So I ask a man next to me who I heard speaking English with his sons, and he went to ask someone. He comes back, running, and says that we need to go to Platform 1, hop on, and get off at the first stop. I asked no questions and ran to the platform with what I later found out was a family from the Bay Area! Small world! So we get on the train, get off at the first stop, and eventually find our original train. By this time, it's an hour and a half late. As soon as we crossed the German border, a conductor came into my compartment blabbering in German, and the sweet old Czech lady in my compartment said that we would be getting off, waiting an hour, and getting on another train. And that's what we did.
Eventually, I arrived in Munich, but rather than taking 6 hours, it took closer to 9! My friend Laura, who studies in Lyon with me who normally studies in Munich (she went just to spend the holiday with her school friends) met me at the train station and we went to Hofbräuhaus, a famous beer hall in Munich. We ate what Laura told me was a traditional German meal, and sat at a table full of Italians (who were shocked to see a German and American speaking to each other in French!) Then, we went to Laura's friend's apartment where we were staying for the night. We had a little bit of wine and champagne while playing SingStar (you have NEVER lived until you've seen foreigners doing karaoke to American songs. SO funny!!) and headed out to their friend's New Years party.
Basically, my New Years Eve was full of confusion, shiny fireworks flying everywhere, French speaking with Laura, and people speaking German all around me. It was like nothing I have ever seen, there was no official fireworks "show", it was basically just people lighting bottle rockets out of champagne bottles in the streets! I made a few videos and put them together...I dont know if you can really tell how crazy all the fireworks are, but its a good try:
The next day, we woke up to a fresh, beautiful blanket of SNOW!!! It was so fun! Laura and I spent the day sight seeing, she took me to a palace, the English Gardens, then we went up into the tower of a church downtown and got a great view of downtown Munich at nighttime. Laura was a great tour guide, and I had a good 24 hours of speaking nothing but French when I was with her! She left that night to go back to her home in Innsbruck (Austria), so I called it an early night and went to my hostel.
So at this point, it's January 2nd, just to keep things in perspective! Haha. So the next day I spent the majority of the day en route to or at Dachau. Dachau is technically its own city, and it is the site of the first Nazi Concentration Camp. I still think it's hardly hit me, the gravity of what I saw when I was there. And to add to the experience, it was cold and there was snow on the ground as I stood (somewhat warm with my huge jacket, scarf & many layers) in the same place that the prisoners were forced to stand out in the cold for hours doing "Roll Call" wearing nothing but rags.
Although everything that I saw was very striking, the most impressionable of everything had to have been the Crematorium. It was there that I myself walked through the Gas chambers, and the next room with the ovens. A close second had to be the barracks, where the evolution of the inhumane conditions were clearly demonstrated with 3 different types of "bed" arrangements.
There was also a museum at the site that had a lot of background info on what led to the rise of the Nazis, about prisoners in the camps, and about its liberation. In addition, there were religious memorials from the Jewish church, the Protestant, and I believe the Catholic church which were all very impressive. It was such a great experience and I am very glad I had the chance to see a concentration camp. It's something everyone learns about, but it is just so SO different to see it in person.
After I got back from Dachau, I went back downtown to see a few sites that I hadn't yet seen. One was the Deutsches Museum, which I defnitely didn't have time to go in and view, but it was a neat building complex. Then, I went to the Olympic Stadium. Unfortunately it was really dark and there wasn't too much to see, but I've never seen an Olympic stadium before and I absolutely LOVE the Olympics so that was neat for me!
That's about it for Munich...the next day, I took the train to Salzburg, but I think you've all read enough already...I'll keep that for the next installment!!!
Me and Laura shortly after Midnight, dodging fireworks!
The crazy scene in the streets
Schloss Nymphenburg, or Nymphenburg Palace
The view from above of Rathaus, or city hall
The entrance to Dachau...same that the prisoners saw. The text translates to "Work Makes You Free". Irony much?
Dachau was the first major concentration to open up in 1933. At that time, it was mostly just for political prisoners (aka those who opposed the Nazis)
Watchtower.
The latest, and most uncomfortable and inhumane living conditions that were imposed toward the end. There aren't separated sleeping spaces, and it was at this point that there was a huge epidemic in the camp and most people just died of disease before starvation/torture/etc.
The Crematorium
The ovens =(
Gas Chamber
Ok, ok, I know this one is silly. But I wanted a picture at Dachau and I didn't think smiling was appropriate!
Deutsches Museum
The Olympic Swimming hall!
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