Rick Steves' Best of Europe in 21 Days - Spring 2024
Postcards from Mike & Jen
Day 6 - Dachau & Wieskirche on the way to Fussen
Guten Morgen from Germany!
Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
Today's adventures took us to a somber guided tour of the concentration camp memorial. Our guide, James, described the meaning of the symbols and life in the camp. He also explained how this was the first and longest operating concentration camp and was initially set up to detain political prisoners (communists, social democrats, and dissidents) and eventually expanded to include sexual and ethnic minorities. Construction of the camp was underway during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Arbeit Macht Frei (work sets you free) started here because it was actually possible to get out of the camp by converting and proving that you were a Nazi. It didn't happen often, but it was possible in the early days. In addition to the crematorium, the camp had a gas chamber, however it wasn't used. It didn't seem right taking pictures in either of those of places. It was a very solemn experience.
Andechs Beergarden
We stopped at a Andechs Beergarden for lunch. We opted for comfort snacks of beer, potato salad, pretzels and cheese spread.
Pilgrimage Church of Wies - Wieskirche
The Wieskirche (white church) is an oval Rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by brothers J. B. and Dominikus Zimmermann. Matti challenged us to find the element in the ceiling fresco that is 3-dimensional.
Fussen
As we approached Fussen, we stopped for a quick glimpse of the Neuschwanstein Castle on the way to the hotel. For dinner we ate together at the hotel and had chicken schnitzel or mac & cheese and of course, apple strudel and beer! The food was excellent, however make sure you have euros! The waiter was rather cranky when we were initially going to pay for our drinks with a credit card. When you are in southern Germany, cash is king!
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