The final day of our crazy-fast weekend trip to Germany ended with a two-hour guided tour of the Sachsenhausen Memorial, located right outside of Berlin. As someone who has read a decent number of books about the Holocaust, I was glad I would be getting the chance to see the concentration camp as part of our tour.
Nevertheless, my peers put it best when I overheard one asking, "You didn't actually think it'd be fun, did you?" Going to a historical site that holds such a cruel past was a powerful experience but not a happy one. Maybe the fact that I'm living in Copenhagen has gotten to me (surely), but going that long not smiling but simply observing, listening and following along with the tour was a bit of a downer.
Putting into words any feelings about our visit can be difficult to do in such a context. The pictures I took capture a bit of what Sachsenhausen was like during its time as a slave labor camp under Nazi Germany from 1936-1945 and later as a Soviet concentration camp (1945-1950).
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| Tower A, the entrance and base of the triangular-shaped area of the camp. |
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| "Work makes [you] free" |
As depressing as parts of our tour were, the experience was eye-opening and educational. Our friendly guide did a great job informing us about Sachsenhausen, but I also enjoyed talking with him about Spain, where he's from (since I plan on spending a semester in Alicante!). Overall, Sachsenhausen Memorial was a site worth going to once, and I am happy in that respect that I went.
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| After the walking tour and before boarding the bus, we all were given sandwiches, apples, and water. Especially with the hot water, the refreshments were happily welcomed. |
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| Later, I couldn't say no to dessert. Sitting in the top-middle of a double-decker bus with no air conditioning (of my part of the bus) on a hot day, I felt as if I was trapped in a sauna. When we stopped at a Shell in Germany still, everyone rushed to the convenience store and bought Magnum bars and cold refreshments.. anything to try and cool down. The thermometer on the bus at one point was around 37 degrees Celsius plus (roughly 100 degrees Fahrenheit)! Other than being really uncomfortable, I was worried about my Fassbender & Rausch chocolate from the day before! The heat definitely made for some memories.. and a bit of humor when Nelly's voice started playing over the microphone: "It's getting hot in heeeereeee" (so extremely appropriate it was funny). |
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| The ferry ride home was refreshing, sitting on the deck in the wind. It was even a bit cold--talk about change in body temperature! Here was looking back to Germany. Who knows when I'll be there next. |
