Dachau

Thursday we drove to Munich and to Dachau.  We went to see the concentration camp.

Entrance to concentration camp

Map of camp

I expected we'd spend a few hours there and then maybe see some of Munich.  We spent about 5 hours there.  It was very sobering.  The museum traced the rise of Hitler and his party and the erosion of freedoms of the people.

I had not realized that after WWI Germany had a democratic party with many freedoms-- the freedom to speak, to own property and not have it taken from you, the right to vote, the lack of discrimination based on race and religion.

With a series of rulings it was all swept away.

I also didn't realized that Hitler targeted so many groups.  He went after anyone who disagreed with him politically and put them into concentration camps.  He went after the priests and religious people who protested against him. He winnowed out his own followers and incarcerated any who might be weak.  He exterminated the infirm, the handicapped, the imperfect.  Then, of course, he went after Jews, and anyone non German.

As Germany went to war, they spread the program of extermination to the Jews and priests in the conquered nations.  And in Russia, they planned extermination so the new German Rich could spread into those lands.  Men, women and children were killed or hauled back to be slaves for the Third Reich and shoved into concentration camps.  Many Russian POW's were shot or killed in other ways.

The incredible brutality was mindboggling. Beatings, tortures, working to death, scientific experiments. And in the town of Dachau?  People said they didn't know what was going on.

How could that be?  I think it's because it was easier to believe a lie.  It's more comfortable.  If you believe the truth, then you must do something.  And that's dangerous.  It might put YOU in a concentration camp.

 

 Memorial. You can't see it clearly, but it shows skeletal people throwing themselves into the electrified barbed wire fence to kill themselves after they could no longer stand it.

 The camp was intended for 6,000 but grew to 32,000.  They were crammed into these rooms, but still expected to keep them spotless.

 Crematorium where the dead were burned.  They had a gas chamber, but it was never fully used.  Still, bodies were piled high in the two side rooms when the allied forces arrived.

 

I worry about our eroding freedoms.   I just read that the United States is now # 46 on the list of free countries just ahead of Haiti and behind Romania.  Where have our freedoms gone?  Since when have we allowed our freedoms to be slowly eroded and taken from us?  Why have we chosen safety and security-- government protection-- instead of freedom.

Innsbruck and Neuschwanstein Castle

Tuesday morning March 4th 2014 we left Italy and drove north to Austria.  Once again we drove into the clouds, through tunnels, and past snow covered mountains.  Cameras simply cannot do justice to the panoramic views we saw.  We'd go into a tunnel and come out with snow on the other side.

 

Occasional snow flurries made it seem like winter, but indeed, we were very blessed with great weather.  The roads were clear and we didn't have a lot of rain when we were out sightseeing.  It did rain most of the way to Innsbruck.

We went to the Crystal Museum sponsored by Swarovski Crystal Company.  I had expected a history of the crystal and information about the mining process.  It was none of that.  Rather it was a tribute to the crystal in art and design.

This was a picture from a mirrored room.  Below, someone taking a photo in another display.

It was very much a modern art museum and used sight, sound, color, and movement to celebrate crystals. There were many displays that had motion-- automation-- to set off the crystals.  But some.. I just couldn't figure out-- dancing legs (just legs with men's pants on) and moving shirts on hangers... and on torsos. Very odd.

We went into a room all mirrored like a giant crystal, and through a "water world" with the garbled under-water sounds.  Eventually we came to the Swarovski historical area with some beautiful crystal pieces and finally into the modern show room and sales.

Naturally we had to look... and buy.  I got a small necklace and earrings.

We then toured some of old Innsbruck.  Again the old town area was lovely... but crowded with a joyful Carnival or Mardi Gras crowd.  The costumes were not nearly as elaborate as Venice, but they were full sized kinds of Halloween costumes you might see on kids.

Also, loud music.  We wandered for a bit-- first with the sights and the crowds... then trying to find where we parked the car.  Then the automatic arm wouldn't let us out of the parking garage.  So Dan asked someone in the parking area.  He let us out for free! Nice.  He said, in honor of Carnival!

We drove on to Germany to Garmish where the US Army R&R lodge of Edelweiss is.  It is a large, elaborate lodge with a zillion rooms. Dan and Rebecca enjoyed the work out rooms and the trails to run.  We all enjoyed the dining area.

Wednesday we drove back through Austria to the Neuschwanstein Castle built by Prince Ludwig II around a romantic medieval Wagnerian theme. Driving back into Austria we found lots of snow.  Then after going through another tunnel, it disappeared.

The Castle was amazing. Most of the rooms are decorated with scenes from Wagner's operas.We could not take interior photos. Sorry.  The sketches for the castle came from sets from some of Wagner's operas.  It was built to rival Versailles. 

I don't think it does, although it's incredibly ornate, like Versailles.  It's not as large and doesn't have the majestic gardens.  It does however, have fantastic views.  Really breathtaking.  And the castle is lovely.  I particularly liked that it LOOKED like a medieval castle, but, being built in the last 1800's had much more modern conveniences-- even electricity and a telephone.

Alas, Ludwig, believing in absolute monarchy, drove himself into debt building this and several other palaces.  He never completed this castle, even as he drew up plans for another.  When the banks threatened to foreclose, he was declared insane, confined, and found dead the next day at age 40.  The castle was never finished and remains in the just as it was the day he died.  They never finished it.

Still, I think Bavaria came out ahead.  When you look at all the tourists going to the castle, I'm sure the state has earned back all the money spent on the castle.  And they have a wonder of the world there.  It is breathtakingly beautiful.

Venice

Monday we drove to  Venice.  The driving is less stressful when you simply assume getting lost is part of the journey.  We made a detour... but we arrived in Venice just fine.

I hadn't realized it was ALL islands (about 118 of them). We drove on a long bridge from the mainland and parked the car. Then we walked the rest of the time.

We hadn't realized until Sunday that Carnival or Mardi Gras was going on in Venice.  But it was.  Full blast.  Many, many people were in costume. There were masks and face painters and painted faces.  Loads of people.  Wow. Crowds everywhere.  But they were all having a good time.

We got a map of Venice and and it helped a lot.  We saw lots of alley ways. Some on purpose... some not. We crossed canals over lots of little bridges.  Tom was especially enamored with all the costumes.  I loved the colorful buildings and the wonderful view of canals.

 We first went to the Jewish Gheto or Ghetto.  Originally Gheto ment foundry, I think.  But with bigotry, they confined the Jews into this small island, locked them in at night, and only allowed them to ply certain trades- money changers, pawn shops, used clothing sellers.  Many were very poor.  Only a few were wealthy. We went through the museum there.

Then we went on to St. Mark's square.  This was where the head of the government was for many years when Venice was independent. We really didn't see a lot of the square.  We did see tons of people and the large Catholic church. It's very thought provoking how much of life revolved around church at this time.  And to  be in a very Catholic nation.

We sampled authentic pizza, a great Italian salami sandwich, gelato- ice cream, cannoli-- cream filled pastries and tiramasu- a chocolate topped/cream/cake dessert.  It was fun to try authentic foods.  On the way back to the car we passed this opera singer in one of the squares.  It was delightful to listen to him.

After we returned to Vicenza, we went out to dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant.  It was close to the base and recommended by Rebecca's friend.  Yummy pasta.

Italy

Friday, after we left Lucerne, we drove to Italy.

Once we came out of the alps on the Italian side via a long tunnel, we entered a new world!  The snow was really deep, the sky was shrouded in clouds and it was snowing lightly. We stopped for a pit stop at a rest stop, then continued through Milan and on to Vicenza.  While we passed a lot of vineyards, we also passed lots of cities.  Vicenza was bigger than I thought it would be.  We drove around the military base several times looking for the entrance in.  It was on the first road we came down, but hidden behind green fencing and could only be accessed if driving west.  We asked directions a couple of times... but still found lots of places that were not right, before finally getting to the entrance.  It took us 45 minutes of driving to find it.  Not our finest hour.

We stopped by the commissary and then drove to the lodging.  It has a kitchenette, living room with fold-out sofa, and a bedroom with queen bed.

Saturday we went to Verona--  of Romeo and Juliette fame.  I was fascinated by the age of the structures.  Tom and I spent some time scrambling around an old Roman Arena.  It was built like a coliseum with arched entrances and stone seating. It's still used today and it was built in 4AD.  Wow!  How did they do it?

I love the more colorful houses of Italy.  The balconies, shutters, archways and hanging vines all fulfill my vision of what Italy should look like.  It's so picturesque in a way that's quite different from Switzerland.

Saturday we went to Verona. Here is the arch to the old city.

They had a 4AD Roman arena there that Tom and I toured.

We toured a castle on the riverside and then went into the art museum there.  The art was mostly from Verona and from the 13 and 14 th centuries.  So it all had a religious theme.  Some were very lovely and well done.  It's amazing how oil and paint can look so lifelike... and after so many years.

We walked across this beautiful bridge.  The castle is right on the edge of this river and the bridge comes out right where the castle is.

 Beautiful Verona houses.

 We returned to the car for a late lunch and when we came out from the parking structure, it was raining.  So we walked in the rain to the cathedral.  Again, it had amazing detail on the inside.

By then we had tired, damp feet so we trekked back to the car.

The GPS, which had brought us to Verona on the toll road, decided to take us back on surface streets.  A better view of the scenery... but lots of round-abouts!  Dan finally ignored it, took the sign for the A4, and got us back on the main highway.

We dined at the PX eatery.  Here in Italy, restaurants close between 5-7 so if you  want dinner, you need to eat late.

Today we made it to church.  On the map it looked pretty simple.  The GPS took us all over the place... and we finally got there.  It was the pink building next to the massage parlor. We had to park across the street at the school.  It was comforting to talk to Carlie, Rebecca's friend from high school (Okinawa), and have her say that her GPS will take her a different route every time she goes one direction.

It was fun to be in a military ward.  Today was fast Sunday.  We had an early dinner of sandwiches and left-overs and then did a little sight seeing of  Vicenza.  We saw a cathedral and clock tower.  Lots of cobblestone and some parks. Beautiful old buildings.