My interest in the Eastern part of Europe began at a young age when I was traveling with my parents and sister through Europe in a campervan. We drove to Istanbul and from there we went trough Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia and Czech Republic. Those countries made such an impact on me as a little boy of twelve years old. Everything was so different, the attitude of the people, the buildings, the landscape and yet very close to the Netherlands.

In 2016 I bought an old Mercedes 508 camper myself. In the back I made a small darkroom where I could develop and print my films. Without a preconceived plan I drove east, the first stop was Romania. There I fell in love for the first time in my life, when I was 12 years old. In fact, I was so heartbroken when we left that I cried all day in the back of the camper. When we arrived in the evening, my mother sat down next to me. She said; "Do you really miss her so much, do you want us to go back?". To which I replied "YES!". So the next day we drove back, once we arrived it was obviously a disappointment. The romantic picture I had in my head was not there. In total we drove back three times, twice for me and once for my sister. Of course my parents knew it wouldn't be what I had hoped. They knew they were going to hurt their children, but they did it anyway. And for that wise lesson I’m still grateful to them.

These photos were taken on several trips I made to Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia & Slovenia. When I had arrived at my destination, I first walked and cycled through the city. Without a goal, just looking, feeling and photographing. That's what I like best about photography, being guided by the light. I always met people on the street, in bars or parks. Photography gives a reason to get close to people in a very short time.