Ok,so, i didn't have time to update yesterday, and given the time that I have tonight i will try to catch up on the many things I have done in a period of two days.
Yesterday, we started the day of class by meeting at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. I can't say that it was fun. I can't say I enjoyed myself.And I certainly cannot say I would like to go back. But, like those movies that should atleast be seen once, it was an experience i will never forget. Astrid met us for class and gave us the rest of the day to go through the camp, and leave when we had "had enough". I walked it alone with only my recorded headset for company, though i preferred it that way. Since about 1996 they changed the set up of the park so that every visitor has to walk through the same wrought iron gate that mocking reads Arbeit Macht Frei, or "work sets you free." Of the original 64 barracks there were only two rebuilt and where the others used to lay are only the foundations filled with river rock, as though the entire expanse of the camp were a gravesite. I went in the museum where i was "walked through" the years of the camp and its many cruel murders, experiments and horrors. I left the large building severly sobered and angry. I found Astrid walkign between the old road between the foundations. As i was talking to her I had a person run up behind me and give me a hug. It was my long lost Anna! Anna is studying in the town of Stutgart(sp?)and came to visit us for the day. Her being there made mine. We walked through a littlemore of the camp, and I merely glanced in the rooms of the crematorium and the barely used gas chambers, but that wasmore than enough.
After we gathered our little group together, we walked into the medieval part of the town of Dachau. we climbed the main hill and ate a small lunch on a patio overlooking the small river that runs through the town. The camp wasnot visible, and I am sure that fact helped to brighten our day. After lunch we had made a plan with some of our other classmates to go to the English garden to spend the afternoon in the sun and play some soccer. We were a little late, on both groups, but it worked out. We played some soccer in the middle of the massive park while hundreds of poeple layed in the sun, walked there dogs, did yoga or even get together to play drums. It was very relaxing, and lightened our hearts after the extremely heavy morning.
We decided to walk back to the train station instead of taking the tram and it was indeed a brilliant idea. We walked through numerous public parks with blooming flowers and lovely fountains. As we walked by one park on our hunt for food, our noses found something for us. We all smelled barbeque! It was a restaurant that barbeques outside and had very cheap food. Mary and I split a steak smothered in barberque sauce, and probably the best potato salad i have ever had. We also split what is called a Radler. Its really the only beer I can drink, as half of it is lemonade. After food we went back to Mike's hostel and played a couple rounds of Boggle. After the games the four of us, Mary Andie Jackie and I had to head to the train station to pick up our luggage so that we could go to our new hostel, on the other side of town. We got in at about 11. The hostel reminds me of a camp building from the 70s but the price was right, and they actually had space among all the construction worker convention visitings.
The breakfast this morning at the hostel was mediocre at best, but the price was right as it was included with the room. We got up and ate early in order to head over to the Olympic Park and go swimming before we met for class. The facilities were great as you would expect any olypmpic ones to be. There wer hundreds of little change rooms in the locker room and lockers with wristband keys. We swam for about 45min. I only did one true lap accross the pool, but I did dive off the boards alot and jump several times from the highdive. We met for class and learned about the bittersweet history of the park. We took the fastest elevator on the continent to the top of the park tower and got the best view of the city yet.
We were given a small lecture of the park by a classmate and then walked throguh a lot of it towards the old residential area. We then met up with ASTRIDS cousin in her housing area, since it is new age and sustainable-ish. The community sits on an oldmilitary base and the members helped todeisgn the place. It ios called "The project". Apparently architects come from all over to study it. The part that i really thought was nice was that in order to move in, you had to spend about 80 hours working on a building in the complex.That way, the place is part of you and you get to know other people that will live there too. One man giving the tour was actually born in Maine and lived in Ely,Minnesota for 8 years. After the visit our Anna left us for home, since she has a design due tomorrow.
After the tour, the Minnesotan and his girlfriend brought us to an icecream parlor, then Schloss Nymphemburg. It was a palace of the Wittenburgs. Though we did not go inside the palace, we spent two hours walking around the 200 acre "backyard". The grouds were expansive and I took way too many pictures. We walked with Astrid and she helped me figure out my independent study just a little bit more. The river found in the english garden was rerouted through this garden and in the water lived many,many waterfowl. There were ducks i could not name, mute swans and even some canadian geese. We left before sunset and are nowplanning for our last day in Munich before we head to Berlin on the first.
1 comment:
*raptor*?
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