From time to time, I’ll recount a story from BB (Before Blog). Here’s one from Ireland: My wife and I were traveling through the back roads of County Tipperary, careening along narrow little roads one van following the next. I was in the lead. We were getting lost and having fun doing it. After half […]

I’m a big believer in taking the little roads, and I mean the Little Roads whenever possible. These are called ‘Class D’ roads in Germany. Class ‘A’ roads are the Autobahn. Class ‘B’ roads are state highways. On to the more interesting, ‘D’ roads are the little paved former footpaths which connected the villages. These […]

One of my favorite places to bring guests for lunch and a stroll afterwards is the miniscule village of Beilstein on the Mosel River. This hamlet survives entirely on tourism. Of course, it wasn’t always this way, as the castle ruin and vineyards surrounding the village tell a story of a bustling crossroads of trade […]

One of my favorite places to bring my guests is a place that I’m really not supposed to drive to. The road in is clearly marked “For Farmers Only.” I’ve always wanted to add a line in magic marker, “and for James Derheim, sometimes.” The road winds its way through fields and vineyards, coming to […]

Those booking trips with European Focus Private Tours for 2008 can enjoy interest on their tour deposits. For all trips booked before July 1, 2007 we are offering a flat 7% interest (starting on the day you make your deposit and ending on the day your trip commences, APY) for all trips of at least […]

I’m getting ready for the arrival of tour number three for this season. Rudy and Shirley Rice, Devon Kruger and Phyllis Goble will be arriving in Frankfurt on the 24th to start their Grand Adventure. We’re going to start in Miltenberg am Main (shown above) with two nights at the venerable ‘Riesen’ hotel. This hotel […]

My wife Jenean and I love to go scouting for tours. What is scouting? It’s the tour before the tour. I have to become the expert in a very short time on a village or town that my clients have hired me to show them. In this case, it’s a part of Franconia just to […]

Mark Twain wrote in his novel ‘A Tramp Abroad’ about Heidelberg Castle: ‘Misfortune has done for this old tower what it has done for the human character sometimes – improved it.’ Here our guest Ruth Ertel takes in one of the most beautiful ruins in Germany. For more information about Mark Twain’s stay in Heidelberg […]