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Published: August 8th 2008
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The hotties of the beer halls... they say it takes extra-ordinary strength and skill to carry that many liters of beer. I believe it! Munich is in the heart of German Bavaria. The city and all the buildings are very nice and in many ways, Munich feels indistinguishable from other major cities we have visited such as Dublin, Oslo and Frankfurt. The more time you spend in Munich however, you began to see that everything is NOT how it appears. As you look around you began to notice that the historical towers and buildings look a little too well-preserved. If you look closely at the walls of buildings you began to see the bomb damage, evidence of the evil reign and empowerment of the National Socialist Party (Nazis) and the overwhelming and wide spread destruction caused by a war torn past.
Munich during WW2 was the heart of Nazi Germany. As a result over 90% of the city was destroyed by allied bombings. The buildings look historical and old, but in reality, they are mostly reconstructions and they date back to 1950 instead of 15 century. Everything in the city testifies to Munich’s past. David and I had several opportunities to tour the city with guides who were able to point out evidence of this past. It was powerful for both of us to
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One example of damage from WW2 bombings and bullets. see in person what we have read about in history books.
Yesterday, our second day in Munich, was one of our busiest days so far in Europe. Of course we started our day with Starbucks. That’s one nice thing about major cities! I was happy because I finally got soy milk. Not surprisingly, soy isn’t really that popular in the land of bratwurst and pretzels!
After being heavily caffeinated we went to the German Museum, which is advertised as Germany’s Smithsonian. I don’t know how it compares because I have never been to the Smithsonian, but I can report that it was the biggest museum I have ever visited. Six massive floors filled with exhibits on everything: astronauts, food technology, the mechanisms of tunneling, computer technology, and my favorite, pharmacology (well… maybe not my literal favorite, but the exhibit I felt most connected too because of the MANY hours I spent studying medications throughout nursing school). David and I spent 3 hours at the museum, hurrying from room to room and only saw maybe 10% of what the museum has to offer. Our other highlights: seeing the actual sun (with help of a cute little German astronomer and
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Beautiful Munich! his observatory tower!). I think we could have spent years of our life there before we saw everything, but alas, these days we keep a tight schedule and we had to move on!
Next we traveled outside of Munich to Dachau. Dachau was the flag ship of the concentration camps that Hitler and the Nazi Party created during WW2. It was in existence from 1933-1945, which made it the oldest and longest functioning concentration camp. It was started during the rise of the Nazi party as a work camp to “correct” political prisoners. Really, what it did was break their spirit and take their lives. Many people died at this work camp after being humiliated, tortured, and devalued in the worst ways.
I don’t think I can effectively describe the haunting feeling that accompanies seeing the skeleton of such intense and real evil. David and I prayed before we entered the camp. We wanted the lessons that we learned while there to become images and attitudes that would impact the way we perceived the world and our role within the world for the rest of our lives. I kept thinking while surveying the grounds and listening to our
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Hitler's office building. tour guide how I would describe this experience to our children someday. How I could explain to a child why such horrible atrocities took place. I also thought about how much I take for granted. For example, the heat. It was VERY hot yesterday and for much of the tour we had to stand outside. I was uncomfortable and kept thinking about how I wished I was inside or in the shade. While I was thinking about this, the tour guide explained that one of the horrible “punishments” that the Nazi’s inflicted upon the prisoners was role call. During Role Call, twice a day, prisoners would stand for hours and could not move or they would be beaten or killed. No matter what the weather or the state of their health they stood in whatever clothing they had, which in many cases was next to nothing.
The thousands of people that suffered and died in Dachau are heroes and it is so convicting to think about how many of them continued to have faith and hope and demonstrate love, while all the while enduring torment and abuse. I have also been meditating on the Bible passage where Jesus sees
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Most of the Nazi symbolism was removed following the war, but a few pieces remain as evidence of past mistakes. the sadness and mourning of the people, when a friend and family member dies. He sees their anguish and he is moved to tears. He suffers with the suffering, He’s present in their pain. He leads them to quiet waters and sustains them in green pastures and after a time, He once again gives restores their hope.
After a powerful afternoon, we made our way back to the city. Although we were saddened by what we saw and experienced, I think we both felt empowered to live differently. We want to challenge evil, not ignore it. I think that was the biggest take-away message from Dachau. Not all Germans during WW2 were Nazis, many (the majority) hated the Nazi s and did not agree with their means or methods of terror. However, most people did not stand up to the regime of evil. They ignored the daily persecutions and the signs of impending evil. They sought to benefit themselves. In retrospect, our guide told us that many Germans regret that they did not unite and fight the evil when they could. I think that’s the greatest message for us today: to confront evil in all forms.
Needless to
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David at the German Museum of Science making friends with the first generation of sea explorers. Can you imagine wearing that outfit under water?! say after all that introspection , we needed a drink! So we participated in a beer and brewery tour. It was really fun! We learned the history of beer in Germany. For instance, did you know that the monks were the first German’s to develop beer? It was developed during lent because they couldn’t eat, but they could drink… and let’s face it, if you are going to drink anything, shouldn’t it be beer? We also learned about the origins of Oktoberfest and about the stealing of the May Pole… So the tour was very informative and it was really fun to talk with other travelers. We had a pretty eclectic group. There were biker women from the UK, an older couple from Perth, Australia, a brother-sister duo (who David asked if they were married!), a couple from Salem, Oregon, and two pompous college guys who through their boasting and constant references to drunkenness, drove David absolutely nuts! An interesting cross-section of personality types, which made for a really funny evening.
We started at a beer garden, went to the Paulaner brewery (did a short tour and learned for the 100th time about the beer making process) and then
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The cute little German astronomer showing David the sun! ended in the Hofbrauhaus, the world’s largest beer hall. Where there was a live polka band, old men wearing their lederhosen, and beer wenches. I don’t think that is what they call them, but they served the beer. I do have to say, the majority were pushing retirement and did not fit the media produced stereotype! It was here that David had his 1 Litter a beer in HUGE stein (called a mass) and I enjoyed a local wine. I was the odd-ball of the tour by only ordering wine… By the time the tour was over, it was past 11pm and we were exhausted! What a full day!
We would definitely recommend Munich as a great place to visit and we hope to go back again!
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Mary
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wine, not beer, for me, too, Chelsea!
I am with you Chelsea, not being a beer drinker. I enjoyed reading your wonderful summary of a place I have not visited. Very sobering to consider the history. We love reading and tagging along with your journey! Very nice picture of you two at the end...love you both. xooox