I packed up my belongings nice and early and grabbed a cab to the Sheraton in Munich Central to meet up with Jenny and Ryan by 9am. After much deliberation, I decided to join Jenny and Ryan for a tour of Dachau's concentration camp. I have taught my classes about the Holocaust ever since I started teaching a decade ago through both The Diary of Anne Frank and Night by Ellie Wiesel. I wanted to go to experience the history, but I also knew that it would be emotionally very difficult to be in such a hallowed place. I went back and forth and finally decided that I would go.
We walked the 10 minute walk to Munich's central train station to meet our tour guide, Gordon, an Irish ex-pat. We grabbed a small breakfast while he gathered the group together and hopped on a train to head 40 minutes outside of the city.
All I can say is that it was a haunting and captivating experience. Gordon did a magnificent job of balancing the horror of it with the celebratory spirit of the survivors. He articulated so well a beautiful balance between the sadness and devastation and the celebration of the bravery of all of those who lost their lives and all who survived. He knew so much that I literally could have listened to him talk forever. I have a few pictures below, but it was hard to photograph. I felt like it was disrespectful. So I took some for the purpose of remembrance, but I certainly didn't want it to feel like I was snapping pictures at Disney World.
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| It says, "Never Again" in five different languages. |
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| The barracks had been torn down in the 60s, but they frame out where they once stood to demonstrate their size and magnitude. |
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| The original crematorium is still standing at Dachau. It is beyond horrifying. |
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| "To honor the dead, and to warn the living." |
After what turned out to be, one of the most moving experiences that I could remember, we headed back to the city center and went back to the hotel to relax a little bit before we were to meet up with the rest of the crew and head to dinner. In the meantime, LJ MADE IT! (LJ is my cousin, who was on the fence about coming pretty much up until THE DAY he left. What a trooper. He literally flew in for less than 40 hours and then went home!)
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| First official cousin 'Prost!" in the hotel bar before going to dinner! |
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| Testing my strength. This is only two steins, and I was convinced that was ALL I COULD HOLD. Well, you'll see, I guess all the beer I drank made me stronger because I manage 5 later in the trip! |
We headed to another bar and sat with some guys from Manchester, UK and almost got kicked out for singing the MU song too loudly (Oh, crazy rowdy brits, how I love thee!). We finished up there and went to meet the crew at the Hofbrauhaus for beer and dinner. I ordered speitzel and it was AMAZINGLY magical - cheezy noodle mush - a wild delight. Then after sufficient partying there, we went to another bar - and this is where it gets hazy. Long story short, partied a little to hard knowing that all I was going to be doing the next day was drinking again ALLL DAY LONG. I was definitely gonna feel it in the morning.
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