Germany Part Two

Jen has asked me to provide the commentary for part two of our Germany trip. She chose the pictures and I am writing the explanations. I am so glad that everything worked out so we could do this. The first few pictures here are from our tour of the Concentration Camp in Dachau, outside of Munich. If you only want the fun and funny you may want to skip past this part. This is something I had been interested in seeing for as long as I can remember and one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen. Dachau served as the prototype for other concentration camps and a training ground for SS soldiers who were then sent out to the hundreds of other camps. This first shot is the entrance that prisoners came through as they entered the camp.

The sign on this gate reads, "Work makes Free". I don't really speak German but that is my understanding. Thousands of people passed through this gate and read that ironic statement knowing that freedom was nowhere in their future. Below is the main guard tower over the main entrance.

This sculpture below was placed in the camp after it became a memorial site. This was the direction the prisoners would face as they stood in formation once, twice or several times a day. Sometime for hours on end to be counted, punished or both. The sculpture represents prisoners throwing themselves on the electrified barbed wire.

Below is the field where the prisoners would stand in formation in the morning and in the evening.

This is facing the other direction away from the statue. Those two barracks are recreated to look like the barracks that the prisoners stayed in. When the camp was in operation there was a row of 20 or so buildings like that on either side of that walkway. In the worst of times there could be nearly 1000 people living inside of these buildings that had been designed to hold about 200. In the evenings, the prisoners would walk up and down that path.

Early in the war, before overcrowding became a problem, some of the prisoners had a place like this to store some of the items that had been issued to them. Those are actual clothes and slippers that were used in the camp.

This is a hallway in the building that served as a jail or prison inside the concentration camp. The man who attempted to blow up Hitler and missed by a few minutes was held in one of these cells for a period of time.

Below is the trench and fence that made it impossible to escape. The fence and the several layers of barbed wire were electrified. Setting foot on that grass would prompt a guard in that tower to shoot and kill a prisoner.

The following two pictures were taken inside the building known as the crematorium. There is no real evidence that the gas chambers were ever used. But it taught the guards how to use the chamber in other camps. Being inside of them was a chilling reminder of what happened there.

Jen and I walked from the train station in the town of Dachau to the Concentration Camp. This walk was done by many of the early prisoners in view of the local town. There were boards posted along the way to describe how things took place during the war. This entire experience was a singular event for me. Jen and I were both moved by some of the stories of survival that were told on the tour and the sheer devastation these people must have experienced in these conditions. It was remarkable to learn of the human spirit and to hear of those who fought back, saved the lives of other prisoners and did what they could to resist what was happening. I can't really explain the spectrum of feelings that we felt as we walked across this place.

After our journey into 20th century history, we were also able to soak in some of the local German culture. We spent some time downtown in the city of Munich. Below is me standing in a square near the center of the city.

Below is a picture of a clock tower that is commonly referred to as the Glockenspiel. I think that word can be used to describe any tower like this, but that is how everyone refers to this. When it chimes there are layers of little statues that circle in and out of doors and play music. Walking in Munich, one is likely to hear church bells from every direction every fifteen minutes.

Jen is standing in front of the tower.

This is me trying to photobomb an oompa band as they took photos before performing in the Hofbrauhaus. As you can see by the plainly drunk man with his hands raised in the air in the foreground, I was not the only person who wanted a picture with the band. He attracted most of the attention as you can imagine, which enabled me to stand so inconspicuously behind the band.

Another band outside.

This is a more successful attempt at getting a picture with a band. This time we were inside the Hofbrahaus. They were actually playing. The Hofbrahaus is a giant beer hall with long tables and open seating. The beer is served in mugs roughly the size of a two liter bottle and more than half of the men are sporting liederhosens. All of the men are drunk. The servers carry these giant mugs of beer, several in each hand and serve the masses. It was quite a sight. On a Saturday night it is quite the party. For those of you wondering, no we didn't stay for a beer. But we probably smelled like we did.

We ended up eating at a very nice restaurant down the street. This was my meal. I ate this meal, and meals like it, a lot. There is no bad food in Germany. With the exception of a Chinese restaurant that a coworker convinced me to try as a novelty. But as far as the Germans go, these people know their food.

Below is what is left from the original gate and wall that surrounded Munich. Jen wanted to get a good look out of the portholes. I have never classified a picture of my wife as creepy but, these are two of the creepiest pictures I have ever seen.

This last photo is taken in front of a church that we walked past as we strolled through downtown Munich. The architecture there was amazing. We did get inside a cathedral or two, but they did not want anybody taking pictures during their mass.

We have nearly 300 pictures from this trip. We will never get all of them here. But I think I have captured here some of what we experienced while were in Munich. Interestingly enough, we were in Munich for my birthday. It will be interesting to see how Jen tries to top that for my next birthday. I feel bad for Jen, because I can't really come up with anything this good for her birthday this summer.