Berlin's Rise from the Ashes

Where’s the action in Berlin? It’s all in the former East of the city, in places like Potsdamer Platz where building cranes have been replaced by gleaming new towers of exceptional, interesting architectural designs. The new Lehrter Bahnhof shines to the north of the new Chancellor’s residence and office. A long line of people wait […]

Hamburg Harbor Tour is Amazing

The tour around Hamburg’s busy harbor, the second largest in Europe after Rotterdam, has to be seen to be believed. The best boat departs from bridge 6. It’s a large vessel, capable of carrying many hundreds of passengers but of course, everyone’s up top to enjoy the views. You pass beneath and beside massive container […]

Your Family Can Enjoy These Kinds of Experiences

Only on a private tour organized and led by European Focus do you receive personal attention, a well-planned itinerary based on your wishes and unforgettable moments, such as what you’re reading about here on our travel log. To get started on your own personal road of discovery in Europe, contact us today. It is never […]

Ancient paintings in the church of St. Clemens, Marklohe

The church of St. Clemens (12th century) in the hamlet of Marklohe, near Nienburg an der Weser, Lower Saxony features some of the best-preserved ancient paintings in Germany. One of only 10 churches with a complete and undestroyed mural dating from pre-Reformation (1522) times, the mural depicts scenes from the Bible with an emphasis on […]

Weser Renaissance architecture in Hameln

The town of Hameln in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) is a jewel of so-called “Weser Renaissance” architecture. The city’s streets are lined with fantastic half-timbered and stone houses, most dating from the late 1400s and early 1500s. Some photographs showing these treasures can be appreciated here. We stopped for a night on July 31 on our […]

Runkel Castle on the Lahn River

We stopped to visit Runkel Castle on the 31st of July on our way between the Rhein Valley and Hameln. This fascinating castle is one of our favorites in Germany, because it is relatively unknown and fun for all ages to explore. A historical timeline follows, with thanks to the official town web site. (Not […]

Welcome to Munich

Dennis Cain and his daughter Morgan at the Hofbrauhaus in central Munich. Jim welcomed the Cain family as they arrived in Stuttgart via the ICE from Paris, where they’d spent the last three nights touring with Jenean Derheim. Previous to that, they were four nights in London. Jim’s taking the family on a trip to […]