September 14, 2012 The immense cathedral of Cologne, Germany was built as a suitable resting place for the remains of the Three Kings who, as the Bible tells the story, visited the newborn Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The relics were brought to Cologne in 1146, having been removed […]
Author Archives: jim
Celebrating a Birthday at Hirschhorn Castle
September 10, 2012 Sometimes while on a trip around Germany one just has to say “why not?” and go to a castle for a dish of ice cream to celebrate a birthday. That’s what we did the other day to celebrate our guest Beth Renney’s birthday. Up, up, up we drove into the hills above […]
The Odenwald’s Silent Sentinal
September 10, 2012 Like a stone sentinal guarding the rolling hills of the Odenwald Forest, Auerbach Castle high above Bensheim-Auerbach has stood tall for more than 800 years. We visited this ruin on a warm September day while exploring ancestral Bensheim and Mannheim nearby. Auerbach Castle was built by Charlamagne and then rebuilt and enlarged […]
Mannheim, Germany
September 9, 2012 What do the world’s first automobile, the first bicycle and the first tractor have in common? Mannheim! All three were invented in this industrial town on the banks of the rivers Rhein and Neckar in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Known as “Grid City” the bustling large town was built on the […]
Postcard from Burgundy
Tending a vineyard the old-fashioned way with real horsepower
Solar Energy in Germany
August 7 It’s difficult to drive through Germany and not see solar panels on the rooftops of barns, houses and even churches. Huge patches of fields have been covered in hectares of panels. There are panels covering nearly every surface of the Munich Airport Terminal 2, which, as a pilot project when it was built […]
Sleeping in a medieval castle above the Rhein River in Germany
July 30 There’s no experience quite like spending the night in a castle high on a bluff above one of Europe’s prettiest river valleys. Recent guests of ours had this experience and for some, it was a repeat experience. Susan brought son Nick back for a second European Focus Private Tour and this time, four […]
Postcard from Ireland
A cart outside a coffee shop in Knightstown, Kerry, Ireland Do you like European Focus Postcards from Europe? Order any of your favorites that you see on this web site as blank inside photo notecards. Only $1.50 each includes envelope! Order by sending your inquiry to info@europeanfocus.com