Ricard Salevik

Ricard Salevik

Current Mission: "Find the way to Flowbee - go through with my project - Silk Road by bike, from Norway to China in 2009
CS Mission: To be there for YOU!
""

Personal Designations

Maybe has couch available Vouched for72

Community Designations

Global Ambassador
Contribution
Norway
Oslo
Lat: 59.9189, Lon: 10.76275
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General Information

Ricard Salevik is a CS Global Ambassador!
Ricard Salevik has been vouched for
VERIFIED MEMBER Identity Checked, Location Verified (3) more info
Couch availableMaybe
CouchSurf requests replied to99%
member sinceMay 14th, 2005
profile views14920
age31
birthday25 May
Everyone can see this.
genderMale
membernameZALLE
occupationVagabond and Senior analyst
educationLife
grew up inBrålanda, in Dalsland, Sweden
ethnicityworld citizen
Direct Profile URL

Languages

  • SwedishExpert
  • NorwegianExpert
  • EnglishExpert
  • GermanBeginner
  • FrenchBeginner
  • DanishIntermediate

Groups I Belong To

CS Parties in OSLO 739:2036Oslo 2298:3964
Why: test
Contact Us Team 66:4783
Why: Locations Sweden / Norway, Ordinary CUQ's, Lang: En/No/Sw/some easy german CUQ's
Finnish CS Organization 19:73
Why: Global Amb, European Coordinator for the Nordic Region
Active in 38 more groups.
Show them all

Couch Information


     << CouchSurf with Ricard Salevik!    

Couch picture

Couch Available: Maybe
Preferred Gender: Any
Max Surfers Per Night: 2

Shared Sleeping Surface: Depends
Shared Room: Depends

We live in a big apartment situated in Frogner, the west part of the city, easy to reach by tram(10 minutes from the city center)or by buss. Frogner is a really cozy area, with nice cafes, close to Bygdøy (a place to visit if you like nature and museums), to the Royal castle (10 minutes walk from my apartment), Aker Brygge (good place for people watching)and Majorstuen (with its "trendy" stores if you are into shopping

IMPORTANT COUCHINFO:

NB: If you read my profile and send a personal mail, instead of a copy/paste that goes to 15 ppl, you'll be guaranteed an answer within short time. I take for granted that you've filled out your profile to at least a minimum with some basic info and a picture.

I live together with Lucy

By the way - remember that I'm a dedicated couchsurfer, not a hostel ;)

Friends (284)

     + Add to my friends    

World map
Map of friends
Johan SalevikJohan Salevik
23, Male
Oslo, Oslo
Norway
Friends since September 1986
"his my brother:)"
Friendship Type: Best Friend
Met in person   Traveled4  
Lucy Rojas Lucy Rojas
26, Female
Oslo, Oslo
Norway
Friends since April 2008
"Long story.... but we met in a ski trip and are now togehther :D!"
Friendship Type: Best Friend
I vouched for Ricard Salevik
Met in person   Hosted30+   Surfed30+   Traveled15  
Tale Gjøvik Tale Gjøvik
26, Female
Oslo, Oslo
Norway
Friends since June 2008
"He is my crazy, cool colleague"
Friendship Type: Good Friend
Met in person  
Jean-Frédéric GauvinJean-Frédéric Gauvin
29, Male
Oslo, Oslo
Norway
Friends since March 2007
"We become friend through couch surfing"
Friendship Type: Good Friend
I vouched for Ricard Salevik
Met in person   Surfed7  
Curly MimiCurly Mimi
28, Female
Oslo, Oslo
Norway
Friends since March 2007
"We got in contact thanks to Steff from Toulouse"
Friendship Type: Close Friend
I vouched for Ricard Salevik
Met in person   Surfed5  
MACHITA75 MACHITA75
34, Female
Oslo, Oslo
Norway
Friends since March 2007
"We've met at several CS parties in Oslo and also arranged lots of activities."
Friendship Type: Close Friend
I vouched for Ricard Salevik
Met in person   Traveled10  
Martin FremerMartin Fremer
36, Male
Helsinki, Southern Finland
Finland
Friends since May 2007
"CS little of everything in Oslo"
Friendship Type: Good Friend
I vouched for Ricard Salevik
Met in person  
Anni Almila Anni Almila
32, Female
Gossau, St. Gallen
Switzerland
Friends since June 2008
"shared some true conversations and some true fun during CS nordic meeting"
Friendship Type: Good Friend
I vouched for Ricard Salevik
Met in person  
Sara NofriSara Nofri
31, Female
Hamburg, Hamburg
Germany
Friends since May 2008
"bloody good and loooong conversations..."
Friendship Type: Good Friend
I vouched for Ricard Salevik
Met in person   Traveled4  
Mark Leyer Mark Leyer
35, Male
Malschenberg, Baden-Wuerttemberg
Germany
Friends since May 2005
"I met him in Berlin at the beach camp in 2005 and 2007."
Friendship Type: Good Friend
I vouched for Ricard Salevik
Met in person   Surfed3  
274 more friends
     << CouchSurf with Ricard Salevik!    

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Personal Description


I’m a swedish man, no i'm a boy, living in Oslo. Some people believes that I work full-time as an analyst in the telecom media business. Can't understand why - I'm just a life-enjoying flaneur, studying life.

A really good friend of mine says that my positive attributes are (too)curious, adventurous, problem solver, easy-going, intelligent, intellectual, passionate, romantic, responsible, reflective, resolute, openminded and that i never give up. But then again, she also says i'm stubborn, restless,(too)ironic, afraid of failure, nostalgic and that i am a dreamer. (you know...you may say i'm a dreamer, but i'm not the only one ;-) )

Your Personality is Very Rare (ENTP)

Your personality type is optimistic, curious, enthusiastic, and open.
Only about 4% of all people have your personality

You are Extroverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.


How I Participate in CS


I try to help out as much as I can. I'm the regional coordinator for the Nordic Countries in CS, which basically means that I try to lend a helping hand to all the Ambassadors in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.


How I participate


I'm the moderator or co-moderator of the following groups:

Organizational Groups:
* European Coordination
* Nordic CS Organization
* Norway CS Organization

Geographical Groups:
* Europe
* Nordic Europe
* Norway
* Oslo

Other Groups:
* CS Gatherings & Happenings - Meetings, Parties and Camps in Scandinavia
* CS Parties in Oslo
* Silk Road By Bike


- I help out on answering Questions from members (CUQ)
- I’m a member of Group Management Team
- I’m a member of Event Message Approval Team
- I greet new members
- I help out organizing meetings. Next CS Parties in Oslo upcoming events: CS Party Oslo Monthly Meeting =)

I also initiated and participated in the first Nordic CS Organization meeting and participated in the second Nordic CS Organization meeting in Helsinki


CouchSurfing Experience


I've shared some of my best moments in my life with my couchsurfing experiences. I've met people that changed my view on life, people who have made me explore parts of myself I didn't know existed. I have created dreams and visions and I have given and received love. I have learnt what hospitality really is, and what humanity is all about. I have fallen in love through couchsurfing and with couchsurfing.


Recent CouchSurfing Experiences


icon_surfed44 Was hosted by Vera and Paul
icon_surfed43 Was hosted by Marcin

icon_surfed42 Was hosted by Karen
icon_surfed41 Was hosted by Marcus
icon_hosted40 Hosted Arina from Ukraine
icon_hosted39 Hosted Peng from China
icon_surfed38 Was hosted by Martin and Elisabete in Helsinki
icon_hosted37 Hosted Antje & Chris from Germany
icon_hosted36 Hosted Matt from Toulouse
icon_surfed35 Was hosted by Alex in Florence
icon_surfed34 Was hosted by Flavio in his tent on the beach in Lido
icon_surfed33 Was hosted by Sandro in Rome
icon_surfed32 Was hosted by Tiziano in Padova again :)
icon_surfed31 Was hosted by Jeja in Belgrad
icon_surfed30 Was hosted by Ivana in Indija
icon_surfed29 Was hosted by Marina in Belgrad
icon_surfed28 Was hosted by Zoran in Ljubljana
icon_surfed27 Was hosted by Tiziano in Padova
icon_surfed26 Was hosted by Vince in Gossau
icon_surfed25 Was hosted by Håkan in Stockholm
icon_hosted24 Hosted Kieran from Australia
icon_hosted23 Hosted Antoine from France
icon_hosted22 Hosted Walter from Holland
icon_hosted21 Hosted Thomas from Germany
icon_hosted20 Hosted Greg and Anna from Belgium / France / Chrete
icon_hosted19 Hosted Zsuzsa from Hungary
icon_hosted18 Hosted Johan and Adriana from Sweden
icon_hosted17 Hosted Hwasoon from Korea
icon_surfed16 Was hosted by Ivana & Noni in Serbia
icon_surfed15 Was hosted by Marina in Serbia
icon_surfed14 Was hosted by David in Hungary
icon_hosted13 Hosted Martina from Italy and her boyfriend from Scweiz
icon_hosted12 Hosted Mike and Jack
icon_hosted11 Hosted Rebecca and her friend from US
icon_hosted10 Hosted Justin from Canada
icon_hosted9 Hosted Alvaro from Spain
icon_hosted8 Hosted Victor from Mexico
icon_hosted7 Hosted Pau from Barcelona
icon_hosted6 Hosted Tina with her friend from Germany
icon_hosted5 Hosted Jeff & Myriam from France
icon_hosted4 Hosted Adeline and her friend from Belgium
icon_hosted3 Hosted Megan from US
icon_hosted2 Hosted Lucile from France
icon_hosted1 Hosted Ryan from the US



Visitor Map
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Interests

Art, Aurelia borealis, autumn leaves, making an adventure out of everyday life, bicycling, cafés, campfires, candles, cats, chess, cloud watching a summer day, concerts, darkness, dreaming, falling in love with the unpredictable, forests at night, hiking in mountains, history, hugging people I know, hugging people I don't know, jumping on a train without knowing where it takes you, laughing when everyone seems to be serious, listening to fairytales, making love, mind traveling, music, miss a train with ten seconds, and wonder how it changed you destiny, playing the piano, poetry, reading, red wine, running naked outside when it rains, smiling to unknown people, a warm cup of tea, the sound and smell of the sea, thinking, thunderstorms, watching fallen stars, whisky, writing too much in profiles not knowing when to stop :)

Philosophy


Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment; and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations”

George Bernard Shaw


I believe in asking questions. Language was invented to ask questions. Answers may be given by grunts and gestures, but questions must be spoken. Humanness came of age when man asked the first question. Social stagnation results not from a lack of answers but from the absence of the impulse to ask questions.

Eric Hoffer.

Music, Movies, Books

Books

Hmmmm...i'm a big reader, i can't mention everything. Gunther Grass, Jose Saramago, Knut Hamsun is some of my favorites, but i read anything in between Shakespeare and Lonely planet ;). Marquez, Bukowski, Tolkien, Lagerqvist, Dostojevskij, Proust, J.K Rowling, Canetti, Pessoa, Zafon, Peter Englund, Bill Watson ;), Neruda, Szymborska and i'm addicted to all kind of travelling stories from early 20th century.


Music


Almost everything - classical (Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Lizst, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Bach ), pop, world music (Buena Vista Social Club, all kind of folk music), U2, REM, Mike Oldfield, TomMcRae, Enigma, Swedish music (Lisa Ekdal, Björn Afzelius, Lars Winnerback, Stefan Sundstrom, Kent, Bo Kaspers Orkester, Cornelis), actually all kind of music except really heavy metal.

Here's what I was recently listening to:


zalle's Profile Page


Movies

Well - i'm a big fan of Stanley Kubrick. Everything with Johnny Depp, Lars von Trier, Ridley Scott, Hitchcock, A beautiful mind, 24, The English Patient, everything with Juliette Binoche. Into the wild is one of my latest favorites together with Slumdog Millionaire.

Types of People I enjoy


Everyone who has a passion for something. I love people who makes me laugh or cry, people who can tell a good story, people who cares. People with respect for others. Curious people, adventurous people, easy-going people, but as well very complicated personalities.

Teach, Learn, Share


Improve your memory. I'm pretty good at this, and could easily teach you how to remember 20 things in a row within an hour or two :) I could also teach some basic trick on the piano. If you have some questions about long-distance bicycling, I'll also be more than willing to help out.

I'm a supercurious personality, so whatever your passion, I'll try to learn from it :)

One Amazing Thing I've Seen or Done

I've been bicycling from Oslo to North Cape - 2324 km. The feeling of standing on the top of North Cape was truly fantastic. Participated in building up a school in Incukalns, Latvia in the early 90th, meeting poverty 45 minutes from home was a chock. Spent hundreds of hours with local heroes on local spots around the world, it's always amazing all the stories they tell you. Especially thanks to Hedge on Port Ellen (Scotland) and Jim at Key West. Got partly lost in the woods without any communication or time for six days. Played poker in EPT with the world champions.

Opinion on the CouchSurfing.org Project

After following CS for four years by now, I see a baby trying to climb out of the cradle. We need to teach the baby how to walk and how to talk, and it's not always an easy task. However, it is a beautiful baby, and I'll do whatever I can to help.

Except from that, I just LOVE the concept, the site, the design, and not to forget the people in here :)

Locations Traveled

TRAVELED: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cayman Islands, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Martinique, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Serbia, Spain, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States
LIVED: Sweden
WANTS TO GO: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Poland, United States
IS GOING TO: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Hungary, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United States, Uzbekistan

References

 
     Leave a Reference >>    
THYTHIA
From THYTHIA
 Moscow, Russia
 Jul 22
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Richard is a genuinely friendly, affable chap who is one of the first Global Ambassadors I've ever met. Being such, he serves as a good example in the way he seems to simply open himself without biases to any experience. I think his current journey is just simply impressive and inspiring. Hope to meet you again, one day!

Craig Scott
From Craig Scott
 Christchurch, New Zealand
 Jul 4
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Great fun with Ricard hanging out, eating and drinking in Goris, Armenia. Hope your back is better, and best of luck with the rest of the trip.

Alper Gorur
From Alper Gorur
 Ankara, Turkey
 Jun 2
Met in person Friend, Hosted 5 days  
Positive

Ricard is a very nice and reliable person. He is very intellectuel and you can speak on and learn from him on the world literature. He is a "bookworm" :) He also recommended me some very interesting books which I will read asap. I am very lucky that I have started my first couchsurfing experiences with Ricard and his friend Jeff.

Karen Miller 
From Karen Miller
 Karlskrona, Sweden
 Apr 26
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 1 days  
Positive

Ricard has lots of stories to share- and he tells them well. I enjoyed hosting him here in Karlskrona. I wish you all the best for your adventure Ricard!

Gopo 
From Gopo
 Bucharest, Romania
 Apr 25
Met in person Acquaintance, Hosted 3 days  
Positive

will be added later

Alice Archer
From Alice Archer
 Bristol, United Kingdom
 Apr 1
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Charming guest with lots of interesting things to talk about. Ricard is embarking on an amazing journey, which I'm sure will be a blast as his positive energy will melt even the coldest heart.

Piotr Jackowski
From Piotr Jackowski
 Warsaw, Poland
 Mar 31
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 1 days  
Positive

Ricard stopped by in Warsaw during their SilkRoadByBike. It was a pleasure to listen about their way and further plans. Take care and good luck for your trip!

Marcin Kulinicz 
From Marcin Kulinicz
 Warsaw, Poland
 Mar 31
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 2 days Traveled 1 days 
Positive

Ricard is a man with a mission! Current mission is to get to Peking by bike and I had a privilege to accompany him and Jeff on a short segment of the trip and host them in Warsaw. It was a great experience with cool, openminded and adventurous people!

ANDRZEJ GRZESIK 
From ANDRZEJ GRZESIK
 Warsaw, Poland
 Mar 30
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

We have finally met in Warsaw during his bike-trip to Beijing (however I've never seen his bike:)). Great guy to talked to, open minded and friendly. Do not hesitate to host him if you have a chance! Good luck Ricard!

Zhou Yanping
From Zhou Yanping
 Shenzhen, China
 Mar 18
Only met online  
Positive

i want to improve my english

Trygve Skogland 
From Trygve Skogland
 Oslo, Norway
 Feb 25
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Richard is a very dedicated couchsurfer I really look up too. He has already thought me several things, amongst helping me learning the CS system of making an event (better). Richard is always positive, he has great opinions that it is fun to discuss with him, love his attitude "I strongly disagree with you, but I would die for your right to mean it/say it". He is a man that always want to help all, and his upcoming trip, bicycling from Norway to China in charity event, well I am inspired, not going to do so big things, but because of Richard, I am motivated to do more, for everyone, the world.

Carolyn Breit
From Carolyn Breit
 London, United Kingdom
 Feb 8
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Ricard, it was great to meet you at the Oslo event on Friday. I will certainly be back when it's warmer thanks to all of the great people I met. You are very cool, very easy to talk to, and I wish you the best of luck on your LOOOONG bike ride!

Peng Zhang
From Peng Zhang
 Zilina, Slovakia
 Jan 8
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Ricard and his girlfriend Lucy were so nice,hospitable and lovely host!They made me and Arina feel like home!it was so late after the crazy NYE party, we still talked a lot once we got back the flat.especially the silk road trip plan he showed to us is really impressive! Wish you a great Silk road biking trip!!!Hope to see you somewhere again!Maybe during your biking trip route somewhere in China!:)

Arina Korniychuk
From Arina Korniychuk
 Lviv, Ukraine
 Jan 8
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Ricard and his girlfriend Lucy were extra hospitable hosts!!! It was so kind of them to host me almost at last minute, and they made mine and Peng's staying at their place so pleasant and nice, incl.huge breakfast for four, we spent great time on the NYE party, hanging out in nice places and even had guided tour by Ricard during his working hours :) I felt like home with bro and sis. Thank you so much guys and wish you happy life together!

Livonet Suarez
From Livonet Suarez
 Sandvika, Norway
 Jan 7
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Rikard is funny, with important goals in his life, and familiar..! =D

Angélique FRICHE
From Angélique FRICHE
 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
 Jan 5
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

such an adventuruous and pleasant person... we didn't speak a lot but I hope to meet him again!
good luck for your great trip!! :)

GEORGE70 
From GEORGE70
 Brussels, Belgium
 Jan 4
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

I met Ricard in Oslo dec/jan 2009. He immediately got my attention when he started to talk about his trip of 10 months going from Norway to China on ... bike. B-I-K-E, you read well. We spontaniously started to exchange idea's about such world travels and I can say he has some pretty inventive preps done reassuring he and his fellow will enjoy the trip to the most & safe: creation of www.silkroadbbike.com, gps position device with a 911 button in case of emergency, trying before buying, checklist, checklist and checklist. Maybe harvesting e-mail addresses of friends so you can send out newsletters from time to time? Just an idea. He inspired and encouraged me for my RTW in 2010. I hope we will cross roads again Ricard. I wish you all the best!

Deniz Kaynar 
From Deniz Kaynar
 Oslo, Norway
 Jan 3
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

He is quite an easygoing and sincere character, who organizes fabulous events in Oslo. I'm sure he'll enjoy the shit out of the silk road on his bike quite soon.

PIUA 
From PIUA
 Rovaniemi, Finland
 Dec 8, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Ricard at the evening party of Nordic CS meeting in Helsinki and found him as nice and sweet as I had heard him to be. I hope to see him again to talk more. :)

Julien Lootens
From Julien Lootens
 London, United Kingdom
 Oct 13, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Read the first sentance in his profile and I think you'll have understood a big part of him. Ricard is nor a man neither a boy, he's both of them at the same time !!!

For me, you're like a Vigeland Park yourself Ricard, able to display on your face all ages and emotions of life in a very short time. Keep all these faces alive and best of luck for your cycling trip :)

Tale Gjøvik 
From Tale Gjøvik
 Oslo, Norway
 Oct 13, 2008
Met in person Good Friend,  
Positive

Richard and I work together and was destined to become partners in crime. Gotta love the guy! :)

Andrea Chirulescu
From Andrea Chirulescu
 Oslo, Norway
 Sep 26, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Was nice of him to organize the CS meeting for this walk by torchlights across the river in Oslo and to take care of everyone attending.

VOODOOCHILD67 
From VOODOOCHILD67
 Toulouse, France
 Sep 2, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Even if he was working, Ricard took the time to host me. We went together at a CS meeting (with more than 60 people!) and had dinner at his place. At this occasion, we talked about music, our CS experiences and his amazing project of biking from Oslo to China next year within charity purposes.

Antje Mehler
From Antje Mehler
 Hannover, Germany
 Sep 2, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 1 days Surfed 2 days Traveled 7 days 
Positive

Richard is a really nice and funny person! he´s helpful and generous! he gave us tips for sightseeing and a comfortable couch!

GYPSYTRAVELLER79
From GYPSYTRAVELLER79
 Trondheim, Norway
 Aug 31, 2008
Met in person  
Positive

I met him at a CS birthday party in oslo, where he naturally bedazzled me with his witts, good looks and charm:=)
He's also a colleague of my sister, who highly reccommends him.
Richard, your always welcome!

QUADRATO 
From QUADRATO
 Rome, Italy
 Aug 11, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 2 days  
Positive

Ricard is an interesting guest for real! As he jumped on my car, I felt very at easy with him, and I liked listening about his life and interests. Although we spent short time together, I can say he's a pleasant guy for sure, and a great beer mate! :)

ALEVIX 
From ALEVIX
 Florence, Italy
 Jul 29, 2008
Met in person Friend, Hosted 2 days  
Positive

Hosted Ricard for two nights and I had a blast: he's not only funny, easy going and a good company for hang out with but especially was very natural to know each other and to talk about everyting.
Hope to meet you again, Ricard, and wish you the best for your long trip!

SERENDIPITOUS
From SERENDIPITOUS
 Schaijk, Netherlands
 Jul 24, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Traveled 3 days 
Positive

Ricard is truly what his profile says. Enthusiastic, passionate, spontaneous, witty, and comedic (if it isn't a word, it should be as it describes him perfectly). His passions for travel pales in comparison with his commitment to CS. It was a pleasure meeting him. Till the next good whiskey when we meet again.

Jana De Gendt
From Jana De Gendt
 Athens, Greece
 Jul 16, 2008
Met in person  
Positive

I met Ricard in Padua (Italy) for dinner, He is a outgoing and nice guy to talk to! (Keep in touch)

Ciao ciao

Jana

Amelia Borntrager 
From Amelia Borntrager
 Nosara, Costa Rica
 Jul 14, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Traveled 2 days 
Positive

Ricard and I flew in to Zurich the same morning and then traveled to Gossau together for Paella 08. He is an insightful, beautiful person who is on a journey and I am thankful to have ran into him along the way. I loved talking about improving memory...and if I ever see a swan and a rooster fighting, I will always think of him ; ) Good luck in all you do, Ricard!

Zoran Kotolenko 
From Zoran Kotolenko
 Ljubljana, Slovenia
 Jul 13, 2008
Met in person Friend, Hosted 2 days  
Positive

After two days i feel Ricard is more than CS friend........we spent very funny weekend together, had party with my friends, talked a lot.....Hi is talkative, intelegent, very funny, trustful....Thanks CS for this experience (fair enough...he would say:)).

PEIRO 
From PEIRO
 Gossau, Switzerland
 Jul 11, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 3 days  
Positive

With exchanging lots of thoughts in different groups our we got to know each other a bit. So it was great to finally host Ricard for the CouchSurfing Paella 2008. He's very funny, jokes around AND we like the same whiskeys! Definitely worth a follow up!

TOOKI 
From TOOKI
 La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
 Jul 11, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

**** To be filled later when i came back from holidays***

desaparecida
From desaparecida
 Vienna, Austria
 Jul 8, 2008
Met in person Friend, Traveled 9 days 
Positive

We first met in the Berlin Beach Camp 2008 ambassadors meeting and afterwards for a nice chat on the beach, where Ricard agreed to volunteer as our personal postman :o)

Since then we met again at the Nordic CouchSurfing meeting in Stockholm and recently on the infamous Paella Party in Switzerland.

Ricard was excellent company in all of them, always ready for a joke, a drink, a laugh or a serious discussion about the meaning of life, the existance of time, the prediction of the future or potential homophobic sauna encounters (yes, ulf was there too ;o)).

Also, he proved to be a real gentleman when a lady in need (aka Birgit) turned out to be tentless in the middle of the night and helped her with a warm place to sleep for the night.

**Helsinki update** Spent another three days of fun, work, sillyness, parties and discussions in Helsinki togetherj in Dec 08 :o)

Thomas Camenisch 
From Thomas Camenisch
 Zurich, Switzerland
 Jul 6, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Very impressive plans for travelling in 2009. I realize that I am behind with planning, good to have found enthusiastic Ricard! He gives me the pressure I need :)

Ken Nakagama 
From Ken Nakagama
 San Jose, United States
 Jun 29, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Traveled 6 days 
Positive

we got some small chats here and there but not lots :D Well it seems will see him somewhere in summer. Pleasant and friendly person

Marcus Eder 
From Marcus Eder
 Vienna, Austria
 Jun 25, 2008
Met in person Friend, Traveled 3 days 
Positive

Ricard convinced me to spend 240 EUR for a flight ticket for a weekend in Stockholm at the Nordic Amb Meeting and it was worth it :-)
Ricard is a dedicated intelligent funny and friendly fellow Couchsurfer. He is always welcome in Vienna at any time.

Anni Almila 
From Anni Almila
 Gossau, Switzerland
 Jun 22, 2008
Met in person Good Friend,  
Positive

Ricard believes he can fly, I know he can fly! I was lucky enough to meet him during the Stockholm nordic amb meeting and felt instant connection with him. If you can meet him without answering his warm smile and personality, then forget about it! I mean this guy is someone who really matters! He gave me back my faith in a dream I din't even know I was loosing. He showed me things I was forgetting without noticing it. You can have wonderful, deep, meaningful conversations with him (since he's brilliant and has understanding of life) and you can have just wonderfully fun time with him. And you can always have a glass of very very good wine with him. Go for it, it's worth of it!

Magnus Simonsson 
From Magnus Simonsson
 Stockholm, Sweden
 Jun 16, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Richard is deeply committed to the CS project and one of the cornerstones of the CS community in the Nordic countries. We have met at the Nordic CS Organization meetings. He is always energetic, friendly and helpful.

Grzegorz Machalski
From Grzegorz Machalski
 Reda, Poland
 Jun 2, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Ricard on CouchSurfing meeting in Oslo. When I heard he has more crazy plans than I have I started to like this guy very much.

Dingo
From Dingo
 Perth, Australia
 May 20, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Richard and I met at Berlin beach camp 2008. A good, fun guy that helped me with info on Norway, sweden.

UPDATE
I got the chance to surf Ricards couch in Oslo. We had a great night talking with other CSers, eating and Playing some great music. He is a very good Piano player! I really enjoyed jamming and look forward to more next time! I did a fire show and gave him and his better half Céline front row tickets to a sold out and Only show in Oslo! Was great fun thanks and see you soon.

Rafael Nussbaum 
From Rafael Nussbaum
 Bern, Switzerland
 May 15, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

He's a really good guy, enjoyed it very much every time we meet at beach camp.
Relaxed and very reliable, whenever we chatted it was like we're really old friends.
Seldom meet people you're just this comfortable around as him. Cu for sure soon again, also since I think you still own me a beer and me you a coffee :-D
Anyway look definitely forward to the next encounter of the ricard-kind.
(Being a bit the usual silly myself here, but you easily cope with that, won't ya?)

Bartosz Ponicki
From Bartosz Ponicki
 Plymouth, United Kingdom
 May 15, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Rich is a open minded and friendly person. I spent a great time on talks and laughs with him. I felt like I knew him already for a while and I miss his company now :/
Hope to see u soon again mate!

flohfish 
From flohfish
 Wedding, Germany
 May 14, 2008
Met in person Good Friend, Hosted 2 days Traveled 12 days 
Positive

The time with Ricard is always quality time!!! Big fun and serious conversation about love and life are guaranteed always. I don't wanna write too much bullshit,- so:
I totally trust him and highly really recommend him as a person you have to meet!

UPDATE
Berlin Beach Camp in May 2008

Again it was Berlin Beach Camp were I met Ricard but unfortunately we didn't have much time together there. So it was great that he stayed at my flat the day before. We went out with my brother and morhart to a CS meeting and had a wonderful morning chilling on the roof of my flat. Thanks Ricard for being my guest. I don't regret to have host you my friend!

Julia Pawlowicz
From Julia Pawlowicz
 Warsaw, Poland
 May 13, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

for me it was dengerous to meet him in the Camp, because really early in the morning we were talking loud and laughing a lot when people around were sleeping in their tents. we were thinking that tents around us hate us and gonna kill us. it was great to meet him and had fun!hope to see ya again!

Andras Foldvari 
From Andras Foldvari
 Budapest, Hungary
 May 12, 2008
Met in person Acquaintance,  
Positive

Met breefly in Berlin, and continued on Internet polishing my Swedish as we could not swedish my Polish..

Caspar Bauermann 
From Caspar Bauermann
 Berlin, Germany
 May 12, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Traveled 3 days 
Positive

I read Ricard alot on CS groups. We both work on the CUQ team. Was good to met him in person, finally. Easy guy, dedicated to CS, seems to smoke too many cigarettes. Guess I will see you on the Paella for the next time, yeah......

Cosimka Wyda 
From Cosimka Wyda
 Oslo, Norway
 May 2, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

From the moment I met Ricard I could tell he was a gem. He was instantly welcoming and so willing to help. I'm already looking forward to seeing him again when I return to Oslo!

Agostino Melzani
From Agostino Melzani
 Brescia, Italy
 Apr 30, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Ricard is a nice guy; we had the opportunity to talk during a concert in Oslo and it's been nice: he is full of nice ideas and you don't get bored in his company. ,aybe see you one day again somewhere

Anick-Marie Bouchard
From Anick-Marie Bouchard
 Bremen, Germany
 Apr 25, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Met, met, re-met, slowly getting to know his humor, his advice and enjoying hugs, observing human nature, and applying a strict "no globals" policy !!!

Angel Velazquez
From Angel Velazquez
 Oslo, Norway
 Apr 15, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

I met Ricard in some Cs parties. Hi is a nice and smiling guy. Likes to talk about differents subjects.
Hope you can come to my next party

Terje Nordgarden
From Terje Nordgarden
 Oslo, Norway
 Feb 14, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Very out and going guy - good vibe - see you on Sunday Richard!

Vanessa Peters 
From Vanessa Peters
 McKinney, United States
 Feb 14, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Talked with Ricard a bit at my show in Oslo - seems like a great guy, and very enthusiastic about couch-surfing! Glad to have met you and Celine!

SUPERYAMI
From SUPERYAMI
 Mouvaux, France
 Feb 10, 2008
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

It was such a pleasure to finally get to know you, i know how hard celine try to hide you from me.. now that i have met you twice and the superb chance to experience the wonderful well located couch of ricard og celine i am quite happy to say that i ll come again ! i had an amazing time and between the party, the sledge and the bumpy slopes style freestyle that almost saw my butt broke, i can only entrust you a little bit more... ricard you rocks but drink less...
APPARENTLY YOU ARE GETTING OLDER.... happy 30th birthday !

Hamid Reza Bahador 
From Hamid Reza Bahador
 Oslo, Norway
 Feb 1, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

There are so many people I love in CS; but few I respect more than Richard. Richard cares deeply about people and issues, and is always asking questions to figure out his place in helping make this world better. He is thoughtful and intelligent, and I hope very much to spend more time speaking with him when his back.

He is going now to fulfil his adventure trip, cycling in the Silk Road, from Norway to China. WoW mate! I hope I can give you some tips about Iran becouse you guys will spend the july and august there.

GooD LucK!

Angela Wierzbinski
From Angela Wierzbinski
 Milwaukee, United States
 Jan 7, 2008
Met in person Good Friend, Traveled 7 days 
Positive

Ricard is great. He keeps the beer flow...er..flowing and loves to have a great time. Also, he makes a mean fruit salad and can really bust a move on the dance floor.

Kimie James
From Kimie James
 Leeds, United Kingdom
 Jan 7, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

How can you not love ricard??? He smiles with his eyes. He's so nice and friendly, talks to anyone, up for a great time, loves beer. I would host ricard on my couch anytime and recommend that everyone do the same.

Lisa and Evan W
From Lisa and Evan W
 Milwaukee, United States
 Jan 6, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

It was so nice to meet you Ricard!

I had a great time with all of you on this trip. hopefully we shall meet again! :)

Curly Mimi
From Curly Mimi
 Oslo, Norway
 Dec 26, 2007
Met in person Close Friend, Surfed 5 days  
Positive

It's not too much when saying that Ricard and Celine were are guardian angels for our first days in Oslo. Without even really knowing us, they did not only let us sleep at their place, they also gave us loads of advices for a closest approach of the city and Norwegian way of living.
I totally agree with Ricard when he says he's a problem solver. He's really skilled at analyzing situations ..though you wouldn't guess he works as an analyst !!
He also pays a lot of attention to people and is reaaaally patient and overcurious about people and life.
Many thanks again to him indeed
Update 26/12: not a CS friend anymore ..but a friend

MACHITA75 
From MACHITA75
 Oslo, Norway
 Dec 11, 2007
Met in person Close Friend, Traveled 10 days 
Positive

Ricard and I met the first time at the second Oslo CS meeting in March '07. Since then we have met on a regular basis both for CS and non-CS purpose. We have travelled together to Sweden and Switzerland as well as within Norway.

Ricard is a great guy with lots of high goals and visions. He is an appriciated work collegue on Couchsurfing.com both locally and globally. If it is about arranging parties or asking for help about how to use the site, he tries his best to help out, coloring the society with his way of being.

Over the time Ricard has become a good and trusted friend.

Anja Løklingholm Brenna 
From Anja Løklingholm Brenna
 Oslo, Norway
 Dec 5, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

funny and easy to talk with

FRANCISCO MORENO 
From FRANCISCO MORENO
 McAllen, United States
 Dec 5, 2007
Only met online CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I got help and encouragement from Ricard to get our first ever CS RGV gathering, and we had success! Everyone who attended had fun and we all are looking forward to the next meeting, thanks for the motivation Ricard!

CARLOS AZPIROZ
From CARLOS AZPIROZ
 Texcoco, Mexico
 Dec 5, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

HE IS AN EXCELENT PERSON

Jorgen Sivertsen
From Jorgen Sivertsen
 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
 Nov 27, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

We met on two HC/CS camps. Ricard is a very nice guy to hang out with and talk to!

IVANA&NONI
From IVANA&NONI
 Belgrade, Serbia
 Oct 30, 2007
Met in person Friend, Hosted 3 days  
Positive

a perfect guy for a CS ambassador:) filled with positivity and love,responsible, with deeper insight and understanding of how things=life=CS works:)

HIPPIECREWZAGREB 
From HIPPIECREWZAGREB
 Zagreb, Croatia
 Oct 10, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

nice guy, real ambassador ;-) he couldn't host but it was o.k. 'cos i found another great host, Knut Ole. We met later on CS party... good luck, expect you back to eastern europe ;-)

Matt Yeh
From Matt Yeh
 Shanghai, China
 Sep 29, 2007
Met in person Good Friend,  
Positive

Met Ricard at a CS meeting that i randomly attended. Really genuine and nice guy, gave me a lot of information and help regarding CS. I look forward to meeting again...

Simon Larkman 
From Simon Larkman
 The Hague, Netherlands
 Sep 27, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Ricard at the monthly Oslo CS meeting and was very easy to talk to still enjoying the CS phenomenon. Look forward to catching up again in the future.

Pavel Sedivy 
From Pavel Sedivy
 Jihlava, Czech Republic
 Sep 26, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

can just confirm what had already been written about Ricard many times... very nice guy which is really pleasure to talk with!

Ross Barlow 
From Ross Barlow
 Oslo, Norway
 Sep 26, 2007
Met in person Acquaintance,  
Positive

Explained about CS Ambassadors, took in my couchsurfer as I went travelling ...

So now we see each other regularly at CS meets and parties ... I guess we know each other enough that he vouched for me !-) Thanks man, I appreciate it !-)

Walter Heck 
From Walter Heck
 Khon Kaen, Thailand
 Sep 13, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 4 days  
Positive

I had some very fun times with Richard and Celine. They are a very nice couple and an example of the way people can fall in love with each other in this club. I hope to meet you again!

Update: and so I did! I was hosted by them for several days and they saved me from some pretty icky situations. awesome people and exemplary couchsurfers!

Sam Loxton
From Sam Loxton
 Sydney, Australia
 Sep 4, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Ricard is incredibly positive, outgoing and intelligent. He is a massive credit to CS and its always a pleasure to catch up with him in Oslo!

Paula Hansen
From Paula Hansen
 Oslo, Norway
 Sep 4, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I first met Ricard on the CS monthly meeting in Oslo.
Ricard, is the kind of person that we can talk with all night and " NEVER " get tired.
He has a great personality,very,very kind person,fun to listen to.
I want invite him, his girlfriend and Marianne for dinner next time I will be on vacation, because they're wonderful persons and I want to get to know them much better.
I want to "THANK YOU" all, I had a wonderful time at the meeting, I'm just sad that I will be at work on the next monthly CS meeting:-(

THOMASTT 
From THOMASTT
 Tettnang, Germany
 Sep 3, 2007
Met in person Friend, Hosted 2 days  
Positive

Richard (and Celine) showed me how fast you can get friends with strangers: Instantly! We met at the CS-meeting, we had very open and interesting talks, they invited me to stay at their place (beautiful appartement, great couch and a really good E-Piano!) and we had a very good time together... Extraplus: A great meal composed by Celine! They know how to make their guests happy... Thanks a lot, I'm looking forward to see you again!

Baptiste Hervy
From Baptiste Hervy
 Saint-Denis, Reunion
 Sep 1, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 2 days  
Positive

Cool Norway guy! Great fun on the Sava'Disco and in a bar of sarajevo...

DAVIDGU
From DAVIDGU
 Lisbon, Portugal
 Aug 29, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Nice person and interesting to talk to.

Mariana Gomez Maldonado
From Mariana Gomez Maldonado
 Mexico City, Mexico
 Aug 28, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

just got the first impression, but i most say, he gives everything to CS. really helpful, but mostly, he is a veeeeery happy, and a great dancer!!!!
hope to see you again!!!!. My friends really got impressed with your kindness.

tejas 
From tejas
 Sydney, Australia
 Aug 28, 2007
Met in person Friend, Traveled 4 days 
Positive

ricard and i met in the mayhem of the norway addicts meeting where he tried to help me find a couch in oslo.. hope we meet again before the day is done.

CATFROMIOWA
From CATFROMIOWA
 Cedar Rapids, United States
 Aug 28, 2007
Met in person Friend, Traveled 4 days 
Positive

a man of many words at times and they always seem to be the right one. great to have gotten to know such and interesting fellow. and hope to catch up some other time in life...

Martin Fremer
From Martin Fremer
 Helsinki, Finland
 Aug 27, 2007
Met in person Good Friend,  
Positive

No guy who likes long distance cycling and good whiskeys (except maybe Floyd Landis) can be anything but Great. It is always a pleasure to see Ricard, he is full of positive energy. And next time we'll play kubb Revenge will be Mine.

Zsuzsa Kaló
From Zsuzsa Kaló
 Budapest, Hungary
 Aug 21, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Ricard asked me once what was my best experience during the scandinavian travel, now I must say, the days with Celine and Ricard in Oslo were the best. :) They are extremely kind and open and I wish we could have more talk. And they convince me to believe in couchsurfing :)

GREGMANSET 
From GREGMANSET
 Chania, Greece
 Aug 16, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Céline and Ricard saved our travel to Oslo. They accepted our last minute request. By visiting Céline and Ricard, it's more than a travel to Oslo that you do. You visit France (thanks to Céline) have a quick look at the Swedish culture (thanks to Ricard), discover the norwish habits. The travel could also turn to an adventure once you taste the couch. Kind of an air bed. I assume this bed will become one of the most favourite touristic attraction in the coming years. But enough of joking : those two are a generous, well balanced, interesting couple. It makes no doubt that we will keep in touch with them and invite them in the sunny Crete. You definitely need to meet them if you want to experience the real CS value. We are pretty sure that we will offer them a name domain like : CelineandRicardwonderfullhostinOslo.com (private joke)

Jonathan Verhaeghe
From Jonathan Verhaeghe
 Oslo, Norway
 Aug 16, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Cool dude, very sympathetic.
He found me first randomly on CS and thought I looked like one of Celine s colleague! :)

Kirsti 
From Kirsti
 Oslo, Norway
 Aug 16, 2007
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Ricard is a great guy, having organised the Oslo meetings and all, always looking for a good time and wanting people to get together and be happy :-D

TOTA and FHEIN 
From TOTA and FHEIN
 Gothenburg, Sweden
 Aug 13, 2007
Met in person Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

It was great staying at Ricard's place, we had a great time. Thank you for the hospitality and hope to see you again soon, maybe at our place this time :)

John Richard
From John Richard
 Oslo, Norway
 Aug 10, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Great guy, there is no more that needs to be said :)

Hwasoon Kim
From Hwasoon Kim
 Daegu, South Korea
 Aug 9, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

After my worst Couch Surfing experience, I met this lovely couple, Recard and Celine. For a while I didn't get any reply from other CSers in Oslo, I thought my Norway trip would go into one blank page. But luckily I got one quick reply from Recard, and I could go to North. :) Their shelter was so cozy. When I got there, they just let me feel at home. I highly recommend this sweet couple to every new CS members.

Srdjan J.
From Srdjan J.
 Olomouc, Czech Republic
 Jul 23, 2007
Met in person Acquaintance,  
Positive

this is the guy with the strangest norwegian-sounding swedish accent ever ;) seems like a positive, open fellow. Glad to have met him.

COSMICBLUES
From COSMICBLUES
 Dubrovnik, Croatia
 Jul 22, 2007
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

I enjoyed sharing my free time (and some working time too :-)) with Richard, easy going, nice and smart guy, real CS spirit and great ambassador.

Zoe Guven
From Zoe Guven
 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Jul 11, 2007
Met in person  
Positive

Is there anything that hasn't been said??? Still, truth bears repeating: what a wonderful person! Intelligent, open-hearted, warm, caring and kind. I salute Ricard's approach to life, and will do my best to emulate as far as possible. Celine, I am honestly jealous! LOL :P

Vesna Petkovic 
From Vesna Petkovic
 Belgrade, Serbia
 Jul 9, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Ricard, the world citizen - with current stay in Belgrade :-D Someone really dedicated to the idea of CS (well, I admit I'm more of a HC baby, but... :-)) & especially a big fan of big hospitality meetings - maybe next time I'll follow yr advice of how to skip work for more travel :-P Someone I'm glad I’ve met, will recommend it surely to others, very interesting company, so my extra-positive comment :-)

Maja Grsic 
From Maja Grsic
 Belgrade, Serbia
 Jul 8, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Ricard is a really friendly and an easy-going person! He smiles all the time, and can cheer you up! We had a really good time at a bar in Belgrade, shame we didn't have the opportunity to talk more, but you never know...:)
And, also, he totally proves the fact that all Couch Surfers look younger than they are,thanks to their lively spirit!:)
Hope2CU again somewhere on the Planet Earth!

Marina Ilijevic 
From Marina Ilijevic
 Belgrade, Serbia
 Jul 7, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 1 days  
Positive

Does he ever stop talking and making people laugh? No! He never stops smiling. Rikard is one fantastic person. You will not waist your day if you spend one to meet him, but it will surely won't be enough. Sorry you had to rush further. See ya again someday... :)

MARAMEO 
From MARAMEO
 Rome, Italy
 Jul 5, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Traveled 3 days 
Positive

Noooo!! when i met Richard i didn't write my reference !!! Oh no :(

the story... i met Richard last year ago at a norwegiang meeting! It was my first meeting and Richard and his friends were helpful in any ways!! After that meeting i applyed to became Ambassador in Rome and Richard supported me ;) I appreciated !
and then ....Update July 2008:
i met Richard in Rome when had seen a meeting with him!! It was my pleasure to meet him again .... He is very dedicated to CS project and i love my CS global ambassador!! thanks Richard!

David Klein 
From David Klein
 Budapest, Hungary
 Jul 4, 2007
Met in person Friend, Hosted 2 days  
Positive

Good for Norway. It has a great Ambassador. He has arrived, and you know, he is this tall, blond Viking and he works as an analyst... so I think: what's the deal here? and that's right: he is probably the secret agent of the travelers, operating under cover in the corporate world. he is an open minded, sharp, interesting, composed person. I had lot's of fun sitting in the yurt with him, exchanging thoughts and drinking red wine.

Andrea Miola 
From Andrea Miola
 San Giorgio Canavese, Italy
 Jun 26, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Ricard is a very welcoming person. He started to talk with me during the CS camp he organized in Strandsødegården, outside Oslo, for Midsummer festivities and since we started to talk, it was like if we knew for ages. We share the same passion for couchsurfing, meeting people and giving our small contribution to improve CS. Ricard is a very nice person, easygoing and friendly, that kind of person who would never let you in troubles in case of need.

Daniel Holdt
From Daniel Holdt
 Nairobi, Kenya
 Jun 26, 2007
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Ricard is down to earth, always interesting to talk to and I usually enjoy bumping into him at the big HC/CS parties every half a year. It was good to visit him recently at his crib in Oslo, but just a shame that there seem to be so few really active hosts like him in Norway.

Allison Schroeder
From Allison Schroeder
 Los Gatos, United States
 Jun 25, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Richard is a great guy with a big heart. He also helped do a wonderful job with the Midsummer party, and I can't thank them enough! What a wonderful experience with wonderful people!

ENVIROMIKE422
From ENVIROMIKE422
 Seattle, United States
 Jun 20, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Ricard was extremely gracious in hosting us and sharing advice about the city, and is definitely one for a good laugh as well as a serious conversation. Definitely the coolest Swedish person I met in Norway! =}

Justin Deguire
From Justin Deguire
 Montreal, Canada
 Jun 19, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Ricard is an amazing guy! Laid-back and more than welcoming! I surfed his couch in Oslo, and he and Celine always made sure I was having a great time! Whenever they come to my city, I will gladly return the favour!

Giampiero Calabrese 
From Giampiero Calabrese
 Ascoli Piceno, Italy
 Jun 18, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Finally i Met him and we had a wonderful nite in Oslo with many csers... He represent very well the ide of couchsurfing, it was very nice talkin with me about travel, cs, life and tasting the amazing "smoky" drink he brought!! See u in Italy soon

Alvaro Garcia - Cabrera Calvo
From Alvaro Garcia - Cabrera Calvo
 Malaga, Spain
 Jun 16, 2007
Met in person Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Great thougths, magnific experiences, incredible conversations, best host... time with him will never be wasted!

Jean-Frédéric Gauvin
From Jean-Frédéric Gauvin
 Oslo, Norway
 Jun 15, 2007
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 7 days  
Positive

Problem solver : Definitely!
I really think that Zalle believes in the saying: "there is no problem, only solutions!"
This lad is fantastic, he helped my girlfriend and I for our setting down in Oslo, gave us a lot of advices, and gave us a roof for some nights...
If you are in Oslo, definitely contact Zalle.

Roy Abraham 
From Roy Abraham
 Toronto, Canada
 Jun 3, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Simple description: Richard is a great guy. It makes me proud to have him as an "ambassador-colleague".

Kristina J-P
From Kristina J-P
 Eindhoven, Netherlands
 Jun 3, 2007
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

A most lovely Swedish boy that can easily confuse me with being Norwegian!Hope to see you at home this summer!
Big hugs to you!

Mark Leyer 
From Mark Leyer
 Malschenberg, Germany
 Jun 2, 2007
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

He is a very funny and friendly person. With him you can have a real friedship for years and also good to make party ;-). It is always nice to see him again.

Victor del Rosal
From Victor del Rosal
 Colima, Mexico
 Jun 2, 2007
Met in person Close Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

I could tell you what a great CouchSurfing Country Ambassador Ricard is, but above anything he is one of the most amazing, friendly, kind, and fun guys I know. He loves life, he loves people. I was really blessed and honored to meet him.

Maikel Lourenssen 
From Maikel Lourenssen
 Oss, Netherlands
 May 31, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Zalle was easy going to hangout with. We talked and met at several places in the berlin camp.
I'm looking forward to meet him again.

Fabian Kern
From Fabian Kern
 San Jose, Costa Rica
 May 29, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Stayed with my tent next to him at the Berlin Beach Camp 2007. Loved to talk to him about cycling and travelling... hope to so you again mate...

Pau Ors
From Pau Ors
 Barcelona, Spain
 May 25, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 4 days  
Positive

If I had to define couchsurfing I would say "Ricard Salevik". He and Céline hosted me for 4 nights and they did everything to make me feel confortable and show me Oslo. I really had a good time and good conversations. Everything was extremely easy and funy! Couchsurfing is much more than sleep for free!

MARCMARC
From MARCMARC
 Paris, France
 May 21, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Ricard is a cool guy. I hope he will come to Paris again. It's too bad he has been there when the weather was terrible. The CS pic nics are even better when it's not raining :)

Chiew Kit Yeoh
From Chiew Kit Yeoh
 London, United Kingdom
 May 21, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Ricard at a picnic for CS on my very first day in Paris and he made me feel welcomed.

Natasha Voitovich
From Natasha Voitovich
 Minsk, Belarus
 May 19, 2007
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

His CS-lovestory amased me so much!!! It seems that it was so easy for them, people from different countries, to unite, to be and stay together till now!! His story makes you believe in love existence (which is dieing with every day..)!!! I like him: he is romantic, kind, handsome:), talkative, interesting, helpful, optimistic, hospitable... person (it`s only a small part of his characteristic!), very fond of couchsurfing (I`d like to be like him:)! I believe that all your dreams and wishes, Richard, will come true one day! And wish you all the best!

Etienne Gernez 
From Etienne Gernez
 Oslo, Norway
 May 18, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Richie offered me the chance to introduce myself to a very nice bunch of people. I did this with a lot pleasure! We're discovering our cultural differences, the conclusion is: it's always nice to be offered a beer.

Lesley M Oosterman 
From Lesley M Oosterman
 London, Canada
 May 2, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Ricard and his girlfriend Celine were both
great personalities! Linds and I were happy to have the chance to meet them. Very nice people :-). Take care!

Luke Hill
From Luke Hill
 Yuncheng, China
 Apr 28, 2007
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

From tales of bikeriding to crazy dancing, Richard is not a character to missed. He'll have you having fun in no time. I'm fascinated with his plan to cycle something like 23,000 km. He embodies the spirit of couchsurfing, which for me is fun loving, crazy, humourous and open minded. Thanks for an awesome night Richard.

Tina Schüßler
From Tina Schüßler
 Jena, Germany
 Apr 14, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Ricard and Celine are perfect hosts - I would say professionals! It was really easy- going... we had nice discussions about history, a nice meal with good vine and a barrel of laughs... Thank u a lot for this amazing experience! p.s. today I loaned the book from Jan Wiese (and how is it going with the lampneighbour?!):-)

Sanja Stojanovic 
From Sanja Stojanovic
 Fort Lauderdale, United States
 Mar 28, 2007
Met in person Good Friend,  
Positive

We were born one hour and few countries apart:) and one CS party and one afternoon talk in Oslo were enough to figure out that we'd be meeting again... to share our passion for this project, talk & laugh!
Update: We did meet again. We did talk and talk and we did laugh. And we met again. And I realized that he's a true friend. The one that if I cry will feel sad. And if I'm happy he'll sing.

rhizomatic ewa smiles 
From rhizomatic ewa smiles
 Stockholm, Sweden
 Mar 24, 2007
Met in person  
Positive

I am very happy that Ricard translated my article on couchsurfing!

His translation: http://www.couchsurfing.com/group_read.html?gid=1029&post=165952

In Swedish:
http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/resor/story/0,2789,1017523,00.html

Megan and Mike love Milwaukee
From Megan and Mike love Milwaukee
 Milwaukee, United States
 Mar 14, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

This man will show youhow to cheat the system!! LOL, fantastic place, fantastic conversations, and a whole lot of fun!

Tiziano D'Angelo 
From Tiziano D'Angelo
 Padova, Italy
 Feb 26, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I have met Richard few times, Riga and Warsaw Winter Camps, through her girlfriend Céline. Very concerned about CS/HC issues, that we often discuss online, with Richard I'm always in a good mood. He, apart from looking very Norwegian ;)) in his appearence, is a very solar and nice, talkative, kind guy. You have to meet him! Smart and interesting talks assured! (btw: I have to visit you in Oslo!)

Zach Everett
From Zach Everett
 Mayne Island, Canada
 Jan 28, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

fun guy to ice skate with... and much more...ill see him again in the somewhat near future...

Lorenzo Di Mento 
From Lorenzo Di Mento
 Milano, Italy
 Jan 10, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

my dear Swedish, actually the first one I met in my life :) and now I've one more reason to go to the Northern Europe! Great Ricard, absolutely trustworthy!

Piotr Barczak 
From Piotr Barczak
 Poznan, Poland
 Jan 8, 2007
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Ricard is a very positve guy, perfect compan for loong talks, I like him and his girlfriend Celine very much! As he ist much involved in both CS and HC he is completely trustworthy.

Johan Salevik
From Johan Salevik
 Oslo, Norway
 Jan 5, 2007
Met in person Best Friend, Traveled 4 days 

he absolutly best to travel with=)

Florin Lastname
From Florin Lastname
 Bucharest, Romania
 Jan 3, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

we had a nice chat at a bowling game: cool guy. now i look at his profile: interesting guy. i'm sure anyone would have a nice experience meeting Ricard. a bientot, dude!

Roberto Barbagallo 
From Roberto Barbagallo
 Catania, Italy
 Jan 3, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Like the old friend just met! You know the feeling? and in the billions of people met in the camp he was one of the few I remember with pleasure! hope to spend more time with him..Oslo next stop :)

YANN93 
From YANN93
 Paris, France
 Dec 22, 2006
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Very friendly guy, I meet him during my stay in Oslo. And looking forward to see him again, maybe for a biking ride in Norway !!!

STEFKA_FAKE
From STEFKA_FAKE
 Vilnius, Lithuania
 Nov 9, 2006
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

he's the best of the people i've met only twice in my life:)

MANUE33 
From MANUE33
 Bordeaux, France
 Oct 23, 2006
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Ricard and Celine kindly helped me to have a closer insight into the nightlife and culture of Oslo, by patiently answering all my questiions about the city and the country :) and inviting me to an excellent jazz concert : thank you !! Anyone coming to Oslo shall definitely get the chance to meet this guy !

Ryan Madison
From Ryan Madison
 Tacoma, United States
 Oct 8, 2006
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 1 days Traveled 3 days 
Positive

My new bicycle friend...Oh, and he´s legit! Ricard has one of the greatest personalities. He is a very rounded person who could probably get along with anyone! I was only able to crash at his place for one night because he left the next morning to Edinburgh, Scotland for the festival (this proves to me that someone who invites me into there home who is going on holiday the very next day is a kind-hearted person in my book). We had a great time together...he took me to this great pub that offered a Jam Session that night. Many people would go on stage a jam togther and different singers would go up and sing.
All in all...I consider Ricard a good friend of mine.

Finn Steen 
From Finn Steen
 Oslo, Norway
 Aug 31, 2006
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

CS-maniac!!

BEJAFLOR
From BEJAFLOR
 Dortmund, Germany
 Jul 19, 2006
Met in person  

home again. hi ricard!
this is thorsten (bejaflor) leaving a message for u after signing up on this site. it´s a wonderful concept that should be kept carefully to give people a chance to make some visions and possibilities come true...
maybe you can only hardly remember me. I first met you at the entrance of the berlin hc camp, where you helped working. later we had a nice conversation and finally you gave me one of your card with ur nickname on it... so, you still remember me? no... hm. I was the guy who always wore this awful cap, playing djembe on saturday ;-) ok, better watch my pix...
anyway, I had a very good time in berlin, for it was the first time taking part at a hc camp for me. I wanna thank you too for this beautiful time there, and I hope I will join many more gatherings coming up in the future!
I would be pleased to stay in contact with you. may I add u to my list of friends?
all the best to u!
see u then,
thorsten

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