In this time of lockdown and travel restrictions, it’s been fun and interesting to explore what is just around the corner, less than half an hour away from my home base of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. There are so many historic, pretty hamlets and towns. On January 1, we visited Burgbernheim, Middle Franconia, Bavaria. The […]
Tag Archives: bavaria
Rothenburg ob der Tauber under a blanket of fresh snow
A gorgeous place in any weather, medieval Rothenburg and the nearby hamlet of Detwang are splendid after a fresh snowfall. This is the European headquarters since 1999 for European Focus Private Tours. Owner James Derheim lives here full-time. Starting with the winter season of 2021-22 James will be offering winter tours in Bavaria as well […]
Getting into the Spirit of Oktoberfest in Bavaria
Our group of five couples from the Orlando and Charleston area, close friends since many years, all went out and bought apparel for their first in a lifetime (but we have a feeling not the last!) visit to the “Big Daddy” of beer festivals in Munich, Germany in September, 2017. Here we make a stop […]
Wallerstein’s Jewish Past
The hamlet of Wallerstein near the larger town of Noerdlingen has an interesting past, having once had a very large castle and many Jewish inhabitants. In fact, the synagogue once stood on the main road passing through town, which was unusual as synagogues were usually tucked away in a distinctly Jewish neighborhood. Unfortunately, the 1970s […]
Tracing Jewish Ancestors in Bechhofen, Bavaria
One of the more than dozen ancestral villages visited by lifelong genealogist Caroline Gries was tiny Bechhofen, located in Middle Franconia, Germany. We were lucky to have a local historian, Hans-Rainer Preiss, standing by to help us understand more about the Jewish history of this place. This included a visit to the location of the […]
Where Do You Want To Go Next?
October 2, 2015 James just finished a very unique trip with a mother and her 29 year-old son from near Boise, Idaho. When asked where in the world he wanted to go, young Andrew said he wanted to experience the Alps and some of Southern Germany. We worked together on an itinerary which fit in […]
A Chance Meeting Leads to Fun Adventures on Romantic Road, Rhein, in Nürnberg
September 22 Our business is built around tours of at least seven days long up to two or even more weeks. But this season we have had two wonderful experiences with very last-minute bookings from our home town away from home, Rothenburg ob der Tauber. These occurred during James’ downtime of September 5 – 21 […]
Thanks for Third Time with European Focus Private Tours
August 1 Tim S. and his family just returned to Arizona after their third trip with European Focus since 2005. We appreciate our return guests! Here is a small selection of photos from their epic journey, which covered more than 3,000 kilometers in four countries over 12 days. (Not our normal pace, but necessary in […]