CouchSurfing, please!

Before you freak out, let me give you a solid education and background on this thing called CouchSurfing.

It is a website with over 1 million members (myself included) who have similar interests in travel and cultural exchanges. The site was launched in 2000, as a hospitality network, to connect people who are looking for a free place to stay with people who are willing to host travelers.

The site's mission statement says "CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding. As a community we strive to do our individual and collective parts to create a better world, and we believe that the surfing of couches is a means to accomplish this goal. CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it's about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!"

I first heard about it about a year ago from a friend at JMU, and since then, I knew it was something I wanted to check out while traveling through Europe. So my first CouchSurfing stay was in Vienna, Austria. I searched for hosts about a month before I arrived, and found this girl named Doris, who seemed to be a great fit: 20 year old student, from Germany, attending university in Vienna, lives in an apartment with two other students (who also are CouchSurfing members). After a few messages back and forth, all was set up for me to stay with her!

I spent that first night in a hostel, because my itinerary had changed slightly from when I originally made plans with her, but on that first morning, I left the hostel and made my way to her apartment. She is highly involved in the CouchSurfing community in Vienna-- in fact, she was hosting a pancake breakfast that morning that I got there. I was greeted by chocolate chip pancakes, a whole spread of fresh fruit, and about 10 other people. The crowd was from all over, but all united through involvement with CouchSurfing-- there was Megan from Chicago, Rae and her roommate who are from Seattle but studying in Vienna, a girl from Ecuador, a couple from Quebec, and a few other people originally from Vienna. Little did I know, I wasn't going to be alone in Vienna at all.

After breakfast, Doris took me and about 5 other people from breakfast to the market-- outdoor stands selling everything from bras and underware to zucchini, eggplant, and fresh eggs. We bought bags and bags of fresh veggies to make a quiche for dinner later that night (which ended up being amazing). Then I somehow found my way following her to her friend's apartment (another CouchSurfing friend) for a beginners guitar group lesson organized through none other than...CouchSurfing! Yeah, she's super active in the Vienna network. I met this girl's roommate, named Meaghan, who is a student from New York City, working on getting her Masters in Cello in Vienna. She put on a little performance for us while we were just hanging out-- I found myself thinking "How did I even get here? I'm sitting in a complete stranger's bedroom, in a historic apartment with huge ceilings in the 1st district of Vienna, Austria, listening to her sing her heart out while beating on her cello. How did this happen?" It was a pretty epic moment. Here's her MySpace if you want to hear what I was hearing.

Doris and I eventually left the apartment around 6, got back to her place, and began the dinner adventure. She was also hosting two people from Quebec named Simon and Katherine, so with the four of us in her tiny kitchen, we threw together a quiche in no time, popped it in the oven, and sat out on the roof terrace while it baked. Katherine brought a guitar out and we just sat around outside singing together as she played every song she could think of, and sang in English with her thick French accent. I don't think I've ever heard a Sheryl Crow song sound so French.

That night, Vienna was hosting the largest AIDS fundraiser event in Europe, called the Life Ball, so of course we headed in to the City Hall to try and sneak a peek. We obviously hadn't bought tickets to enter, but we found a spot to sit on a railing, and had a great view of the entire thing. It was complete madness. A big part of the event was centered around guests dressed up in water-themed costumes, walking down a catwalk. I saw way more man-flesh then I ever needed to see that night. The event also features a ton of celebrities-- we saw Bill Clinton, Eva Longoria, Ivana Trump, Katy Perry, and Pamela Anderson. What a night! Here is an okay quality video of the event, put to a really obnoxious song (fair warning), if you want to check it out:



And so it went, day two in Vienna, Austria.