General Information
| Stijn Vernaillen has been vouched for |
| VERIFIED MEMBER Identity Checked, Location Verified (3) more info |
| Couch available | Yes |
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| CouchSurf requests replied to | 72% |
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| member since | June 6th, 2005 |
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| profile views | 14371 |
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| age | 31 |
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| birthday | 3 March Everyone can see this. |
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| gender | Male |
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| membername | PMGD |
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| occupation | (Recumbent bicycle/Packaging)designer/engineer |
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| education | Product Developer/Designer |
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| grew up in | Ekeren, Antwerp |
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| ethnicity | Couchsurfer from the 1.0 generation |
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| Direct Profile URL |
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Languages- DutchExpert
- EnglishIntermediate
- FrenchIntermediate
- GermanBeginner
Groups I Belong ToCouch Information
Couch Available: Yes Preferred Gender: Any Max Surfers Per Night: 3
Shared Sleeping Surface: Depends Shared Room: DependsThere's a couch in the living room for the die-hard couchsurfers. It's pretty big and comfortable. For those of you who prefer that silly thing called "a bed" there's one hidden away in the spare room and there are some matresses we can basicly put anywhere in the appartment (close to the beer, underneath the living fridge, next to the loveable couch,... you name it, a couchsurfer has slept there already). Where you sleep will also depend on our working schedule (spare room = work room) and how many people are already staying here. I'm currently very busy with work so hosting will most of the time not be possible during the week. During weekends you have a chance to stay at my place. As soon as things have settled down on the work front, I'll be more active again...
Couch located in the North of Antwerp (Antwerpen-Dam), close to the center, "Het Eilandje",...
The couch is soft as a baby skin, warm as a sheeps fur and (if necesairy) cold as cocktail-ice.
You're always welcome although I work from monday to friday which makes me unable to show you around during daytime during weekdays. Luckely Antwerp is always alive and I don't like to go to bed early so showing you around in the evening during weekdays can't be a problem.
Blankets etc are at your disposal. There's also a garage for all you (motor)cycling freaks to store your bikes. And if you really like 2-, 3- or 4-wheeled vehicles I might be able to fix you a unique ride...
about Antwerp
Antwerp is a great city. Here are some keywords: one of the worlds most creative cities (newsweek) with a broad array of music, art, fashion and design, one of the worlds largest harbours, world centre of the diamond trade, cross-road of cultures, clubs, pubs, shopping, restaurants, amazing architecture, an overrated zoo and the obligatory selection of finest Belgian beers ...
Cogels-Osylei is a must for anyone with a sense for architecture. This is what the guide-book has to say about it: An incredible mixture of architectural styles unfolds itself before the eyes of the visitor. Nowhere else can such a panoply of neo-styles be admired (or ridiculed, according to some)... Good bars and restaurants, as well as fast-food from all corners of the world is available nearby.
Low-budget tips for Antwerp can be found on USE-IT Antwerpen and USE-IT Antwerpen (pdf)
A calendar of general events and CS-Meetings in Belgium can be found here:
 Friends (212)
Stijn Willems 26, Male Antwerp, Antwerp Belgium Friends since January 1998 "I know him as as stimulating friend" Friendship Type: Good Friend
7 |
-MARTINE- 100, Female Brugge, West-Flanders Belgium Friends since July 2006 "partner in "crime" - wherever it takes us" Friendship Type: Close Friend I vouched for Stijn Vernaillen
3 4 3 |
LIEV*NIC 28, Several people Antwerp, Antwerp Belgium Friends since June 1994 "He was always teasing me in the playgarden after school." Friendship Type: Close Friend
30+ |
Tim van der Linden 25, Male Antwerp, Antwerp Belgium Friends since 2005 "Verry good friend for two years now"
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D'anA 31, Female Antwerp, Antwerp Belgium Friends since July 2008 "fortunate to have met at the great Paella 08 in Switz. The rest is history... :)" Friendship Type: Best Friend I vouched for Stijn Vernaillen
30+ 30+ 8 |
Stien Soetewey 31, Female Trondheim, Sor-Trondelag Norway Friends since March 1978 "He is my cousin" Friendship Type: Close Friend
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Zinta Oz. 29, Female Riga, Riga Latvia Friends since August 2007 "stayed at his pace couple of nights while visited Antwerp" Friendship Type: Friend I vouched for Stijn Vernaillen
2 |
Elli Verhulst 28, Female Antwerp, Antwerp Belgium Friends since October 1999 "we met in Uni - Stijn is crazy (completely) but I wouldn't like him that much if he wasn't." Friendship Type: Close Friend
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Violeta Reza Varela 27, Female Antwerp, Antwerp Belgium Friends since November 2005 "stephanie introduce me with him" Friendship Type: Friend
7 |
Eleanor Baker 22, Female Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland Netherlands Friends since February 2006 "Met at a meeting at his place in Antwerpen, such a great guy looking forward to another party weekend." Friendship Type: Good Friend I vouched for Stijn Vernaillen
2 | | 202 more friends |
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Personal Description
Easy going, love life and live love. Rest you can find out in all the other pieces of text on my profile page...
 Create your own visitor map!
How I Participate in CSI use my special Ninja Beer Powers to help couchsurfers out in whatever way I can imagine...
CouchSurfing ExperienceHooked on CS already for a long time. Hosted millions of great people, visited thousands of wonderful people. It's an addiction, addiction for life
 InterestsDesign, Architecture, Recumbents, Cycling, Plays, movies, sounds and silence, mountain and sea, the stars in your eyes,... tangodancingPhilosophyViva la vita loca & La vie est potable-- Enjoy the small things but live large.-- "You are who you love, not whom you are loved by", KauffmanMusic, Movies, BooksAnything, anywhere, anyhow. if it fits the feeling I'm having, it can't be bad. Types of People I enjoyPeople with their own vision on the world for good or for bad who enjoy life as it comes aroundTeach, Learn, ShareTeach
- "Belgian Beer Science": an exploration into the wonderfull world of Belgian Beers (not only tasting offcourse)
- Packaging design and design methodologies.
One Amazing Thing I've Seen or Done--ABC-trekking in Nepal, then invite all people in the hotel to have a good Belgian BBQ, being drunk and ignore the curfew just because it felt so good. Leaving the next morning with a terrible hangover to Tsitwuan National Reserve (?) and driving on the worst road in the world, bumping your head against the car and regretting you did drink that last beer-- Sunset and Northern Light at Stamsund Youth Hostel on the Lofoten Islands eating fish caught in the ocean while sitting in a wooden rowing boat.
-- Sitting on a mountain in Sweden, 100km above polar circle and decide to go and smoke a cigar on the San-Marco square in Venice and actualy doing it (72h non-stop train, and 2h in Venice, sigar was bad but it just felt great standing there)---
Opinion on the CouchSurfing.org ProjectIt's my life, it's my love... Every day it amazes me how many wonderful people are on the project.Locations TraveledTRAVELED: Cuba, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom LIVED: Belgium, United States WANTS TO GO: Australia, Mexico, Portugal References
From Amit Evron Jersey City, United States Sep 11 Positive I enjoyed hosting Stijn and hearing his tales about the old days of Couchsurfing. And if you want any information about Belgian beers he is the right man to talk to!
From MACNAPIER Philadelphia, United States Aug 18 Positive We just had a great time hosting Stijn. He enjoys a good meal and a drink, can look after himself, and is an independent guest. He isn't scared to grab a map and hit the street in search of whatever....Stijn makes great company. You can just kick back, relax and let him tell you some stories. He is a very respectful and trustworthy surfer that I would welcome back anytime. Many thanks for the yummy treats and beer you left for us! Hope to see you soon in Brugge and/or Antwerpen. Dank u well!
From NICE FAMILY OF 2+3 Aachen, Germany Aug 13 Positive Stijn is very funny and easy going in his overall way of beeing! It is nice and always something to laugh to be with him and his girlfriend Diana. He has a strong sense of humor espcially when working with screw drivers on an Ikea wardrobe!
From Kristin Schuster Montreal, Canada Mar 24 Positive Stijn is an incredibly nice guy. As an example, he can make 'help me move' a couchsurfing event and people will actually show up, showing just how well liked he is. Never short on conversation and a smile, I am really glad I got to meet him.
From Tommy De Koning Aalst, Belgium Mar 15 Positive Very cool, social and friendly guy. Met him at his appartment in Antwerp.
From Magda and Mariusz Majewski Warsaw, Poland Feb 8 Positive Stijn is a very kind and hospitable person. He LOVES babies and they love him in return! He organized the whole couchsurfing nursery at his home for his babies... :-)
From ROCKINGRALF Frankfurt am Main, Germany Jan 26 Positive Stijn is a very chilled out guy that can tell one everything about over 800 different kind of beers.
Funny that he lives just around the corner from the office where I used to go workwise 6 years ago. And it's his (and Diana's) fault that I have to come back to Antwerp pretty soon again and check out the beautiful city...and more beer!
From Hannes Peters Rotterdam, Netherlands Dec 1, 2008 Positive As in RD, Mr. Pink is the coolest cat in his own way. Stijn seems like a guy who has it all figured out. From a healthy hobby and exquisite taste in brew (!!!!!!!!!!!I can't believe the present he got me!!!!!!!!!!) to an inspirational profession - everything fits. I hope to hang out with Stijn in an abbey some time soon.
Btw, thank you for the groceries and food, it means a lot to me after this long weekend;)
From TANIYA Antwerp, Belgium Nov 28, 2008 Positive I met Stijn at my first Thanksgiving dinner. And after hearing so much about him, I finally found out that everything everybody's said is true! He is a very open and fun guy to hang out with. Definately the right spirit in couchsurfing and in life!
From STILGAR San Diego, United States Oct 2, 2008 Positive Stijn is a man after my own...vices: computers, design, beer and most importantly **chocolate**. He was genuinely interesting and full of knowledge. He is one great beer-drinking, shisha-smoking, anchovy-eating, chocolate-meal-replacing, host....and he likes pulling on German girls' pig-tails as much as I do.
From Luc Kosaristanova Zilina, Slovakia Sep 9, 2008 Positive That´s a pitty I was very tired when me and my ex-boyfriend arrived to Stijn´s place, so I couldn´t talk with him so much. I only know, that Lubo enjoyed theirs conversation a lot. At a first sight, Stijn is very interesting man, with an interesting job, in a very nice "retro" flat. Hope we will meet again one day, and will have an opportunity to talk more :)
From Wim Harwig Vlissingen, Netherlands Jul 30, 2008 Positive I am still amazed how Stijn parked our recumbent in the small sized shed ; it just shows he must be an excellent package engineer ! I enjoyed to host Stijn, who hosted so many other surfers on his couch and it's always nice to see a young couple in love ....
From MARK_TEW Zurich, Switzerland Jul 23, 2008 Positive Stijn is a really nice guy and I'm very grateful I could stay at his place for two nights. When the couchsurfing website crashed and I was stranded in Belgium, Stijn was there and helped me! We also had great chats and went out for beers! Thanks a lot!!!
From WORLDISMYPLAYGROUND Wiesbaden, Germany Jul 17, 2008 Positive Stijn has a nice sense of humour, I could make endless fun of him and he kept on smiling :-) We brainstormed together with lots of others and I believe we both ended in a CS Antwerp "Technical team". I'm sure we'll meet in one of the new meetings we were so eagerly planning!
From t o u n e Paris, France Jul 15, 2008 Positive we have ridden by bike thought Paris few years ago... by night, after few beers...( c'est un belge !) he's a cool, kind and funny guy !!!
From desaparecida Vienna, Austria Jul 8, 2008 Positive After a short introduction at the Sinterklaas 2007 party and some online interaction we properly met at the 2008 paella and it was great fun!
Stijn is a thoughtful, entertaining, active and easygoing person and it was great to finally meet him properly! Hope to see you soon :o)
From D'anA Antwerp, Belgium Jul 8, 2008 Positive Hm, where to begin? I was lucky to meet Stijn (whose name is pronounced like Stan - just in case you wonder) at the Paella in Switzerland.
If you want to learn everything about Belgian beer and taste some of the finest brews that tiny country has to offer, he's your man.
If you don't like beer (like me), meet him anyway! He claims he is shy - ha, right, so shy he doesn't even show his shyness. ;)
He's clever, he's funny, he's generous, genuine - and VERY huggable! I'm still curing the bruises caused by all the goofing around with you, Mr. Vernaillen! Here's hoping to repeat that soon :)
From Krista Sihvonen Helsinki, Finland Jul 2, 2008 Positive Hmm I don't know why I didn't write this before.. Definitely he have a gift to make people smile!!!! He's so lovely, ask about his childhood and school years (funny stories:))!! It's always nice to meet him and have a chat (even if you are just comparing how many bikes do you have and what kind of model they are..:)), and he CAN play some instrumets, even though he says that someone asked him to leave the school where he was studying music (or something)... I still can't find the sounds he made with my flute!
From Bob Lenaerts Beerse, Belgium Jun 29, 2008 Positive Stijn is a very nice person, who loves beer and loves to give. great guy, where you can have a intellectual or less intellectual conversation with. he can really talk about everything ;)
From Julie Kuo Oakland, United States Jun 29, 2008 Positive Stijn was and probably is still on a mission to travel the globe to fulfill his endless promises. He and his friend were the first couchsurfers I hosted and were perfect guests which made the entire experience very enjoyable and exciting. I'm delighted our paths have crossed and am truly thankful for all their lovely gifts. Till we meet again!
From Gert Van Daele Antwerp, Belgium Jun 20, 2008 Positive We studied together and we did often spend days and also nights working on projects. If we were able to get some sleep before we had to go to school, he offered me his bed and slept on the floor himself. I think this was one of the first signs that he would become and excellent CS host!
From Stijn Willems Antwerp, Belgium Jun 13, 2008 Positive Can be somewhat chaotic but this makes things more interesting to. Traveling with Stijn is Chaos and beyond but I like the beyond part.
From Andrea Domina St. Gallen, Switzerland May 29, 2008 Positive My first cs experience was in Antwerp with Stijn. I think if you meet Stijn you think you have choosen the best place to stay. He is really very very sympatic and he has a big heart! I'm glad to met and discuss with him!
From Vaga Bond Los Angeles, United States May 26, 2008 Positive Stijn was an incredibly accomodating host and is apparently quite popular in Antwerp! I met many lovely CS persons through him and had a great time because of his kindness. Strongly reccomending his hosting skills!
From Peter Christiaens Berlare, Belgium May 24, 2008 Positive We disturbed Stijn his peaceful Saturday evening with a couple of cs’ers. As a real gentleman he received us with open arms. Respect Stijn, respect. Thanks for the hospitality and the interesting conversations. I’m looking forward to to the “Bart Peeters” video evening ;-) See you on a next CS meeting!
From Bernard Vander Beken Brugge, Belgium May 17, 2008 Positive I first met Stijn at the Belgian weekend in Roeselare and at a zillion other meetings since then.
He's a relaxed, friendly and yet another addict to this game we call couchsurfing.
From Lieke, Peter and kids Dendermonde, Belgium May 13, 2008 Positive We first met in Planckendael.
Nowadays it happens we don't meet :-) Stijn, can you tell us the correct procedure to adopt you? The house next door is still for sale...
Although some naughty CS'ers wanna change your world into pink, your still the coolest guy ever.
Stijn is just a great person to have around. You simply must love him. Stijn is not a couchsurfer, he is the couchsurfing project in person. Big hug!
From Veronique Vanonckelen Gent, Belgium May 9, 2008 Positive Stijn was one of the first people I met on Couchsurfing. He immediatly made me feel welcome, although I was in my city instead of his!
Met on several meetings since then and always had great fun there.
He does have a tendency to wear a lot of pink, I do not know wheter it is by choice or forced upon by the cruelty of some of the other ambassadors :).
When in company of other 'strong' men, there is a chance that you don't find you car where you left it :p.
Hope to get to know you a lot better in the feature and meet again!
From Alwin, Kristin and kids Jacobs Berlaar, Belgium May 5, 2008 Positive First met him in his pink piyama at the singing-evening in Dendermonde. Then he came to us for the birthday of Kristin. And at a BBQ.
If you want to meet a man with CS in his blood, you have to meet him.
From Lucas Van Oost Antwerp, Belgium May 5, 2008 Positive Met at Free Hug event Groenplaats Antwerpen on the first warm spring-day. Attracted lots of people for hugging ;-) while Paul Codde was filming us all the time. Very nice first meeting him, a die hard CS'er, it was an honour.
From Klaudia and Anita Pecs, Hungary Apr 29, 2008 Positive Stijn was our first host by the couchsurfing project, I could never wish a better for U!He has an amazing life style, you can feel him as a friend for the first time, he really make you feel that you are at home!We've discovered together the better parts of Antwerp:)I can tell U, it was the best 4 days of my life!!!!
From Andres Nava Mexico City, Mexico Apr 24, 2008 Positive I just drink beer during my days in Antwerpe with Stijn is a funny guy. I think german beer is better dan belgium beer haha are very different i like both. Hope you see you in Mexico.
Cheers
From sunny alternative Brussels, Belgium Apr 22, 2008 Positive I met Stijn in March 2008 on his CS birthday party.
Later on he was my roommate for a while.
He's a caring and easygoing personality who's always up for a chat or a drink and to help people out.
From Irene & Pierre Waimes, Belgium Apr 21, 2008 Positive After you met Stijn you beginn to be a fulltime CS addict like him.
Respect
See you soon.
From THECANADIAN Aurora, Canada Apr 8, 2008 Positive Amazing pictures.....stories....and choice in beer :)
All in all amazing host and guy!
Thanks again!
Oh and let me know when you make your way up and over to Canada.
From Bacpaker443 Warwick, United States Apr 8, 2008 Positive This guy is CouchSuring lol He had great convo`s over some amazing food and don`t forget the beers!! Loved the pictures of Nepal, now I`ve got to get my butt over there. Whenever you come back to the states you`ll always have a place in RI or wherever Cara and I are lol Hope to see you before our trip is over!!
From Kara Hladky Chicago, United States Mar 31, 2008 Positive Our previous host for Antwerp was not responsive at the last moment and Stijn saved our trip! (I have a feeling it wasn't the first time for him ;) ) He was so warm and inviting and a true star at hosting. We had good conversations and he his 3 friends and drove two of us around til the wee hours of the night giving us a first class tour of Antwerp by night! Wish we couldn have spent more time, but look forward to meeting up again. Come to Chi-Town Stijn! You are Truly the star CS advocate. Best Wishes and Take Care. I would reccomend anyone to stay with or have Stijn as a guest!
From Tonet and Aurora Madrid, Spain Mar 23, 2008 Positive In the coldest days of March Stijn offered us his couch after we lost another place to stay. We are very happy of the time we stayed at his place, he is a great guy, a great couchsurfer with lots of projects and also lots of beers on the fridge!
From Bart Dammekens Antwerp, Belgium Mar 18, 2008 Positive Met Stijn on several party's/meetings/drinks/talks,....
I allways like meeting Stijn, even if we don't have the same opinion. But when he does something, he gives all his energy. And he is a well-known Belgian TV-star ;-)
Hope to see you again in one of our good meetings !
From Tina De Lobel Brugge, Belgium Mar 14, 2008 Positive he's a trustworthy and funny person!! we just meet on every great cs-meeting, let's rock 2008!
From James Davids San Francisco, United States Mar 7, 2008 Positive Stijn is one cool dude and a totally nice guy. We met and he introduced me to some cool people and beers and I had a great time. Wish I could have stayed in town longer
From Shirl Chin Jelutong, Malaysia Mar 3, 2008 Positive Stijn is a very hospitable CS ambassador. He sacrificed his bed so that i could have two wonderful nights in his room while he has to surf his own couch! Hats to you! I would like to welcome you to Penang if you happen to be in SEA.
From Casey Fenton San Francisco, United States Feb 27, 2008 Positive I enjoyed many fine hours with Stijn at the Rotterdam CSC when he and his team invaded us with what felt like 100's of wonderful Belgian beers. Thank you Stijn for being the wonderful and positive person you are! :-)
From Kris De Smedt Meise, Belgium Feb 21, 2008 Positive I met Stijn at a cs weekend in the abbey of Orval. We had an amazing time there. Stijn is a very social person and great to talk to. Hope to see you again!
From Dorota Marcinkiewicz Brussels, Belgium Feb 14, 2008 Positive It was a lot of fun to talk to him and share a drink on Gents city square. Seeing his true enthusiasm made me realized how many great people CS project allows meeting. It fits his personality so well that I am not surprised that hi is a real CS addict. Hope to loran more about his “crazy life” ;) and about CS from him.
From Yuri Meeuws Antwerp, Belgium Feb 11, 2008 Positive Putting as much energy as Stijn does into CS, I already take my hat off for that. It's always nice talking to him too, and to top it all off, he's a fellow citizen of 'COU City'.. GREAT!! ;)
From Kailai Chen Brussels, Belgium Feb 10, 2008 Positive Couldn't be more happier to met somebody with the same interest,Stijn is a very friendly guy with lots of experience of couchsurfing and those of his good ,orginal ideas in designing gonna make him very successful one day!I really enjoy the conversation with him!
From Zane Banane The Hague, Netherlands Jan 21, 2008 To be filled in later :) :) :)
From Derek Ho Helsinki, Finland Jan 20, 2008 Positive Couldn't imagine a better host for exploring the beer riches of Antwerp.
From Erik Heylen Borsbeek, Belgium Jan 13, 2008 Positive Stijn moved heaven and earth for me after a bad CS experience
From PETRUCCI67 Duisburg, Germany Jan 6, 2008 Positive When I first met him in January '08 I wrote in my reference that a country ambassador "should definitely be crazy (about CS)" and that "that's what he is."
Now, having met him some more times, I still consider this a good caracterization.
I hope you'll be in a better mood when we next meet ... cause I'd really love to get to know you a bit better.
Oh, and one other thing: You really flattered me asking if I was born in the Netherlands (when I spoke Dutch to you).
From Tom Vandemoortele Brugge, Belgium Jan 5, 2008 Positive Stijn is a really relaxed, friendly guy.
I think his middle name is "laidback"
See you around Stijn.
From Aldo Golja Rotterdam, Netherlands Dec 21, 2007 Positive I've seen Stijn as a positive, active member online and as a relaxed, friendly member offline when he came to the sinterklaas party 2007 together with Martine, instead of going to Stockholm! He doesn't realize how DUTCH he is, so I understand why he fights against the reunification of Flanders with Holland so much! :)
From Dave Remijsen Antwerp, Belgium Dec 20, 2007 Positive This reference will probably go lost in the avalanche of praise Stijn has got, gets and will get in time. Met Stijn on my first ever couch surf meeting in a nice Italian restaurant in Antwerp. We had a nice meal and a interesting discussion. Stijn is wonderful guy, intelligent with strong beliefs. Very social and always there to help people out! Hope to get to know him better in the future!
From Toni Walia Warsaw, Poland Dec 9, 2007 Positive Hope to get to know him better. Cheers.
From LETSGOALEX Los Angeles, United States Dec 6, 2007 Positive Great partying with you in Rotterdam. Nice chat about Eugene, OR... Had a blast and hope to see you one day again somewhere.
From Walter Heck Khon Kaen, Thailand Dec 5, 2007 Positive Stijn, you made it high on my i-will-never-forget-you-as-long-as-i-live-list when you showed at the CSC with some big boxes full of special belgian beers, just to party for the night. This is the kind of guy Stijn is: selfless, friendly and very helpful! Extremely cool guy!
From Laure Tranchevent Lambersart, France Dec 4, 2007 Positive Stijn is a really nice person, really fun and patient in all the situations. I hope to meet you again, Mr Snowman!
From Diederik en Esther de Vries Rotterdam, Netherlands Dec 3, 2007 Positive We met Stijn as the travelling mate of our guest Martine, and we talked some little whiles during the weekend. From that, we know that he's a nice guy who we want to know better. Success with your bikes, guy! We hope that will work out for you well.
From Nicolas Sahlqvist Rotterdam, Netherlands Dec 3, 2007 Positive Stijn is a funny guy with a great personality!
From Maikel Lourenssen Oss, Netherlands Dec 3, 2007 Positive I met Stijn several times now but forgot in the time to write about him but now for sure I know him as one of all the fantastic CS addicted people.
Perhaps I should move to Belgium.
From Frank van Steenwijk Dublin, Ireland (Republic of) Dec 3, 2007 Positive How addicted to CS can someone be if you are at the airport on your way to Stockholm and cancel the flight to be at the Sinterklaas meeting. At the point that I heard that story I didn't know what to expect at such a party, but now that I've found out about it myself I can see why he did skip the flight. Hope to see him around at several other meetings again, he's fun to talk to.
From Antoine Rolland Lille, France Dec 2, 2007 Positive Stijn and I have been hosted at the same time by Larry and Eleanor in Rotterdam during the Sinterklaas week end. He is class, nice and interesting. The designer from Antwerp can make you surprised easily by his creation. He is very helpful, especially to find a way ... under the rain. See you a next time, you are always welcomed to Lille !
From Chris Kloester Melbourne, Australia Nov 26, 2007 Positive We met at another CS friends going away party & talked a lot all night. what an increadibly friendly guy. easy going, good to have a conversation with & knows what a good beer is being Belgian... Cheers!
From Clara Brereton Liege, Belgium Nov 18, 2007 Positive well, stijn is MR couchsurfing, not much else to say is there??!! looking forward to working with you, o country ambassador!
From Sarah Zacharek Shrewsbury, United Kingdom Nov 16, 2007 Positive i had a great time with stijn (although im still unsure of the correct pronunciation!!) and his flatmate thomas. theyre both great, friendly guys and thanks to them i had a cool time in antwerpen and learnt what blonde beer is (just about). he responded to our last minute request and saved our bacon, we're eternally grateful!!! ;o)
From Jemma Lee Athlone, Ireland (Republic of) Nov 16, 2007 Positive Stijn's a great guy! He hosted us at very short notice, picked us up at the station, taught us all about Belgian beer and even offered to tuck us in at night...
Oh, and his house has an endless supply of chocolate!!!
From Miriam Parker Wroclaw, Poland Nov 16, 2007 Positive My two friends and I stayed with Stijn and his roommate for three nights even though our couch request was very last minute, they were both awesome hosts ,,,Stijn even gave up his bed for us while he surfed his own couch :)
From Steven Platteeuw Roeselare, Belgium Nov 12, 2007 Positive Stijn and I had a wonderful conversation at the 'Grande Place' in Brussels. He's a true ambassador and great to have around. Thanks for the good times and see you soon!
UPDATE (nov 2007): Stijn and I have met several times now and have worked together in the ambs team on different occasions. He has become a good friend and someone I can rely on. If only he wouldn't steal my sleep...
From Vincent Ip Sint-Gillis - Saint-Gilles, Belgium Nov 10, 2007 Positive learnt me a lot of things about Belgium and 't stad, and more importantly he gave me the confidence to drink a kwak
From VATO_LOCO Arnhem, Netherlands Nov 5, 2007 Positive Stijn knows how to live life! He is also an extremely generous person, has a strong social intelligence, and loves the belgian beauties!(beers). We shared good moments, like cafe bevers atmosphere, extensive jenever / beer tasting, collecting new surfers, the youtube videos on sunday morning. A true ambassador of hospitality. Thanks Stijn!! P.S. Antwerpen may be well the centre of the universe after all the superb belgium beers!! haha
From Thais Yumi Santo Andre, Brazil Nov 5, 2007 Positive Stijn hosted me and my friend in a short visit to Antwerp and he was very friendly and extremelly helpful, not only to us but also to the other couch surfers we met there. He took us to enjoy the night life of the city. We liked a lot!
From Lore Vannieuwenburg Gent, Belgium Nov 4, 2007 Positive stijn is one of the most friendly antwerp guys i met in a long time- still, he's got 'antwerp' written all over his smirk ;) he's an enthusiastic and responsible country amb, an excellent host, and i can recommend anyone to go surf his couch!
*update* have been meeting up plenty of times at numerous meetings, he's a real party animal, will defenitely miss stijn 'party central' vernaillen in australia!
From on the moon Paris, France Oct 14, 2007 Positive Stijn is a wonderful individual, clever and relaxed, with a great sense of humour; he always has exciting stories to share, thanks to his amazing-crazy-out-of-this-world "party+travel" schedule :-) ! I'm taking lessons...
From WELCOME2ANTWERP Antwerp, Belgium Oct 6, 2007 Positive I had email- and telephone contact with Stijn before but yesterday I met him at the ViaViaborrel in Antwerp. And my positive impression was confirmed: Stijn is a very nice, intelligent, generous, humourous, spontaneous, very social and extremely friendly person. He is very dedicated and enthusiastic about the CS-project. I would like to meet you again, Stijn!
From Nathan Sary Louisville, United States Oct 5, 2007 Positive I stayed at his place for a few days and drinks. Good time was had overall by all. looking forward to staying again.
From Yves Marcipont Antwerp, Belgium Oct 4, 2007 Positive I met Stijn the first time on a meeting in Brasschaat and later on… hmmm I can’t count any more. ;-)
We accompanied together a crazy Italian girl for a road trip to Malmo and enjoy the local festival moooore than well.
Stijn is also my CS backup, my CS drink mate and we meet up each other frequently with our surfers.
Stijn!!!! Prosit – Scholl - Cheers – Santé – Salud – Egészségedre - Skål - Na zdorovje - Gan bei – Kampai - Hipahipa - Fisehatak - Oogy wawa - Op uw gezondheid!!!
From Bill Day Pittsburgh, United States Sep 28, 2007 Positive Stjn is the host with the most. He turned a one day visit to Antwerp into almost a week of pure fun. He is a warm, extremely positive and smart guy who walks the line between being awesome and extremely awesome. Stjn is great for conversation and knows the best things to do in Antwerp and probably everywhere else he goes. I had a great time surfing with Stjn and can't wait till he makes it out to states, otherwise we'll have to go back to Antwerp.
From Lindsay and Justin K Prim Chicago, United States Sep 23, 2007 Positive We had a really great time cycling around with Stijn and enjoying some nice Belgian beers. He really takes care of his guests in the best way. We really hope to see this guy again as soon as fate would allow.
From Sven Delmeiren Gent, Belgium Sep 14, 2007 Positive Met him at the CS meeting in Bruges. Nice and entertaining person, doing his best to help people out whenever he can.
UPDATE: met again at several meetings. Stijn's one of these party animals who tries to attends every meeting possible... he sure knows how to entertain a group of people and cares about people a lot !
From Maarten de Meyere Bertem, Belgium Sep 12, 2007 Positive I met him the first time in Liege, 2nd time in Roeselare. Good guy, funny, if you wanna know how God created the world, ask him :o)
From * HAWAIIAN * Bilzen, Belgium Sep 6, 2007 Positive He says to Jump! I say how High?! He leads and I follow, if there was a Bee on my face he would smack the heck out of it and I would thank him for saving my life ;-) If he had two Belgium beer's in his hands, and I had none, he would definitely walk up to me.....and not even think about giving me one, (yeah he would)he's a cool guy! I don't care what anyone says about him, for he is alright in my book! I respect him for what he does, I respect him for who he is, for how can I not respect someone, who is always happy to see me, who is always genuine friendly towards me and everyone else, he is willing to give that 110% to bring joy into our lives, and all he might expect in return is a little rub on his belly and a beer, and he's happy ;-) Yes, indeed Stijn, your our kinda guy, BIG ALOHA TO YOU BRO!
From Burcu Eke Sisli, Turkey Sep 3, 2007 Positive 'Good Belgian Man!'. He is so enthusiastic! Thanks to him, we were interviewed about CS by a local TV, could have the chance to ride two crazy bikes and see nice places in Antverp. And thanks to CS that i could have the chance to meet him! Hope you'll never lose your ability to dream Sten!
From SUNNY+BELGIUM Madrid, Spain Sep 2, 2007 Positive Stijn is marvellous and meeting him via Didiers' party was fun. We had a chat about his life and work etc.. and then again he got busy in making photos of the party.. Looking forward to see your pics Stijn!!! Have fun :)
From Zinta Oz. Riga, Latvia Sep 1, 2007 Positive stayed at his place some nights. owerall great person. fun and easy-going.
if hell have some family bbq, ull definately will b invited aswell.
recomended to any couchsrefer, specially if you like belgum beer!!
best feelings
From Karen Ueland Oslo, Norway Aug 28, 2007 Positive Me and my two crazy danes stayed at his home for three nights. Lovely home, our own key, lovely beer, mmmmmmm-chocolate, a funny friend, our own big room. Antwerpen has a very confusing streetmap , with streets in every direction, meeting in a triangle or something crazy, but Stijn will take good care of you, he has a closet filled with maps for you, and will call and sms to see if you are okei. A great host, not too much, not too little. I really hope I get the opportunity to show him MY Oslo.
From Ashely Lim Sydney, Australia Aug 24, 2007 Positive He's beyond any of my pre-perception about couch surfing. I can't expect any better host than him although it's the mere beginning of the wonderful couch surfing experience. He's way too kind and generous. I am so lucky to meet and get to know him! Bless you, Stijn xoxo
From PAZZAREN Brussels, Belgium Aug 23, 2007 Positive A smile at 6.45 on a saturday morning, a hug, and here we were, on our way to sweden through half europe.Stijn kept me awake for most of the drive, laughed at my swearing at german queues, gave me drinks and sweets when my driving energy level was low.
From Bina + Fredrik Stockholm, Sweden Aug 22, 2007 Positive We met up with the crazy Belgium Stijn at the Malmo festival. He came from Belgium to Sweden for just one night! He's extremely extrovert, interesting, fun and well definitely crazy ;0) If he can have a conversation without mentioning Belgium beer it will be a miracle.
From Yuliya Kolchenko Kiev, Ukraine Aug 21, 2007 Positive A very nice Flemish guy - hope to meet him in Antwerp sometime
From Guy Musing Brasschaat, Belgium Aug 18, 2007 Positive We just briefly met at the CS meeting in Brasschaat but I got a really positive vibe from our Country Ambassador ;-)
Since then we meet regularly on meetings or parties and it's always a joy to have him.
From Setsuko Oya Brooklyn, United States Aug 10, 2007 Positive stijn taught me a lot of very important things about beer, bicycles and the best city in the world; Antwerpen. awesome host. Thanks for everything!
From Lubos Fojtik Prague, Czech Republic Aug 9, 2007 Positive Stijn is a deserved ambassador,
I felt as home in his appartement and he made me experience a Duvel night with very interestnig talk. I felt like I knew him for years.
Thanks again man and hope to see you again.
From Magdalena Rak Kolobrzeg, Poland Aug 6, 2007 Positive It was last minute visit so we are really thankful he agreed to host us, especially when he had also other guests.
and then we met his friend, they took us to some pubs. Meeting was great, night was great and morning also was great! now we know much more about Belgium, CS and beers of course!
From Kevin J Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles Jul 29, 2007 He contacted me as an ambassador to talk about a ridiculous negative reference! So he just had coffee and I had O.J. The circumstances why we met wasn't the nicest, but it's good to have an open conversation. You seem a nice guy Stijn, we only had little time, but take care and keep in touch.
From Ray Doeksen Chicago, United States Jul 29, 2007 Positive Super guy! I hope he can come back to Chicago soon, or that I can free up some time to go visit him! We had a fine time here in Chicago, and he was an excellent guest, and got along smashingly with my friends.
From Rolf Coucke Sint-Niklaas, Belgium Jul 27, 2007 Positive Stijn is a true CS-er at heart like you don't see them often. He's a great guy to talk to and to have fun with, he also goes out of his way to help people or make sure they have a great time. On top of that Stijn is always in for a good practical joke, and you can't have enough of those ;)
We have met a few times now and i'm sure we'll see eachother a lot more in the future. ;)
From Luca Proculo Gentile Antwerp, Belgium Jul 22, 2007 We met few times in different places, we had some talk together but we've never really "talked". It can be that our personality are not compatibles but we don't know each other yet. I am still trying to get to know him also cause we are both Amb. in Antwerp and we share the CS-Ideals. I really appreciate that he spent a lot of his time to resolve issue between Couchsurfers.
From Inez Volckaert Brasschaat, Belgium Jul 22, 2007 Positive There really is a positive vibe coming from Stijn! A true ambassador i guess. Met him at a Cs meeting in my town and a couple of times after that so i now know that he enjoys a good party with the necessary drinks...and i'm sure we'll meet again!
From Maris Marko Rakvere, Estonia Jul 10, 2007 Positive First impression was relieving - eventually one happy grinning face in Brugge. From there on - only better. :-)
From B2PRIX21 Gundelsheim, Germany Jul 8, 2007 Positive We met at the CouchSurfing Meeting in Brussels in May 2007. Unfortunately we only had time for a short conversation about recumbents. I am sure we will meet again in our recumbent future :-)
From David Roman Tijuana, Mexico Jul 4, 2007 Positive Really cool dude addicted to couchsurfing as much as i am :D with a lot of cool couchsurfing anecdotes :D and plenty of experience, he offer me a ride and a couch to Antwerpen when he found out i miss my last train not a lot of people do that so i'm glad to have met him.
From Ofir M Grimbergen, Belgium Jul 3, 2007 Positive Stijn being very active in CS was familiar to me before I first met him in Brugges CS meeting, But in the meeting I was lucky to know the guy to be intelligent interesting, generous and alway in for a laugh. Of maybe that was the beer?, Will surely like to meet again
From Sam Wright Lisbon, Portugal Jun 29, 2007 Positive We met this cheerful chap in the pub over a few beers. Good company, and look forward to meeting Stijn again sometime and someplace.
From Marcus Eder Vienna, Austria Jun 15, 2007 Positive Stijn and I first got in contact in 2005 and we talked about CS and stuff... I was hoping to meet up one day and finally we did in Brussels at the Amb Meeting for a day. Stijn is a really funny guy and I am glad that I finally met up. We also talked and exchanged feelings and thoughts on what CS should be. I hope to meet up again, soon. He is always welcome here in Vienna. :-)
Hugs, Cheers, Marcus
From Kelly Day Pittsburgh, United States Jun 14, 2007 Positive Staying with Stijn has been an extremely positive experience for us. He opened his home to us for 3 nights, and from the minute we met him it was a good time. He made us feel so at home we conteplated moving in with him. We had lots of great conversation and related on many levels. He has great taste in design, drinks, lifestyle and you name it. We wish you lots of luck with everything you do, and where ever you should live in the future. We plan to keep in touch with Stijn and know we will see him again. Thanks a million!
From Paul Wouters Rotterdam, Netherlands Jun 10, 2007 Positive I had a few nice chats/drinks with Stijn.
From Olivier Van Puyvelde Brasschaat, Belgium Jun 10, 2007 Positive Stijn joined the CS meeting that I organized and it was just great to be in his company. Stijn's enthusiasm about the CS Project is infectuous, when you meet him and listen to his many stories, you want to visit meetings all the time. Stijn has a "master degree" in Belgian Beers and knows many cool places in his city Antwerp and around. Meet up with Stijn and you'll have an unforgettable time, that's for sure.
From Sven Van Den Meerssche Brussels, Belgium Jun 7, 2007 Positive I met Stijn for the first time one year ago at the first CS meeting I attended and he got me warm to really open my heart for the CS project. He's friendly, charismatic guy with the right spirit for CS.
From Tak Hoda Tokyo, Japan Jun 6, 2007 Positive He is Awesome!! He got me started in CS in the best way possible. He was soooo nice and helpful. He picked me up at the station and went for drink at night in spite of him busy with work and all. He also helped me find next couch when I was not doing so well. Thank you so much for everything! I had wonderful time staying with you! Hope to see you soon!
From Bjoern-Erik Wenz Dachau, Germany May 22, 2007 Positive I met Stijn at Yaminas place and later on we all hit town, went to a concert and a party. He has an interesting open personality and apart from hanging out, having a ball and listening to his stories I really liked talking about social entrepreneurship with him. I'm sure we meet again sometime soon - europe is so small :-)
From Yelyam Brussels, Belgium May 6, 2007 Positive I'm happy that I met Stijn... we surely will have some more time to spend together with all the other Belgian Amb !!!
From Jean-Philippe L'Heureux Montreal, Canada Feb 28, 2007 Positive Party Boy. There is only one description about Stijn; He likes to party. With this guy you be sure to never get bored. You ll have a good view of the Belgium Culture and Beer, i superb place to stay(even if it was full of mosquitos and very hot due to the 41 degres outside), 20 minutes of walking from the center and also discovering Antwerp which is very nice. Stijn and I will probably make a couchsurfing movies, and it will be sure that this one will be #1 Box Office. If you pass near Antwerp, GO THERE!!!
From Steve Callerame Boston, United States Jan 18, 2007 Positive Stijn is Antwerp's best tourist attraction! Stijn took in myself and a friend during our Euro-cycling tour, and he gave us a personal and enthusiastic Belgian beer tour (without ever leaving his kitchen) and finished it off with an absolutely murderous rum concoction consisting of 80% alcohol. He let us hop on his wild reclining bicycle and then did custom repairs on ours, drove us around and kept us entertained with stories of Nepal, Antwerp and a tantalizing picture of his pet project, the 4-man "party bike", which, once it's ready, will be worth returning to Belgium for. Stijn is one of a kind.
From Sonja Musters Antwerp, Belgium Jan 13, 2007 Positive [edit because now we've met in real life I can tell a bit more about him].
Ok, met him at a meeting in Antwerp yesterday. Great guy!!! Easy talker, great dancer, extremely friendly!!! Idealist, which is always a good quality. Too bad for Antwerp he's leaving, but a big hurray for Oregon ;-) Looking forward to meet him again!
From Stien Soetewey Trondheim, Norway Jan 11, 2007 Positive Stijn is one of my lovely internationally oriented cousins. He is the one taking the initiatives when it comes to cousin reunions, driving people to and from, and surprising our 85-year old grandparents. He recommended me to sign up at CouchSurfing when I indicated a lack of social contacts at my new home in Norway, and I am really glad he did!
From Didier Theodore Lyon, France Jan 2, 2007 Positive Stijn doesn't know how he became ambassador but after having talked with him... I know ;-) We had a nice discussion about hospitality and CS... We have to exchange more experience about our cities and I hope that we'll do it in a few time!See u soon in Liege...
From Remco De Geyter Antwerp, Belgium Dec 11, 2006 Positive Stijn is a great ambassador for couchsurfing, full of plans on how to enjoy it to the max. Every time it's nice to talk to him, I'm sure plenty more beers will follow.
From Arvin Emadi Delft, Netherlands Dec 4, 2006 Positive Stijn is a nice guy to talk to and drink with. I hope we meet again when I visit Belgium and Antwerpen.
From Daniel H Portland, United States Nov 28, 2006 Positive Really nice, optimistic person. Wish we had more time, but I'd like to visit with him again when in Europe.
From Lee Fouste Eugene, United States Nov 10, 2006 Positive Stijn is alot of fun to hang out with and is a very interesting/king person. Hopefully he will return sometime after his return to his motherland!
From Aylin Loğlişi Amsterdam, Netherlands Nov 10, 2006 Positive Stijn has a good sense of humor, and is a fun person to trade food and accents with. I'm glad he comes to the NinjaPants dinner parties, and I'll hopefully run into him again somewhen.
From TORONTOJIM Toronto, Canada Nov 5, 2006 Positive Not a Stijn-gy guy at all! From the first email to the last goodbye, Stijn is a genuine person. He's got his head together and our conversations were meaningful and very interesting. Not only did I get to stay in the very cool loft in Antwerp, but he let me try out this awesome bicycle, hung out with me and showed me the whole city and it's little gems, introduced me to great friends, ate the best dinner at a restaurant since I left home, took me to his old pub, showed me this hidden spot where I drank one of the oldest beers around. I've stayed in touch with him, and I know that we'll meet up again down the road. He is a worthy Couchsurfing host and you will enjoy the pleasure of his visit to you.
From Joshua Grover Cuyahoga Falls, United States Oct 25, 2006 Positive Stijn (The Man), A first class host!!! An outstanding host with a love for some of the best stuff on earth: exotic bicycles, Belgian Beer, and hysterical international adventure. You couldn't ask for a better host. He's remarkably kind, e.g., he revitalized my bicycle. It was in really bad shape until Stijn operated on the panniers. I owe my reliable recently repaired touring set up to Stijn the man.
From E. Ruth White Chicago, United States Oct 24, 2006 Positive Stijn was a delight to meet and I enjoyed having him stay. He's great to hang out with.
From SUSIENINJAPANTS Eugene, United States Oct 13, 2006 Positive stijn was going to couchsurf with me, but he and his girlfriend were able to move into an apartment as soon as they arrived in Eugene. we emailed a few times and finally got together at my friend's bday party & we've hung out a few times since then. stijn is super nice, very amusing, & loves beer as much as i do. i hope to meet up with him again soon!
From Peter Diez Stuttgart, Germany Oct 13, 2006 Positive He joined us on some partys in Eugene. He`s a very nice guy and I hope to see him on the next party somewhere in EUgene or US ;-)
From Silas Beachya Portland, United States Oct 12, 2006 Positive This man likes GOOD beer! HAZZAH!
From A. Yohei Tendo, Japan Aug 31, 2006 Positive this real cool guy has a word or two on beer drinking :) can't get any more Belgian than this! friendly and trustworthy. he saved me from sleeping in a train station lobby on the first nigth (thanks!). the bicycle ride made it much more fun to explore the every corner of Antwerp. Stijn is no doubt a great host!
From Steve Van Echelpoel Antwerp, Belgium Aug 26, 2006 Positive It was nice meeting him. Even though I just met him 2 times he is a good guy. Very social. It is just a shame that I didn't had the chance to get to know him better.
From Agnes Danyi Budapest, Hungary Aug 14, 2006 Positive the sweetest belgian ever...
From Katja Stepanova Saint Petersburg, Russia Aug 1, 2006 Positive We could not expect to spend the few days in Antwerp better than we did! Thank u very much, Stijn!
From Amy Chia Lottstetten, Germany Jul 31, 2006 Positive Wow, where to begin? Stijn came to pick me up at the station with Amber, took me to his apartment, plied me with Belgian beer (and by the way, I'm convinced no one else on earth knows Belgian beer like Stijn does!), whisked me off to a party in the middle of nowhere, made me tea in the morning (ate it with chocolates, the perfect breakfast!), met up with his lovely family and had dinner with them, all these over a weekend! My first couch surfing experience has been perfect thanks to Stijn (and Amber!). Stijn is a genuine person who's intelligent, open minded, friendly and funny (there you have it, Stijn, I admit you're funny). He's also a gentleman and excellent to chat with. I am so glad to have met him. I think your goal to be the best CS host isn't too far away, Stijn:) Okay now that I've left you this extremely nice reference, remember my chocolate (with nuts!), ice cream and Belgian beer! Take care, Stijn and thanks so much again *hugs*
From Sean Kuling Vancouver, Canada Jul 29, 2006 Positive Stijn was a gracious and knowledgable host that taught me a ton about Belgium, couchsurfing, travelling, beer, you name it. Great time talking travel and having dinner with him and his girlfriend. Solid and genuinely caring guy.
From Amber Plaunty Eugene, United States Jul 27, 2006 Positive May I Have the Next Dance? Stijn is funny, creative, generous, witty, energetic, spontaneous, attentive, and so much more...but anyone who looks at his profile can see that much is true. Obviously he is and will continue to be a brilliant host--count on him to show you the beautiful city of Antwerp with the best of its residents! Looking forward to our future tango lessons, my fellow chocoholic...
From Dave Hauslein San Francisco, United States Jul 21, 2006 Positive STIJN! Stijn was a great host. He made everything easy, comfortable, and convenient. He's also a great guy. From the first night I arrived, we had long conversations about politics, movies, and everything else. If you want to have a good time in Antwerpen, surf with Stijn.
From Francis Kulaga San Francisco, United States Jul 20, 2006 Positive Stijn hosted my friend Dave and I for a few days in Antwerpen. We had a lot of good talks and shared some beers and rum as well. Stijn is a cool guy.
From Sudhiira Sumagui Calamba, Philippines Jul 19, 2006 isnt it obvious enuf? stijn no longer needs references whatsoever, he never runs out of people crashing his place mainly because he just do couch-hosting at its best.
he will fetch you, he will cook, he's gonna tour you and teach you more about beer culture in belgium, he introduces you to his cool friends, drink some more beers, ride his famous bikes and more beers, finally he would take you back to the station, what more can you ask for? more BEER? of course, he would be delighted.
he is very sensible too,im privileged to know other sides of his persona, he could be a rubber band to anybody ... he's just great...
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