur path straight to Africa. :D
From Rebecca Gray Dunedin, New Zealand May 29, 2007 Positive I can't believe I almost feeling like giving up on Haarlem, after some very confusing train problems... Now I am really glad I went to be shown around by Klaas. We and a bunch of other couchsurfers had a very interesting midnight tour during a very unusual festival! Klaas really lives up to the ideal of what CS is about :)
From Johann Heyss Rio de Janeiro, Brazil May 27, 2007 Positive Klaas hosted Alessandro and me plus two other girls. He is a very open person, willing to know different people, very receptive and owner of a wry sense of humor which I appreciate very much. I fell immediately at ease with Klaas, whom, besides besides being an interesting clever guy, can also make one of the best Turkish coffess I've ever tried. He guided us through the nightlife of Haarlem, always offering some explanations on interesting sites, contextualizing them in terms of History. He's got a nice photography work and is also a big fan of cats, like me. I loved being hosted by him and hope we can have the chance to meet again and talk and get to know each other better in the future.
From ANFISKA Ottawa, Canada May 11, 2007 Positive Klaas has a wonderful sense of humour, i enjoyed his company immensely and he loved my cat! the thing that i really liked about Klaas apart from his sense of humor and love for my cat is that he is very interested in people he meets and this interest is genuine,
see you soon
From Deniz Aydoslu Canterbury, United Kingdom Apr 29, 2007 Positive Klaas is easy going, friendly, polite, open minded and you can have lot's of fun with him. This is the type of couch surfer you want to meet!
He's really a great photographer and he inspired me a lot.
Klaas, it was great meeting you!
From CRIIRSARA Bolzano, Italy Apr 27, 2007 Positive With Klaas I had my first couchsurfing experience as a guest and it was a really positive one. I stayed at his place for three days. He is a really good couchsurfer, as he hosts and helps so many travellers, we would need more such members... We had some nice hours together speaking about our countries and he was the one who told me about the beautiful flower parade, so I could also attend this great event:-))
From David Jordan Sacramento, United States Mar 1, 2007 Positive I met Klass while looking for hosts outside of major cities
Klaas is a really intelligent guy, I can't quite find the words to describe his generosity, he's a very genuine and caring person, the kind that if the world had more of it'd be a much better place, he was a great host, I would suggest if you want to have a very meaningful host or guest experience you never let Klaas pass you by.
From Joslyn Johnson Kaibara, Japan Feb 28, 2007 Positive Couchista hosted me and some friends and we had some great conversation, food, and advice for sightseeing. He's got a good sense of humor and a wonderful family! A great introduction to couchsurfing.
From PHILLYGROOVE Philadelphia, United States Feb 10, 2007 Positive Couchista hosted me for 2 days. He was the perfect host for my first couchsurfing experience. Made me feel very welcomed and comfortable. Couchista is inspirational, sincere, and also intelligent. He will make you laugh with his humor.
He showed me around -- he is a great tour guide. Cooked a tasty meal. Far more than I could eat. Visiting Couchista was like meeting a family member you always heard about, for the first time. Peace and One Love to Couchista.
From Khaled Mohamed Tripoli, Libya Dec 20, 2006 Positive He's calm' intresting to help people and host them in his house.. open minded
He showed me around Harleem and i met Mayome by him He's nice person.
From Marcelo Nogueira Curitiba, Brazil Dec 12, 2006 Positive Mr Couchista!!! What I can said!!!??
This guy is very noble. Mr Couchista show me the african music and I thanks your help and hospitality.
Great Dutchhhh!!! I put the photos of your cat in my web page. Big hug for you and your daughter.
From Luana Buga Bucharest, Romania Nov 28, 2006 Positive Klaas is such a wonderful person, I think very high of him and I've learn a lot (including how to cook spinach) during the days he hosted me in Haarlem . He is a friendly and generous person, and a wonderful father to his very smart daughter Maan. I wish you all the best!
From PTITETOILE Brussels, Belgium Nov 3, 2006 Positive Couchista is a very welcoming host and it was a real pleasure to share the evening and the morning with him. His sensitivity, his philosophy of life and his sometimes poetic way of thinking touched me a lot...It is so great to talk openly with someone you meet for the first time and that can understand you, whatever he is coming from. He and his daughter represent the ideal example of the welcoming philosophy of Couchsurfing : a world where we are all friends... The african hospitality is in his blood. I hope to show him the Belgian hospitality too :-)
From karla on the road London, United Kingdom Oct 14, 2006 Positive Klaas was an excellent host for my very first couch surf- he already had another guest at his house, he hosted and fed us, AND he organized a great meeting with other CSers in the area- it was a big success and one of the highlights of my trip! The weather was horrible (surely not his fault) and so he took us on a great car tour of the area to see a windmill, some typical villages and... the Dutch Mountains (they're really high!) Haha!
From FLYNGAL Auckland, New Zealand Oct 3, 2006 Positive What can i say! We had a great time, when he arrived to meet me i had my first ride on the back of a dutch bike! (It seemed to get easier the more beer we drunk!!) It was great to share our tales together and we had plenty of laughs. Very friendly and easy-going fella who im very glad to have met :)
From Estuardo Higueros Leipzig, Germany Sep 24, 2006 Positive It was a very special experience knowing Klaas, is a horseman of great heart. From the beginning which it knew on my trip by Holland, he was in contact whit my. My best experience in Holland, was to know him. Thanks for your time and explanations on the wonders that exist in your country. I hope that we will meet again by the way. He is a great friend!
From Jennifer Hymen Alameda, United States Sep 14, 2006 Positive Klaas took my friend and I in at the last minute and not only let us have a comfy place to sleep, but took us out on the magical town of Haarlem and treated us to drinks in a local pub. My first trip to Holland would not have been the same without such a friendly face and pleasant conversation.
From Hamidreza Tabarraei Paris, France Sep 10, 2006 Positive like one of my best friends. I stayed with my parents in his place. Although there were some language barriers between my parents and him, he managed everything very well to have a good time together. We had a lot of conversation and he showed us the town.
I'm very glad I know you and really want to see your little cute daughter.
Hope to see you, come on, you should come to Paris.
From BOZZO Paris, France Aug 18, 2006 Positive We had together, with my friend Fabien, a great hospitality experience in Ujghorod by Viktor. I discovered a very sympathic and open-minded man whose culture and humor make our short trip in Karpatie a great moment.
From Larissa Katayeva Breukelen, Netherlands Jul 26, 2006 Positive My first impression is that Klaas is a caring person. I was impressed by the number of surfers that he hosted at the time. Two were leaving his house, the backpacks of others were still there, more surfers were coming in the evening. And then next day also someone from Iran was visiting... Well, I guess, Klaas is a valuable member of this community :-)
From Promitheus Norwich, United Kingdom Jul 20, 2006 Positive great times in Haarlem... I 've been in Haarlem, visit the Haarlem music festival, got introduced to the queen of Haarlem, learned about the history of the area, talked about the history and politics of every other corner of this planet. Well... NO WONDER that Klaas is an Excellent host:))). Thanks a lot!! |