October 17 from a visit spanning October 12-15 We have brought many of our guests to this beautiful spa hotel nestled in a pasture surrounded by mountains outside of Berchtesgaden. Our current guests Jim and Denise, who are celebrating three decades of marriage with a Grand Trip in Europe took full advantage of the spa […]
Author Archives: jim
Through the Tyrol to Berchtesgaden
October 17 from a visit on October 12 The morning after the big snow which blanketed the region around Innsbruck, Austria with more than 10 inches of snow dawned bright and cold with just a little morning fog which had lifted by the time we were ready to begin our journey from Lans to Berchtesgaden. […]
A Snowy Surprise in Tyrol, Austria
October 11 We woke this morning at our lodge in the hamlet of Lans to about ten inches of new snow covering every surface and filling the surrounding pines with a heavy layer of white. It was the perfect morning for a drawn out, lazy breakfast followed by some organizing in the room before we […]
New Wine and Onion Cake in the Wine Country of Baden, Germany
October 11 from a visit there on October 8 We stopped in a lovely cafe in the village of Durbach the other day for a real treat. New wine, called ‘Federweisser’ and onion cake, called ‘Zweibelkuchen,’ which tastes great as an autumn combination. Here’s the recipe: http://germanfood.about.com/od/baking/r/zwiebelkuchen.htm
Germans Represent A Huge Slice of the American Population
October 9 It’s time to break out the bratwurst as the United States celebrates German-American Day on Oct. 6. Commemorating the founding of Germantown, Pa. in 1683, the holiday celebrates America’s largest ancestry group, with 49 million people claiming part or full German heritage. As President Barack Obama proclaimed a few years ago on this […]
An Afternoon in the Alsace, France
October 9 We stayed two nights recently in a great little inn located in Gleiszellen, right on the border between the German wine country and the Alsace region of France. What better way to spend the afternoon than with a visit to a couple of colorful and charming villages along the Route du Vin? (French […]
Slow Travel in Alsace, France
October 8 Jim and Denise are enjoying their 19-day trip through southern Germany with an excursion one day to the colorful Alsace of France and a lunch stop in little Riquewihr. We like the old farm with the sundial and ‘Carpe Diem’ painting above.
We Love The Back Roads of Europe
October 9 Big Tour Buses don’t take them. Tourists on their own with just a map or GPS system don’t know where they are. But with a combined 40 years of European travel experience, the guides of European Focus Private Tours know where they are. We’re talking about those little back roads of Europe, where […]