A Sojourn Beyond 'Miles'

From the rain-washed canals of Amsterdam to story-filled streets of Dublin, the transit itself gives a sense of discovery—with warmth and hospitality running as common threads all throughout; write Manjit P. & Vinod Kumar

- Manjit P. & Vinod Kumar

When we boarded our flight from Bangalore's Kempegowda International Airport, the monsoon drizzle had just begun outside. The air smelled of wet earth and filter coffee, a comfort that clung to us as we prepared for a long haul across continents. Dublin was our final destination, but curiosity and wanderlust made us choose Amsterdam as our transit stop. Neither of us wanted the trip to be just about reaching; we wanted it to be about discovering.

On the flight, Vinod kept busy trying to guess which European football jerseys we would first spot once we landed in Amsterdam, while I, Manjit, scribbled notes in a small leather-bound journal. The cabin was filled with the familiar murmur of fellow Indians heading to study, work, or holiday abroad. A young man next to us was flying to Amsterdam for his master's in artificial intelligence. He confessed he had never left India before, and his nervous excitement reminded us of our own first trips years ago. We swapped stories, and he said, "If I lose my way in Amsterdam, I'll remember this conversation and look for two Indians with too much luggage."

Amsterdam welcomed us with rain, but also with an energy that Bangaloreans can instantly connect to—a city that moves fast but finds time to pause by canals with a bicycle parked nearby. With a long layover, we decided to take a quick trip into the city instead of staying put at Schiphol airport.