For the first ten days before we arrived in London, Sarah and I traveled through Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We flew into London on Tuesday morning (June 15), dropped our gigantic suitcases at the study center, and hopped on a plane at 6:15 the next morning to Munich. We stayed at place called Pension Locarno, which was kind of like a hostel with training wheels. We started exploring the city right away, in the middle of rain and cold (which became our theme for the week). We took the tube (subway) to the Marienplatz, or City Center, which was historic and beautiful! There is a giant building with a famous Glockenspiel, which has life-size characters that dance to the tower bells on certain hours. Everyone stands in the square and watches. Munich is such a fun city because it is definitely urban, but doesn't feel as much like the hustle and bustle of a big city. Probably because the Marienplatz is also very touristy. But that is what we were, so we embraced the tourist-ness with open arms.
After exploring the City Center and finding something to eat (and struggling to order, due to our lack of German tongue), we went to bed early. The next morning we got up and caught a bus out to Dachau, the concentration camp. For those of you who know me and my strange fascination with the Holocaust, this was absolutely one of the things I've wanted to do most in my life. I'm twisted, I know. Visiting Dachau turned out to be an emotional roller-coaster. It was disturbing, moving, interesting and inspiring all at the same time. [Disclaimer: I promise my posts won't be this long all the time. But you can't really just say, "I saw Dachau, one of the most significant and traumatizing sites of World History. It was neat." So bear with me.] We went in the main gate, the famous one which says "Arbeit Macht Frei" ("Work Brings Freedom"). We watched a little video with background info about the camp, and then walked all around. It was cold and dreary that day, and walking around, there was an eerie stillness. To stand in that courtyard and know that 70-some years ago, people were being murdered as they walked around...it was an indescribable experience to be there. We were able to also tour a replica of the barracks (the originals were torn down after the camp was liberated by US soldiers), as well as the crematorium and the gas chamber (which was actually never put into operation). It was maddening to think of all the prisoners in the camp.
We were also able to spend a little bit of time walking around the actual town of Dachau. One of the interesting things the museum in the camp focused on was the propoganda of the Holocaust and World War II. Many residents of Dachau knew that there was some type of persecution going on inside the camp and chose not to inquire any further. But some residents were told that the camp served only as an isolation for Jewish people, and that their living conditions were actually improved once inside the camp. For me this was the most interesting part of the museum, and also the most unbelievable, as it really showed the power of persuasion and popular belief.
The entire time we were in the camp, a father and his son seemed to be always nearby. They were American, and so I was able to listen a little bit to what the father was telling his son...the boy was probably about 9 or 10, and his father kept stopping him to explain certain things. At one point, the father started shouting, and as I turned around in the courtyard, I realized he was yelling at several boys there on a field trip. As they walked out of the courtyard and further into the camp, one of them had left a plastic Coke bottle on a little wall. The father kept shouting for them to come back and get the bottle and take it to a trash can, and I think that finally they did. Strange as this situation was, I think it was one of the most moving moments inside the camp for me. As the father and his son walked away, the father stopped and put his hands on his son's shoulders. I watched as he spoke to him, telling him how those boys were disrespectful to not only property that wasn't theirs, but to the memory of an entire people. He looked his son straight in the eye, and urged him to never forget about something such as the Holocaust. Maybe it was because I'd just taken a class on it, or because I was feeling particularly sensitive at the moment, but I felt so proud of this man encouraging his son to take up the memory of the Holocaust as his own. It really is our great responsibility to take on these injustices as our own, because that is where they started--with an evil idea that became a belief, and the unwillingness of people to see through it or speak against it. Ok I'm done with my rant...but it was just a really significant day.
After leaving Dachau, we spent the rest of our time exploring central Munich. We found the Englischer Garten, which was SO beautiful. We also toured Die Residenz, a palace where royal and political German families lived. Finally, we closed out our time in Munich at the famous Hofbrauhaus, which is a HUGE beer garden. It's packed and has such a great atmosphere. There are specific booths where only locals can sit, and if a tourist or non-local sits there, the waiter refuses to take your order until you move! And if you're wondering, German beer really is a LOT better than American beer...and that is coming from someone who never drinks it, so that's saying something.
We had such a blast in Munich! Here are a few pics so you can get an idea of our first few days in Europe. Sarah will update soon about our new favorite city, Salzburg!!
Love from across the pond,
Ashlyn
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