Dachau

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This is where things take a more serious turn. I'm down at the lake because 1. It's a beautiful day, although a little windy, and 2. It's peaceful. I find that's what you need in order to write about something like that. To be honest, I enjoyed Dachau. You always hear horror stories about the Holocaust, but it's a completely different thing to actually be there and see it. I thought of Helga the whole time. Everything there was gray. Apparently one of the building used to be green, but I don't think I saw it. I remember seeing the place where they lived. It looked like an army barrack. First walking in, the gate has an inscription. It was something about work leading to freedom. Just seeing an iron gate closed when I was about to leave made me nervous. I took video of everything to send back home. I felt like it was was wrong of me at the time, but my family never had and probably never will see something like that and I want them to. Having a very image-oriented mind didn't help much either. I pictured people standing for role call naked, being given new clothes and a number. To me having your name taken away is the worst thing imaginable, being just a number. That's no way to live you life. Then again, I don't suppose they really had a choice. (They didn't.) I walked on the grass by the wall and the watch towers. I had an audio guide (very helpful) and it said that anyone caught on it culd be shot on sight. I cna't imagine not being able to feel the cool grass beneath my feet, grabbing the blades between my toes. It seems so arbitrary, but then again it was. The crematorium was very moving. I stood in the gas chamber a few minutes reflecting on everything. People died in that room. It was very eery. You could see the vents for the gas to seep through. I feel worse for the prisoners forced to work there, burning the dead bodies and those forced into prostitution though. I just don't understand how people could think that something like that was okay. Brain washing of course, but Hitler. He didn't look very persuasive to me, but look at all he did. It's strange, but I admire him for his talents. He truly was a smart man, just a crazy one. Had he not been a savage he could have potentially done great good for the world. Goes to show that everything in life is a matter of choice. Imagine if Einstein had worked for the Third Reich. The Germans would've definitely beaten us in making the atomic bomb and all would be lost. There was an area near the crematorium that had ashes. Creepy. Even worse was where they shot the prisoners. I thought of Helga's father then. It seems so unreal and yet those things actually happened. Hard to believe, but you have to accept it because it did. Maybe one day we'll understand. I doubt it though because mass genocide still happens today. It just seems to be getting worse. END.

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Photos

Prisoners Road
This is the road that ran between the barracks.