Power Weekend

---

I have fallen behind on my blogging and for that I would like to apologize. Last weekend I went to Switzerland and Germany and I had a fantastic time. We left by bus on Thursday evening and the idea was that we would all sleep through the night and wake up chipper and refreshed. I promise you this was not quite the result. Although some students have the uncanny ability to sleep anytime and anywhere I have not been blessed with this gift. It was restful only in that I did not have to exert any energy moving about. But needless to say I managed to overcome this setback because I was in Switzerland. In the morning we explored the beautiful town of Lucerne. It was quaint and beautiful. I always make an effort to try the local specialties so I had to try some real Swiss chocolate. I have to say it did not meet my high expectations. It exceeded them by miles. I only had a few little samples because everything in Switzerland is quite expensive but what I had was out of this world. I could tell the ingredients that went into creating the little bite-size masterpieces were of extraordinary quality. Everything about them was perfect (except that I couldn’t afford the entire case of them). Next we took a series of chair lifts to get to the top of one of the Swiss Alps. Unfortunately we did not have a very clear day so there was not much to see but we were told on a clear day one could see 73 different peaks from where we were. We were treated to a wonderful traditional meal at the station at the top. After lunch we explored a bit and wandered through the snow and rock caves at the top before taking the lift back down. Our next destination was Munich. We made it there quite late so my roommate and I grabbed a quick dinner and went to bed to catch up on lost sleep. The next morning we were greeted by the best breakfast display I have ever seen. It could make a morning person out of anyone. There were several types of granola, fruit, yogurt, bread loafs, pastries, pound cake, juice, eggs, bacon, a cappuccino machine, local specialties, a variety of meats, cheeses and spreads. I was on cloud nine. We went on a bus tour of Munich followed by a short walking tour. It was an excellent was to get an overview of the city. For lunch a group of us decided to eat at the local outdoor market which had booths with soup, fruit, meat, cheese, beer, pretzels, seafood and other local specialties. We ate in the center beer garden which was wonderful. Our guide emphasized that Germans love to eat outside and will go out of their way to do so. As soon as it is possible to sit outside they will. I personally love this cultural trait and I thoroughly enjoyed eating outside in the cool air with the locals. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city center and dropping into random shops. For dinner we went to the Hofbrauhaus- a famous beer hall known for its atmosphere. They had a live band and traditional dancing and whip acts. The next day we went to the concentration camp, Dachau. It was an incredibly moving experience. Even though almost all of the original buildings were demolished there is still a haunting feeling surrounding the camp. A few of the barracks and other buildings have been rebuilt for memorial and visual purposes for tours. Almost as soon as the tour started our typically chatty group fell silent. It felt wrong to talk in a place where so much suffering had occurred. There was nothing worth saying. Anything we were feeling seemed irrelevant compared to the suffering due to the atrocities which transpired years before. I knew it would be an interesting place to visit but I had no idea it would be such a powerful experience. There was something altogether daunting about being in the physical location of the camp. I have read books and articles about concentration camps before but standing in the camp and actually being able to picture life there was nauseating. All in all the weekend was a great success filled with the perfect combination of entertaining and educational experiences.

---

Photos

Cinque Terre, Switzerland, Germany 039
chocolate heaven

Cinque Terre, Switzerland, Germany 062
swiss alps!!

Cinque Terre, Switzerland, Germany 108
beer garden

Cinque Terre, Switzerland, Germany 114
Munich

Cinque Terre, Switzerland, Germany 123
fox stein