Day 11: Munich Bike Tour and Dachau Memorial Site
Victoria's perspectives:
Today we went on a bike tour around Munich. We learned about the history of buildings and important people. On our bike tour around Munich, one of the tour guides talked about the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was filmed in Munich which I thought was pretty interesting because I don’t think most people knew that, including me. We also went through the English Garden. It was a pretty field that we biked through and seeing the surfers was probably the highlight of my day. It was different seeing the surfers surf on the river. I’ve never seen anything like it. I would for sure recommend the bike tour because you get to learn about the history of Munich and see fascinating structures and statues. Later, we arrived at Dachau Concentration Camp. It was very saddening to read the stories of people’s lives and about the concentration camp. It gives people more insight about WWII and I would recommend visiting. To end the day off, we went to the Marienplatz to eat dinner. Everyone went into their own groups and went to dinner of their own choice. The tipping is different than in the U.S. Usually we don’t have to tip but at the restaurant my group was at, we had to pay 10% which is lower than in the U.S.
Maria's perspectives:
Today was our first full day in Munich. We woke up and had a scrumptious breakfast at the hotel. Then we left so we could attend a bike tour in which I almost died in (Editors' Note: this is a slight exaggeration!!), and visited historical places like the church in the Odeonsplatz, the Englischer Garten, and the Chinesischer Turm Biergarten in the park. We also got to watch the surfers at the Eisbachwelle right in the middle of the city park! These places held a lot of historical and cultural value and they were very beautiful places. After the amazing bike tour we hopped on the train to go to the Dachau Memorial Site. Here we visited a former concentration camp from World War II. We were able to tour a reconstructed barracks in which prisoners slept, and the rest of the camp. I learned that over 11,000 people were cremated in the ovens at Dachau, even though it wasn't an extermination camp, such as Auschwitz, but rather a prison. This experience was eye-opening and made me really feel for the innocent people who were imprisoned and killed.
Mia's perspectives:
On our bike tour, we spotted various monumental architecture and uncovered the deep history and cultural significance behind each one. My favorite attraction was the Englischer Garten because of its scenic and natural landscape. Overall, I found the tour very informative and eye-catching thanks to our amazing tour guides. Later in the day, we visited Dachau, a concentration camp memorial site. We learned that rows of gravel once served as barracks used to concentrate the prisoners in. However at the site, they created a replica of the barracks to preserve a piece of the reality these people endured. Inside the main building, each room was filled with tall, educational captions and artifacts that gave us a glimpse of the struggle that was underwent here. I went to watch the thirty minute documentary about life in the camps that was airing inside the main building. Despite it being entirely in French, just looking at the photos of the treatment and conditions these people were subjected to was undeniably gut wrenching. Near the end of the day, we were given free time to explore the Marienplatz and eat dinner at our choosing.
No comments:
Post a Comment