Our first stop of the day was Dachau, the first concentration camp under the Third Reich. It is located about 20 miles outside of Munich, in the town of Dachau. There were a few things that I didn't know about Dachau or even the concentration camps, like the fact that the camp is located almost in the middle of the town. It is a pretty powerful sight. All the 30 barracks had been taken down to their foundations and two had been reconstructed. After the war the camp was used to house German refugees and the barracks buildings proved to be too decrepit and were razed.

The main camp office is now a museum to the camp and the victims of the Nazis. We caught an English language tour that lasted about 2 hours. It was a sobering reminder of what can happen under a dictatorship. The total casualties totaled 31,591, plus several thousand others who were not recorded. All these deaths happened during the camp's 12 year history. The tour guide was good, telling stories of life in the camp when it was still operational. Stories of the S.S. beating and killing prisoners, and stories of the solidarity between the prisoners of all nationalities.

I'd say that the most impressive parts of the camp were the crematorium, where thousands of bodies of dead prisoners were burned, and the museum, which had several pictures of the dead bodies both from Dachau and other camps. The crematorium is impressive, at least to me, because it makes you think of how many people died, how many family lines were wiped out simply for the fact that they were Jewish or some other group the Nazis didn't like.

The camp isn't so much depressing as it is sobering. It stands in stark contrast to the castles and beerhalls we have seen so far; concrete in contrast to gold, vaulted ceilings, and baroque decor.

During the reign of Hitler, there was a total of 170 "main" camps (like Dachau, Auswitz, Buchenwald) and 3,000 to 4,000 smaller satellite camps. It is amazing to think that humans can do the things that they did in this camp to other human beings. There is one sign that is particularly touching, saying "Never Again" in 4 different languages.

Right near that sign there is a statue/monument made of metal, shaped like bodies, but also shaped like barbed wire. That's a little hard to explain without seeing it, but we took a photo.

After Dachau, we headed to a monastery famous for its beer. Both the food and the beer at Andechs came highly recommended to us, both from our travel books and from an American we had run into on the flight from Zurich to Munich. However, we found both to be under par. The place we selected to eat at was out of about half of its menu. So for about the third day in a row, we fell back on the alternate food, which was in good supply, wurst. The monastery is situated at the top of a hill and offers a good view of the surrounding countryside. The interior of the monastery was even more impressive than St. Michael's in the Marienplatz. I find it pretty amazing the amount of time and money that was sunk into the churches in Europe. But remember that Europe has a history of being a pretty religious place, and when these cathedrals were built, religion was very in vogue.

Alix: Now a note from me. I still can't believe we are here and yet being so completely away from anything familiar, it begins to feel like we have been here for weeks. Everything is different -- from breakfast (rolls, meat, bread, yogurt and toppings) to money to language. I find that there are some very difficult differences that we are learning to deal with. The worst (Eric: Doesn't she mean...wurst?) is the smoking....everyone (and I have seen some who look as young as 10) smokes everywhere. There are no No Smoking areas in restaurants and as non-smokers it is hard to get used to and all our clothes smell. About the only safe places are the metros and trains, but not the stations.

Bill: Just wait till we get to Eastern Europe...

Another difference is getting used to Diet Coke (Cola Light over here) only slightly chilled and with no ice. Also getting any bottled water larger than personal size that is chilled. We carry our water bottles always and keep them full of filtered water. Note for Donna: Soda consumption way down, water consumption way up for obvious reasons! I

The language difference has not been difficult for Eric and I. With a half dozen words and liberal use of gestures, we are able to communicate with most everyone. They are overall friendly and anxious to understand us, and to practice what little English they have also.

Just wish there were more hours in each day -- we tend to skip sleeping to do other things!