Dachau

Day 3 - Munich, Germany

We woke up to Dina making us bacon and eggs for breakfast and after the second round of coffee we all started to get ready for the day. Last night we all agreed to go see the things here that were nowhere else in the world first and then add in anything else that caught our interest. Unfortunately that meant that we would be starting our vacation with a trip to Dachau Concentration Camp. I know that it's kind of a strange place to visit on holiday but to just ignore that it is here seems wrong too. We arrived and made a very brief stop at the information building deciding to just walk around and explore on our own rather than take a guided tour. I'm so glad we made that decision! It was sensory overload with the information presented to us, I can't imagine listening to someone repeat the atrocities that took place here. As we entered through the iron gate a feeling of oppression came over us. It only got worse from there but at first I tried to shrug it off and took pictures of the watch towers and surrounding buildings. Inside the main building was set up similar to a museum with information stations everywhere. Within minutes I realized that I didn't want to read all of the horrific details and soon I was just glossing over the info and taking pictures of the walls and windows (which reminded me of the old Oakridge building at work). We decided to sit and watch a documentary about Dachau. It was one of the first concentration camps built and the only one to be used all 12 years. It was very graphic and stressed that the staggering number of deaths mentioned were just the reported numbers and that the actual numbers were likely much higher. We were all silent as we walked out of the theatre and I was ready to leave. Outside Dina confided that she felt the same but we hadn't seen the bunkers yet or the crematorium ...so we continued. I didn't actually go into the crematorium but Dina said that it wasn't as bad as she had imagined and that the pictures posted on the signs were more upsetting than the sterile rooms inside. By the time we left all of the muscles on my face hurt from trying to hold the emotions in and keep a straight face.  We drove back to Munich and stopped for a bite to eat and decided to do something more cheerful. We went sightseeing! We drove as close to the city centre as possible and then walked the cobblestone streets to see the cathedrals, churches and municipal buildings. The architecture was incredible and the details amazing. I'm glad I got to see it but at the same time couldn't help but wonder about the people who actually had to pay for all of this and what their quality of life was like back then. One of the churches from the 1300's was kind of creepy and had a skeleton on display and a skull in a box as well as gold covered skeletons as decorations on the walls. We went up the tower at the municipal building though and got to see everything around for miles. That was cool! By this time we were beat and came back to the apartment for a break only to get up and go again as soon as we were hungry. We walked till we found Impler Cafe and Bar where we had a delicious  traditional Bavarian meal with a beer and strudel for dessert. We were surprised when the chef sent us a round of pear schnapps. We had a great night and now it's nearly 11 and we are all already in bed. Good night world! 

Our cool little home for a few days!

After meeting Keith and Dina we picked up a rental car and headed into Munich (Munchen in German). Dina had found us the perfect little apartment on Arbnb close to the city centre. We arrived to find we have a top floor apartment with a nice balcony AND the apartment reminds us of a tiny house! It's around 350 square feet and so cute! Michael and I went for a short walk while Keith and Dina recovered from their long flight and then we all headed down the street for a traditional schnitzel dinner. We found an Olympic sized pool on the way home for Dina as she is training for the next Iron Man. Most of the evening was spent relaxing and chatting away. This is the first I've been to Germany and in many ways it is similar to Scotland except that the roads are a little wider (still narrower than in North America) and the cars are a little bigger too. Oh and there is definitely more sunshine here than in Glasgow! So far everything has a simple or understated look but it is absolutely beautiful here!  

Time Flies!

Day 2 - Munich, Germany

I fully intended to keep a daily journal again while I am on vacation. Actually I meant to start it earlier when we moved out of the house and into our tiny bus but I we have been so busy that my mind hasn't settled enough to write. I know it sounds like an excuse but before when I was on the trail I found it so easy to keep a journal and jot down my thoughts at the end of a day. Maybe because I had countless hours during the day to think and process my thoughts it was effortless to write at the end of a day. This is forced. I am on vacation and not on a trail yet and up until now put off writing.  But I know that if I don't start I will regret it later so here it goes. 

The past few weeks of working, packing, moving, elimination our stuff has really taken a toll on me. I thought it would be easy to make the switch to the bus. It is after all what I've wanted for over a year now! It was fairly easy to get rid of my own personal items although to be honest I should go through everything on the bus and eliminate a few more of my own personal things when we get back. What really surprised me was my overly sensitive reaction to Michael as he got rid of his stuff. Michael is the kind of person who sees something on the side of the road (read someone else's garbage) and finds a use for it (or imagines a possible future use for it) and stops to collect said item. He's not a hoarder but he does manage to collect stuff - a lot of it! On top of that, he hates change and definitely hates moving. I knew that this was going to be difficult for him and was very surprised at how smoothly things were going over the past month and how efficiently he seemed to manage eliminating extra tools and items he had collected over the past 30 years. The last week however has been difficult. As he became a little frazzled from the size of the move I became stressed the f*#% out by his moodiness. He would make one negative comment and I would be thinking "I'm forcing him get rid of all his stuff, what right do I have to be doing this" or even worse, "how  am I going to to live in such a small space with this negative person." As we moved the last items out and dealt with the last of the garbage I questioned everything. It was unnerving. At the same time we were leaving (in my state of mind read abandoning) our dogs with a friend for almost a month while we toured Europe. You can imagine how we both felt about that. Anyway, we do have amazing friends who have tried to make this transition as easy as possible and as I sit here in the middle of the night on a balcony of our Arbnb "tiny house" in Germany I know that everything is going to be ok. While we were at the Toronto airport waiting to board I sent a message to Dina (Canadian Bacon who I hiked with on the Appalachian Trail) just to say we were on our way and we would see them tomorrow in Germany. I had a panicky moment when I got her reply moments later questioning me on our arrival time and didn't I mean that I would see them on Saturday (not tomorrow - Friday). It turns out I has booked our flight a day earlier than them but at the time I was thinking "am I at the airport a day early?" Again, everything turned out for the best and upon arrival we booked a room at a nearby hotel and got to catch up on much needed sleep and start to unwind. We had an amazing dinner and went for a relaxing walk before turning in for the night. In the morning, the hotel provided an all you can eat buffet breakfast before we headed back to the airport to meet Keith and Dina. I don't even think I realized how much I missed them until I saw them again. I am so thankful for the many great friends that I have but this is different. It felt so good (like I  had just come home after a long time of being away) just hanging out with them today. This holiday/vacation/hike /adventure is going to be amazing! I just know it! It's really late and I have written for too long. I will fill you in on the cool place we are staying at tomorrow. Good night World!