Welcome to Europe!

Soon you will be embarking on a Great Adventure! I am looking forward to this trip and hope that the special blog site that I created will get your excitement up and help you plan and get to know a bit more about the places we will visit between October 22 and November 5.

This blog covers your entire trip. To see more, just click on the 'Older Posts' link at lower right of the main page as you scroll down or on the links to the right. 

To help you even more, we have created an extensive 'Travel Tips' site full of information. You can benefit from the little and not so little 'oops' of those who have traveled with us in the past quarter century by looking through this site from time to time as the clock ticks down to your departure.

http://europeanfocusprivatetourstraveltips.blogspot.de/

Until October 22!

Jim

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

The Herrngasse in the center of Rothenburg

Wednesday, October 22

arrival at Frankfurt at 0755 on Delta 14 from Atlanta, departs on Tuesday, Oct 21

Pick up at the airport by Jim in Terminal 2

Jim stays the night before your arrival at a hotel about 30 mins drive from the airport. 

He will have come from finishing a tour in Lucerne, Switzerland the day before. 

 

Note: With an arrival time of 0755 Jim will be monitoring your flight on his Flight Tracker app. From experience he knows that it generally takes about 45 mins to an hour from touch down to you coming out of the baggage retrieval area. Walk straight ahead through the crowd of people waiting and you will find Jim waiting for you. He will time his own arrival at the terminal for 45 mins after your touchdown. This allows him to park very close to the terminal in a special area. 

To Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

About an hour and 50 mins drive

 

Jim takes you to our home away from home where you stay in a charming B&B in a central yet quiet part of town. This B&B is very inexpensive and yet very comfy and quiet with excellent breakfast and atmosphere. A lovely young couple Markus and Miriam run it. Rest and then later, beer and excellent German food at the Alter Keller. 

Thursday, October 23

Breakfast at the Alter Keller on your own followed by exploration of Rothenburg with tips from Jim, who will have provided you with a town map the day before along with some suggested sights to visit. Jim will be at home recovering from back to back trips, doing laundry, getting the vehicle ready for the next leg, etc. We meet later for dinner. 

You may want to take the Night Watchman tour tonight. It starts at 8 in the market square and lasts for an hour. It is in English and a highlight of any trip to Germany. 

Bring one canister of powdered hazelnut coffee mate, it is your 'admission fee!' 

 

Austria

The last time  Jim was in Lans, Austria it snowed a huge amount overnight and this is what we woke up to the next day, in mid-October! Let's hope this does not happen, or if it does, that you are not in a rush to get moving the next day. Jim will not install snow tires on his van until around Nov 8.

Friday, October 24

Lans, Austria

We start heading south with a stopover in Lans, Austria high above Innsbruck in the Alps. Reservations have already been made so that you can enjoy a wonderful dinner in the beautiful restaurant across the street from our lodge. 

(Jim will not be joining you for most of the evening meals during this trip. This helps him maintain something close to a waist and also gives much needed private time and recharge time for Jim, who will be resting from the day's drive and catching up on work in his room) 

We are staying in an alpine-style chalet small hotel called the 'Wilder Mann.' This cuts down on what would otherwise be a very long drive and leaves us fresh to enjoy the spectacular scenery ahead.