Ben, my German friend and I arrived on the last day of 2018 in rainy Esslingen am Neckar, a gorgeous little German town on the banks of the Neckar River, a short drive from the city of Stuttgard. Having managed to survive the ravages of World War II, Esslingen offers a peek into German history:…

Our journey continued from Alsace, across the German border, through the Black Forest and beyond, to the city of Stuttgart. Located in a bowl-shaped valley, surrounded completely by forest and wine country, Stuttgart is the capital of the Baden-Württemberg region and the home of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. The latter becomes quite clear while driving into and…