June 29th
I slept in a bit and then enjoyed breakfast with Alex and
Georg before figuring out my travel plans to Dachau. I set out on my own and departed Munich on a
subway headed for the small town of Dachau.
 |
Dachau Prison Camp |
 |
Main Gate |
Dachau was the Nazi’s first concentration camp that mostly
housed political prisoners and was a working camp. Though many people were killed at this camp,
it is not the same kind of camp as Auschwitz Concentration Camp (death camp). In more recent history this concentration camp in Dachau has been
used as an educational resource that reminds it's viewers of the consequences of what an
evil government is capable of. All
Bavarian school children are required to visit this concentration camp.
 |
Dachau Memorial |
There was a fair number of tourists going to see the camp
along with me, but I managed to squeeze in line and make it aboard the buses
that took me to and from the train station.
I did a self guided tour accompanied with an audio guide. The tour first started with us passing
through the gate house with the famous iron door with the words Arbeit Macht
Frei (work makes you free) and then we stepped into the open courtyard where
the prisoners stood in rows to be counted.
I only took a few photos during my visit because I felt it would be
disrespectful to those who died there.
And to my astonishment I witnessed some visitors taking selfies with the
furnaces in the background. The most
emotional part of the tour was a thirty minute video that gave a synopses of
the camp. There was dead silence during
the movie and I have to admit I had gotten a little choked up while watching
it. The museum and the other displays of
the living and torture conditions were very good at portraying the horrors that
occurred there. I can’t imagine enduring
that kind of ordeal.
 |
Marienplatz |
Feeling a bit down after finishing my tour of the camp I
needed to do something to cheer me up. I
returned to the train station and hopped on subway and headed towards the city
center to do some shopping. My goal was
to find some lederhosen. Ines had
recommended me a certain shop that she marked for me on a city map. I eventually found the store and started
trying on different styles of lederhosen (long or short). Because of a package deal I ended up buying
the whole outfit. Now that I have lederhosen I will just have to return someday for Oktoberfest so I could wear
them. This left me very excited to show
Alex, Ines and Georg.
 |
Me in Lederhosen with My German Parents Ines & Georg |
When I returned to Alex’s parent’s house I first was greeted by Ines
and I immediately showed her my lederhosen. She responded by telling me that
now I was a true Bavarian. Shortly after that Georg sat down with me on their patio and we talked about the Dachau
concentration camp and a bit about Munich and its Nazi history. Dinner was fantastic, Ines is a wonderful
cook and Georg is always watching to see how full your wine glass is. After dinner Alex and I had fun putting on
our lederhosen and taking some family photos. At the end of the evening I said my goodbyes to
Ines and she would have to leave to work early in the morning.
Tomorrow I head back to Heidelberg and stop in Nurnberg on
the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment