travel recap - munich (day 2)

I have mixed feelings about our second day in Munich, for this was the day that we visited the Dachau concentration camp.

remains of the train rails that brought the prisoners into the camp

Hubby, my brother, and I took a train and then a public bus out to the camp. When we got there, everything was eerily quiet. Despite the many, many visitors, all you could hear was was wind in the trees, and the gravel crunching underneath the feet of those paying their respects to the lives lost.

the sign on the camp's entrance door: work will make you free

We started by wandering around for a little while and then took in a short video at the camp's theatre room.  There were many moments in the video where there was nothing but silence and horrifying footage on the screen.  There are images that I saw that I will never, ever be able to forget.

the crematorium

After the video we toured around a little more. I couldn't venture into the barracks or the crematorium. As soon as I stepped in it all became too real and I couldn't handle it. I held back and stayed outside. Much of the insides of the buildings haven't changed. You can still see the "no smoking" signs on the walls, and the horrific ovens are all still intact. Even knowing the Dachau's gas chamber existed but was never put into operation wasn't comforting; my heart was full of sadness.

I knew that visiting the camp would be hard and emotionally draining, but I wasn't prepared for how chilling it was.  Words can't even describe the feeling I had.  I was numb; like I couldn't comprehend the evil that once existed.

We walked slowly out of the camp and waited for the bus to take us back to the train station.  We weren't really talking much, but rather, silently reflecting on what we had just experienced.

After a short train ride, we were back in downtown Munich again.  We were starving, so we decided to visit a close open-air market to grab a quick bite to eat.  Hubby and my brother both ordered sandwiches, and I ordered a brautwurst.  It was one of the best things I ate during our whole trip.  After we were finished eating, it was time to meet up with the rest of the family.  We met in the Marienplatz and watched the Rathaus-Glockenspiel play.

As this was our last day in Munich, we were itching to do some shopping.  So Hubby, my brother, my mom, and I went to a local department store: C&A.  We had a great time and found some fabulous clothes: I got a beautiful cashmere sweater-dress, and Hubby bought a nice, leather jacket.

After we decided that we'd spent too much money, we met up with the others and took the train out to the English Garden for dinner and a stroll through the park.  The English Garden was beautiful, and BIG (it's bigger than New York's Central Park).  Walking through, we were reminded very much of our own Stanley Park and we got a little homesick. 

We stopped for dinner and ordered a sausage, fries, and a beer and sat at a picnic table and enjoyed the last bits of daylight.  Hubby and I were soaking up the last bits of family time, as we knew that we had an early departure to Venice the next day.

our dinner spot

the boys in the English Garden