(Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series about a former Era reporter’s trip to Europe.)  

I love to travel. Having a journey planned with a destination in sight takes the sting out of the potential frustrations of travel, like roadwork, traffic, what seems like a more ridiculous airport and airplane experience each time, and crowds. I love travel so much that I now moonlight as a travel agent when time allows.

I’ve always favored domestic travel with a personal goal to visit all 50 U.S. states by the time I turn 50. I’m getting closer, but as each day passes that goal looks like it will be more about reaching the 48 states in the continental U.S. Sorry Alaska and Hawaii, but you’re so far away and there’s only so much time and travel dollars to go around.

I never had much interest in venturing across the pond except for maybe Ireland and Poland, where the bulk of my distant relatives hailed from. So, imagine my surprise one day two years ago when friends of ours, who lead one of our local Girl Scout troops north of Buffalo, presented the idea of taking part in a 15-day journey to Europe in the summer of 2025. I initially shrugged, but as the time went on, I pondered — if not now, when? The opportunity to visit seven countries in a two-week span was of particular interest. I always try to see and do as much as I can in the time allowed when I travel, so this fit the bill.

After a bit of contemplation, and the opportunity to pay for the trip in monthly installments buffered with several fundraising options — it was organized by Scouting after all — we took the plunge.

Our voyage was unique. Managed by an internationally recognized educational tour company, the trip was planned by a few of the older Girl Scouts. They planned the cities we’d go to and the places we’d see. We’d start in London, then head to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Munich, Innsbruck and a trio of Italian cities — Verona, Venice and Rome, — along with Vatican City.

So after nearly two years of planning, prepping, payments and fundraising, on July 23 we set out on American Airlines to London — via Philadelphia International Airport — a place you should always try avoiding. We flew overnight and landed at London Heathrow just after 7 a.m., ready to hit the ground running for our first day. We met up with the rest of our travel group — there were 74 of us so we were divided amongst two flights — and our professional tour guides.

London might be the most difficult of our cities to remember without the benefit of photos or Facebook.

We started off with a driving tour through parts of the United Kingdom capital, with views of Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square and Kings Cross Station. We also saw the sights

refamiliarized by the Harry Potter movies — not exactly my thing, but you go with the flow on these types of adventures. After dinner we strolled past the Tower of London and London Bridge before settling in for the evening. Day two took us to the National Gallery, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the London Eye. So much to see in so little time.

The next morning, early the next morning, we boarded the Eurostar train to head to Paris. The line that takes you under the sea via the Chunnel and you emerge in France. I can’t say for sure what I expected riding in the Chunnel but you’re essentially in a dark tube for about an hour. Still, what an engineering marvel, in my mind.

Upon arrival, we navigated the streets of Paris to a beautiful first stop at Sacre-couer a Montmartre. A great hike to shake off the webs from the train. Two days in Paris meant we again saw so many sights. Breezing by places like the Place de la Concordia, Champs-Elysees, and Arc de Triomphe. We got plenty of daytime up-close views of the Eiffel Tower and beautiful nighttime views via a river cruise. My highlight was our power walk to Notre Dame. We discovered that yes, you can quickly walk a half mile, stand in a very long line, see the cathedral and make it back to your meeting point in one hour. A personal achievement! It was worth the time to see this magnificent piece of history as it is being repaired from the devastating fire several years back.

We departed France after two days to head to The Netherlands with a stop in Brussels, Belgium.

(Jim Pasinski is a former Era reporter and a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. He resides in Pendleton, N.Y.)