Category: Europe

Picking the Perfect Day Trip from Frankfurt or Stuttgart – the wine villages of Edenkoben & St. Martin, Germany

Our group of internal consultants are located here in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Sweden, Russia, Hungary, Dubai, Kenya, and France.  So, twice a year, we get together for a couple of days to share knowledge and for team building events.  This summer's meeting was held during the last week of June in the ...

See Why the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria Is the Most Popular Tourist Destination in Germany

Germany has literally hundreds of castles, but the Hohenschwangau and especially the Neuschwanstein Castles are completely "fariytale" type castles. So much so, that the Neuschwanstein Castle was used as the model for Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland (the iconic image of Disney)....but, this isn't a theme park...it is the real thing....my parents and sister really ...

How We Spent a Weekend in Paris – with a full moon surprise

Okay, so I have another blog post on a trip to Paris here from a weekend trip we took in January, but there is just something about Paris that keeps bringing us back to this beautiful city.  That, and the fact that is is a 3 hour ICE train ride from Mannheim, Germany! In June ...

Picking the Perfect Day Trip from Frankfurt, Stuttgart or Munich – Rothenburg ob der Tauber to see the best medieval village in Germany

Day 1 of our week-long driving trip through southern Germany on our way to Venice, Italy was a stop in the picturesque, German village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber (Red Fortress above the Tauber River). Rothenburg is a medieval town that has kept its architecture the same for hundreds of years. No commercial signs, television ...

Picking the Perfect Day Trip from Stuttgart or Munich – Ulm, Germany to see both the tallest church & the most crooked hotel in the world

In our 6 Day driving adventure to Venice and back, the second stop during Day 1, as well as where we spent our first night, was in the city of Ulm, Germany. A city, settled 7,000 years ago, but officially founded in 850AD on the Danube River at the border of the German States of ...

How to Drive the German, Austrian, & Italian Alps

Being an American, we are use to driving long distances as compared to most Europeans.  When you realize that the entire continent of Europe can fit into the lower 48 states of the US, you can start to understand why.  Also, in Europe, the train (rail) service is fantastic, and most towns and cities are ...

Picking the Perfect Way to Spend Two Nights in Venice (Venezia), Italy

My parents and sister visited us in Germany during the month of June.  This was my parents' first time traveling outside of the US, and when learning that Venice was one of my Mom's bucket list cities...well, I knew I had to surprise them with a trip there. Amanda & I had been to Venice ...

How to See 6 Countries, 3 Continents, and 1 Boat for 16 Nights in April

For Amanda's birthday this year in April, we chose to do a back-to-back cruise with Holland America.  The first half of the cruise was  through the Greek Islands starting from Rome.  And, then once back to Rome, we started the 2nd half of the cruise through the Italian & French Riviera and to Tunisia and ...

Take a Trip to See the Charming Seaside Town of Cefalu, Sicily

After we left the French Riviera, our cruise ship sailed down to Tunisia in Africa. Due to high winds, the captain felt it unsafe to dock in the bay, therefore, we had to skip Tunisia, which was disappointing. But, we set sail for our next destination Palermo, Sicily. There we toured the seaside village of ...

See Why the Country of Monaco & the French Riviera Is the Land of Luxury

Our next stop was to the 2nd smallest country in the world, Monaco (size of central park in NYC -- The Vatican City being the smallest country). Four things come to mind when I think of Monaco and the French Riviera: James Bond, Monte Carlo Grand Prix, Princess Grace, and Luxury. The French Riviera has ...