Gerard Bosman

Gerard Bosman

Current Mission: "The 3 Big L's: Learn, Laugh and Love every day!"

Personal Designations

Definitely couch available Vouched for16

Community Designations

City Ambassador (Bergschenhoek)
Contribution
Netherlands
Zuid-Holland
Bergschenhoek
Lat: 51.98333, Lon: 4.5
Show nearby Couches (100 K)

General Information

Gerard Bosman is a CS City Ambassador for Bergschenhoek, Netherlands!
Gerard Bosman has been vouched for
VERIFIED MEMBER Identity Checked, Location Verified (3) more info
Couch availableDefinitely!
CouchSurf requests replied to100%
member sinceSeptember 3rd, 2006
profile views5488
age56
genderMale
membernameGERALD_ROTTERDAM
occupationI'm a teacher and I live in a suburb of Rotterdam, the most thrilling town of The Netherlands
educationAfter High School I went to University. Now I'm a teacher in primairy education.
grew up inRotterdam, Holland
Direct Profile URL

Languages

  • DutchExpert
  • EnglishExpert
  • GermanIntermediate
  • FrenchBeginner

Groups I Belong To

Last minute couch in the Netherlands 150:235
Why: I live 10 min. from Rotterdam, 20 min. from The Hague and 45 min. from Amsterdam
Netherlands 14793:4098
Why: The Netherlands are my beautiful, lovely homeland
KitchenSurfing Rotterdam 43:175
Why: I love to cook and love to eat even more!
Amsterdam 6037:11647
Why: I live only 40 minutes from Am*dam and like to host you.
Active in 19 more groups.
Show them all

Couch Information


     << CouchSurf with Gerard Bosman!    

Couch picture

Couch Available: Definitely!
Preferred Gender: Any
Max Surfers Per Night: 2

Shared Sleeping Surface: No
Shared Room: No

I can offer you a comfortable bed, with blankets, a pillow and clean sheets, in a separate, private guestroom (see the photo). A second (temporary) bed with a sleeping-bag and a pillow is in the computerroom. In general you don't share a room with other people, besides if you ask for it.

I'm always very social with my couch-surfers, so when I'm free, we have breakfast together. I also like to cook for my guests.

I live in Bergschenhoek, a village (suburb) close to Rotterdam, the most thrilling town of the Netherlands. Rotterdam Airport is just 10 minutes away.

Geographical location (for Google Earth):
Latitude: 51°59' 28.24" North
Longitude: 04°29' 39.43" East
Or just click here.

The description of the sleeping place: see above. I have a bathroom with a shower, a washbasin and a toilet. A second toilet is downstairs. If necessary: I have a washingmachine and a tumble-dryer (and a dishwasher!). There are towels at your disposal. The house has central heating. I have highspeed wireless internet access.

I have gathered information about nice, cheap and thrilling places to go (and party!) in Rotterdam and surrounding. I like to show you around, also in Amsterdam and The Hague. You can use a bike and a Dutch mobile phone. I don't have pets and I don't smoke. You can smoke in the garden.

Amsterdam - Magere brug


Amsterdam is on about 60 kilometers, The Hague (and the North Sea) on about 25 kilometers. Good public transport (busstop on one minute walk; even a night-bus for party-animals). There is a very beautiful and big Spa, called 'Elysium', nearby my village.

One of the swimmingpools


In Rotterdam are many interesting places to go (famous for its architecture! and: visit the gigantic harbour!) and of course many disco's (thrilling nightlife), loads of festivals, parades and restaurants (but I'm a good cook too - what do you want to eat?) Look at: 'Rotterdam info'. An other good site is: What's up in Rotterdam. Rotterdam is definitely a must-see!

Skyline of Rotterdam by night


The best days I can host (and show you around) are the weekends and school-holidays.
I prefer a complete profile when you ask for a couch. At the beginning of the request write at least my first name. I'm not 'Hi there' or 'Hey'!

No show If you can't make it or changed plans, please tell me as soon as possible. I have set up my schedule for your visit and (often) refused an other CS'er...

Please click on:
'This is an interesting profile'
, at the top - right.
Thank you!

Friends (144)

     + Add to my friends    

World map
Map of friends
Pedro GimaelPedro Gimael
20, Male
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo
Brazil
Friends since September 2006
"I stayed in his house for some months now"
Friendship Type: 6 - Close Friend
Met in person   Surfed30+  
Justin BurnettJustin Burnett
21, Male
Prague, Praha
Czech Republic
Friends since August 2008
"I stayed at his house"
Friendship Type: 6 - Close Friend
Met in person   Surfed4  
Alex SokolovAlex Sokolov
20, Male
Kiev, Kiev
Ukraine
Friends since February 2009
"I spent good time at his place ...very good time"
Friendship Type: 5 - Good Friend
Met in person   Surfed4  
Michal MajMichal Maj
20, Male
Wroclaw, Lower Silesian
Poland
Friends since February 2008
"He is my first dutch friend :)"
Friendship Type: 5 - Good Friend
Met in person  
Chris MaddenChris Madden
23, Male
Saint Paul, Minnesota
United States
Friends since November 2006
"Met him through couchsurfing"
Friendship Type: 5 - Good Friend
Met in person   Hosted2  
Herman Kvelprud SteinHerman Kvelprud Stein
21, Male
Aal, Buskerud
Norway
Friends since September 2007
"Stayed with him a whole weekend. Eating dinner, going out and we also went to a typical dutch bath."
Friendship Type: 5 - Good Friend
Met in person   Surfed3  
Cale Graham Cale Graham
22, Male
Eugene, Oregon
United States
Friends since May 2008
"Surfed his lovely spare room"
Friendship Type: 4 - Friend
I vouched for Gerard Bosman
Met in person   Surfed4  
Milos TrakilovicMilos Trakilovic
19, Male
Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland
Netherlands
Friends since October 2008
"couchsurfers meeting in rotterdam"
Friendship Type: 3 - CouchSurfing Friend
Met in person   Surfed7  
Eric Gunderson Eric Gunderson
24, Male
Saint Paul, Minnesota
United States
Friends since December 2007
"Couchsurfing, of course"
Friendship Type: 4 - Friend
Met in person   Surfed5  
Alexander DementyevAlexander Dementyev
20, Male
Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg
Russia
Friends since July 2008
"Gerard hosted us in his house during our Europe Journey"
Friendship Type: 5 - Good Friend
Met in person   Surfed2  
134 more friends
     << CouchSurf with Gerard Bosman!    

     Send Message    ++ Contact List    ++ Make Note    Print    

Gerard Bosman
Me at the beach of Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, near the statue of Duke Kahanamoku
View all 93 photos

Personal Description

I'm an easy-going and layed back guy. I like the good things in life: travelling, partying, meeting interesting people with an open mind and having a nice time together.
Come, and enjoy my hospitality! I'll show you the Dutch tolerance way of living.

Visitor Map
Create your own visitor map!

How I Participate in CS

I'm offering a good place to stay: a good bed and meals; interesting stories, a lot of fun and friendship for a lifetime.
I want to be social with my guests: eat together, visit all kinds of nice and interesting places, CS-meetings and party's.
Do not come to my place if only looking for a (free) couch.

CouchSurfing Experience

Since September '06 I'm a CouchSurfer. More than 70 people stayed in my house and I went to Gran Canaria, Belgium, Cuba, Brazil and Mexico. In Mexico I stayed at Abraham Avellana's place; in Brazil with Renato Almeida and Pedro Gimael. Perfect experiences!
The visitors of my profile (started at October 19, 2008):
free counters

Interests

Travelling, ofcourse. I like swimming and I'm a certified Open Water diver. On the local radio station I have my own morning-show. I also like to go to movies, theaters, Dutch type sauna's (=Spa's) and restaurants.

Philosophy

You only live once, so you have to enjoy as much as possible. Living life to the fullest! I believe the meaning of life is simple: To love and be loved!

Keywords: summer, parties, naturism, hospitality, friendship, music, naked sleeper, new people, be creative, Spain, beach, happyness, art, comics, history. And ing's: cooking, ice-cream eating, smiling, laughing, swimming, diving, reading, watching films, talking, dancing, singing, jumping, joking, performing, flying.

Music, Movies, Books

Borat, Ali G, Brokeback Mountain, Little Britain, Dutch cabaret, stand-up comedy. I like many music stiles, but only those you can still hear your friends!

Types of People I enjoy

All kinds! I'm a teacher, so I like to teach young, open minded, intelligent, interested and interesting people a lot, especially the Dutch way of living and liberal thinking and showing them Holland. Perferably those who have a great sense of humour and fun about them! I hate conservative and prudish people but I do believe in freedom and liberty. Keep in touch with the amazing Dutch!

Teach, Learn, Share

To meet (young) people and show them Holland and the Dutch hospitality, tolerance, liberty and freedom, to let them feel the Dutch way of living is the main reason for joining the Couch Surfing Community.
How the Dutch handle the water: The Maeslantkering and the Haringvlietdam
The modern Holland: handling the water.

I can recommend: www.hitchwiki.org. The best and cheapest way you can travel. Discover the world with Couch-Surfing and hitchhiking and it will cost you almost nothing!

One Amazing Thing I've Seen or Done

A couple of years ago, I got my PADI diving licence in Curaçao. Since then I also dived in Turkey, Spain (Gran Canaria) and Egypt.
In Brazil I visited the Amazonas; there we were fishing on piranha's.

Opinion on the CouchSurfing.org Project

A super idea. The best way to learn about the way of living in a country is to stay with locals.
Keywords: Trust and respect. My idea: a stanger is a friend you didn't met yet!

Locations Traveled

TRAVELED: Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands Antilles, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Togo, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican
LIVED: Netherlands
IS GOING TO: Spain

References

 
     Leave a Reference >>    
Jimmie Seeley
From Jimmie Seeley
 Naples, United States
 Jul 2
Met in person Surfed 4 days  
Positive

I'm sorry it took me so long to leave you a reference!

This was my first couchsurfing experience and if everybody hosted as well as Gerrard this would be a world-wide phenomenon. You have a free place to sleep, he cooks for you, he shows you around, what more could you ask for?

Awesome host!

Yupu Lu
From Yupu Lu
 Tainan city, Taiwan
 Jul 1
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Gerard is my first host. How come my first host could be so nice? I must have a very good luck! He feed me lots of food and show me around many places. He also taught me how to hitchhike. Thank you so much, Gerard.

Alexey Neumoin
From Alexey Neumoin
 De Bilt, Netherlands
 Jul 1
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

This was my first couchsurfing experience (as a surfer) and it was very positive! Gerard is a friendly, open-minded and talkative guy. We dropped at his couch just for one night and had some nice talks, dutch drinks and meal. Thanks a lot, Gerard!

Mahad Mo
From Mahad Mo
 London, United Kingdom
 Jun 22
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 4 days  
Positive

If only I could put Very Positive, because I've enjoyed every bit of my stay with Gerard. He's a very enthusiastic host who takes time and puts a lot of effort into hosting and showing his guests around. I feel very lucky to have spent my time in the Netherlands in his company. I hope to visit him again when I return to country. I highly recommend active, bubbly and enthusiastic travels who're thinking of visiting Amsterdam to contact this very friendly and generous host. Thanks again Gerard.

Francois Bob
From Francois Bob
 Valence, France
 Jun 12
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Gerard (G= "R" in Dutch!) is a very warm and welcoming person, really kind to host in a proper way, very organized (maybe too much!? :) My visit was quite quick, but good!

Artem Polyvyanny 
From Artem Polyvyanny
 Lyon, France
 Jun 11
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Gerard was kind enough to respond to my Emergency Request. I had no other option and decided to take the night train to Rottedam. I am glad I did. Gerard is an excellent host who took the time out of his Saturday to show me around The Hague and tell me many important facts and pieces of history. He's great at pointing out things that are "really Dutch." It was a pleasure spending time with him. We'll make that sauna happen!

Nick McClendon
From Nick McClendon
 Carrollton, United States
 Jun 4
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard's hospitality was immeasurable. He made us traditional Dutch breakfasts, which were delicious, and he also showed us around The Hague, Scheveningen, and Delft. He told us about the history of the cities, and was very kind. Most definitely a recommended host!

Jan Albertsen
From Jan Albertsen
 Hamburg, Germany
 Jun 1
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Had a very pleasant stay at his house. Unfortunately I bought my ticket back before the journey, so he couldn't show me around, because we both had plans during my stay there. He showed me the radiostation where he records weekly shows, and yeah had a good time there and I might go back some time.

Koert Hougee
From Koert Hougee
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 May 25
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Gerard at one of the first CS meetings in Rotterdam I attended to. His enthousiasm and dedication is simply infectious and what I really like about him is his true interest in everybody around him.

Tara Motz 
From Tara Motz
 Terrace, Canada
 May 20
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard is a wonderful person to stay with! He completely spoiled Aaron and I with taking us to The Hague and the beach! We had dutch meals, he was filled with information and interesting to sit and chat with. Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast was so neat hehe! I will miss his loud laugh! Would love to have tea and visit when I return one day! *Huggles*

Aaron Brousseau
From Aaron Brousseau
 Terrace, Canada
 May 17
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 4 days  
Positive

This was my First CS experience, and let me just say that Gerard made it an Amazing one. He is so full of useful information and gladly shares it. I consider myself quite spoiled by Gerard, with the sight seeing, Dutch foods and his overwhelming hospitality, without I would have never seen the sights I did. Thank you so much

Belasri Samir
From Belasri Samir
 Paris, France
 May 11
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard hosted me and my friends for two nights. He was a very nice host, he knows everything about places around his home and it is really interesting to talk with him. He made us discover The Haag and told us a lot of stories about its history. We felt really comfortable in his home, he made us some very good typical dutch dishes. It was my first CS experience, and it was a very good one!
Thank you Gerard!

Ralf Bernhard
From Ralf Bernhard
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Apr 20
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is a very helpful and good-hearted person. Hes knowledgeable and truly lives the cs spirit. I m sure we are gonna meet again at one of the meetings.

Yaz Aouissi
From Yaz Aouissi
 Armagh, United Kingdom
 Apr 6
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

this was my first couchsurfing experience, it was a very comfortable stay with a very helpful host, his greeting was actually warmer than my welcome home...very kind and well read man, i will definately go back to see gerard, and would recomend him to anyone...and vla, is indeed custard, dont let him tell you otherwise!! ;)

Karl Demers
From Karl Demers
 Laval, Canada
 Mar 31
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 3 days Surfed 5 days Traveled 15 days 
Positive

Gerard is so peaceful and he is also a human encyclopedy, he give me a free tour of the city around. trust him!!!

Laura McGrath
From Laura McGrath
 Portadown, United Kingdom
 Mar 30
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

I enjoyed my stay very much with Gerard. He made me feel very welcome in his home...enjoyed the conversations, the food and the galleries!!

Keren Fater
From Keren Fater
 Nes Ziyyona, Israel
 Mar 12
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

I'm sorry it took me sooo long i didn't have a computer Gerard is great he hosted us in a really short notice and was a wonderful host
thank you soo very much

Alex Sokolov
From Alex Sokolov
 Kiev, Ukraine
 Feb 15
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 4 days  
Positive

Gerard made such a lot of nice things for me. He was so nice and we spent a lot of time out of hist city and visited such beautiful cities like Den Haag, Delft and near Hoek van Holland. Gerard is very friendly guy, so don't be afraid if he write you message first =) His couch is very exotic(I mean in spending time). I'll generally trust him and it would be really nice to meet him more time.
P.S. His meals are good too ! Don't miss his request =)

Lucas Ferro
From Lucas Ferro
 Buenos Aires, Argentina
 Jan 27
Met in person Hosted 1 days  
Positive

I had a nice home meal in a warm house.
Thanks for your ideas and helps !!!

See you in my next home.
Lucas

BRAMDELONGHI
From BRAMDELONGHI
 Apeldoorn, Netherlands
 Jan 20
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

We had a relaxing expierince during the cs meeting.

YAN-NICK
From YAN-NICK
 Ballancourt-sur-Essonne, France
 Jan 2
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Gerard's a young mind & gentle man who definitely has the CS spirit. Glad to have him as first ever experience in CS. He kindly offered me a "last minute" couch in his nice house. He has a lot to teach about Dutch culture, told me bunch of stories about his travel experiences and so...interested to learn from others as well. Plus I experienced a typical Dutch breakfast which was just succulent! I'll contact you if I happen to explore The NL once again.

MOSé
From MOSé
 Milano, Italy
 Dec 31, 2008
Met in person Friend, Traveled 2 days 
Positive

I'm very happy to met Gerard, he knows a lot of things bout his country and he's a perfect guide. When I wrote him a message I never thought we'd ended in The Hague over the sea :) We went round R'dam, had dinner at his place and we met other guys at couchsurfin meeting. I hope to see him again next time I'll go to R'dam.

BATMAN FOREVER
From BATMAN FOREVER
 Bordeaux, France
 Dec 21, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is a host I highly recommend. He knows a lot about Rotterdam and Holland. He always does all he can to please his guest. The room is also very confortable and I could taste some typical dutch food( quite good also).

Strauss Western
From Strauss Western
 Salt Lake City, United States
 Dec 16, 2008
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 5 days  
Positive

I stayed with gerard for 5 wonderful days! his "couch" is amazingly comfortable! he is willing to help you with what ever you may need. And knows a ton about dutch culture and was a great host! Thanks again Gerard! you made Rotterdam an awesome experience! Strauss Western

(oh and his macaroni is amazing!)

René Rohner
From René Rohner
 Amsterdam, Netherlands
 Dec 1, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Traveled 2 days 
Positive

I met Gerard at the Sinterklaas meeting weekend in Rotterdam on several sub-meetings. So we got ocaasionally stuck in a good conversation. He offered to show me around to some interesting but non-tourist places in South-Holland which I pretty much will do soon and appreciate his passion for this whole couchsurfing thing therefore. A true inspiring and helpful surfer!! Cheers.

Yohan Civel 
From Yohan Civel
 Valenciennes, France
 Nov 30, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Surfed his couch during the Sinterklaas 2008, organised, welcoming. Gerard is someone you can trust.

Guillaume Verdier
From Guillaume Verdier
 Lille, France
 Oct 31, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard helped us as we were looking for a place to stay around Rotterdam, at the last minute. We had a great time with him, he has good stories to tell you about travels and his country. I'm sad we didn't have time to visit it with him.
I'd definitely recommend him, and he makes great breakfast !!
;-)

Francois Dorlodot des essarts
From Francois Dorlodot des essarts
 Clichy, France
 Oct 30, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 1 days  
Positive

the best welkomen i never had in rotterdam
francois

Ryan Norris 
From Ryan Norris
 Saint Thomas, Canada
 Oct 21, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  

Well what do I say about Gerard? He told me he would pick me up at the train station at 10, and he picked me up exactly at 10. Not 9:59, not 10:01. Before he took me back to his place, he took me to the radio station where he volunteers for a 2 hour morning show. I had no idea what he was saying, but it was cool. Then he took me back to his very clean, very organized, very interesting home. It's one of those places where you can just walk around looking at the walls and random things he has, which I did. He had a bed (with a tanning bed attachment) ready for me with clean sheets and instructions for the wireless connection!! We sat in his living room and right away he offered me a beer. Gerard is very easy to talk to and is loaded with information and facts about the surrounding area. He took me to the Hague and showed me the beach as well. Gerard is an absolutely amazing host. Such a great guy!! He'll pay complete attention to you, and he's the perfect host.

Milos Trakilovic
From Milos Trakilovic
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Oct 15, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 7 days  
Positive

Where to even begin from.
Gerard welcomed us, just a couple of minutes after we met.
We just arrived in Rotterdam, without knowing anything, or having a place to stay.
Our time together was really amusing. He cooked for us, and took us to little trips. He is a very,very pleasant host, a young and jolly spirit.
Nothing but the very best words, for Gerard.

We advise, if you can, to definitely surf Gerard's couch.

Thanks a million, nogmaals :)

See you soon , dinner at our place.

Milos & Igor



Michael Kuhn
From Michael Kuhn
 Pully, Switzerland
 Oct 11, 2008
Met in person Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Hosted me after I posted a last-minute request on the Rotterdam forum. We didn't get to know each other though, as I was just there for a very brief time. But thanks for the accomodation.

Abdurrahman Sahin
From Abdurrahman Sahin
 Umraniye, Turkey
 Oct 5, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

i met him in rotterdam, he was very kind and friendly. We had a short walk in rotterdam and spent the night in a very nice restaurant. I strongly advice everybody to meet this gentleman in rotterdam. Rotterdam is more beatiful with gerard.

PT_PANACHE 
From PT_PANACHE
 Merrimac, United States
 Sep 27, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I was happy to meet Gerard at the CS Rotterdam meeting. So many things to talk about - scuba diving, our travels, education, dykes and sluices - Dutch engineering, and even wadlopen! Gerard was very surprised that I was planning on doing that in Texel. It was great fun! Gerard seems very energetic and enthusiastic. Perhaps in our travels our paths will cross again.

Iain Bisset
From Iain Bisset
 Nelspruit, South Africa
 Sep 25, 2008
Met in person Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

I was told at the last minute that I couldn't stay with a friend in Amsterdam and Gerard came to the rescue. Thanks to the cancellation I was able to meet Gerard and get an insight into both his life and the way that the Netherlands really works away from the lights and rush of Amsterdam. We went second hand shopping, tea drinking, radio show recording, to a couchsurfing meet, to dinner and gave English lessons. A very good two days with a kind man who never stops learning and teaching. Definitely stay with Gerard on your travels!

HUGOGP
From HUGOGP
 Manaus, Brazil
 Sep 23, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Gerard during his trip in Manaus, he is a nice person, we had a good short time together and nice talks.
I wish you a good luck man!


Curtis Guerrero
From Curtis Guerrero
 New York, United States
 Sep 22, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days Traveled 1 days 
Positive

Gerard was an Excelent host! He took the time to show me around town (city walk) and really gave me a feel for all things "typical Dutch". Even though I only stayed in Rotterdam a very short time I feel like I walked away with a lot. Thanks Gerard!

Nikola Stojanovski
From Nikola Stojanovski
 Skopje, Macedonia-FYROM
 Sep 11, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard is a host as good as it gets! He spent one whole day with us showing us the whole coast around Rotterdam. It was a very useful to learn so many things about the nederlands and very interesting to hear about all the places in the world he has been to.
He takes very good care about his hosts and my guess is that everybody is delighted to have a host like that. Well at least I was...
Until next time in Rotterdam or Macedonia, Gerard.

GPIKKIO 
From GPIKKIO
 Groningen, Netherlands
 Sep 8, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 1 days  
Positive

Gerald is a very friendly person and a wonderful couchsurfer. We had great conversations at my place and walking around Groningen. Sure I will be happy to meet him again. Ciao Gerald and Happy Couchsurfing!

Stephan Andela
From Stephan Andela
 Groningen, Netherlands
 Sep 7, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is a really social person. His enthousiasm and good-mood brings a good atmosphere in the room. We've had interesting conversations about all kind of subjects.
Looking forward to meet Gerard again!!

Grigoriy Reutov
From Grigoriy Reutov
 Saint Petersburg, Russia
 Sep 7, 2008
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard is extremely kind person! It was a big pleasure to spend two days in his house. He is a very good company and can cook beautiful tasty national dishes)
I've enjoyed it very much!

Esly van Dam 
From Esly van Dam
 Enschede, Netherlands
 Sep 7, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

i met gerard briefly in rotterdam, and again in groningen. we had a quite long and interesting conversation, also about pretty personal topics. he is a very calm and friendly man, interested in many different things. i am sure he will be a great host, and hope to check that out soon! (maybe in november? :-) )

Tobias Schulze
From Tobias Schulze
 Freiburg, Germany
 Sep 6, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Gerard was a very good host; he went with us to a lot of very interesting places in or near Rotterdam or in DenHaag, I told us a lot of informations to all the sights we have travelled, He is a very good host and a very good guide combined in one person

Olivier Chaput 
From Olivier Chaput
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Sep 3, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

It took some time at Gerard to fix my name but I always get a warm welcome to Rotterdam at the weekly meeting.

Great guy trying to form the generation of tomorrow.

Arthur Ryan 
From Arthur Ryan
 Krakow, Poland
 Aug 31, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Gerard was my first host on my bicycle trip across Europe and I could not have asked for a better one. For three days in Rotterdam, Gerard was my personal guide to Dutch culture. We traveled to the capital, toured Rotterdam, and went to various places that only local Dutch would know about. At all times, Gerard was pleasant, informative, and cheerful.
It's rare to find that special combination of knowledge, humor, and hospitality that sepearates a good host from a great host. If your looking for someone who will give you an incredible understanding of Dutch culture in a few days, provide you with a comforable room in his very neat house, and engage you with hours of wonderful conversation, Gerard is your man in Rotterdam. Thank you my friend, and I look forward to seeing you again some time.

MATTHEADVENTURER 
From MATTHEADVENTURER
 Montreal, Canada
 Aug 25, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

I was in need of a couch at the last minute, and Gerard was very kind and offered his place. His place was very cozy and he was a really good host, treating me to a nice typical breakfast and a little tour of the city center. I whish I had more time to spend in Rotterdam... perhaps on a next trip !

Justin Burnett
From Justin Burnett
 Prague, Czech Republic
 Aug 18, 2008
Met in person Close Friend, Surfed 4 days  
Positive

Gerard is an incredible guy who would love to show you so much as long as you´re interested. He is extremely generous and I am very grateful for all that he showed And told me. Staying with him is what made my trip to holland so wonderful. I suggest that anyone seeing Rotterdam or anything in the area get in contact with him - it will greatly improve your travels. He really knows what couchsurfing is about.

André F Souza 
From André F Souza
 Manaus, Brazil
 Aug 13, 2008
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 15 days Traveled 1 days 
Positive

It's always my pleasure to host/meet the Dutch, I have a personal love for this people and its nation!

I met Gerardus en Mathijs in Manaus when they came to visit the jungle!
We had our share of fun and talks, we walked all over the "cetrum" and had some nice dishes in some simple restaurants!

Besides that They helped me a lot with my dutch language. I have no other words to describe how happy I felt.

dankuwel voor alles! zie jou later in Nederland!

Doeiiii

Update 31/01/09

Finally I had the chance to Surf Gerards couch! and it was great as I expected! always nice to feel Gezellig with the dutch :)

We had been to several places, Madurodam, Van der Valk, Belgium, Volemdam, Zandam... I really wish I could have a father like him! Besides that he gave me two gifts that I loved so much A dutch history book and a self learning dutch language course!

dankjewel Gerard, ik mis nl en je hospitality ook! :(

Renato Almeida
From Renato Almeida
 Manaus, Brazil
 Aug 10, 2008
Met in person Good Friend, Hosted 7 days  
Positive

Gerard is a great person. He's smart, fine, a lovely one. He and Mattjis stayed with me about a week. A everlast friendship was born while he was in Manaus. His couselors and life experience made me grow up a little bit.

You're always welcome in Manaus

Alexander Dementyev
From Alexander Dementyev
 Saint Petersburg, Russia
 Aug 8, 2008
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard is very good, intelligent and gentle person. It was great pleasure to be surfed in his home. Thank you for tasty traditional Dutch dishes and good hospitable atmosphere.

Manny reynold
From Manny reynold
 Sydney, Australia
 Jul 13, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

gerad offered me very clean and neat sleeping place, his place is extremely clean as he is very organized. hes helpful and enjoys company of his guests. a lovly gentelman

Xu Cao Yu
From Xu Cao Yu
 Shanghai, China
 Jul 13, 2008
Only met online  
Positive

Gerard gave me a lot of help:) from the first time he replied to my message post in group.
I do feel his enthausiasm and warm heart.
It's a pity that I wont come to Holland this Summer, but there are many chances waiting there, and soon I just will pick up a chance and visit your beautiful country!
Welcome to Shanghai again
Ps.Nice chat with Gerard. He does have a lot of travelling experience

Yossi Komar
From Yossi Komar
 Jerusalem, Israel
 Jul 11, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

gerard was a wonderful host. unfortunatly we couldnt stay longer but his generousity and politeness was exeptional. it's good to know there are people like him in the world

Przemyslaw Chalabry
From Przemyslaw Chalabry
 Edinburgh, United Kingdom
 Jul 11, 2008
Only met online CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I traveled to the Netherlands for few days and planned to visit Rotterdam; I was robbed in Amsterdam (yeah, it can happen at 1 o'clock at the main street, so be aware and keep your documents and money somewhere else than a pocket) so had to change my plans. I spoke with Gerard per phone and via e-mail, he seems to be a really nice, friendly and open-minded person; so carrying and helpful too! I'm sure he is worth recommendation as a host. And I hope to meet him in person soon or sooner:)
cheers, Gerard

Eric Gunderson 
From Eric Gunderson
 Saint Paul, United States
 Jul 7, 2008
Met in person Friend, Surfed 5 days  
Positive

What an excellent host! He picked me up from the station and excorted me around Rotterdam and The Hague. He also made me an excellent lasagna dinner and some fine Dutch breakfasts. A perfect host for those two days in Holland.
I surfed again with him in early July for 3 days. I was transplanting myself from Slovakia to America and he picked me up and dropped me off at the train station. What a relief that was. He was again so helpful and kind. There aren't enough good things to say about him. Thanks again Gerard.

Victor Sauntry 
From Victor Sauntry
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Jul 3, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

A very nice guy who was very helpful. If you want to learn about 'new' Dutch culture, than talk to him. He's very enthusiastic about it!

Tommy Quist 
From Tommy Quist
 Leiden, Netherlands
 Jul 2, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Gerard a whole bunch of times at the Rotterdam Meetings, and I don't know why I didn't leave him a reference earlier. This is one great guy. Superfriendly, and loves his work as a teacher. Always pleasant to hear him tell his stories,too !

Elisabeth Steen
From Elisabeth Steen
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Jun 16, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Gerard on my first meeting. He was very friendly and we had some nice conversation. I still owe him for a drink, so luckily we'll have to meet again. :)

Gary McMahon 
From Gary McMahon
 Bedford, Canada
 Jun 15, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 4 days  
Positive

Gerard is the perfect host. A great source of local info who offers very clean and comfortable accommodations. Thank you very much for everything including the tour of Rotterdam and the evening chocolate :-)

Adrick Heng
From Adrick Heng
 Singapore, Singapore
 Jun 10, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 8 days Traveled 8 days 
Positive

nice guy, many things to share, drove me to a few places, drove me to central station to catch train to airport in the morning at 7am. thanks so much!

Hugo Harmens
From Hugo Harmens
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Jun 7, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 14 days  
Positive

Gerard was my first CS host, I stayed with him for 2 weeks just outside of Rotterdam. He really likes to host people, and to show people things that are "Typically Dutch", like the way the Dutch handle the water, Dutch food, Dutch modern architecture etc. He is a teacher and very good with people, he really listens and will remember thing that you tell him. He is also very organized, and being not so organized myself I've learned a few things from this guy. BUT; I would never live the way he does, haha... Somewhere in the middle is better for me. We had a good time together! Thanks, G!

Ronald van Marion 
From Ronald van Marion
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 May 29, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is the living proof that age does not count. Enthusiasm, warmth and sincere interest in people do. Gerard has all of that and it's every time a pleasure to meet him.

Remco Matthias Kwint 
From Remco Matthias Kwint
 Dordrecht, Netherlands
 May 28, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is the father of all couchsurfers :)He is a inspiring person with a great interest in other people and with a genuine cs spirit. If you happen to come to Rotterdam you should really try to meet him. I hope I'll just be as vital and up to date when I'll have his age

Jasper Carton
From Jasper Carton
 Breda, Netherlands
 May 28, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

A man with great stories to be told, real CS-spirit, he knows where and how to travel, and, more important, able to rediscover his own city.

Rose Van Stempvoort 
From Rose Van Stempvoort
 Scharendijke, Netherlands
 May 26, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

It was fun to stay with Gerard, he invited me to the local radiostation where he introduced me to his hobby, reporting the local news. I like radio, there is not one day passing without listening to the radio. He also gave me good tips for eating in Rotterdam downtown. We shared our travelling stories. I am not really a random guest because I ask Gerard to offer me a place to stay when I work as a cement truckdriver in the Zuid Holland area.So I pop in to his life every now and then, an has been his guest for more than six times. But for Gerard is this not a problem, so I am really thankful for his kindness!!
Gerard you are welcome at my place.

Bruno Tavares 
From Bruno Tavares
 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 May 26, 2008
Only met online CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Me and Gerard will stay together in his house in Rotterdam and after hi is going to stay in my house in Brazil. Talking with Gerard we can see he's a fantastic person, who likes new experiences with another cultures.

Cale Graham 
From Cale Graham
 Eugene, United States
 May 24, 2008
Met in person Friend, Surfed 4 days  
Positive

I had a ridiculousy great experience hanging out with my friend Gerard. He's extremely generous and he's a very well-spoken person, always with interesting anecdotes, even if sometimes they may seem like dirty old man jokes (haha). He's a true Dutchman who knows his culture very well, and will show you what it means to be a host. Run quickly to his place to enjoy his hospitality, his friendliness, and his laugh. Take care!

Christoph Krische 
From Christoph Krische
 Gau-Algesheim, Germany
 May 20, 2008
Met in person Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

I stayed with Gerard for tow nights and i could not have wished for a better place! He's an awesome guy, very friendly and who really loves to host and he puts great effort into making your visit comfortable and fun. Gerard offered do show me around any place i wanted and really provided a lot of good information about the city. Thank you again Gerard, you were a big help, hope to see you again soon!

Erwin de Bruijn
From Erwin de Bruijn
 Terneuzen, Netherlands
 May 7, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

i wanted some days to relax.
I did. He showed me Kinderdijk, Rotterdam. We visited a great health-spa: Elysium. Great!. He took me to a CS-meeting in Rotterdam.
He is a friendly guy, a real CS- ambassador!

Anouk Weckx
From Anouk Weckx
 Sterrebeek, Belgium
 May 7, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

It was really nice of Gerard too host me and my friend Peter in such a short notice and buzzy time of year (queens weekend). We've got a tour in Rotterdam and in the afternoon we went too the studio of 3B. That was a nice surprice and expirience for me. Later on we went eating in "de gouden wok" and went too a CS meeting of Ghazi.
Gerard is a very nice person with many interests.

Peter Christiaens 
From Peter Christiaens
 Berlare, Belgium
 May 5, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard provided my buddy Anouck and me bed and breakfast. He showed us Rotterdam and gave us a demonstration of his hobby: dj on a local radio. It was a pleasure to have met him.

Ghazy
From Ghazy
 The Hague, Netherlands
 May 3, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard seems like a great guy, open minded and nice to have a good conversation with. See you at the next party?

VATO_LOCO 
From VATO_LOCO
 Arnhem, Netherlands
 May 3, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard was nice enough to come pick me up to mums kitchen when I was totally lost. He shared some food with me at the picnic and also took our heavy backpacks with the car. Besides this, Gerard has a gift for creating convenient opportunities e.g. so more couch surfers could crash at his place after the picnic or have a dinner together then head out for a next event. Thanks and until the next meeting!!

Maikel Lourenssen 
From Maikel Lourenssen
 Oss, Netherlands
 Apr 29, 2008
Met in person Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

First I met Gerard in a costume at the Sinterklaas meeting.
Caused by the very big crowd we didn't manage to have a good talk than.
Later in April I met him in Rotterdam as one of the organisers of the Picture quest.
As he didn't join the group the real meetup with him started that evening and while playing games at Moms Kitchen I slowly got to know him a bit better.
The next day I met him again at the Railwaystation where I started the bike tour to Kinderdijk as he managed to organise the food getting to Kinderdijk with his car wich ofcourse is fantastic with such a great involvement.
As I talked a lot with him at the picknick I realized that he was going to the Sauna on monday by car and as this is easyer for me he hosted me that night together with Victoria.
The monday we had a fantastic breakfast and also the company with him in the sauna was nice together with some other couchsurfers.
Finally that night I stayed at his house again and had again some great discussions about almost anything CS related.
It was a pleasure to meet him and also to be hosted by him.
He also takes the comments very serious wich is important as this improves the security of the website.
See you again at the next meeting Gerard.

Ramón Ster
From Ramón Ster
 Amsterdam, Netherlands
 Apr 29, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Every time I met Gerard again over the past years, his friendly, warm and accommodating nature overwhelms -if not shyens- me once more. It makes me wonder where his personal boundaries of hospitality lie.

Barbara Slizak
From Barbara Slizak
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Apr 28, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is extreamly easy going and open person. If you love saunas he's the best person approach:) We met few times during various CS meetings and im looking forward to the next one:)

Maxime Turgeon
From Maxime Turgeon
 Quebec, Canada
 Apr 28, 2008
Met in person Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

I had my first couching experience with Gerard after having participated in a picture quest and a dinner in Rotterdam. Although, it wasn't planned, Gerard generously offered me to surf his couche thereafter. I went there with another CS he had planned to welcome. The day after we went to a picnic at Kinderdijk where Gerard was bringing bags for everybody with his car. Gerard is a very kind and dedicated person, willful of showing and explaining a lot about the city and the Netherlands. I had a very good time in his company, and a very typical dutch breakfast. I hope to come back to his place any time soon. I'll write you about this.

Belle of Belfast 
From Belle of Belfast
 Belfast, United Kingdom
 Apr 28, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard is a truly wonderful host! His generosity is astounding - I had my own room, he looked after my bag when I arrived from the airport for the picture quest late, he drove me to and from his house, he fed me all my meals and taught me a lot about Dutch culture and food AND THEN apologised for not giving me as much attention as he would normally give his guests!! Way more than anyone should ever expect from a host. It was a sincerely fabulous experience.

TRA
From TRA
 Krimpen aan den IJssel, Netherlands
 Apr 28, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is a positive guy who I met at a pre-Queenday meeting by a biketour to and a picknick in Kinderdijk. He invited the meetingorganisation for dinner, the meal was pretty good. Hope to see him again in future, at a Rotterdammeeting perhaps... we'll see.

Frank van Steenwijk
From Frank van Steenwijk
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Apr 24, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

I met Gerard during a regular meeting in Rotterdam before the big Sinterklaas meeting in the same city. He is always willing to host guests last minute, wants to help other members out in case something goes unexpected and he likes to hang out with you either at a bar or on a tour in the city. He is also one of the key members in the Rotterdam area as he's always ready to help organizing events. He played for Sinterklaas for instance and together me and him created a Photo / Picture Quest for Rotterdam. Just a great guy.

Philip Roe
From Philip Roe
 Aix-en-Provence, France
 Apr 22, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Negative

Ofcourse I appreciated the fact he put my friend and I up for a night and fed us, however, he was inappropriate with me. He did and said things that made me unconfortable and really put me in a position where I didn't have much choice in the matter, other than leave, which I probably should have done. I don't know if he acted so because I was gay or if he is that way with other couchsurfers, but I just felt really uncomfotable the majority of the time with him. I definitely didn't adore my stay with him and, "NO"! I'm not looking forward to a return as he so kindly commented on my page (and then took off after I wrote this comment).

Kalin Peev
From Kalin Peev
 Dordrecht, Netherlands
 Apr 19, 2008
Met in person Acquaintance,  
Positive

This is truely an open minded person, he's in for a good conversation he can switch between subjects quick, and his way of thinking is also very fast. He's very energetic, an active personality.
I only talked very short time to him. But the time we talked I understanded he is open minded to idea's and he is also willing to host people on the last moment. He gives all kinds of advice. He looks a free spirit not afraid to show himself, i adore these kind of people.
Hope to meet him in future more times.,.

Benjamin Agostini
From Benjamin Agostini
 Verdun, France
 Apr 19, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Traveled 1 days 
Positive

Gerard hosts us for an evening... but also he cooked us nice dinner and typical dutch breakfast!
Then he guides us for Rotterdam center tour showin' us the rebuilted broken heart of the city! He invited us to a radio station too... but we had to leave!!! Hope he'll enjoy at once visitin' our place now!!!

Ralph Lindsen
From Ralph Lindsen
 Hilversum, Netherlands
 Apr 18, 2008
Met in person  
Positive

Gerard saved our asses multiple times. first by hosting a place to sleep at the very last moment, and picking us up on 3.15 in the morning because of a bus screw up. Very friendly with fun stories.

Hessel Folkertsma
From Hessel Folkertsma
 Maastricht, Netherlands
 Apr 14, 2008
Met in person  
Positive

Gerard provided my friend Ralph and I with a place to stay at the utter last minute, we went to Rotterdam for the Motel Mozaique festival. He's a really nice guy, loves culture and tells interesting stories. Thanks again Gerard!

DANIELR
From DANIELR
 Temple, United States
 Apr 14, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

yeah hes a good guy and we learned from each other and respect our opionions and personal space.

Paul Wouters 
From Paul Wouters
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Apr 13, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is an active CS member. Besides playing an excellent Sinterklaas at our 2007 Sinterklaas party he (co)organises events in Rotterdam.
It's always great to have locally active members! :)

Jasper Haenen 
From Jasper Haenen
 Utrecht, Netherlands
 Apr 13, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

It's hard not to see Gerard just a 'Sinterklaas', but he is so much more. He is devoted to the Rotterdam-community and full of ideas. Above all he allways provides a good conversation.

ANIQUE
From ANIQUE
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Apr 1, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

The coolest teacher in Rotterdam! Very open and interested in other people and cultures. He's always willing to host people, last minute or not. We went together to Georges b-day party in Brussels, that was very nice!

Jaap Mol
From Jaap Mol
 Dordrecht, Netherlands
 Mar 19, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

It was really great to meet Gerard at the Rotterdam weekly meeting. Men like him are the real cs'ers: open minded, funny and whole-world-travelers! He shares the CS spirit, even though he is as old as my father.. :) Keep on teaching and enjoying traveling, mate!

Antoine Rolland 
From Antoine Rolland
 Lille, France
 Mar 17, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Gerard during the CS week end for the Sinterklaas in Rotterdam and then during the week end for George's Birthday in Brussels. He is nice and interesting. Thanks to his experience, he has many stories to tell, expecially about Rotterdam, he seems to be proud of his city, where he lives since he was born.

Joeri Mertens
From Joeri Mertens
 Jyvaskyla, Finland
 Mar 16, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

He seems to be a very open person, quite talkative and open for new ideas. Besides that, I had the impression that he's caring well for his guests, and that he tries to let them see as mach as possible. Hope to see you again - either in Leuven or in R'dam!

Olivier Van Puyvelde 
From Olivier Van Puyvelde
 Brasschaat, Belgium
 Mar 16, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Gerard at the birthday party of our common friend Joris. We had some good talks about our travels and our couchsurfing experiences. It immediately struck me that Gerard has a true heart for couchsurfers and that he puts a lot of effort into the CS community of Rotterdam as well. Gerard is very easy-going, inviting and loves to meet new people. He talks very passionately about CS and about his travels and therefore it's great to hang out with him. Hope to see you again soon!

Nicolas Sahlqvist
From Nicolas Sahlqvist
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Mar 12, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is active in the Rotterdam community and a very friendly person in general, I strongly recommend you take the time to meet him!

Michal Maj
From Michal Maj
 Wroclaw, Poland
 Feb 15, 2008
Met in person Good Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is really wonderful person, who always cares about couchsurfers. He told me about the most interesting places in Netherlands and taught me a lot about dutch culture. I really enjoyed my first couchsurfing staying at his place. THANK YOU!

Engin Yüksel Medin
From Engin Yüksel Medin
 Izmir, Turkey
 Feb 4, 2008
Met in person Friend, Surfed 5 days  
Positive

Yes how can i start to my reference?i dont know exactly.I crashed at Mr.Gerard(The King)house for 5 days.I have to say so many thanks for every day i think.First of all he picked me up from Rotterdam Centraal Station to his home in Bergschenhoek.Then he gave me a wonderful seperated room.We went to Den Haag by his car and saw everywhere in Den Haag.Then we went to Elysium that everyone should visit there:)Briefly thanks for everything Mr.Gerard.You are the BEST.

Rénia Sastrowidjojo 
From Rénia Sastrowidjojo
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Jan 14, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

Gerard's reaction on meeting me was so spontaneous and hearty,he really welcomed me into the Rotterdamgroup.He's such a caring,sociable person,genuinely interested in others and always willing to help out stranded surfers.He's also very active to do his part in the CSR'dam community even if that means showing up as his alterego,Sinterklaas.But it's a public secret so hush....;-)

Fabrice Renucci
From Fabrice Renucci
 Toulon, France
 Dec 6, 2007
Met in person Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

I still don't know if I prefered Gerard's extremely laidback and accomodating attitude or his Louis IV's like breakfasts...Even I came back at 4 a.m. to his place on saturday evening, Gerard still had a large smile on his face. I just felt at home during the entire weekend. Gerard is a great talker who is definitely in the spirit of couchsurfing. Hope to see you soon Gerard!

Fabiana Viscardi
From Fabiana Viscardi
 Brussels, Belgium
 Dec 4, 2007
Met in person Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard was my first host in couch surfing and it was an amazing experience! He is a very nice person, I loved to be hosted by him! Thank you for everything!!!! See you one day for sure!!

ROSSI IN ROTTERDAM 
From ROSSI IN ROTTERDAM
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Dec 2, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Met Gerard at many CS meeting here in Rotterdam. He is kind andan very involved host. He knows alot and is fun talking to. Don't tell anyone but he is a great Sinterklaas too;) And .. I just love his couch surf information, well done:) See you around Gerard.

Guadalupe Garcia Diaz
From Guadalupe Garcia Diaz
 Brussels, Belgium
 Dec 2, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard was a great host!, he hosted me and my friends. This was my first experience surfing in somebody's coach, and Gerard was simply a great host as he not only gave us a place to sleep but also an introduction on Sinterklaas party during breakfast time. Thanks Gerard and hope to see you again!

GEORGE70 
From GEORGE70
 Brussels, Belgium
 Dec 2, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard is what I call a premium host: very dedicated, care taking, understanding, flexible, easy and nice to talk with. He shows real intrest and is eager to learn and to share what he knows. I was bringing 3 friends with me from Brussels that were hosted first time in their "CS-life". I could not have imagined a better host than Gerard! Almost better than the Santa Claus we met the night before ;-) I'll be glad to host him in Brussels. Both thumbs up for this man.

Mahya Haddad
From Mahya Haddad
 Brussels, Belgium
 Dec 2, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  

Gerard is really nice! He has hosted me and 3 of my friends in Rotterdam and really treated us in the best possible way (somehow spoiling us :-) ) We had the chance to also hear the complete overview about Sinterklaas during the lovely breakfast he offered to us! THANK YOU SO MUCH GERARD

Nanouk van der Elst 
From Nanouk van der Elst
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Oct 31, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Gerard a couple of times now at meetings (organizing the CSinterklaas party) and he seems to be real cool and fun. I also see him offering his couch to a lot of last minute surfers or surfers in trouble and i can only applaud for that, we need people like that in CS all over the world! (hehe btw thanks for the compliment Gerard ;)

Willem Bouman
From Willem Bouman
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Oct 19, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is still a young and energetic man, full of stories, in for fun and I bet he's a great host too!

Bart Roorda
From Bart Roorda
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Oct 3, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is a real Couchsurfer; an energetic man who really likes to host others and likes to travel. Went to Mexico last year. We talked a bit at the Rotterdam CS-meeting.

Guy Abel
From Guy Abel
 Kfar Saba, Israel
 Oct 3, 2007
Met in person  
Positive

3 great days with a great man.
really nice and generous, was a great host, made me and my 2 friends every mirnung a great tipiclly dutch breakfest, we went together to a couchsurfing meeting, and to eat some israeli food :)
thank you vey much for everything, and hopefully after the army i will come again!

Herman Kvelprud Stein
From Herman Kvelprud Stein
 Aal, Norway
 Sep 30, 2007
Met in person Good Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Gerard is a really nice man. He is dedicated in his work as a pampering host and an informative guide. His record collection is also very nice!

Ivan Valin
From Ivan Valin
 Berkeley, United States
 Sep 28, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Gerard's was an amazing host and a generous, kind and knowledgeable person. I was lucky enough to surf on the same night of Pedro's going away party--haha, such a thrill. I wish I had the chance to stay longer.

LAURAC_UY
From LAURAC_UY
 Montevideo, Uruguay
 Sep 14, 2007
Met in person  
Positive

Gerard is a great host. Makes his best for making you feel comfortable at his place. Great cook also...thanks for the special vegetarian dinner and sorry again for the delay :-( !

Nex Beñas 
From Nex Beñas
 Makati City, Philippines
 Sep 13, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

The awesome meals and delicacies, presentations of Dutch culture and taking me to the wonderful sights of Rotterdam and the Hague prove that Gerard makes sure that his guests get the best out of their stay. Gerard does a great job of not only showing the culture of tolerance that the Dutch are known for, but also the level of hospitality that they are capable of. Make sure to consider a stay with him if you're visiting the city of Rotterdam.

Odile Glorieux
From Odile Glorieux
 Leuven, Belgium
 Sep 9, 2007
Met in person  
Positive

Gerards house is very nice, he has a good couch and the diner is always ready! He is a good guest and can learn you a lot about the Nederlands.

Antxon HAUET
From Antxon HAUET
 Gradignan, France
 Aug 23, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard is very welcoñing, and you rapidly feel at home with him! I haven't had the oportunity to stay as long as planned, but I would have loved it I'm sure because he's very keen on sharing the dutch culture.

Stefan Lesicnik 
From Stefan Lesicnik
 Four Ways, South Africa
 Aug 19, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Gerard was a wonderful host. He fetched me from the Airport in Rotterdam and drove me to his place. He explained lots about his culture and pointed out things I would never have known! (He lives below sea level!) His house is really neat and his cooking is amazing! I really enjoyed my unexpected time in Rotterdam with him. Thanks for also being ok with me sleeping in town. I appreciate it :)

Matt Ray 
From Matt Ray
 New Orleans, United States
 Aug 19, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

wonderful. a clean bed. did our laundry, fed us. a great experience. wonderful!

Diederik en Esther de Vries 
From Diederik en Esther de Vries
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Aug 15, 2007
Met in person Good Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is a person who likes to host others, and learn from their culture. In return, he really wants to teach others.

Gerard is a man to respect.

Jannes Riemann
From Jannes Riemann
 Hannover, Germany
 Aug 15, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is very friendly, open minded and seems to be quite experienced in CS!
Gerard, thank you for adding me as a friend so quickly.
greets and maybe: CU again!

John Riggs 
From John Riggs
 Spokane, United States
 Aug 8, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Gerard gave us a wonderful tour of Holland, explaining to us some of the reasons that things are the way they are here and treating us to delightful Dutch specialities!

Marco de Wit 
From Marco de Wit
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Jul 31, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard comes over to me as a kind and helpful person. We met at 'Consul' Rotterdam.

Jonny Mears
From Jonny Mears
 Utrecht, Netherlands
 Jul 27, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Gerard was a wonderful host, putting me up at very short notice and proving very hospitable. I feel that I learned something about Dutch culture from him, and it was a shame I couldn't stay longer on this visit. However, I'm sure we'll meet again on my next trip.

Femke Dekker
From Femke Dekker
 Pijnacker, Netherlands
 Jul 12, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard and I met several times and I think he is a very friendly guy. Gerard seems to like taking his couchsurfers on trips and he likes to spend time with them. He knows a lot and likes to share his knowledge. Probably the teacher inside him is very strong. Fortunately he knows how to catch your interest so it never get's boring.
Looking forward to our next trip ;-)

Aldo Golja 
From Aldo Golja
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Jul 4, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is a very enthousiastic host! He makes sure that his surfers are comfortable and get to know the 'real' Holland! He's a lot of fun to talk to about a wide array of topics, from Chinese food in Holland to Dutch watermanagement.

MILOU13
From MILOU13
 Marseille, France
 Jul 2, 2007
Met in person Good Friend, Hosted 1 days  
Positive

After some e-mails ,Gerard host us very warmly in his flat "style contemporain"
We had a good talk about travels of course,after a very good dinner of dutch specialities.

Chris Burley
From Chris Burley
 San Francisco, United States
 Jun 29, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I like the wise words that Gerard speaks, he's honest, humble, compassionate and very giving. Many years experience teaching has kept his spirit young and vital. I look forward to more conversations about Holland soon!

Martin Brüllhardt
From Martin Brüllhardt
 Zurich, Switzerland
 Jun 17, 2007
Met in person Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

I learned a lot of the dutch way to life from gerard. he's a sociably and warmly person hosted me very well. i especially enjoyned the excursions with him to den haag, gouda, the museon, omniversum and the pier. i can recommend gerard's couch for every couchsurfer.

Toon Beerten
From Toon Beerten
 Leuven, Belgium
 Jun 14, 2007
Met in person Acquaintance,  
Positive

Met Gerard at a meeting. Talked a bit and he seems to be nice person.

Dre Cinque
From Dre Cinque
 The Hague, Netherlands
 Jun 13, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is a warm person. Well traveled and loves to share his experiences in a way that makes you want to go there.

Stephan Koese
From Stephan Koese
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Jun 5, 2007
Met in person Acquaintance,  
Positive

Gerard has travelled a lot and likes to tell about that :)

Héctor tobón y Hernández
From Héctor tobón y Hernández
 Mexico City, Mexico
 May 22, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

we had a short talk and I could read in this person that he is a good teacher.
He likes to travel.

Yosvany Deya
From Yosvany Deya
 Havana, Cuba
 May 16, 2007
Met in person Acquaintance,  
Positive

Gerard is a very interesting person, and he was very kind to me. It was a pleasure to meet him and exchange thoughts about our different realities.
Take good care my friend!

Abraham Avellana
From Abraham Avellana
 Mexico City, Mexico
 May 14, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Hosted 3 days  
Positive

Gerard is a very easygoing and social couchsurfer. He is very interested about the social and political problems of the places he visits. You can speak about everything with him in dutch, english or german and soon in spanish or portuguese (isn`t it true Gerard?)and as a good teacher he is, he is a very good listener as well.

Frank Greve
From Frank Greve
 Hamburg, Germany
 Feb 22, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard and his friend Pedro were the first couchsurfers we´ve met. And he definitivly showed that couchsurfing isn´t just about cheap traveling... it´s a state of mind. And he helps spreading this idea all over the world. Keep going and thanks for all!

Martin Jaehnert
From Martin Jaehnert
 Leipzig, Germany
 Jan 14, 2007
Met in person Acquaintance,  
Positive

Gerard left the image of an interested, warm, caring character, willing to share knowledge and experiences and to spread good.

Pedro Gimael
From Pedro Gimael
 Sao Paulo, Brazil
 Dec 12, 2006
Met in person Close Friend, Surfed 30 days  
Positive

Is a nice guy that you can spend a nice time with

Olivia Badr
From Olivia Badr
 London, United Kingdom
 Dec 6, 2006
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Gerard is a really good hoast that really goes out of his duties to make you feel comfertible. I warmly recomend Gerard as a hoast and problebly as a couch surfer too.

Larry Greweldinger 
From Larry Greweldinger
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Dec 6, 2006
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard and I met at the CS Sinterklaas party in Rotterdam. He seems a very warm and friendly person, who is very eager to share his hospitality and learn from people from all over the globe. Even though he lives a little bit outside the city and his couch is thus less likely to come up in your search, I'd say it will be worthwhile to contact Gerard when looking for a host in or around Rotterdam.

Peter Gustafson
From Peter Gustafson
 Berlin, Germany
 Dec 5, 2006
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 1 days  
Positive

Gerard is real Couchsurfer at heart! ready to take anyone in and be as helpful to poor world travelers as possible! Enjoy the new "system"!

Chris Madden
From Chris Madden
 Saint Paul, United States
 Nov 21, 2006
Met in person Good Friend, Hosted 2 days  
Positive

Gerald is a down to earth and up-beat Dutchman who was very generious to me. him and Pablo, an exchange student from brazil, showed me a good time on a car ride to the dams that trully show the netherlands struggle against water.
I trust him and would like to see him in the future.

Urbian Fitz-James 
From Urbian Fitz-James
 Rotterdam, Netherlands
 Sep 28, 2006
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Gerard is a straight up man. He is very eager to show you Rotterdam. I believe he will do his best to entertain you

     Leave a Reference >>