W.D.
Thanks for posting the first episode and sharing it with us. I travel back to Germany every 3 to 5 years. My next trip will be in 2012, my last one was in 2009.
My 2009 trip was mainly a boys trip for I went to see the VW, Porsche, Mercedes and BMW factories and museums (Dresden, Wolfsburg - VW, Stuttgart - Porsche and Mercedes and München, Leipzig for BMW). So looking at your pictures brings back great memories and I look forward to your following episodes as I am sure will many more.
I do agree with you that driving and parking in the cities is not recommended. I too use public transportation and between the major cities the train. The Euro Pass is a great way to travel since all railway stations are right smack in the Center of the cities. In the past I have rented cars from Sixt however, in future I will only use the public transportation.
One tip to others if you do rent a car by all means Sixt is the way to go. I found it cheeper to take a taxi to the city branch rather then to rent at the airport. Check out the prices for yourself if you go
As for the language I do agree, however, Germans and Europeans in general are very versatile as far as the English language is concerned ...