"Never Again"

Friday we spent a couple of hours at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.

When we got off the bus packed with school groups heading to the site, we walked into the entrance tent, where you could buy tickets for various tours, audioguides and film documentaries. We overheard an unfortunate, but telling, conversation just in front of us:

English-speaking woman to Dachau memorial site staff person: "Is the film good?"

Dachau staff guy pauses, looks at the woman briefly and gives this firm but compassionate reply: "It's important. It may not be 'good', but it's important."

Hmm, we thought. Good on him for choosing the higher ground of not discriminating on the basis of ignorance.

Regarding Dachau itself, we still have a lot of processing to do in terms of how it impacted us personally. For now, suffice to say it caused us to think and reflect on many levels. The following is from the printed guide we received:

On March 22, 1933, a few weeks after Adolf Hitler had been appointed Reich Chancellor, a concentration camp for political prisoners was set up in Dachau. This camp served as a model for all later concentration camps and as a 'school of violence' for the SS men under whose command it stood. In the twelve years of its existence over 200,000 person from all over Europe were imprisoned here and in the numerous subsidiary camps. More than 43,000 of them died. On April 29 1945, American troops liberated the survivors.

On a happier note, on Saturday we had a wonderful time in Augsburg, where we went to the home of some of Colin & Marlene's friends, Jan & Lee, for a great brunch and fun conversation. In the evening we sat and watched episodes of The Office and Creature Comforts, laughing together while lightning and thunder showers raged around us. More metaphorical food for thought, in light of the previous day's experience. We have much for which to be grateful.

In a few minutes we will leave Colin & Marlene's to embark on the next phase of our journey -- to Austria! First stop: Salzburg -- birthplace of Mozart and all things Sound of Music. Not sure how much opportunity we'll have to post pictures over the next 9 days, so enjoy these ones while you got 'em! Aufwiedersehn until next time...