We started our morning early today, having a wonderful hand made breakfast at our Hotel (The Probst is a great place), and we are on board our first ICE train to Munich. We found out the hard way that you need to make reservations for your seats (we were told we may need to, but didn't know for sure), but thankfully there are places with tables and standing space for people like us. There are 4 tables in our area and about 14 people in one room.
We plan to transfer in Munich (I keep wanting to use German spelling...Munchen...) and get on a train and then a bus to Dachau to go see the concentration camp. If we have time later this evening, we're going to see some things in Munich itself. We'll see how things turn out.
Our ICE train ended up being 10 min late to Munich...(amd 20 min late om the way back to Nuremberg) which was the transfer time to get to Dachau. So we saw our train pulling out just as we stepped off onto the platform. The wait isn't long though, and we'll be on our way in less than a half hour.
The lower platforms of the Hauptbahnhof in Munich look SUPER sketchy. It actually reminds me of an episode from Person of Interest. There is a heavy fog/haze hanging in the air, everything is under construction, and there are beggars everywhere. Thankfully we're still alive. ;)
On the short train ride to Dachau we sat across from some girls who spoke Spanish and English interchangeably in their normal conversation. I've said it's always a huge relief to hear English...but I never thought I'd be relieved to hear Spanish. It was actually nice to hear and understand a little bit. Dr. Page would be proud.
Dachau. This placed moved me more than anywhere I've ever been, I think, and yet I cannot find adequate words to describe it. I cannot come close to doing it justice. We toured the prison cells (including torture areas), the sleeping and bath quarters, a *massive* museum that took us nearly 2 hours to complete, and several memorials/chapels. At the very end, a huge group of people circled the memorial near the front of the compound and hummed Amazing Grace together while holding hands. It was...indescribably deep. I kept thinking to myself: what is the solution to so much pain? How could they possibly see past their suffering? And hearing that hymn...I was soberly reminded that there is a Solution.
We ate at the Hopbrauhaus tonight for dinner. It's the oldest restaurant in Germany, dating all the way back to 1516. As the story goes, when Mozart came to Munich to give a performance to the royal court, he stopped by the Hopbrauhaus for a drink afterwards, as it was then owned by the royal family. Also, if you would have told me that a pretzel dipped in sweet mustard and veal sausage tastes amazing together before I came to Germany, I wouldn't have believed you. Turns out, it does taste amazing.
Munich is enormous. SO many people are bustling about. We saw a live polka band in the Hopbrauhaus (there ya go, Dad), a string ensemble playing classical in the streets, and a man in lederhosen playing guitar on a street corner. After looking through the Munich Fuseball (soccer) shop and touring the Rathaus (a municipal building larger than St. Peter's Cathedral), we're heading back to Nuremberg to crash one more night before we head to Salzburg. Today was another great day, and our adventuring skills are getting much better!
I'll write to you next from Austria!
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