The NetherWorld News Issue 214 - Zondag 17 December 2000
Gruss Gott!
(That is the traditional way of saying "Hello" in Southern Germany... like in Bavaria and in the Austria Tirol to just choose two random examples of places that I've been within the last 24 hours...)
(Actually the "u" in Gruss has an umlaut too (two dots over it) but just in case some people's systems aren't set up to deal with such fancy letters I will refrain from using them.)
I am back from my trip to Austria and Germany. It's funny that when I tell people I am going to Austria they immediately assume that I am going to Vienna and then no amount of reminding seems to sway them from that belief. I was, of course, in Salzburg (like usual) and as I am sure I've mentioned before it is a far superior place to visit compared to Vienna.
But anyway....
As always I have pictures to show. Many pictures in fact so I will have to write about my short adventure in instalments (if that's ok...).
SALZBURG
As you may remember I took the overnight train to Salzburg on Friday night. Previously I have taken the overnight train from Amsterdam to Munich and then gone on to Salzburg from there. However, this time I found a MUCH better way to go.
The first leg of the journey is the same. From Den Haag to Utrecht which is about 45 minutes away. Unfortunately Den Haag is West of Amsterdam and since that's the city that counts in Holland it means that only international trains going west from Amsterdam pass through Den Haag (like to Brussels or Paris for example). Any trains going South (like to Germany) pass through Utrecht which means that I always have to take a train there first.
No big deal... I mean, it's better than taking a train to Amsterdam. We all know how much I hate THAT trip, right? But to just whine a bit further I would like to point out (once again) how the Intercity train to Utrecht stops exactly ONCE between the two cities and that is just at Voorburg which is part of Den Haag anyway. (Compared to the INTERCITY train to Amsterdam which stops TWICE at Leiden and Schiphol... neither of which are cities or part of Den Haag or Amsterdam)
Whew. I almost went off on a totally repetitive rant there, didn't I?
But dammit I hate those trains to Amsterdam. The Utrecht trains are longer and you can always find a seat too!
(MUST STOP RANTING!)
Ok. I'm better now.
Anyway... The next leg of the journey for me on Friday took me into Germany on one of those super German high-speed ICE trains (Inter City Express). These trains ROCK!
I took the train (that originated in Amsterdam) that was headed for Frankfurt.
See how great these trains are? So what if they cost a bit more. They go faster and are much nicer. Not to mention that unlike certain Dutch INTERCITY trains (we won't name any names here.... AMSTERDAM!) they do not stop in any places that aren't cities.
The train I was on stopped at the following places:
Amsterdam (a city) Utrecht (also a city) Arnhem (a city) Oberhausen (pretty much a city) Duisburg (also a city) Dusseldorf (you guessed it... a city) Cologne (a city) Bonn (surely a city even if the government isn't there any more) Koblenz (ok, sure... a city) Mainz (never heard of it before... but I am sure it's a city) And finally Frankfurt (definitely a city)
And how do I know all this (you probably didn't ask)?
Easy. Thanks to yet another of the reasons why the Germans have the best rail system in the entire world. Lying around on their trains are Journey Planners guides which tell you all this stuff plus other helpful information like where to connect to various other trains at each of the stops. I personally find these things useful because I don't wear a watch and I can always tell what time it is whenever the train stops because they are always on time to almost the second (another good feature of German trains).
But anyway.... I didn't go all the way to Frankfurt. I got off at Duisburg to switch to an overnight train that went directly all the way to Salzburg.
Once on my next train I was pleased to discover that I was the only person in my particular compartment. I could have been with two other strangers but as luck would have it I wasn't. It has occurred to me since then that this has perhaps something to do with the fact that I got an actual sleeping compartment instead of a so-called "Couchette". The Couchettes are cheaper and apparently well booked. The sleepers, on the other hand, cost like $25 more but are much less booked up. Not to mention more comfortable and all the other bonuses that make the extra money worthwhile anyway.
So that was my bed for the night. I washed up in the sink in the corner and climbed into bed. The steward came around to find out what I wanted with breakfast and what time he should wake me (great service huh?) and then I was all alone for the night.
Now... I have to say one thing. Sleeping on trains isn't exactly purely a super sleeping experience. I mean, it is a train after all. Trains make noise. They stop along the way. However, that said it's still a good night's sleep. Certainly better than trying to sleep on an airplane in a chair.
I also can never decide whether I want the window open or not. With it open you get nice fresh air... but with it closed it's much quieter. But the noise of the train can also be soothing too so it's not too bad to have it open when you're moving. However, like I said the train does stop overnight from time to time and when it does and the window is open you get woken up by people talking. So it's quite a dilemma for me. I just don't know.
But anyway... enough said. I slept well on the way down. The steward woke me at 6:30 AM and I proceeded to freshen up and brush my teeth and stuff before my train pulled into Salzburg. Easy journey. MUCH better than flying, even if it does take longer. I'll take 8 hours sleeping on a train to 2 hours stuffed into an airplane.
Walking down the train platform to the exit I saw a girl waiting for someone on the train I was on. She saw him and raised her mittened hands to her face in excitement and they rushed together and hugged. It was very touching... but also a painful reminder that there weren't nobody happy to see me in Salzburg, much less a cute girl with mittens. Damm!
Walking around a bit toward the old part of town I did some thinking and realised something troublesome about my trip planning. My plan was to come down to Salzburg, spend the night there on Saturday and then go back home through Munich over night on Sunday. The problem with this, I was realising, was that I only came to do and see certain specific things which wouldn't really take me two days to do. I was deathly afraid of having to sit around being bored because I hate that and I foresaw a LOT of that in the next two days once I'd done the stuff I wanted to do.
So... I made a decision to go back to Holland that very night instead of the next day. It would save me the money for a place to sleep, not to mention save me some bored hours. So I switched my sleeper car reservation (at no charge) and I was set. I would go some stuff in Salzburg and then go to Munich for the afternoon and then home again over night.
Good planning on my part as it turned out. But we'll get to that later.
This is almost exactly the point in my trip where I made that decision. That's why I mention it.
The picture, however, has a bit more interesting story to it.
One of the cool things about Salzburg is how the buildings along the sides of the little mountains in the city are actually cut right into the rock face. You can see that here. Just up this street a long ways is the opera house which we have all seen in The Sound of Music. You know, that place where they have to music competition at the end and they sing Edelweiss and stuff. That place is also cut into the side of this same mountain in much the same way as these houses.
And here's the reason I came to Salzburg.
Markets. Specifically to see the Christmas markets which are so great in Germany and Austria. This is an early morning food market on a square in front of the University Cathedral. It was here that I got some breakfast. Sausages are something one must ALWAYS get in Germany and so I had to get myself some. I decided on something I'd never heard of called a "Munchener" because I was going to Munich later in the day (Munchen = Munich).
As it turns out this was sort of like fate because I later found out that the sausage I had was a FAMOUS type of Munich sausage called Weisswurste (White Sausage). In fact it is apparently Bavaria's national dish. What it is is a white sausage made from veal (at least 70% veal) and spotted with parsley. One must never boil or grill such a sausage, only simmer it. Plus you must remove the skin before you eat it and serve it with a special sweet mustard (Suss Senf).
I knew absolutely none of this at the time I ordered it however. But I did notice a couple things when the girl was preparing it for me. First was that it was not grilled and was merely in hot water. Second was that she took the skin off (for some reason I was totally confused about until later). Third was that I got weird mustard instead of the normal stuff. So it was strange to read later on in the day about these same exact things. But it was good to know that the proper guidelines were being followed for this particular sausage even in Salzburg.
Anyway... how did it taste?
AWESOME! Seriously awesome. Best sausage ever I'd say. Unfortunately for me that is not good because apparently the popularity of the Weisswurste declines the further North you get in Germany and becomes completely non-existent by the time you leave Bavaria. So I'll have to travel pretty far to get one if the craving ever strikes.
By the way... sausages in Germany are unbelievable. Sausages elsewhere may be good (or so you think) but then they just fade to crap by comparison. Germans know their sausages. Sausages and trains.
After breakfast I looked around at some stalls for Christmas shopping (which is why I was there). I sampled some honey at a stall. Many different types of Austrian Bee Honey. I ended up buying a couple types - Flower and Forest honey. I then went back for more Weisswurste.
While eating my Weisswurste I walked around a bit. Here is a nice shot of that same mountain again showing the tunnel straight through it (Bottom left) so people can drive to the other part of Salzburg on the other side.
Walking a bit further and looking at some other markets I decided to go up to the HohenSalzburg Fortress (see at the top... I've shown this before... also notice the giant chessboard which I've mentioned before as well).
On my way up I popped into the St Pieter's Kirsche cemetery. This is by the entrance. I just love how Salzburg has these running water viaducts everywhere.
This cemetery I've mentioned before as being the place where the Von Trapps were hiding out at the end of The Sound of Music. It's hard to tell when you are there because they filmed half of that scene in a Hollywood sound stage but some of it was filmed here as well.
But anyway, up to the fortress I went. At which point it REALLY started to snow (cool!). Here is a shot down to where I was just standing earlier on. You can see the big chess board to the right of that long orange roof. You can also see right by there a big cathedral which is where I returned to after coming back down from the fortress.
This is the Dom Cathedral. Mozart used to play music there as music co-ordinator or something. Anyway, it's also where I went to look at some market stalls which were just opening up for the day. I bought some scarves there. I also later bought some more scarves and a jacket for my friend before having some peach schnapps with the shop keeper girls. (Those Austrians are so friendly... ;o)
And so finally with my shopping finished I headed back across the river to the train station. This is a nice view of the old city and the river with the fortress in the background. I hopped on a bus nearby and headed back to the train station.
And that is where I shall leave off for today... if that's ok. Next time is my afternoon in Munich! Yay!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the pictures.
Until the next time then!
Tschuss!
(German way of saying goodbye...)
The NetherWorld News Issue 215 - Zaterdag 23 December 2000
I have decided that I like overtime. I came in a couple times for a few hours last month and stayed late a few times and then BAM! One thousand extra dollars.
More money for me to spend on stupid things.
CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS FOR COMPANIES
I have decided that I am against having to carry around many separate electronic toys. I would like to see a digital camera/mobile phone/MP3 player/Palm Pilot.
Not that I have any of those things other than the digital camera.... nor would I want a mobile phone. But if there was a Palm Pilot/MP3 player I'd buy one.
Do you guys have that mobile phone thing in Canada where you can surf the internet using your mobile phone?
All I can say on this is the following..... Give me a break.
Those webpages look so great on a 1 inch square monochrome LCD screen.
(Sarcasm)
(And instead of "www" there is "wap"...)
Down with mobile phones!!!
Which reminds me... how is the mobile phone situation in Canada? I noticed several years ago on visiting Europe that EVERYONE had one. And now years later I am still here and even more people have them (EVERYONE plus a hundred million). Of course people in Canada would have said the same thing when I was still there a couple years ago but they would be delusional.
As yourself as you walk down the street how many people out of every thousand have a mobile phone. I would guess that in Holland (the main part anyway) the number is somewhere around 970 out of every 1000 people.
When I left Canada there is no way the percentage of people with mobile phones was this high. So that's why I ask.... have Canadians joined this universe of the insane?
Dammit I hate mobile phones!
Of course I had one once myself, but I only had it because no one else did and I thought that made me cool. Once too many people had them there was no point any more.
I think it's linked to smoking somehow too because 970/1000 people in Holland seem to smoke as well. Based solely on the people in my office there are exactly 2 non-smokers (out of about 100 people I am thinking of here) and all the smokers have mobile phones and one of the non-smokers does not. Plus myself (non-smoking, non-mobile-phoner) as well.
Hmmmmm. Maybe that could be topic for my thesis?
(Which reminds me.... I helped my friend from work with her masters thesis this week...)
OOG IN HET ZEIL
I was thinking today about a certain Dutch saying which is interesting because of its insight into the maritime roots of Dutch culture. The saying is "Oog in het zeil" which translated literally means "Eye in the sail" but which actually is equivalent to saying (in English) that you will "keep and eye on things". (There is also a "Oog In Het Zeil Straat in Den Hague which is roughly equivalent to having a street in Canada named "Keeping an Eye On Things Street"... an odd name in other words...)
So anyway, it is interesting (to me) that the roots of this saying going back many hundreds of years to when Holland was a world naval power and how nowadays (hundreds of years later) one of their common everyday sayings reflects this. It also reminds me of how many Dutch sayings have to do with sailing and farming and windmills, things which are historically part of Dutch culture.
Fascinating huh?
No?
Oh well. Here's some pictures.
MORE PICTURES
Moving right along with the pictures. You may remember that we left off last time with me hopping on a train in Salzburg and heading north to Munich.
Which reminds me... this is a good time to whine about something that some of you have already had the displeasure of hearing me complain about.
Why do people translate the names of cities into their own languages?
How is "Munich" easier to say for English speaking people than "Munchen" (or "München if your have your Email set up for weird characters)?
Munchen.
(Long "u" sound.... as in "oo"... or sort of anyway... close enough...)
Munchen.
Munchen.
Yup. I can say it. What about you?
And my other peeves in city names (that you may remember)....
Vienna - Wien
Cologne - Koln (Köln)
Nuremberg - Nürnberg
And finally...
The Hague - Den Haag (Which is extra interesting because it isn't even translated into English properly... it should be something like "The Hedge" because that is what is means in Dutch. The word "Hague" has no meaning in either language.)
But anyway... this has nothing to do with picture, does it?
Well anyway, this is a picture of the train I took from Salzburg to Munchen. As you can see it was continuing to snow as I boarded the train. Funny thing about the Salzburg-Munchen trains (in my experience) is that they never seem to leave on time at either end. Which is a bit weird.
This particular train is a German train (as opposed to an Austrian one) as you can (not) see from the red "DB" on the front of it ("DB" stands for Deutsches BundesBahn or something similar... German Rail in other words...).
The thing about German trains is this (and I've said it many times before):
German trains rule!
I am always in awe at how together trains are in Germany. I mean check out this train. Dutch trains are nice, yes, but German trains are just awesome.
Here's a picture of the scenery rushing past my window on the train. Just hours earlier this was all greens and browns. There was some good skiing in Austria that week I am sure. (Speaking of which it is currently snowing here in Holland as I write this... but I'll cover that later.)
You can't see very well in this picture but if you could you would see something which is kind of cool about the architecture in Southern Germany and the Alps. Everybody's house looks like one of those alpine ski lodge looking cabins that you see in Canada from time to time. Of course that sort of makes sense because everyone's house in this part of the world IS an alpine lodge of sorts.
There are also a lot of houses in what I think people often refer to as being "Tudor". Although I don't really know why that is... I mean the Tudors were English, or Welsh anyway, and not German and why cuckoo clock looking houses would be called Tudor isn't entirely clear to me. It probably has something to do with the fact that when the actual Tudor's were the monarchs of England 1500s 1600s there was a sort of Gothic style thing going on in Europe at that time. And THEN hundreds of years later in the 1800s there was a revival of Gothic architecture in England (which EVERYONE has seen the results of even if they aren't aware of it... specifically in the British Houses of Parliament and Big Ben which is totally in a Gothic type style but which was actually built in the 19th century by which time that style was out of style already. But like Bell-Bottoms and Tie-Dye I guess it came back.). I suspect that since this Gothic architecture which was originally in the reign of the Tudors that that is where the name comes from for such style nowadays. But what do I know?
At any rate... lots of ski lodge type and cuckoo clock type houses around here. Especially as you get further into the Alps. Swiss houses are REALLY cuckoo clock type houses.
So anyway the train kept chugging along and I fell asleep and when I woke up everything was green and brown again and I was pulling into Munchen.
Here is a shot of Munchen HBF. As you may remember in Dutch we call the main train station "Centraal Station" (Central Station) but in German they call it a Haupt Bahn Hof (Main Train Station). Some useful information for anyone travelling to Germany and/or Holland....?
Anyway, this is what the train traveller to Munchen sees first.
A short walk straight out of the train station brings you to Karlsplatz and the archway leading to the main shopping street.
Which eventually leads you to the heart of Munchen and the "new" city hall (Neues Rathaus) on Marienplatz. (New meaning that it is newer than the "old" one in this case.)
I just love this building. It is just so dark and forbidding and a little bit scary. I get kind of a bad vibe from Munchen actually. Maybe it's because it is the home of Nazism and the Beer Hall Putsch and all that but I think that it is just kind of a dark type city aside from that.
Anyway, this building is cool.
Down below in the square are many outdoor stalls and stuff (which I will talk about again in a later Email). One of the most common type of stalls on these outdoor German markets are ones that sell something called "Gluhwein" which is a type of wine (hence the "wein" in the name) which is served hot.
This is a typical Gluhwein stall. You can't really see but there are people all standing around with mugs of hot wine in their hands. You pay 5 Deutsche Marks extra as a deposit on the mug and when or if you return it you get that money back. Or you can just keep the mug (as I did when I bought some Bananen Milch (Banana Milk) from a similar type of stall which sell different types of flavoured milk.)
It seems to me that these Germans have the right kind of idea about these things. In Canada we have our heated indoor shopping malls and all those kinds of things. How many people actually go shopping store to store outdoors in Canada? (West coast excepted of course.) In Calgary they have that whole +15 thing where you can walk everywhere without setting foot outdoors. In Germany they just have outdoor markets in the middle of winter. You have to respect that. And the way to keep warm is to serve alcohol (which wouldn't be allowed in Alberta). They do the same thing in Quebec too, but of course Quebec is very European anyway.
Maybe Canadians aren't so tough when it comes to the cold after all?
Then again... we do play softball in the snow and minus thirty (generally with lots of alcohol too) and I'm guessing not many Europeans could handle that... except the Northern ones (Norway, Finland, Sweden).
Right?
(Bah!)
And just in case you were wondering what the "old" city hall looks like... (Altes Rathaus). Of course it looks a heck of a lot newer than the new one, but both were damaged heavily in the war and I guess this one just ended up looking brighter once it was restored.
Well anyway... that is all the pictures for today. The next stop on the picture tour will be the former Nazi concentration camp at Dachau.
Until the next time then.....
The NetherWorld News Issue 217 - Donderdag 29 December 2000
Hallo again!
Well just imagine my shock tonight as I flipped through the channels and past CNN and I saw Mario Lemieux scoring a goal on the sports highlights. I just about fell off my chair, literally. I couldn't believe it!
All I can say is one thing... When did THIS happen? And yes I know that the game against Toronto was his first game back but what I mean is when did everyone else in the world find out that he was coming back and why didn't they tell me? Although finding it out the way I did was more fun I am sure. Either way what a great turn of events in the hockey world.
My only question is in regard to his being the owner of the Penguins. How does one coach a player who actually owns the team? Needless to say Iron Mike Jackass (or the like) probably won't be coaching in Pittsburgh.
Maybe everyone else didn't know any earlier than I did? Maybe it was a top secret thing until the last minute. Which would have to suck for Toronto as they skated on the ice for warm-ups and saw #66 skating around at the opposite end of the ice.
"Oh that's just great." says Mats Sundin.
But obviously the Pittsburgians knew ahead of time since there was apparently a good turn-out for the game (although apparently not a sell-out I am told, which is surprising).
And one last question... is this the first time a team has UN-retired a number for a player? I wouldn't think so but maybe.
DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP
As you may remember from a couple Emails ago I was still showing pictures from my trip to Austria/Germany. Unfortunately the next in the series were pictures that I didn't think were appropriate for Christmas viewing so I put off showing them to you until now.
But now that the happy holidays are (half) over I can feel free to go ahead and inject a sombre note into the Email festivities. (Also forgive me the much larger than usual selection of pictures... I felt it was better not to split them up. I am sure you understand.)
Ok.... go!
Dachau was the first of the major Nazi Concentration Camps. Opened in 1933 (the same year Hitler came to power... they didn't waste any time) it was located near the small town of Dachau (hence the name) which is about 20 minutes by light rail from the centre of Munich. At first it was only used to house political opponents to National Socialism and religious leaders and other such "misfits" but of course later on it was used to intern Jewish prisoners as well who were usually transferred by train to Poland for extermination. But at the time of liberation in 1945 on about 30% of the prisoners there were Jewish prisoners.
It is important, I think, to make a distinction between it and the Nazi Death Camps (like Auschwitz) in Poland. The main purpose of the death camps were as killing factories but such was not the case at Dachau. Of course that's not to say it was pleasant there by any means, just to be aware that Dachau was not a Death Camp proper. As such a long-standing camp, however, it did serve as a model for those camps in Poland and elsewhere.
I think we've all seen Schindlers List and therefore know something of the Nazi system of forced labour using labour camps and such. Dachau was also used for this with other smaller satellite camps associated with it to help fulfil this purpose.
Dachau was also used for medical experimentation using live human subjects. Many of the pictures that we've seen of Nazi medical experiments (dropping Russian prisoners of war into ice water or altitude experiments or even worse) were carried out at Dachau. There were also Tuberculosis and Malaria research stations used to investigate the effects and possible cures and treatments for these diseases by purposefully infecting thousands of inmates.
And in addition to those types of medical experiments there was also forced sterilisation for mentally handicapped persons and other persons deemed to be inferior and therefore not suitable for the act of pro-creation. Of course, as I am ALWAYS quick to point out, this particular legally endorsed practise in Nazi Germany was ALSO on the law books in good old Alberta Canada in the 1930s thanks to good old Ernest Manning (Preston's dad). Hitler would, in fact, quote from the justifications used by Canadians in defending this particular practise.
I am always quick to point this out not because I like to compare us Albertans to Nazis (not even the Mannings) but rather to illustrate the fact that the entire world was a VERY different place back then and what seems abhorrent to us now was much less so 70 years ago. Just because the Nazis took the practise of such things to unbelievable extremes perhaps doesn't make them necessarily more "evil". In a way it just perhaps makes them more efficient and effective (as dictatorships often are anyway in such things). Taking something which is inherently wrong to greater extremes than other people did doesn't make those other people any less guilty of doing something wrong, if you know what I mean. I just feel we should remember such things.
Just as an aside I would like to also mention that I come across something similar in my work with the Tribunal and the former Yugoslavia. Many of the extremist groups and soldiers often styled themselves after the Nazis even going so far as to refer to themselves as the "SS" or the like as well as nicknaming certain locations and buildings after famous Nazi landmarks.
My point is this... in the 1930s and 1940s they who were Nazis had no frame of reference to compare themselves and their actions with other than the world as it was and the history behind it. As far as history went what the Nazis did was virtually unprecedented so there was no historical frame of reference. And as I've just pointed out elsewhere in the world there was similar insanity and anti-ethnic practises going on at the same time. The Nazis weren't the only bad guys.
However... in the 1990s in Yugoslavia things were much different. I don't think there is a person on this Earth who can (without being a total wacko.. and just think of how much regard you have for skinheads running around with swastikas and Hitler pictures) feel that it is "all right" to style themselves and their actions after the Nazis. That is just something that any sane person MUST know is not right.
So what is my point? That some of the former Yugoslavians were mental? Well that too but actually my point is that in the 1990s nicknaming your army unit the SS or wearing a swastika carries without a historical weight that most people would recognise as wrong. In the 1930s the historical precedent wasn't there. What the Nazis did was wrong and by moral standards they should have known that. However, what some of the former Yugoslavians did was equally wrong and you didn't even have to invoke morality to know it. The first time anyone styled themselves after the Nazis should be the clue that "Hey wait a second. This can't be good.".
So what is my point again? (You ask impatiently)
Just that I can understand at some level what the Nazis did and how it could have happened. They should have known better, yes, but I can understand that they didn't. What some of the former Yugoslavians was made even more inexcusable (in my thinking) by the fact that ANYONE practising such purposeful self-flattering comparison with the Nazis just HAS to send a signal to most people that something is very very wrong. By that alone they really should have known better. I think it boils down to my thinking that the Nazis were just bad whereas some of the former Yugoslavians were just stupid idiot Nazi wannabes (which is much worse).
But of course sitting in the educated and sane world makes it easier to judge, doesn't it?
The lesson here is beware of extremism. These Yugoslavians weren't all retarded skinhead mental cases whom I could dismiss as being too screwed up to know better.
But anyway.... enough of my ranting. On with the pictures.
The modern entrance to Dachau Concentration Camp is actually at the opposite side of the camp from where it was in the 1930s and 1940s. Just before you walk through the barbed wire you are greeted with a view of the outer wall and one of the distinctive watch towers. A moat surrounds the camp just inside the barbed wire.
Here is a similar view from the other side of the camp in a picture taken in 1945 when the camp was liberated. The moat here is actually not a moat but a beautiful clear mountain stream that runs alongside the camp.
Here's a famous picture taken of a prisoner who committed suicide on the electrified barbed wire surrounding Dachau Camp.
As you walk in the camp there is a large sign showing you the general layout of things. I have marked a few things on it for you.
The Red dot is where this picture was taken.
The Yellow circle shows the main administration buildings and storage facilities with the camp prison running along behind it.
The Purple circle shows where the entrance was in the 1930s and 1940s.
And finally the Green circle shows where the crematorium is located.
The rows of buildings in the middle, of course, are the barracks for the prisoners.
Remember that watchtower in the distance in picture D004? This is a view looking back toward where that picture was taken as seen from the watchtower itself (the watchtower is in the original entrance by the way). This picture was also taken shortly after liberation.
You can also see the barracks buildings as they were 60 years ago.
I should probably mention that I've tried to minimise the number of gruesome pictures to show to you. But I should also probably mention that seeing stuff like this makes me think of how much easier such pictures are when they are in black and white. The stuff I see at the Tribunal is almost always in colour and is therefore greatly more disturbing even though overall the acts committed there may have been lesser statistically.
Anyway, this is Dachau at the time of liberation as well. A gruesome sight to greet to liberating American soldiers.
Although the original wooden barracks have been demolished there have been two that were reconstructed to give visitors an idea of what living conditions were like. This is a picture of the sleeping bunks that the prisoners used.
And another picture of same but from 1945.
Here's an idea of the toilet facilities that the prisoners used. I don't think George Costanza could have handled camp life.
Moving along we have a picture of the inside of the camp prison (the back part of the yellow circled thing on D004). This hallway is INCREDIBLY long. You wouldn't believe it. With tiny cells lining the entire thing. Apparently later in the camp's existence the already cramped cells were divided into quarters to make standing cells where the prisoners couldn't even sit or lie down.
It seems odd to have a prison within a prison but there you go.
This is a view of the camp's original entrance (the purple circled thing in D004 - the thing with the watchtower). This is what prisoners would see as they were marched inside.
Here's a view of the gates seen in the previous picture. The gates leading into Dachau.
"Arbeit Macht Frei" it reads which means "work will make you free". Positive messages for the condemned I guess. Probably better for inmate control than Dante's famous "Abandon all hope ye who enter here".
And if anyone doubted the slogan "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Gee I wonder why they would?) the Nazis had plenty of propaganda to convince everyone otherwise.
Here we see a Dachau prisoner supposedly shaking hands with his former keepers on his release from Dachau as a reformed member of society. (Hmmm. Is it right to be so cynical to assume that this picture was staged? Maybe it was legit? Not likely but one shouldn't jump to conclusions even if they are probably the correct ones.)
Here is a view of the main building at Dachau (the yellow circled thing in D004). It is where the museum is housed nowadays.
Here is a famous picture of Heinrich Himmler making an inspection tour of Dachau Camp through what appears to be the laundry facility which was located in the main building.
As I said before the prisoner barracks were demolished after the war but the foundations still remain. This is a view from the ground similar to that shown from the watchtower in D005. Down this long lane at the end (to the left) is the entrance to the crematorium.
Just outside the entrance to the crematorium is a memorial erected by the Protestant Memorial Church. There are many memorials on the grounds but this one always strikes me as interesting because of its design. The architect made the building entirely without right angles - an affront to the German affinity for orderliness and structure.
Through this gate is the crematorium. As I mentioned before there is a lovely clear stream that runs alongside the camp and you cross it using this small bridge. It really is a beautiful stream and seems so out of place in such a grim place.
And this is it. The crematorium. It is actually the second of Dachau's two crematoriums. The first was only small and is off to the left where it can't be easily seen. During the war the death rate of prisoners required the building of additional furnaces and so this second larger crematorium was built by the prisoners in 1942 (named Barracks X, which seems suitable I guess).
Notice the large chimney which is sort of eerie.
Inside the crematorium building is the gas chamber disguised as a shower room. "Don't forget your soap" the signs would read. This room was the so-called Mortuary.
Here is a picture of the mortuary taken by and American soldier who was part of the liberation in 1945.
This picture shows an American GI near the gas chamber in 1945.
Here is the inside of the gas chamber itself. It is interesting to note that apparently Dachau's gas chamber was never used although some prisoners were transferred to nearby camps in Austria for gassing as well as to Auschwitz and other camps in Poland for the same.
And finally the crematorium's furnaces which were, of course, used to incinerate the bodies of the dead. The ashes were recovered at random and if any victim's family wanted to pay for an urn of the ashes of the "loved one" they could do so.
Here's a closer view of one of the ovens. Looks familiar I assume.
Or wait... let me make that same picture a Black and White picture instead and see if it looks more accurate. Yes, it does actually.
And finally an actual authentic Black and White photo of one of Dachau's furnaces.
My apologies once again for the file size of this Email as well as for the depressing content. But I think it will probably be interesting to some people.
Next time we do something more interesting... Art!
So stay tuned!
The NetherWorld News Issue 222 - Zondag 14 January 2001
Bah!
:o/
I am very distressed this weekend. I saw someone from work downtown yesterday and it was very disturbing (not that it's an uncommon or surprising thing, just disturbing... I resent the cross-over between work and life). I walked with her to get a German language newspaper and she invited me for coffee and strudel.... but I declined.
Like you care.
Bah!
Anyway... here is the long awaited (by me anyway) final instalment of pictures from my December trip to Munchen and Austria.
MORE PICTURES
The first is a picture from the Munchen S-Bahn ( Schnell-Bahn sp? ) meaning "fast rail" which is basically like C-Train or SkyTrain or Scarborough LRT or whatever they call it in your corner of the world. In Germany there are also U-Bahns ( Unter-Bahn ) which are actual subways. Not that any of this matters anyway... this is just a poster from one of those stations that I thought was cute.
I think it is interesting on two levels (or three levels if you prefer to include the pornographic appeal as well).
Firstly it is interesting because it is a rather good illustration of European vs North American attitudes on pornography (or if you prefer to more cynical like me you would say it illustrates how repressed North Americans are.... but anyway...).
I know I haven't been in North America for some time now and that people are often telling me all about the more relaxed attitudes toward such things and I realise that this picture HARDLY qualifies as pornographic but please tell me how likely it would be that you'd see something like this at a bus shelter in Calgary or Vancouver? I am guessing it wouldn't be very likely... but what do I know?
Anyway... there's that aspect, which is interesting, but the real reason I took a picture of it was because it was such a funny advert.
It reads..... With better glasses you have more fun in life (Mit scharfen Glasen hatte Egon mehr Spass am Leben) - And see too (Und Sie auch).
Well I thought it was funny anyway....
There's another interesting thing in this picture too but maybe it's just interesting to me. It is the sign at the top left that says "kein Zugang". This basically means no entry but what is interesting about it has to do with the Dutch version of this same thing. In Dutch this would read as "Geen Toegang", which I think illustrates the German influence as well as the English influence.
But that's boring so I'll say no more about it.
More pictures!
Here's a picture of the Munchen city hall (Neue Rathaus) at night-time. Very ominous, isn't it?
As you may remember the whole point of my trip was to go see all the Christmas markets and stuff. The following are some pictures of the things one can find there.
This first picture is of some little men made of prunes that one stand was selling.
Prune people. Hmmmmm.
Ok. These were really cool. They were little houses that you put candles into and then they were lit up from the inside (as you can see... why am I describing the obvious?).
Cool huh?
Here's a picture of a stand that sold Christmas cake type things. I want to say Pound Cakes like they have in England, but the German version is a bit different.... not to mention a lot lighter. This is not to say that the German versions of the whole fruitcake thing aren't totally heavy like a block of lead, it just means that in my experience the English versions of fruitcakes are like holding a collapsed protostar in your hands, that's how dense and heavy they are. It seems to defy belief.
Anyway... you can also see a cute German girl at the left. I only mention her because if I were to say that there was a "typical" looking Bavarian girl then this would be her. There are an amazing number of these brunettes with this type of glasses running around Southern Germany. Compare this to Holland where the "typical" female is totally different (much taller, blonder and no glasses).
I wonder what the "typical" Canadian girl looks like?
Here's a picture of something that every visitor to Bavaria should try. Strudel. Mmmmmm. This is the stuff that the girl from work yesterday was asking me to try because there's an outstanding store for this in Den Haag.
I had the Mohnstrudel which is made from a type of seed fruit thing that no German or Dutch person seems to know the English word for and since I didn't recognise it myself I don't know either. It was good though, but I should have gotten it hot and with custard instead of just cold.
Oh well.
Christmas around the world, I think, is marked by cute little window displays in department stores. Here is a nice little example of what one of the department stores in Munchen did. You have to imagine all the animals moving though. Like the dude tipping his hat and the workers in the saw mill cutting wood and the water wheel turning and all that.
Here is more of the same. Imagine the dudes rowing the boat and all that stuff.
Here's a picture of an interesting Gluhwein (remember that hot wine I mentioned before?) stall. It is in the shape of a famous Munchen cathedral which is directly behind it (you can sort of see it).
Droooool.
Oh yah. I forgot about this stuff. This is like chocolate fondue. They take fresh fruit and dip it in white and milk chocolate. I had a stick of strawberries in milk chocolate and a banana in white chocolate. The best part is that the chocolate is still warm and the fruit still cold and juicy.
Gaaaahh.
(Drooling again)
Here's a lady selling all sorts of tops.
After all that looking around I went to the Hofbrauhaus to get something to eat. The Hofbrau type of beer has been around since like 1600 or something and this beer hall is the main serving hall for it in the world. Apparently the most famous beer serving hall in the world. Or so they say anyway.
But of course I don't drink, so....
Anyway. Here's a picture of the Oom-Pah band (as in polka playing band) that such places as this always have.
It's strange in these German places that you often have to share tables with other people. Actually, it's weird in Europe in general and very disturbing to North Americans I think, who are used to having a table to themselves and not being forced to sit with (and possibly socialise with) total strangers.
(We're so un-sociable)
Here's a close-up of the glockenspiel in the Munchen city hall. A couple times a day this thing plays and the little people move around and do stuff. It's pretty cute, but too far away to really see very well unfortunately.
And what collection of Iain photos would be complete without a terrible picture that I took of myself. This is right after I killed some people and buried their bodies in my basement.
And finally we have the train back to Holland again. This is the nice compartment I had on the way back in the morning after my "room-mate" and I folded the bunks up and the seats down.
Trains are the only way to travel, I'm telling you.
Well anyway... not to rush off but I am going to Rotterdam this afternoon for a while (sounds cool, doesn't it?) and I have to get ready.
I hope the pictures were fun! Next time we'll look at pictures from yesterday when I went to the Madurodam.
