rivers, too many trains, and a concentration camp

Arrival in Germany

This was at one of the train stations we stopped at.

A little town on the banks of the Rhine where we stopped at to get on a boat.

Waiting with all our luggage. I should have taken a picture of me hugging my suitcase. It was my lifeline. We became very close since it was my "house" for 4 weeks.

Amanda and I on the boat.

Some of the scenery along the river. There are castles about a mile apart all the way down the river. They were all rich because they'd stay there and get taxes from the barges going down the river. Must have been awfully expensive to be a seamen since every mile you had another tole to pay.

This castle was built to look like a ship coming towards you. I don't remember why though.

This was the longest and the worst day of the trip. Other than the boat ride we were on trains all day, and it was on a train for 2 hours, rush to the next one, haul your luggage on, ride for an hour, haul your luggage off...you get the picture.

And to top it off, we even got on the wrong train a couple times.

This guy was at the entrance he Heidelberg Castle shaking his hips like a hula girl, clapping his hands, and going woooo wooOOO! hilarious.

The city of Heidelberg from the Castle

The courtyard of the castle

In our hotel when we FINALLY got to Dachau. The biggest pillow ever, except it was entirely worthless.
The entrance to Dachau Concentration Camp.

The train tracks that led up to the gate.

This says "Work will make you free"

Germany requires that all school children visit a concentration camp at least once so that the Holocaust will never happen again.

I couldn't even sit up straight. these barracks were meant to hole 200 people but they jammed 2000 in each one.
This houses the gas chamber showers and the ovens.

Where the gas was put in.

Where the dead bodies were put in preparation for burning.

and well, you know what that is.

a mass grave

The wall where they were lined up and shot with a trench in front for the blood.

It was quite an experience. When I saw a picture of the exact spot where I was standing with bodies piled high I can't tell you how sick I felt. As I was walking out of one of the barracks there were boys arguing and telling each other how stupid they were and it hit me how this is not something of the past. It's going on everywhere.

Later in England at the war museum we went to the Holocaust section and they had some very moving displays. One was a quote from the man that provided trucks in which many were gassed. It said that he was at first unsure that they were a good idea but when he saw how hard shooting the prisoners was on the soldiers he decided that this would be best. WHO CARES ABOUT THE SOLDIERS! They also had video footage of Hitler proudly proclaiming that they would wipe out the entire Jewish nation and men cheering and screaming, big smiles on their faces.

The glockenspiel in Munich Germany

There are lots of these guys around in cities in Europe, and by that I mean just street performers. They make them a lot of fun.

This was in a beerhaus. It's a family affair to come to these things and they drink beer by the gallon pretty much, no kidding.