From Valetta in Malta to Amsterdam in the Netherlands Goodbye Valetta and Hullo Amsterdam—Return Journey to Bombay Begins…Or So We Thought

Monday, August 31, 2026

From Valetta in Malta to Amsterdam in the Netherlands

Goodbye Valetta and Hullo Amsterdam—Return Journey to Bombay Begins…Or So We Thought

Our flight leaving Valetta, Malta, was at 7.25 am. from Malta International Airport. That meant we’d need to be at the airport at 4.30 am—three hours for international flights is our personal rule of thumb. Accordingly, we had called an Uber the previous night and had actually received a confirmation from the Uber driver that he would be there. Setting our phone alarms for 3.30 pm (In order to leave the studio at the ungodly hour of 2.00 am) meant that we showered and did all our packing the previous day. And we went to bed with a prayer on our lips, thanking God that we’d had such a splendid trip and hoping that all would go well on the morrow. Well…nothing went according to plan.

Uber Driver Goes AWOL:

First of all, our alarms went well on time, we awoke, got ourselves organized in half an hour, followed all the studio instructions from our landlady and dragged our baggage out into the alley to await the arrival of our Uber driver (who had been given instructions exactly where to meet us) at 4.10am. Needless to say, he did not arrive, Llew was running up and down the alley in the dead of morning looking for him and hoping he would appear, but no dice. Finally, I used my phone and called for another Uber on my own. We were surprised that a lady driver arrived after about 12 minutes and we were on our way to Malta International Airport about 20 minutes away. Despite the first snafu of the day, we arrived three hours before our flight’s departure—only to find that the desk would open half an hour later. We waited patiently and finally received our boarding passes. We requested the traffic assistant to place Priority tags on our baggage to ensure that they would be loaded on to our connecting flight in Bombay (after having both gone through the nightmare of lost baggage upon Arrival in Cagliari in Sicily via Paris through Air France, a few weeks go). He obliged and we were off.

Valetta Airport in Malta’s capital, is small but even though it was 5.00 am, it was buzzing. Once we cleared Security, we were in an area full of interesting shops selling handcrafts from Sicily. But, by that point, all we wanted to do was get a coffee and something inside us to sustain us through the few hours ahead when likely we would get nothing on the flight.

Flight from Valetta to Amsterdam:

As we had booked our flights through KLM, we were headed to Amsterdam. There, we would connect to a flight heading to Bombay—but we had only 50 minutes to make the connection and we were rather doubtful that we’d make it in time. Imagine our anxiety then, when we reached the gate and just before Boarding began, it was announced that our flight would be delayed by 30 minutes owing to bad weather in Amsterdam. “Ok, there goes our connection,” I said to Llew. I knew we could not afford a minute’s delay and a 30 minute delay was simply untenable. I immediately called Rohit in Bombay to let him know that there was a likelihood our return to India would be delayed, but we would keep him posted.

Our flight left about 40 minutes behind take off time. It was pleasant enough, I suppose, if one blocked out the anxiety of missing a connecting flight. We ordered Malta’s traditional snack, the pastizzi (filled with mushy peas) which the stewardess warmed for us before serving it, as well as a hot chocolate for me and a hot coffee for Llew. And with that, we felt we had some sustenance to go on, no matter what lay ahead. Meanwhile, darkness made way for dawn outside our window and I looked forward to the promise of a new day. We were also pleasantly surprised to receive a large chocolate chip cookie and water with the compliments of KLM as we’d made our booking through them.

And so, we made a landing at Schipol (Shee-pol) International Airport in Amsterdam, under drizzly skies but with a courageous sun trying to pierce through heavy cloud cover to reveal a rainbow which I was able to photograph through the window. A little while later, we were disembarking, pretty sure that our connecting flight had already left. However, to our surprise, we received a message online to inform us that our connecting flight to Bombay had, in fact, been “disrupted” (meaning cancelled) and that we would need to see KLM Ground Staff about rescheduling the flight. We had to walk through the length of several terminals to find the Desk that handled Transfer Passengers.

Eventually, when we did find the spot, we also found a good KLM Ground Assistant who gave us a waiting list number to join a long line of passengers waiting to be rescheduled on future flights. As Llew joined the line, I wandered around the Duty Free shops of Schipol Airport taking in the cheese shops, the clothes boutiques and realizing that Fall is here already in the Northern Hemisphere as passengers were already warmly clad and all the merchandise was for the cooler months head. I managed to get one really delicious complimentary cocktail in the liquor shop (that was much-needed and very cheering) and lots of cheese tidbits to sample in the many stores. Then, I joined Llew in the line and we eventually (after an hour) arrived at the counter where we were able to make our case. By this time, I had received word from KLM that we had been rescheduled on to a flight leaving at 5.30 pm (it was still only 1.30 pm) for Bangkok! It would arrive in Bangkok at 9.30 am (local time) and then we’d have almost a 12 hour wait in Bangkok Airport before we boarded a flight for Bombay. We’d reach Bombay about 40 hours later after midnight! Needless to say, this was completely unacceptable to us and we requested the clerk (in view of the cancellation and our age) to place us on the first flight going directly back to Bombay. This happened to be 24 hours later (as there is only one flight per day going directly to Bombay from Amsterdam through KLM). Of course, this also meant that KLM would have to host us in Amsterdam overnight. We would accept nothing less than a hotel for the night as well as all meals paid.

As it turned out, the clerk was more than obliging and gave us everything we asked for as well as travel allowance to the city and back to the airport in case we wanted to get there and see something of Amsterdam as we had so many hours at our disposal. We were overjoyed! By this time, it was almost 2.00 pm and we’d been subsisting on snacks and paltry hot drinks—so we took our new boarding passes and then made our way up to the Food Court to order some food (a proper lunch) and then use our phones to find a hotel close to the airport for which KLM would later reimburse us. Accordingly, I made myself a really delicious salad at a salad bar upstairs with lemon hummus as my dressing and Llew did the same. He also picked up a bottle of red wine while I picked up a Heineken can and with that promising tray, we sat down and ate.

More than an hour later, after having found a hotel through Booking.com that we felt would work for us (Llew wanted it to be close to the airport, rather than in the City Center, and I agreed), we left the Airport precincts, hoping to find a shuttle bus to our hotel (Residence Inn by Mariott). Only my phone did not work and we could not get through to the hotel to find out if they offered a free shuttle service and if so where we ought to wait for it, It was really quite nippy outside after the sweltering heat and humidity of the Mediterranean (indeed it came as something of a surprise and not a very pleasant one as we did not even have a jacket to keep us comfortable). Luckily, I always carry a wrap/shawl in my backpack and this proved invaluable. I also lost my patience trying to find a shuttle—so we simply hopped into a cab in the hope that KLM would reimburse charges (it was not very much—just 43 Euros). We found a cab soon enough and within 15 minutes, we were at our beautifully-appointed studio apartment right outside the airport Ring Road. We checked in, loved our studio, but had no time to admire or enjoy it. We merely used the loo and were off. We had no time to lose as we wished to see as much of Amsterdam on this bonus and entirely unexpected layover as possible before we lost light and darkness fell.

Carrying only what we needed, we took the shuttle bus to the airport (for a cost of 5 Euros each) and in 10 minutes by 3.30 pm, we were at Schipol Airport again. From there, we followed signs to the Railway Station that literally happened to be underground just below us (no need to walk miles as in London) and there we were. We bought our return tickets (24 euros for the two of us, round trip) and off we went. The train came in one minute and in less than 20 minutes, we were pulling into Amsterdam Central Station.

I have to tell you that I was really exhilarated as this visit to Amsterdam was not on the cards at all and I could think of a thousand worse places in the world to be! En route to Amsterdam, I had used my internet services to access Lonely Planet and find out what was the best way to see Amsterdam in 3 hours (because by 8.00 pm, we thought we would return to our hotel). Llew was also fighting a cough-cold and was not feeling entirely himself. However, being the trooper he is, he did not dampen my enthusiasm for exploring and he gamely followed me.

Our Walking Tour of Amsterdam Begins:

Of course, we could have done a million things with our three hours: headed straight for the Rijksmuseum to see some of the greatest Flemish art masterpieces in the world; taken a romantic canal cruise to see the city from its network of canals; or walk to some of the landmark areas to get a general feel of the city all over again—for we were returning to Amsterdam after about 15 years and were happy to recapture some of its unique charms.

As we exited Amsterdam Central Station, so many memories came back to my mind—this was at least my third visit to this city, although it could have been my fourth (I could not remember). Outside, it was heaving—a welcome change from the places I had frequented in the last three weeks that seemed to be devoid of human habitation. We followed an online map that took us along Damstrad, the Main Road leading from the station to Dam Square, the best-known spot for human congregation in the city. En route, we passed by every kind of touristic shop: souvenir stores selling T-shirts and magnets; cheese shops that also offered generous tastings; shops offering fries, burgers, pizza and other cheap tourist foods; shops selling tour packages including the daily sightseeing bus. We took in these aspects of the city but walked on as I enjoyed the delightful Dutch architecture—the narrow-gabled houses, brightly colored, the Amstel river filled with sailing craft, etc.

Eventually, we arrived at Dam Square. It was filled with people and pigeons and together, they made for some very atmospheric pictures. Of course, we posed in all the significant spots until we left the Royal Palace and the Modern Marble Monument behind as well as the Medieval church. I remember taking a walking tour in this area, several years ago, and being explained the significance of each of the important buildings in this square. I also remember eating a fresh raw herring with nothing but finely chopped onions, in this Square. About 35 years ago (when I had first arrived in Amsterdam, it was the cool thing to do and I had gamely done it. I remember the taste being quite pleasing but the texture (being slimy) not so much.

We sat at the Square for a bit and took a rest before following a map again that would take us to the most distinctive part of Amsterdam’s urban features—its network of canals.

Hanging Out at Amsterdam’s Canals:

And so, about fifteen minutes later, past narrow streets filled with delightful, one-of-a-kind merchandise, we arrived at our first canal. I was simply thrilled to take in the picturesqueness of the scenes. There were bicycles by the thousands, everywhere you turned, chained to railings; there were bicyclists by the dozen tearing past—it was scary…you had to look both sides carefully before crossing. There were canal boats filled with people taking cocktail cruises. There were the spires of distant churches to photograph and the dome of a distinct museum. There were vividly-painted bridges with arches or railings—all so lovely, so evocative of this glorious city that, in late summer-early fall, made it the perfect place to explore on foot. I was so relieved to leave the sauna that was Sicily and Malta behind and return again to the temperate zone where you could walk without feeling the urgent need for water or take a few steps without feeling as if you needed someone to push you forward from behind!

A Delightful Arty Series of Coincidences:

Yes, we lingered by the canals and bridges and took many pictures. We browed in the boutique and stroopwaffel stores where you could make your own waffle, decorate it as you pleased and take it home in a gift box. I entered a jewelry store to buy a pair of ear-rings, inspired by Vermeer’s painting, “Girl with a Pearl Ear-Ring”, only to find an interesting story behind the shop site. It had once belonged to a man called Herman Doomer, a wood-carving artist, who in Vermeer’s day, had made wooden frames for his cotemporary, Rembrandt’s, paintings. Although Rembrandt usually only painted the portraits of Flemish nobility, he as so grateful to Doormer for his labors, that he painted Doormer’s portraits as a gift to him. This portrait found its way to New York and eventually to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where I have seen it several times. Now what are the odds that I, an Indian woman, and a Docent at the Met in New York City, would come across a pair of ear-rings, inspired by Vermeer’s painting of a “Girl With a Pair of Ear-Rings’ while in the former home of a man who had made wooden frames for Rembrandt’s paintings and whose portrait (by Rembrandt) is currently in the Met—all bought while I was wearing a pair of pearl drop ear-rings reminiscent of the ones worn by the girl in the painting! It was all so fascinating to me—what an enormous twist of multiple coincidences it turned out to be!

Then, it was time for us to take a rest—we had been on our feet for almost three hours and Llew, who was making a valiant effort to keep up with my energy levels, needed to sit down. So, we looked for a place where we could eat. And so…we sat down to enjoy one of Holland’s best-known treats: its pancakes!

Enjoying Dutch Pancakes in a Dutch Master Pancake House:

The Dutch Master Pancake House is strategically located on Damstrat (the main city artery leading from Amsterdam Central Station to Dam Square) and ingeniously designed. It is focused on the work of famous Flemish painters: modern replicas of these masterpieces line the walls of this tiered restaurant which is classy and very sophisticated. You may be opting to eat pancakes, but you do it in an environment which makes you feel as if you are indulging in fine dining. This was exactly how we felt as we entered and were seated at a table that was overlooked by a clutch of Flemish 16th century worthies as seen in one of Rembrandt’s paintings. On the opposite wall, there were a number of Rembrandt’s works from his own self-portraits to those of his beloved wife. Saskia van Uylenburgh. Vermeer’s “Girl With a Pearl Ear-Ring’ had her own privileged corner. Right behind me was ‘The Laughing Cavalier’ by Franz Hals—the original is in the Wallace Collection in London. Downstairs, where I ventured to use the loo, was were more paintings by Rembrandt while one tier was kept exclusively for Van Gogh.

We decided to share the Traditional Dutch Apple and Bacon Pancake. When it arrived, we were surprised to see how thin it was—I meant really really flat. Thin slices of apple and bacon were embedded in it. There was maple syrup and powdered sugar on each table and we were supposed to moisten the pancake with them before eating. It was really delicious—the combination of sweet (apple) and savory (bacon) producing unique flavor. We also both ordered a hot chocolate (mine with whipped cream) and for dessert, we were given a complimentary stroopwaffel which was caramely and made for a cute sweet treat. All the while, I marveled at the fact that we were actually seated in Amsterdam—something that was simply not on the cards for us amytime soon! But I’ve come to realize that such is Life—you go with the Flow. When Life throws lemons at you, you squeeze every last drop and make lemonade. As long as you grab every opportunity that comes your way, you will never have any regrets. I am really pleased that Llew joined me on this enterprise. However, after we paid the bill and I asked him if we could stay for one more hour until the lights came on—so that we could see Amsterdam by night—he told me that he was not feeling well at all and really wanted to get back home as soon as possible. I completely understood and was grateful that we had done so much in the short four hours at our disposal.

Back to Our Hotel:

And with that, we decided to make our way back to our hotel by retracing our footsteps. We walked towards the Station, clicking pictures at every step and then found our platform for our train back to Schipol Airport. There was one in just five minutes and we were happy to find out platform (we had bought return tickets) and board our train. In twenty minutes, we were back at Schipol and in about ten minutes, along came the shuttle to take us to the Residence Inn. It was a little after 9.00 pm when we got ourselves ready for bed. The clerk down at the Reception Desk gave each of us a toiletry kit so that we had basic items to brush and floss our teeth and to wash up. It was indeed a most convenient place and one that made our unexpected layover in one of the world’s most beautiful cities truly a pleasure.

Until tomorrow, ciao…