Danger in Deutschland: January 2011

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Griechenland.

Well... its been too long since I've visited another country... so this time I went to Athens, Greece with my friend Denisa. I figured why go to Amsterdam or Norway where its just as cold (or colder). I was there just long enough to spend all the money I'd brought along.

Party Time!

I still can't believe I've been here.

Pictures later from when we hiked the Hill!

Dogs EVERYWHERE!

Daily Breads.

Prob one of my highlights... Melissinos Sandals! Opened in 1920... the original owner made sandals using some of the old Greek traditions... now his son carries on the business. Leather, affordable, they even fit the sandal to your foot, and did I mention they sold the sandals to a little o' favorite band of mine called The Beatles. Word Mutha.

On our way up the beautiful Hill in the city...

The old Olympian Stadium

Top of the hill!

View from our hike... as you can tell I am in need of a bathroom... or I'm so excited I'm trying to make myself in need of the bathroom. Both work.

So... I'm off sweeties, UNLESS, I travel somewhere and really want to try something special. I consider Cinnabon extra special... so much I went back a second time.

Made a trip to the beach... still a bit too cold to go in. But it was awesome to touch the sea for the first time in 8 1/2 months (I went back home the morning before I left for Germany).

Friday, January 7, 2011

An Experience

This last week the kids were at their grandparents with their mom, and so I had a few days off. Not gonna lie... I utilized most of the time by.. sleeping. Probably not the best thing I could have used it for, but I didn't have enough forewarning ahead of time to really turn the three days into a trip worth spending the money. One of the days actually I went to the Dachau Concentration Camp, right outside of Munich. I've been meaning to go for the last 8 months and I finally made it! This isn't really a "happy" post, but I would just like to share what I saw and a bit of what I learned. Just as a side note: I have really found that a lot of Germans carry this burden and deep feeling of sorrow that their people and family took part in such an event. Its hard for them to let it lay in the past and to not dwell on it... but I can see how they feel a constant nagging of trying to make up for what happened.

Basically "Work brings freedom"

This map is really amazing, it shows all of the concentration camps, ghettos, sub camps, etc. It really puts it all into perspective.

The entrance to the building where the prisoners lived.

If you look here this is where the prisoners slept... but now imagine hundreds of people just in this room... the living conditions were unlivable, the death toll was high... but I'm surprised it wasn't higher, the Lord was there.

Wash Room

Toilets... and again... this served for hundreds of people.

Inside the memorial looking.

At the edge of the camp, which was heavily guarded.

I don't think I need to explain.

Here is a gas chamber which I believed was actually never used at Dachau but was built anyway, prisoners were sent to other "extermination camps."

The original oven used... they were using it so much they had to create a larger room with more ovens as posted above.

God Bless all of my brothers and sisters who were prisoners in WWII.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Back It Up

Man... if it isn't over already! This year has been spent fom BYU-Idaho, to LA, to Germany, and all over Europe. If you haven't been following my blog, and your too lazy to look back at past posts, well here is little pinch of what I've been doing... and its been a party. I started the post from the end of 2010 and worked back to last Christmas...

Berlin with the Milams- Dec 2010