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Frankfurt Main, DE (View on map)
Posted 28 Jul 2008:

Beside being the financial capital of the European Union, Frankfurt is also one of the main air traffic hubs of the continent. Frankfurt International Airport ranks third in number of passengers, with only London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle having a higher passenger turnover. Thanks to the holiday season, today is one of the busiest days of the year at the airport. Thanks to the Us Europeans project, I now finally have a reason to ask people something I always wonder about when I am visiting airports.. What are they there for and where are they heading?... Read more

Tourism in Prague (II)

Prague, CZ (View on map)
Posted 25 May 2008:

Life is full of worries and obligations. Going on holiday serves as a popular strategy for people to clean up their hard disks. For some obscure sociological reasons, all these people looking for relaxation come together at locations that are even more crowded than whatever they are used to at home. What consequences do their intentions have on the life of others ? or more precisely: how do inhabitants of Prague feel about the way foreigners have taken over the city centre?... Read more

Tourism in Prague (I)

Prague, CZ (View on map)
Posted 24 May 2008:

Very few people would argue about whether other not Prague is a beautiful city. Its centre remained largely untouched during World War II. Monumental buildings have been carefully maintained since the fall of communism. No wonder that so many tourists find their way to Prague. Today, I am asking a couple of them how they experience the city. ... Read more

Holiday plans

Prague, CZ (View on map)
Posted 16 May 2008:

The Spanish stay in Spain, the Greeks go to their birthplaces or to the islands, the Swedes leave for South-East Asia or pretty much anywhere around the world, the young Austrians all plan to get to South America and Dutch youngsters opt for the beaches of Spain and Turkey. Or Australia to travel and work. Today`s question: Where do people have a chance to run in to Czech people this summer.... Read more

Tourist spotting

Venice, IT (View on map)
Posted 29 Apr 2008:

Venice is the perfect city for observing tourists and trying to find out where they are from. Most tourists however don`t come to Venice to look at other people. They would much rather arrive in an empty Venice so they can actually see the city instead of walking in line from one place to the other, and having plenty of fellow tourists spoil their photographs. My mission for the day is focused on people more than on buildings. Questions: where are you from, what took you to Venice and how do you like it?... Read more

Developing tourism

Varna, BG (View on map)
Posted 13 Mar 2008:

Anybody in Western Europe who talks about going to Bulgaria to spend this year`s summer holiday will probably be looked at in a strange way. Bulgaria does not yet have the reputations of a fully-grown tourist nation, but it for sure has lots to offer: beaches, mountains, monasteries, cave churches, Roman ruins, unspoilt nature and favourable weather conditions, all waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, Bulgarian politicians are not always very intelligent when it comes to taking advantage of these assets.... Read more

Greeks on holiday

Athens, GR (View on map)
Posted 22 Feb 2008:

When I started `Us Europeans`, I decided that I would try to leave my Dutch mindset behind and write stories as if I could be from anywhere. Many people I meet do not recognise me as Dutch at a first glance, but oftentimes, speaking about this project, they suspect that I can`t be from anywhere but The Netherlands. Travelling alone, for an extended period of time and with a specific purpose in mind ? all of that sounds very unfamiliar to people living in countries that value the group over the individual, think short-term rather than long term and prefer to party or do nothing whenever they finally manage escape their daily lives. The Greek traveling philosophy is similar to that of the other Mediterranean countries, and this is how it works:... Read more

Package holidays

Nicosia, CY (View on map)
Posted 24 Jan 2008:

Cyprus is a popular holiday destination that every summer welcomes more tourists than it has inhabitants. Sun, sea and night life draw herds of English, Germans and Scandinavians to the island but also tourists from Thailand, India and the Middle East. The holiday infrastructure in Cyprus is built on all-inclusive package holidays, leaving few opportunities for backpacking or discount travel. But how do Cypriots themselves pass their holidays and where?... Read more

Freedom tourism

Amsterdam, NL (View on map)
Posted 28 Dec 2007:

Windmills, wooden shoes and marihuana leaves: many people would be quick to associate those with The Netherlands. They may be surprised that they actually need to search for windmills should they want to see one. The same for people wearing wooden shoes. And even though marihuana can be easily obtained, it`s especially the tourists who openly consume it in the streets of Amsterdam.... Read more

Voyage, voyage

Angoul?me, FR (View on map)
Posted 27 Nov 2007:

The Spanish surprised me by their modest appetite for traveling internationally. On average, they enjoyed staying in their own country, and anybody having seen more than three different countries is considered truly international-minded. The French are different. Their country is directly connected to no less than nine countries, and they take pride in jumping across borders to measure the degree of civilisation on the other side.... Read more

British favourites

Liverpool, UK (View on map)
Posted 25 Oct 2007:

All cities I visited in the UK so far are very distinctly different from one another. Glasgow relates to football and work, Edinburgh is the more classical and stylish city, while Newcastle is a typical regional capital with a high number of working class inhabitants. I am curious which cities or regions the Britons themselves like the most, and which ones do not appeal to them at all. Here`s an overview:... Read more

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