Dachau

First and foremost, thanks to all of you who have written to me saying that you have enjoyed reading about the trip! I love hearing from everyone back home, and I am sorry that I have not been able to respond to everyone. Mostly due to a lack of frequent Internet connections, I haven't been able to stay in touch with people as well as I would like. I originally thought of the blog as a type of journal, to help me remember the trip years from now. I am thrilled to have received so many nice notes from you about it!

Today I ventured out to the Dachau concentration camp, which was a very worthwhile day trip and nice change of pace. It is one of those trips that you know is not going to be fun, but it is necessary to go. Upon reaching Dachau, I was blown away by the size of the place even though only a fraction of it remains. Dachau was the first concentration camp as well as the model for many later camps. It is hard for me to say that "relatively few" people died in Dachau compared to the extermination camps...because "relatively few" still means 35,000 deaths not including Russians. Dachau was also home to Nazi medical experiments on humans, solitary confinement chambers, gas chambers, crematoriums, and some many more horrendous instruments of death. Dachau was also where almost all of he arrested priests were sent; a few thousand in total. As I stood there today, I did my best to wrap my mind around all of this, but even standing there looking at it, it still seems unfathomable. It is also so difficult to think about how all of the residence in nearby Dachau town must have known about the terror occurring on their town outskirts. Eating a big lunch before the tour was a mistake.

The camp was designed for only a few thousand prisoners. When the allies liberated it, somewhere around 35,000 prisoners were crammed into the camp. Every morning and evening, every single prisoner would line the main square of the camp for roll call (giving an idea of how huge the main square is). Overall, over 200,000 prisoners came though Dachau. Although many people think of it as a "work camp", our guide discouraged the term as it was a term given by the Nazis. The museum and memorials are very well done and conducive to English speaking visitors. The main buildings remain intact, and it is possible to go through the crematorium, gas chambers, and others.

It left me at a loss for words, but it was all very moving. It is very difficult to see the absolute terror of the place and the atrocities committed there, however I think it is incredibly important the we remember...and remember that this happened in this modern era.

I returned to Rothenburg and had an incredibly German meal of pork shoulder, cabbage, and dumplings. It was absolutely scrumptious. Fitting for Medieval Rothenburg, the restaurant was filled with people in time period costumes--on their dinner breaks! To lighten the mood, I took part the most highly recommended evening activity and tour in town; The Watchman's Night Tour. Clearly catering to Americans, this downright funny "Medieval Watchman" with a huge battle ax parades his group through the streets each night giving a full comical but true history of the town. Although very touristy, it was a lot of fun.

Rothenburg is certainly beautiful...and certainly full of tourists. Tomorrow I am off to Fussen, right on the southern border!

Take it easy!