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Published: January 2nd 2008
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Day 19 Sunday 4th February 2007
A very early morning as we were going via Mauthausen and Mondsee on our way to Munich, Germany. Mauthausen was one of the worst concentration camps during WW2. Adolf Hitler was born in Austria, his father was in the military and Adolf was to follow in his fathers footsteps. His father died when he was 14 and his mother died when he was 18. His mother was under the care of a Jewish Doctor and some believe this is where his hatred of the Jewish race started. Hitler believed the Germans were the best race and deserved the best. He saw that the German government wasn’t doing enough for its people after WW1, when Germany was in a great depression. Hitler made promises to the Germans that he would improve the German economy, make jobs and improve the standard of living for the Germans and people believed in him and he rose to power. He was placed in jail for 9 months for treason and this is when he wrote a book outlining his planned attack and destruction of the Jewish race. Unfortunately his plan was put into action and the result was severe
brutality and inhumane acts against the Jewish race during WW2. We entered Mauthausen concentration camp via the death stairs. These were the stairs that the Jewish race entered the concentration camp and descended down into the gorge to complete their daily work. They were very steep, approximately 300 stairs with no breaks for a breather. If we were puffed you can only imagine how the Jews felt climbing these stairs malnourished and more often then not carrying up to 20kg on their backs. The German soldiers used to play cruel games with the Jews, making them race their loved one up the stairs then making the winner push the loser off the cliff face to their death below deep in the gorge. It was very quiet, eerie and emotional as we walked through the concentration camp, seeing their living quarters, the gas chambers, the crematorium, the experimentation rooms and torture rooms. A short documentary featuring actually footage and commentary from some surviving Jews and some of the Americans that were responsible for the care of the Jews when WW2 ended really hit home and brought many emotions to the surface that are resurfacing now as I write this so I
think that’s enough said. An experience that I didn’t want to have however I’m glad I did, but one I never want to experience again.
After the extreme low of the morning we entered into the town of Mondsee, where parts of ‘The Sound of Music’ were filmed. We walked through the picturesque town to where the marriage ceremony took place and then all dispersed to find some much needed food. After a quick lunch we were back on the bus and making our way to Munich. After making a quick stop at the hotel, we went for a tour around the city centre. We started at the Marienplatz where there is a gold statue of Marien, wife of the King. She is remembered as she was kidnapped, however instead of paying the ransom straight away the king let the ransom go unpaid for a week before deciding that he would pay to get her back again. Dominating the square is the towering neo-gothic Neues Rathaus (new town hall) with its glockenspiel. One of the most photographed attractions in Germany but unfortunately we did not get to see it perform. Adjacent to the Neues Rathaus is the Altes Rathaus (old town hall), although is looks newer than the Neues Rathaus which was built after the Altes Rathaus, go figure! Near this square are 2 important churches, St Peterskirche (St Peters) and the late gothic Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). This church is the landmark church of Munich as it looks like Salt and Pepper shakers, so is affectionately known as the Salt and Pepper church. As we made our way to the Hofbrauhaus, we stopped at Haxnbauer for some pig knuckle for dinner. A delicious and moist pork meal. Then it was off to the Hofbrauhaus, for a stein and the enjoyment of listening to the Oompah band. Prost!!! (cheers)
Day 20 Monday 5th February 2007
After a bit of a much needed sleep-in to recover from all the Steins we hopped on the bus and headed to Neuschwanstein. Here is the castle of King Ludwig and the inspiration behind the Walt Disney castle logo. We caught a horse-drawn carriage up the mountain to the entrance to the castle then walked the rest of the way up into the castle, admiring the gorgeous views over snow fields and tiny villages along the way. Unfortunately time was against us and we were unable to stay for the guided tour around the castle and you can only enter into the castle if you are on a tour. So we strolled back down the mountain and wondered around the tiny village at the bottom and had lunch before heading back on the bus to Munich. Once we were back in the city centre we headed off to the Viktualien markets, where the best fresh juice and meat sandwiches are sold. This was mostly a produce market, so saw lots of sausages and meats hanging at the edge of the stalls and owners enticing you to come and buy their produce. After the market we strolled over to the Salt and Pepper church (Frauenkirche). Inside is what people believe is the devils footprint. Legend has it that the devil entered into this church and laughed because he believed there was no windows or crosses in this church and he stamped his foot to leave his mark in this church. When he did this, windows appeared and the devil turned into wind to try and blow down the church. This is why it’s always windy at the top of the church. If you place your foot inside the devil’s footprint, the church does look like it has no windows and you cannot see the crosses located at the front of the church. After exiting the church we walked around the shopping centres and tried some pastry delicacies before heading back to the hotel.
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