I recently took a trip to Germany with Dr. Dieter Banauch as my guide. This adventure began 18 months after my husband of 42 years passed away. I approached it as a challenge to myself to take a solo trip. My targets were Heidelberg where I lived as a child in the early 50’s and Burkhards, the birthplace of my husband’s maternal grandfather. As I tried to determine how to get about without any contacts, I soon realized that I needed help with planning. With great fortune, I found Loreene Orgoralini at “Can I Go, Too?” who used Sophia at Sophia’s Travel in Florida as European Specialist. Sophia suggested services of her favorite guide. Emails flew from California, to Florida, and on to Germany to Dr. Dieter Banauch. Soon, I was packing and on my way. Dieter picked me up at the airport in Frankfurt, the beginning of a week of lessons in travel, history, architecture, art, local customs and food, genealogy, nature, hiking, and a flood of memories – a total experience that left me with strength and confidence in myself and my future.
It was a pleasure to have the guidance of such a knowledgeable professional. His efforts to make this trip special for me included contacting and arranging a meeting with the family in Burkhards. In Heidelberg, he spoke to the owner of the house where I had lived and we were able to enter and take pictures! He allowed me time to walk along the river front of the Neckar and listened with interest to stories of my life there. Not only did we explore the villages, churches, and castles, but we also hiked through forests and granite boulders. It was a most wonderful trip. I have and will continue to tell people about this experience.