May 9 We are on an 18-day adventure with repeat clients Gayle and Peter from Amarillo, Texas. We started this trip in Chartres, France and will end in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Along the way we are exploring historic sites connected with the medieval pilgrimage route from France to Santiago. Millions of feet have passed […]
Christmas Markets Tour Germany 2014
May 2 There is one more opportunity for a Christmas Markets Tour starting on or about December 3 and lasting anywhere from a week to ten days. Please submit your application form prior to October 21. Remember that all tours conducted by European Focus are custom-designed around your wishes, interests and abilities. No cookie-cutter tours, […]
The origin of the phrase ‘hold your trap!’
May 2 This is a common sight in ancient churches in Europe. Choir benches, made for monks or priests to stand for hours reading, praying, chanting, or whatever monks and priests did in the times when churches were primarily for prayer and not for tourists. There is a story that goes along with those solid […]
Chartres, France is a medieval jewel
May 2 We just finished two days of exploring Chartres, a city about a hour to the south and west of Paris but many more miles away in terms of peace and a small-town feeling evoking a time more than 900 years ago. Chartres is not just amazing for its huge cathedral, although that is […]
The Awful Vatican Museums And Why We Will Never Return
Photo courtesy Dan LaValley May 2 Pope Francis – please if you have time with all that you have to do add this to your ‘To Reform’ list about the way the Vatican Museum including the Sistine Chapel is operated. Your museum is, in the words of my stepdaughter, a ‘Shit Show.’ Harsh words for […]
This Couple Lives on Top of Roman History
May 2 I was invited to have dinner with Roland and Anne Geiger recently. As we sat in their cozy dining room heated by a wood-burning stove with our nostrils being savagely attacked by the wonderful smells coming out of the kitchen behind the wall, Roland entertained me with stories of what he has found […]
The Enchanting Amalfi Coast of Italy
April 28 Even though getting there can be a bit hairy at times with Italians driving far too fast for the conditions, tour buses taking up more than their share of the narrow, winding road which hugs a sheer drop off, the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy is worth every drop of sweat shed during […]
First Trip to Europe
April 28 James was pleased recently to have two guests from Chicago fulfill their dream of visiting not only Italy for the first time, but Europe. The two arrived in Venice to start their two-week adventure which included Tuscany, Umbria, Rome and the Amalfi Coast. James has created a blog with many images from their […]