A Day in the Black Forest

September 30 from a visit on September 29 We traveled the other day from lakeside Meersburg to Hirschhorn on the Neckar River, passing on the way through the green heart of the Black Forest. We stopped for a walk along Germany’s Highest Waterfall at Triberg, had Black Forest cake (of course!) and a beer for […]

The Bremerhaven German Emigration Museum

September 14 – from a visit here on September 9 We visited the Bremerhaven German Emigration Museum recently as part of Ken and Gloria Temple’s 17-day exploration of ancestral villages and towns and sightseeing around Germany. The museum was opened in 2002 and since then, has improved its presentation dramatically with a fascinating look into […]

Castles, Country Inns and Historic Guesthouses Tour for July, 2013 a Wrap

  We sent our guests back to Calgary today after the conclusion of their first trip to Germany. Sisters Jennifer and Christina enjoyed a relaxed tour throughout southern and southwestern Germany including a stay in a castle at Hirschhorn, a stay in Germany’s oldest hotel in Miltenberg, three nights in Germany’s oldest fortified town of […]

Taking Photographs is Part of the Trip

People on a big bus tour rarely get to stop and smell the flowers, much less take the time for a well-composed photograph. With European Focus Private Tours philosophy of “your pace is our pace,” our guests have all the time they want to capture the moment. Our recent guest Art shoots his ancestral village […]

Taking a Nap at 6,017 feet

A tourist naps on a bench above the Eagle’s Nest, known locally as the Kehlstein Haus. The site is popular with those wishing to have a splendid view over the Berchtesgaden Alps. One can see far into Austria from this vantage point. Or, one can examine the insides of one’s eyelids, as in this man’s […]

Welcome Back Fifth Time Guests Art and Carol

(From September 21, 2012) Art and Carol have taken five trips with European Focus since 2008 including trips in Germany, Italy, Ireland, France, Spain and for this most recent adventure, which started in Berchtesgaden, Germany we traveled through parts of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. More to come, and welcome back Art and Carol!

Willmandingen, Germany and the Roots of the Heinz Family

September 16 Today Suzanne Pellegrino and Beth Renney spent time with another side of the family, the Heinz side, which stems from the village of Willmandingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Our visit started with church service at the Protestant St. Gallus, dating from 1903 but built onto the remains of a much older tower from at least […]

Visiting German Relatives in Hoinkhausen

(From a visit made to Hoinkhausen on September 12 and 13) When German relatives know you’re coming, the red carpet not only gets rolled out, it gets wrapped around you. Suzanne Pellegrino and her sister Beth Renney not only gave their relatives in tiny Hoinkhausen, Germany advance notice, they gave them nearly a year to […]