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

We departed France after two days to head to The Netherlands with a stop in Brussels, Belgium. Brussels was probably our shortest stop as we saw some sights and a group of us took part in a Belgian chocolate-making class. My personal highlight after making chocolate was my very healthy lunch, consisting of a triple chocolate Belgian waffle and double chocolate hot chocolate. After that, time was tight, so we boarded our buses out of Belgium to head to Amsterdam.

The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

Photo courtesy of Jim Pasinksi

We kicked off our adventure in the capital city of Amsterdam with an enlightening tour of the Anne Frank House. Various sections of the original structure remain intact, leaving one in awe of the perseverance of the families at the time to share such close quarters for such a long time without being found by the German military and ultimately being killed by the Nazis. This historic landmark should be a must-see for any visitors to Amsterdam.

Fun fact — The Netherlands has the most canals of any nation on Earth, thanks to its below sea level elevation. This makes for stunning views and a remarkable walking city, just don’t walk in groups too large or you could get fined by the local police. Don’t ask us how we know. Our small group spent plenty of time walking the city, taking in all the sites, including Riekermolen and Europaboulevard. Just on the outskirts of the capital you’ll find a fun village where we took part in a clog-making demonstration and a cheese-making demonstration, took a stroll through a windmill and then toured a historic fishing village.

The only mid-trip airplane travel on our itinerary found us flying a short jaunt from Amsterdam to Munich, Germany, the fifth nation and capital city of our voyage. Upon arrival in Munich, we traveled to the city center for sightseeing, shopping, eating and more. My personal favorite store was the Haribo gummy candy shop, where we picked up fun shapes and flavors at super cheap prices. Other ventures during our two days in Munich included the Nymphenburg Palace, Englischer Garten — where pros can actually surf on the river in the middle of the city — plenty of historic churches and the memorable Glockenspiel musical clock tower on Marienplatz. We also visited BMW World and saw Olympic sites.

Without a doubt for me, the one attraction on our trip that will stay with me the most was our visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial just outside Munich. It was a sobering but necessary start to our last day in Germany.

The ovens at Dachau.

Photo courtesy of Jim Pasinski

To bear witness to the relics of the horrors that occurred there was life changing. The memorial is vast, thorough, authentic and all too real. From the original gates, the foundations of the barracks that housed so many victims, the furnaces where bodies were turned to ash, the rail tracks, to the visual and first-hand accounts of what took place there, we learned so much. My only regret from the visit was not having more time to see it all. I didn’t see everything and could have spent hours more. In today’s hyper-politicized climate, it put into perspective for me just how people are too willing and too eager to toss out words like Nazi and Hitler when speaking of today’s issues and politicians. A visit to a place like Dachau will reinforce what real hate and lack of compassion for your fellow man actually looks like. We need to learn from the horrors of the past but maybe be more careful with the words and rhetoric we choose today.

It’s not possible to segue from the story of Dachau to our next stop. After departing Munich, we headed to one of my favorite stops, the home of Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss and more, Innsbruck, Austria.

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