The story begins in the Black Country, The Black Country refers to a series of towns that developed along a 22 mile coal seam that runs through the heart of the British Midlands. I grew up in one of those towns, dreaming from an early age of escape, travel and adventure. As luck would have it the Universe was listening and through a series of twists and turns I found myself  living in Inner Mongolia for two years, Shanghai for 10 and now a  small village in the Black Forest of Germany. The name black-to-Black refers to my transition and adventures from the heart of the Black Country to the center  of the Black Forest.