idealism across open borders
the EU as a blueprint for humanity's multilateral survival
With an unparalleled density of countries and cultures and capitals clustered together, there's a lot to love about Europe, and all of it within easy reach once you're there. But what's more is the idealism behind that grand diplomatic project: the concept of cooperation over conflict—in a part of the world that was famously belligerent up until WW2. Learning lessons isn’t humanity's strong suit, but that one stuck. For now. The European Union is threatened from within. Domestic right wing populism is attacking the borderless community. First Brexit, then Who’s-Next-It.
In a time when global cooperation is paramountestest—because existential threats like climate change and rogue AIs don’t recognize borders—the EU is a role model for multilateralism. Cultural exchange. Open trade. Pooled resources. It’s smart. And it’s the future. We don’t need more walls. We need more doors.
Traveling within the Schengen area is a delight. There are parts where you can pass through three different countries within an hour. By road, not air. A different world right next door. Different language, architecture, societal temperature. Of course, travel is about more than travel. It's about learning from one another. About cherishing our differences as much as our commonalities. A world of isolated islands can’t bring humanity together for the common cause. Open borders and open arms can.
I've done a bit of traveling across Europe recently, so here are some impressions to drive my point home:
a greener Paris
Being Europe's most densely populated capital isn't exactly a win. With intensifying heat waves washing over the region, it's a challenge that has urban planners sweating. But Paris' last mayor accepted the challenge and championed climate-resilience strategies to make Paris Europe's greenest.
Large green spaces are all I missed when I lived in Paris, so if they fix that, my heart's just gonna burst with longing. I'm still madly in love with that shamelessly beautiful city, but after living in Paris, visiting Paris is mostly torture. Knowing that you have to leave so soon overcasts your every step along those boulevards lined with trees and memories. Of course, one can only smile at the prospect and privilege of said torture.
when in Rome, park as the Romans do
Eternal like history itself, the Rome that was is still the Rome that is, and hopes run high that its historic endurance will never get old. It's a city of progressive preservation, wedding past with future through everyday ceremonies. Never and nowhere have I seen so many tiny, fuel-efficient cars, necessitated by the very age of the city with its narrow alleys and near-impossible parking puzzles.
If it wouldn't make me cringe so much, I'd call this city fantabulous. Alas, Rome, thus, is no secret, and tourists conquer its every corner day and night. Moderate expectations are foreign to super-cities like Rome, so its realities might have to play catch-up with your anticipation.
AmsterDAM
If you like water—and who doesn’t—it's hard to dislike Amsterdam. That city makes you feel like a seafarer on vacation. Canals spiral around the center like liquid yarn, along row after row of slender apartment buildings that wear their birthyears proudly. And water is life, but water can also be death. The threat is in the Dutch name: the NETHERlands lie flat below sea level in many parts, making the country vulnerable to flooding. Turning such vulnerability into strength, the Dutch know their dams. With sea levels on the rise, that engineering ingenuity is handy knowledge for all coastal nations.
hopping into the blender that is Belgrade
A city as hospitable as its people, Belgrade welcomes you with free public transport and generous affordability. Both East and West, old and young, fancy and rundown, Serbia's capital is a blender you'll gladly hop in to become part of the mix. It’s a good place to embrace societal and idealistic differences.
Coming in from the Schengen area, suddenly there’s that border control again. And while it isn’t an exorbitant nuisance for a traveler, it gives you an idea why Serbia and others want to join the EU and become part of a larger place of belonging.
where to next
Right now I'm in Bulgaria. Next stop, North Macedonia. Stay tuned for updates.
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So long,
Miles
