**Please note** I will reply faster than my profile says (my emails were not arriving before).

I am from Chicago but have been living in the Alps for ten years. I have a fairly laid-back lifestyle with little stress apart from my studies. I enjoy wine, beer, cured meats, and not-too-stinky cheese. I'm observant, curious, goofy, and very good at making myself laugh. I'm unreasonably annoyed by flying insects and the harmonica. I'm a big fan of useless information. Naturally, I travel whenever I can and experience wanderlust when I cannot. I have 2 cats. (Please mention that you are cool with that)

PHILOSOPHY

For starters:

Don't rock the boat.
Live and let live.
Hurry up and relax.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Once our group (Upper Lech group) hosted a CS event (a hike to Salober Alm) .
I often gave visitors tours of the area and the town when I lived in Füssen since I know quite a few things about it: even more than some of the locals.

**Please note: I get so many requests that if you don't use my real name (Sonja), I will probably not even reply. (That is why my reply percentage is so low).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Too much to keep track of anymore, but it has been 99% wonderful. (The 1% are ungrateful jerks who don't leave references or clean up after themselves.)

That's why I only accept guests who make thoughtful requests: for me, Couch Surfing is a way to meet friends you haven't met yet, not a way to simply save money. Want to save money? Please use a hostel.

Interests

Music, collecting & selling records, road trips/traveling, geology, biking, smoking, drinking, foreign product packaging (because of the graphics), architecture, art, history, film, playing cards & Scrabble, cooking/baking, photography, exploring old warehouses, mushroom hunting, DIY and woodworking, TV, intense conversation...
I'm endlessly fascinated by the how and the why of things and the little, seemingly insignificant details of everyday life.

• arts
• architecture
• photography
• diy
• cooking
• beer
• baking
• drinking
• tv
• music
• geology
• history
• road trips

Music, Movies, and Books

Listening: Soul, funk, jazz, blues, punk, hip-hop, 60's/70's Latin, "Krautrock", prog rock, reggae, some classical...the list goes on. But I'm stuck in the past with my taste: I don't listen to much modern music. Can, Fugazi, The Dells, Mike Patton, Os Mutantes, Parliament-Funkadelic, Roberto Roena, & Ghostface are just a few of my favorites.

Reading: Non-fiction, Studs Terkel, Wax Poetics & anything else music-related, real crime and more.

Watching (Film): Kurosawa, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Scorsese, classic black and white films, foreign films, horror films, depends on my mood. (TV): Arrested Development, Breaking Bad, Flight Of The Conchords, How I Met Your Mother, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, I Love Lucy, Fawlty Towers, travel shows, cooking shows, history shows, BBC productions, and lots and lots of documentaries.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I took a 3,700 km (2,300 mile) road trip by myself through Germany in August 2007 & I drove 200 km/hour (124 mph) on the Autobahn. (Not amazing to Germans, but amazing to most other people!)

Teach, Learn, Share

I love helping people get the most out of their visit to this area.

-Füssen is a lovely town with a castle & monastery complex: Hohes Schloß/St. Mang. Not to mention stunning surroundings & the gorgeous Lech river.
-Hohenschwangau/Neuschwanstein is a short bus trip, bike ride or a 35-minute walk away, but there is more to this area than the "Disney" castle!
-If you like nature, mountains, hiking, biking or swimming, this is THE place.
-There are many lakes in the area, including the mysterious & beautiful Alatsee.
-Austria is only a 25 minute walk away.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can provide linens, towels, and things like shampoo and toothpaste. But I kindly ask that guests bring their own food. There is a grocery store across the street.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Germany, United States

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