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Been a really long time since I’ve written anything here – probably the longest break I’ve taken from here ever since I started blogging. The last month was super hectic with work travel – if you’re following me on Instagram, you probably know how hectic (and fun) it was – and that’s why I was away from here.
Anyways, for the unaware, I was in Amsterdam speaking at KubeCon Amsterdam 2026 – my first time in Amsterdam. And as always, after every KubeCon, I decided to take a short break. This time it was another mini Europe tour to Luxembourg and Belgium.
So in this post, I’ll be sharing more about my speaking experience at KubeCon Amsterdam as well as a sneak peek into my European tour.
Speaking at KubeCon Amsterdam 2026 – 3 Talks Recap
It was around early this year when I got a confirmation that I’d be speaking at KubeCon Europe – again 🧿 – and I already started thinking about where I’d travel to next this time around. Irrespective of that, I had booked my tickets early with Etihad. The plan was to travel from Hyderabad to Amsterdam via Abu Dhabi.
And then you all know what happened in the world, and every day was like “will the flight go?”, “Will the flight get cancelled?” – I was clouded with these questions, but eventually the flight took off, and I was able to speak at my 8th consecutive KubeCon!
Read all my previous KubeCon experiences.
This time around at KubeCon Amsterdam 2026, I took the stage thrice, and here’s a quick recap of the talks, with links to my LinkedIn posts for more details. But if you’re here for the travel and exploration bit, feel free to skip this part!
- Platform Engineering Community Updates: This was the first stage appearance at the Platform Engineering Day. As one of the co-chairs of the global platform engineering community at CNCF, I was there with others sharing the community updates in a room full of people. Read my LinkedIn Post for more.
- Building Golden Paths using a maturity playbook: This talk was a more technical one where I spoke about how teams can actually build a Golden Path from absolutely nothing. Based on my experience, I realised this was a gap that no one addressed, and I presented the talk with a technical demo. The talk was received well, and I had some interesting discussions post the talk. Will embed the video once it’s live! Read my LinkedIn Post for more.
- Your most trusted user isn’t human: this was a short lightning talk where I spoke about AI agents, highlighted loopholes around their access to our systems, and also showed a glimpse of how platforms can help. This was my first AI-related talk at a KubeCon, and it felt good.
Apart from these, I was at the platform engineering morning coffees during Kubecon Amsterdam 2026, where the group meets over coffee (and croissants) to discuss platform engineering – and this time we had a wonderful crowd! I was also a tour guide for the newbies at KubeCon Amsterdam, taking them around the project pavilion and telling them how to navigate KubeCon. I also was at our community booth interacting with folks around platform engineering and content strategy.
Overall, quite a fruitful KubeCon. I’d like to thank the CNCF for sponsoring my travel to attend and speak at KubeCon Amsterdam 2026. Their Dan Kohn scholarship is very beneficial for anyone attending KubeCon who needs financial support. I had received this support for KubeCon Chicago and KubeCon Paris earlier, and this time it was the speaker fund.
Post KubeCon Amsterdam Mini Europe Darshan
Once the KubeCon was over, like earlier ones, I decided to take a week-long break (a shorter one compared to last time) to explore. The biggest concern this time around was the uncertainty about travel with everything happening in West Asia, so I was least prepared. In fact, a lot of the preparation was done while I was in Amsterdam, so here’s a sneak peek of what I did post KubeCon.
At a high level, I spent 2 days post KubeCon in Amsterdam, took a train to Luxembourg, and spent 2 nights there. From there, I took another train to Brussels and spent 2 nights there as well. Visited Brugge as part of that stay. Came back to Amsterdam, spent 2 nights, and then took my flight back to Hyderabad.
Amsterdam
I had plans to explore Amsterdam during KubeCon, at least after the conference, but that didn’t happen, because I was really tired on most days after clocking 30k steps and with all the networking and talking. So the actual exploration happened only after KubeCon Amsterdam was over.
First things first, I spent a lot of time walking in Amsterdam, whether it was walking to the venue or back to my room, or just otherwise exploring the city. The road from Amsterdam Centraal to Rokin and onwards to Waterlooplein – I’ve walked so much that I know exactly what’s where 😅
Anyways, from having fries at Mannekin Pis on the main road to raiding Tony’s chocolates across and exploring the famous red light area, I did quite a bit in Amsterdam. The canals are truly beautiful. I also took a good canal ride. Ever since I took one in Chicago, I’ve been taking one in every city I visit that has one available.
I also visited the famous Windmills of Amsterdam in Zaanse Schans and watched the beautiful Tulips bloom in Keukenhof – this was beautiful, and a must-try. Apart from that, I was surprised by the Dutch cheese here – I brought some from Henri Willig as well.
Check out my Amsterdam Instagram Highlights for more.
Luxembourg
I felt that Luxembourg isn’t quite on the tourist radar for a lot of people – at least from India – and I’m glad. The only reason I did this trip was that the historic centre in Luxembourg is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and you know how much I love exploring historic sites like this one.
I took a train from Amsterdam Centraal to Brussels (the train eventually went to Disneyland Paris) and then took another one from there to Luxembourg. The total journey time, I’d say, was around 6 hours. And what do I even say about the landscape? It’s just amazing! Lots of windmills until Brussels, and from there on a lot of greenery and occasional snow.
The town of Luxembourg isn’t very large, and I felt 2 days, or max 3, are good to cover the main parts of it. I stayed at the Youth Hostel, which was located right below a viaduct bridge, and it was so beautiful! Apart from that, I walked A LOT in the historic square – Notre Dame, Saint Michel Church, Place D’Armas, Peitruss park, and the markets. It was beautiful! Also, the airport is fairly close by, so you can get a glimpse of lots of flights – like I got to see the B747, TWICE!
Apart from that, I also got to visit the Mullerthal, also called the mini Switzerland of Luxembourg. It’s a 112 km long hiking track – a very well-marked one – that a lot of people take. It goes through lush green plains, dense forests, waterfalls, and it’s an ultimate place for hiking lovers. It’s about a 2-hour drive from Luxembourg town, and the best part is, you have pubic transport from the railway station to the starting point of the hike – just why I love travelling to Europe – the public transport! Oh, and yes, the public transport in Luxembourg is free!
Check out my Luxembourg Instagram Highlights for more.
Brussels
The next place was Brussels, which I visited on my return. I’ll be frank – I didn’t quite plan this leg well – so it was a little rushed. But again, my focus was mostly on the Brussels central – the UNESCO World Heritage place – and I covered those. The Brussels Palace is STUNNING! In fact, the entire place is just beautiful. The museum buildings and the streets leading to the place are very photogenic. I had the famous Belgian Fries here and also shopped for Belgian Parlines from Neuhaus along with Belgian chocolates.
Walked a lot again, visited a bunch of other places, including the Brussels Midi Station, Royal Palace, Sabon Park, Mont des Arts, to name a few. Also witnessed the icon of Brussels – Mannekin Pis (the peeing guy), and the world perhaps comes just to see it!
I couldn’t visit a lot of places like the auto world or the famous Atomic building, but I’m not sad about it. I got to see what I wanted to.
Check out my Brussels Instagram Highlights for more.
Brugge
I also did a day trip to Brugge – which is about a 1-hour train ride from Brussels. The ancient town is a tourist town – its main source of income is tourism – and that’s been the case for a long time. Since it was a day tour, I opted for a guided tour of the city along with a canal boat ride. The walk was pretty good, told a lot about the history of the town, showed important places like the Belfort, Basilicas, along with old wind mills.
I felt this was a good day trip or a max 2-day trip. It’s a proper tourist city, lots of shops, souvenirs, and stuff. But make sure to walk around and explore the streets – they are beautiful! Also, it was pretty cold, especially with the chilly winds, so make sure you go prepared.
Check out my Brugge Instagram Highlights for more.
Overall, it was a very packed, short, but quite an eventful trip. A lot happened at KubeCon Amsterdam during the entire trip, just sitting by the window or by a canal and meeting myself, again, but a new version.
This might sound a little philosophical, but do you know – the person who packs the bag before the trip, comes back home and unpacks, isn’t the same person!
What Next?
Well, I’m just getting out of my Amsterdam travel hangover, and I have another exciting trip coming in a few days. It’s not a work trip – and it’s to a place where I’d be travelling to for the first time! So make sure you follow me on Instagram for the latest updates.
In terms of blog posts, I know I’m lagging A LOT – Switzerland, Italy, Atlanta, Peru, Germany, Turkey, and now the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium – there’s so much to share, and I haven’t done anything yet. And I hope to get back and share details, itineraries, and experiences with you. I know I can use AI and get it done faster, but that’s not Maharaj. So please bear with me for this one.
So yeah, that’s about it for this blog post. If you have any queries or suggestions, drop them in the comments below. You can also tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj or DM @Atulmaharaj on Instagram or Get In Touch.
