Munich Day 2

Sleeping in was such a nice thing! We’ve been getting up so early during this trip (sometimes 6:00 or 7:00), and if you know me that’s just not a good thing haha. I’ve gotten used to it though, and it hasn’t been too bad. But we got to sleep in til about 8:30 today (amazing how suddenly 8:30 is sleeping in for me), and that was nice. Destene fixed us a nice German breakfast of croissants, meat and cheese, cheese spreads and rolls, pretzels, and a mix of other things. We said goodbye to Emily as we dropped her off at the train station to head to the airport, then Destene was nice enough to drive Keith and I out to Dachau.

Dachau was one of the first concentration camps built by the Germans before WWII. It was originally a prison for political opponents of Hitler and the Nazis, then it turned into what we think of now as a concentration camp, complete with a gas chamber, ovens, crowded barracks, firing walls, and many other horrible conditions. This phrase on the entrance gate means "Work Brings Freedom" and it was their motto and part of their propaganda. It was very sobering to actually see and walk through something like this. Brings it to life, and reveals the true evil in this world that many of us underestimate sometimes. It was almost sickening to hear and read about the things that went on. So many died during the war, and more afterwards because of diseases and horrendous living conditions. Very sobering experience.

On the way back to Central Station, we met this little old German lady. She noticed us trying to find trains and offered some help. Turns out she had lived in Orange County, California, for a couple years, and had spent some time in South Carolina too! She had some family living there now. Her daughter I think lives in Orangeburg, and her grandson lives in Anderson now. It was crazy to randomly run into someone like this who knew exactly where we were from. We talked to her while waiting for the train and on the train itself, covering a variety of subjects from doctors to lawyers, politics to war, the US vs Germany, and so many other things. It was really cool to meet and talk with her, and she was so nice in making sure we got where we were supposed to be. She got off with us even though it wasn’t he stop, and walked us up to the train platforms (even though we knew where we were going from here haha). Her name was Bridgette, and I’m really glad we ran into her. Now we’re on the train to Interlaken, Switzerland. We hope to go hiking tomorrow if the conditions permit…we’ll see how the trails are with snow and ice and everything melting. Hopefully our luck with the weather will continue…