August 25, 2015 Magdeburg was one of the most important medieval cities in Europe starting from the 10th century and lasting all the way up to 1631 when it suffered terribly during the 30 years war of 1618-48. Presented to Edith as a wedding gift from her husband’s father, the market town on the Elbe […]
Author Archives: jim
Book now for 2016 Adventures
August 9, 2015 With our calendar for 2015 completely full (15 tours) we are now booking private, custom-designed trips for our clients for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. James has been working in Europe since April 14. Jenean has been working in Europe since April 22. Our season ends on October 18. What sets European […]
The Ancient Castle of Runkel, Germany
August 9, 2015 While on an ancestral discovery trip to nearby Oberursel, our guest Steffani from near Atlanta, Georgia had the opportunity to conquer her fear of heights AND explore an ancient medieval castle all at the same time. It was a bright and gorgeous July day when guide James Derheim offered a day trip […]
Ancestral Visit to Oberursel, Germany
August 9, 2015 Steffani D. is back home now in Georgia after her week in Germany. This was a trip that was spurred by a death in the family, an event that made Steffani realize that she had to get to Germany to trace her mother’s roots before it was too late. The trip was […]
The Sacristy of the Augustinian Monastery at Vorau, Austria
June 23, 2015 With almost a divine intervention, the beautiful sacristy of the Augustinian Monastery was spared the destruction of Soviet bombing late in the Second World War. The ceiling frescoes were painted by artist J.C. Hackhofer during 1716. He and the other artists in his workshop did the Last Judgment and also the Last […]
The Library of the Augustinian Monastery at Vorau, Austria
June 23, 2015 We have been spending the last two weeks with three clients from Texas who have more than just a casual interest in history, philosophy, art and literature. So it was a natural to make a stop at the Vorau Augustinian Monastery at Vorau, about an hour and a half south of Vienna. […]
Off Limits Cities for July and August
June 4, 2015 This came up recently while discussing a potential future trip with a family from Canada. European Focus no longer takes guests to the following “Red Zone” cities and areas from mid-July through end of August: London Amsterdam Berlin Paris The South of France Italy (all of Italy) Portugal Spain Why? Because of […]
We’re Using Facebook more and more
June 1, 2015 Please “Like” our page today and follow along on the adventures. https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanFocusPrivateTours