We loved our three nights in the heart of Berlin’s Kreuzberg district. But afterwards, we loved the rural beauty of the Erzgebirge, where we stopped for a night at a favorite Landhotel near Seiffen. On the way, we took in the rolling greenery of the “Ore Mountains,” where silver mines enriched the Saxon rulers for […]
Oldest Bratwurst Kitchen in Germany
We stopped in the medieval bratwurst kitchen near the massive town walls of Nurnberg for lunch the other day, another highlight among many as Greg and I make a lazy romp through Germany. The brats at the “Zum Guldenen Stern” have been roasted over a wood fire for their hungry guests since 1419. This places […]
Berlin’s Flea Market After the Apocolypse
If every city got blown up and all of the malls and department stores were reduced to rubble, then a shopping experience would look like what we experienced the other day. “This is after the radioactive dust has cleared and people start to collect again,” is what was running through my mind as I wandered […]
Tipping in Germany
Tipping 20, 15 even as low as 10% of the bill in Germany is not required. What a relief for those who are tired of trying to figure out if a wait person earned it. Many who travel to Germany don’t know this. In Germany, unlike in America, waiters and waitresses don’t depend on tips […]
Follow August Adventures in Europe with European Focus Private Tours
August will be filled with travel and fun in Germany, Austria, Italy and Ireland. On August 4: Greg van der Werf arrives in Rothenburg ob der Tauber from California. Greg will be spending just over two weeks “goofing off” with European Focus Private Tours owner James Derheim in Berlin, Dresden, the Erzgebirge, Munich, Berchtesgaden, Schwangau […]
The Cruise industry versus small city charm
We will never, ever take a cruise. Don’t even tell us about your last one, because we hate, hate, hate what the cruise industry has done to once quaint towns and villages within reach of the nearest deep water port. Take Dubrovnik, Croatia for example. Now I have to be clear, we have never stepped […]
Building Future Adventures – Gasthof Wilder Mann, Lans, Austria
Our long week in Istria and Croatia is over, and we’re heading north to Rothenburg ob der Tauber for a few days of R&R (and packing and laundry!) before Jenean flies back to Sarasota on August 1st. Our final day included a drive through the gorgeous Brenner Pass to Lans, Austria where we overnighted at […]
Building future adventures – Krk, Istria, Croatia
We spent the night of July 22 at the Hotel Malin on the island of Krk, Istria. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon and went promptly to our room, a pretty plain one with a balcony featuring an expansive view of the Adriatic. Room service was called, and we were soon enjoying plates […]