Our European Adventure, Day 13

Today I woke up before everyone else because I was able to go to bed early – at eleven – for once. It was really nice to actually get a full night’s sleep, so I got up at nine to take a shower and walk around town. I forgot it was Sunday though, so nothing was really open. I did find a breakfast place though that Ben and I ended up going to after I walked back to the hostel and noticed that he had come downstairs as well. I had a croissant and he had a chocolate croissant with a sandwich. I got some orange juice to so that I could combat this sickness everyone seems to be getting. Matt threw up last night a couple of times. I think he has the flu, so I have flu germs to combat on top of the ones Madeline and Ben were passing around for the cold.

I sat downstairs and listened to Daniel subbing on EMU’s radio station while I waited for the rest of them to get up and ready. Ben came down with cards and we watched a bunk of drunk guys in morph suit tuxedos recant their nights and generally act crazy. They were visiting for a bachelor party and woke up just in time for 11 o’clock check out so they ended up spraying themselves with an axe-like body spray (mouth included) and using hair conditioner on their armpits and crotches while congregating in the hostel lobby. It was an entertaining, yet disgusting scene.

After I was done listening to the radio show, we walked over to the train station and bought pretzels and water before checking in for our tour of Dachau Concentration Camp. This camp was different than the others we have visited because it was completely rebuilt and actually looked nice. Our guide explained that everything had been replanted because the camp was considered a cemetery and it was done in respect. However, I think it took away from the memorial part of the camp because while there were three churches on the site it looked much too pretty to be a place where so many people were killed. The atmosphere was just very different throughout the whole camp, or maybe we’re just getting used to visiting them.

A monument remembering all of the different types of people who were persecuted

The camp walkway - notice the nice greenery

Inside one of the churches at the memorial

A gravestone for the ashes found after the camp's liberation

We had ice creams at the café and found Matt where he was resting before hopping back on the bus to the city. We were able to find orange juice and some crackers to calm Matt’s stomach before resting in the room.

I put on a dress and at sixthirty we headed out in search of a fancy dinner to spend the rest of the school’s money now that we are getting near the end of our trip. We settled on the Park Café within a botanical garden. Matt stayed in the hostel while we went out because he still wasn’t feeling good. Ben and I were able to get steaks and Madeline fish while we all sampled drinks from the lengthy cocktail menu.

Our drink choices - mine's a strawberry colada

After dinner, we got ice cream down the street from our hostel and then I decided to go downstairs and try to get internet again. It didn’t work so I ended up talking to a group of Germans who were visiting from Cologne. We were talking all about the language barrier.