Munich, Germany: a perfect place for history nerds and beer lovers.

Munich is a perfect place for history nerds and beer lovers, and since I am both, I found it to be quite intriguing.

Munich was the hotbed of Nazism and the backdrop for many significant events of the time. Seeing the plaza where Hitler gave speeches, the site of Hitler's attempt at overthrowing the government, the building where the plan for Kristallnacht was implemented, and memorials honoring those who suffered under Nazism was heartbreakingly fascinating.  

Of course, visiting the beer halls and beer gardens was nice too, and actually, some of the important Nazi meetings were held in such places. I've never been to a place before with a culture so centered around beer.

Those last two photos are of subtle memorials to honor victims of Nazism. The first is a gold streak in the street to represent the path that Nazi resisters would take to exit the main street where they were supposed to be saluting a Nazi statue every time they passed it. When the police caught on, some people were killed for using this path to avoid the salute. The second is a plaque in remembrance of a family who was removed from the city as a part of Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, when many Jewish people were taken from their homes or businesses to concentration camps.

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P.S. I gave this blog of mine a little makeover. It's not much, but since I am a bit technologically challenged, I was kind of proud of myself. What do you think?

A little road trip outside of Munich.

Picture this. A little silver hatchback car that doesn't successfully switch from first to second gear. One large map of Germany that spans across both the driver's and passenger's seats. A German country song on the radio. Driving around Munich trying to make it to the Romantic Road, squinting at the dime sized area that represents Munich on said map. Attempting to slow down at road signs for some semblance of guidance while Audis and BMWs swerve around our car.

Let's just say a road trip in Germany could provide the perfect opportunity to test the strength of one's marriage. We thought we were never going to even make it out of Munich. Getting lost repeatedly on the Romantic Road can kind of take the "romantic" out of it. In the words of David Bowie, who made it onto our road trip playlist post-German country music, "this is ourselves under pressure."

However, once the frustration passed and we figured out how to navigate the roads, our little road trip turned out to be quite lovely. Castles, countryside, lakes, and little villages filled our horizon on the road. 

Don't worry, Matt's glass is actually empty in this beer garden photo, because he had to drive us back. Luckily, I fell asleep on the car ride, so Matt could drive really fast when there was no speed limit, because I was too scared to let him when I was awake. 

Dachau Concentration Camp.

Munich greeted us with cold and stormy weather, so it was fittingly with that backdrop that we took a day trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. After having studied the Holocaust in depth myself as a history major, teaching it to high school students for six years, seeing photos, watching movies, reading memoirs, I logically knew what to expect at Dachau, but I could not prepare for the emotional side of walking the grounds of a concentration camp. We spent about five hours there, covering every inch of ground and reading every line of the museum exhibits. We still felt like it deserved more attention, but how could enough attention ever be paid to something like this. Yet, still today, not enough attention is paid to other modern day genocides and tragedies as is paid to the Holocaust. People say, never again, and yet it seems to happen again and again, even today. Grand injustices take place, and most of us stay silent. 

It was a heavy, haunting day that left me with a lump in my throat, not really knowing what to do with the experience.

The gate that prisoners walked through to enter the camp, which reads, "Work leads to freedom."

The main guard tower.

The barracks.

"Never Again."

 "May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933-1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defense of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow man."

Living areas.

Exterior.

"Crematorium. Think about how we died here."

This room was used to store the corpses that were brought from the prisoner camp to be cremated.

Two or three bodies were placed in here at a time to be burned.

 "Shower." Over the door that led into the gas chamber.

Gas chamber. This was supposedly never used for mass killings in Dachau (though it was used for individual prisoners).

The drop box where the guards would have placed the gas to enter the chamber.