As we wing our way back to the New World, I can’t resist a backward glance at the old one. I’ve been a “Europhile” since I first traveled to the continent as a wide-eyed 20-year-old. This trip has done nothing to dispel that. If anything, it’s intensified it.

We’ve had the chance to see new sights and visit old friends, an unbeatable combination. My only regret is that I can’t stay longer. I don’t want to be greedy, though.

I return with many memories and images. An Alsatian village seen from the Wine Trail. The glistening western facade of the newly restored Notre Dame. Flowers spilling from a window box on the Herengracht. Rembrandt’s self-portrait as the Apostle Saint Paul.

But mostly my mind is filled with Europeans, the old friends and the new ones, even just the fellow travelers. It’s a different world over here. I’ll miss when we’re back.