It was an interesting and challenging day for the participants today. As the students began adjusting to a new time zone, several reported waking up as early as 3:00 this morning and not being able to get back to sleep. Others were up and out at 7:00, going for breakfast long before our 8:30 planned meeting time while announcing to Munich our presence. A gentle reminder that not all hotel guests rise so early was very well received.
Experiences of a German breakfast were positive, with many familiar foods. We have finally figured out the labyrinth of streets around our hotel and this was evident as we made our way to the train station to purchase lunches and to meet our guide for the day. We were all very impressed by the cleanliness and efficiency of the WC at the train station, though nobody was very keen on the 1 E cost to use them...
At 10:00, we met our host, Keith, from Radius tours who served as our guide for Dachau. I have been impressed with how quickly everyone has come to accept that train travel is just the way to get around here. As we left the train station for Dachau, we learned much about the history of Munich and the surrounding area.
Dachau was a very moving experience. The students, in fact all of us, were challenged to understand how the actions of the Nazis and, specifically, the SS, could have happened. It seems incomprehensible that people could treat other people with the level of disregard for basic rights that was displayed at Dachau and other concentration camps. As a part of the tour, we watched a film about Dachau. It was an awaking to see that the images in the film were of the place we had spent our day experiencing. All of the travellers will have much to say about this when we get home.
The late afternoon and evening were spent once again touring the Marienplatz area. Today, we took the students to the centre of the area and gave the students a brief time to shop and to get food. We then took a walk around the area, visiting several of the sites including the Bavarian Palace and the English Gardens.
In the end, all of us were tired right out. A great state to achieve after a day of experiencing a major historical site and the life of a very big and very old city. All of us are looking forward to our trip to Ulm tomorrow and to moving on to Tuttlingen to meet exchange partners and families for the first time.
I am still not able to figure out how to load photos to the blog today, but will hopefully get them up on Saturday or Sunday
i am so glad all of you got to experience dachau. for all you hear and read about the holocast, there is nothing quite like getting to see the camps for yourself. you will all love ulm...it is a wonderful city!
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