Caroline Gries had waited a long time for her trip to ancestral Germany. During the actual trip, what she looked forward to most of all was her visit to Waldgirmes, where she and her brother had already established contact with a local authority who is very knowledgeable about Jewish ancestry there. We arrived at exactly […]
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 […]
On the Ancestral Trail in Ansbach, Franconia, Germany
Two avid historians helped us with getting access to the Jewish sites in Ansbach, Germany. We met Alexander Biernoth and his friend Stefan Giestzinger on a frigid mid-April morning. Both were extremely well-prepared, opening the historic Jewish Synagogue for us at the start of our walking tour of the center of this historic small city. […]
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 […]
Jewish Genealogy Trip Success Story in Niedernberg, Bavaria
Caroline Gries from Denver, Colorado has long wanted to visit her ancestral villages in Germany, where her Jewish forefathers lived before emigrating to the United States in the 1840s. That trip was made possible in April, 2017 by European Focus. Caroline visited more than a dozen villages connected with her extensive family tree. The first […]
2017 Tour Bookings
December 30, 2016 Updated August 20, 2017 It’s shaping up to be another exciting year for European Focus Private Tours. This will be our 28th year of providing services to our clients in Europe and we are looking forward to the following booked adventures. Openings exist in October. Trip 281 of our career April 17 […]
European Focus Featured in the New York Times
Our client Carl Tiedt was interviewed for this story. Carl and his wife Barbara enjoyed a 10-day tour in Germany which also included ancestral villages in Northern Germany as well as the Mosel River Valley. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/30/your-money/a-personal-sort-of-time-travel-ancestry-tourism.html?_r=0
Highlights of Our Trip with Four Australians
We are always happy to greet guests from Australia. After all, coming to Europe for them is a major investment in time. I’m not certain we would be very happy flying for 24 hours to reach my destination. But once here, we totally spoil our guests from “Down Under.” We find that our Aussie guests […]