Never Forget
The weather was cold and somber this morning, very befitting of our visit to Dachau Concentration Camp. This memorial, including a museum full of photos, personal experiences and memorabilia, tells the story of the camp and those who were imprisoned and killed there. We spent three hours walking the grounds, reading the stories, and listening to the audio tour. Most impactful were seeing the bunk houses (and the foundations for the rest of the bunkhouses that no longer stand) and the crematorium. The scale is massive and indescribable to think that over 200,000 people came into this camp. Many of them never came home. It was our first time to a concentration camp and there were times when it felt very haunting. As much as it was sad, it was also an important reminder of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis and why we cannot let this happen ever again.
The weather was very cold and blustery. It even snowed on us, had some brief moments of sun, and then was back to overcast.
Next up was our trip back into Munich where we visited the historic city center. We started with lunch, where I tried schnitzel for the first time. Then it was off to the Viktualiensmarkt to see the food, veggies and other goodies for sale. This market has been open since 1807!
We walked into a bougie chocolate shop nearby and the samples got us - we ended up walking away with some delicious and fancy chocolate bars. Sorry to all who think I’m bringing that home to them. Oh no, Brian and I will be enjoying these while on our journey.
We visited nearby St. Peter’s Church, the oldest Catholic church in Munich. The outside was understated and has old gravestones placed into the outer walls, but the inside was spectacular! The altar was breathtaking. The ceiling was gorgeous. There were several shrines, beautiful paintings, and more.
A visit to Munich isn’t complete without a visit to the Hofbrauhaus, a traditional German beer hall experience. Brian isn’t a huge beer drinker but liked the Hofbrau original beer he ordered. He enjoyed the huge mug of beer along with a gigantic pretzel. We listened to music from the Oompah band and just soaked up the atmosphere and warmth.
It had been cold outside but the beer house was toasty warm. Of course, when we were done and stepped outside it started snowing again. Just one of about six times it ended up snowing on us today. Thankfully it melted as soon as it hit the ground.
We visited nearby Frauenkirch, which had really beautiful stained glass, then spent a few hours hanging around, visiting stores and relaxing so we could pass the time until 5pm, when the Glockenspiel in Marienplatz puts on a show. This happens just a couple of times a day and I didn’t quite know what to expect. It was a 6.5 minute show with lots of bells and moving figurines. My favorite was the jousting scene. Someone wins… and someone doesn’t. I’ve included a video of that if you’re interested.
Now that we were done with our sightseeing in Munich, we grabbed some dinner and then headed back home. Tomorrow we hit the road and we’re so excited!
Today’s hearts were found in Brian’s beer foam and in the outdoor seating area of a restaurant.
.JPEG)
Comments