Back to 'Western' europe after 2 months away

Tomorrow we head into Austria and return to what was traditionally referred to as ‘Western Europe’ after 7 weeks in Eastern Europe, Turkey and Greece. The differences between ‘east’ and ‘west’ are in no doubt reducing and it would have been interesting to have made this trip 20 years ago to see just how much change has occurred.

I don’t think much about the EU when I am at home, I’m pretty certain most of us don’t  – you hear much complaint about just how much money we pump into Brussels but the facts as to how much, what it is used for and whether the UK really benefits from being an EU member state I have not educated myself on and am ignorant to;  I don’t know who my MEP is and can’t remember when I last used my EU election vote. Oddly enough, the Outer Hebrides in Scotland is one of the few places I have tangibly seen the benefits of EU money investment in our infrastructure; the EU flag proudly displayed next to single track roads being straightened or widened to 2 lanes or a next to a new causeway between two islands.

The growth of the EU state on mainland Europe and its ‘normalising’ impact is very much evident far beyond just the removal of border posts...add to it the Euro, large company globalisation (supermarket, phones, cars, McD’s..), ATM’s, chip and PIN, the internet and the old west/east and,to a degree, country to country distinction is dissolving away.

Slovenia has the Euro, a loaf of bread or a beer costs the same as it does in Germany as does a litre of fuel; all decent size towns have large supermarkets; they drive Citroen, Audi, BMW, Peugeot, Fiat, Fords; they have croissants, baguettes, round loafs and square loaves in the bakeries; James Blunt is playing in the bars; French Cotes de Rhone, Chilian Red and German Riesling sit side by side with a Slovenian wine in the wine shelves and I still remain surprised and embarrassed as to just how many can speak English.

If you were dropped unknowingly onto a Slovenian street corner and asked where you were then I think you would need a little time to work it out. When I went to France on holiday as a kid 90% of the cars were a Renault, Peugoet or Citroen, bread was long and thin, you couldn’t buy a bottle of wine from outside France, they had their own currency ( Franc), you got your cash by waiting for Monday morning to queue in a bank with your travellers cheques and they had their own supermarkets chains. It wasn’t that every other person was riding a bike around with a beret, striped top and a ring of onions around their necks  but it was pretty obvious that you could only be in France and France is in western Europe.

Of the 17 countries we have seen to date Albania is the country least ‘Europe normalised’ and wins by a clear head with Romania/Bulgaria behind. Buying a bun for breakfast in an Albanian/Romanian bakery was often a lottery – The English language doesn’t get you that far so arriving back at the campsite with a bun hiding a sausage or a banana or packed with brown prune paste is not a surprise. Oddly and partially stocked Mini market after mini market is where you shop, coca cola is not the leading cola brand nor is it sold in every shop and large supermarkets are only in the very large towns.

My parents have recently come back from a holiday in the Shetland Isles. Lerwick (the island capital) now has a large Tesco’s and they are about to start their normal van delivery service. The Shetland isles are large and there are many of them and for those living in the outer isles this service will be seen as an improvement – convenience, choice, cost....however there will be a different cost to small businesses, local shops and the community as the shopping is ordered on a laptop or i-pad at home. 28 years ago I spent 3 months living and working in the Shetlands – Lerwick had one average Co-op, local shops did the rest and those in the outer isles lived with little mainland Shetland dependence.......you knew you were living somewhere very different from the average UK town.

What we have been privileged to see in Europe over the past few weeks is all too similar, albeit on a larger scale, to what we are seeing at home in the UK and no doubt what is also going on in every EU member state. Some of each country’s individuality is being lost but just as Lancaster may now have a ‘Cornish pasty shop’ a pasty in St.Ives in Cornwall will always beat it hands down as does proper quality beer  in Germany  or CZ ( which is fantastic).

The EU flag is ever present in the ‘east’ and also the rest of mainland Europe. Perhaps it may be more so in those countries who have joined in the later waves, and it is often seen , capturing equal importance, flying next to their own flag. 

It will be fascinating to come back in 10+ years, do it all again, and see just how it has all moved on.