Train Berlin → Stuttgart

At the gates of modernity Berlin 2012. To get from east to west you need not dig a tunnel, hide in a car trunk or hop on a hot air balloon. Simply take S bahn from Friedrichstrasse (the border station) or just walk through the Brandenburg gate. Today’s Berlin is a city of contrasts. Bullet scarred buildings from WWII provide a juxtaposition against an ultramodern metropolis. The four-year-old Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main train station) is one such example. Combining striking architecture with the mobility requirements of 21st century travelers, the station is one of the largest and most contemporary in Europe. And speaking of contemporary, Berlin’s modern art scene is truly thriving. Set in an old train station, the Hamburger Bahnhof may have an old façade, but inside holds a collection of works from the 1960s to the present. Past exhibitions have included Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly. And there lies one of the many contrasts. You can see modernity flourish in art and architecture, but it’s hard to ignore the city’s solemn history. You can step back in time at the Mauer Museum on the same site as the former checkpoint Charlie. The DDR museum featuring artifacts from the former East Germany. The Jewish museum contains a history of German Jews. The Berlin Holocaust Memorial, located one block south of the Brandenburg gate, provides a grim, emotional reminder of a time that no one can, nor should, forget. Learn more about Berlin

Rev up your traveler engines Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Wurttemberg (although many still call the area Swabia, its pre-World War II name), is known the world over as the "cradle of the automobile." It was in Stuttgart in 1871 that Gottlieb Daimler invented the first car. This creation is so ingrained in the city's heritage that the Stuttgart coat of arms is the same that graces the hood of every Porsche. Stuttgart was not always the industrial powerhouse it is today. Way back in the 13th century wine was the city's first source of income. Wine remained Stuttgart's leading source of revenue well into the 19th century. Even today, with more than 800 acres of vineyards, this industry continues to help the local economy. Such so, that the annual wine festival “Weindorf” celebrates this fruit of the vine. Learn more about Stuttgart