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Back in August 2007, Dutch photographer and journalist Bruno van den Elshout started working on a proje
- Day One: Cork, Ireland
ct that would make many a European marvel. Within 366 days, he visited all 27 EU member states in one zig-zag journey across the continent.
Baptised “Us Europeans“, the now-finished travel project contains testimonials of over 2,500 young Europeans, interviewed by the photographer throughout the course of the project. While staying in over 180 different European cities, Bruno kept up a rhythm of interviewing between five and ten people every day.
Subjects differed daily, and ranged from the Dutch Carnival to the Bulgarian alphabet celebrations, from Portuguese tomato jam to Greek coffee, from immigrants in Spain to religious matters in Poland.
- Stockholm’s archipelago: Finhamn, Sweden
Forced into flexible mode, Bruno had to be prepared for roughly 27 culture shocks. “I met lots of small surprises on the way, saw many stereotypes confirmed but also had to adjust many of them,” Bruno says. “I knew the Irish enjoy spending time in pubs, but I never knew that even funerals are likely to include a pub visit at some point. In much the same way, it’s interesting to see how something that seems trivial in The Netherlands – going to a sauna – can be such an integral part of daily life for a Finn.
Also, in some countries, hardly anything gets done without kisses or handshakes, while elsewhere, people avoid physical contact whenever they can. It’s good to know about such differences in advance. It saves a lot of misunderstanding and even mistrust. Being conscious of cultural differences is the best first step in overcoming them. I hope that Us Europeans can serve as some people’s first step in gaining interest in the wonderful world of intercultural communication.”
- Salt: Torrevieja, Spain
Throughout his journey, Bruno stayed with friends, with CouchSurfing hosts and in youth hostels. He used public transport making his way from one side of each country to the other.
The budget for the trip amounted to 30 euros a day. Bruno did not get any subsidies or external funding for the
project, and withdrew the budget from his own savings account. “I also needed to give up my job”, Bruno explains, “which made the project a bit risky. I did count on previous work experience to feel confident about finding proper employment upon my return. And in the end, I did have a “safe landing”.
Since my return, I have been working as a free-lance photographer, journalist and consultant. Besides all that, I am working on a photo exhibition my journey. It’s named “Crossroad Europe”, and it will take off in The Hague, The Netherlands on 8 and 9 May.”
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