Day 9 - Munich

Happy Fathers Day!

This morning dad let us sleep in, so I definitely took advantage and slept until 10 am.  We got up and had brunch at the hotel and it was amazing. 

After that, we got on the train to Dachau Concentration Camp.  After the camp was liberated it was put to other use until the 1960s when restoration was begun as a memorial to the people who suffered there.  Actual Dachau survivors assisted in the restoration to make it as realistic an experience as possible to that of the actual prisoners.  There are two barracks that were restored and now there are row upon row of foundations where the other barracks stood.  The camp was built to house 6,000 prisoners, but at one time there were over 30,000 people housed there.

The two-hour audio tour explains every aspect of the life at the camp and all the horrors the prisoners had to endure.  We saw the two crematoria and the baths.  The camp was actually 4 times as big as what is now restored as a memorial.  The survivors wanted to be sure that we never forget and we never let it happen again. 

We took the train back to Munich and walked around the city.  We were searching for the Hofbrauhaus.  It took about 20 minutes and we had to ask for directions twice, but we finally found it.  We realize it is a “tourist trap” but we had to go there and we weren’t disappointed.  There were tons of people there having a fabulous time and so did we.  The band was a hoot, taking a beer break between EVERY song.  Dad and I each got a liter of beer along with our sausage, saurkraut, and potato salad and mom’s cheese spaetzle, which we all shared.  Then dad ordered another liter of beer and later on ANOTHER liter of beer.  The waitresses can carry up to eight of those huge beer steins.

There were people scattered throughout wearing traditional German clothing and walking around like they were on display.  Because we ate so late in the day, we decided that we weren’t going to eat dinner.  So we came back to the Hotel and went to the bar to have more drinks.  Mom and me are having Baileys on the Rocks and Dad is having a Tawny Port while we watch the World Cup…man I LOVE soccer!!!

Sleep will definitely come quickly for us.  Tomorrow we are going to go visit Neuschwanstein (the castle that the Disney castle was modeled after).   Love yall!