Dachau-The beginning of the story and the end for our journey.

Wow! Just wow! I couldn't have asked for the trip to end in a more dramatic/enjoyable way. We got up this morning with only a few stops in mind. It is the last day, so we need to make it count. Before we headed to Dachau, we got a tour of Belgium by a local guide. We took our slightly smaller then usual tour bus around the town. She showed us several interesting locations. The first place we went was to a pavilion where the Nazi HQ was located, as well as where several rally's happened.

Afterwords she took us to the Nynphenburg summer castle. The place was massive. The cost of the land alone, which is 230 Hectares, is over 11$ Billion Euro, which is more in American currency. The place took over 3 generations to build. The castle featured a large garden. Each small rectangular plot contained over 18,000 flowers. The length of the property was three quarters of a mile from end to end. You couldn't get any real idea of just how large it was until a train went by on the far end every 20 min. To each side of the garden was a artificial forest. The forest is made with real trees. but they were planted in such a way to make it look more attractive as well as make it easier for hunting the animals.

We decided to make a quick stop at the BMW showcase room. This may be a WWII trip, but those cars are still awesome to look at. There isn't really much to say about them other than BMW's are sweet. Lets not forget the V-12 Rolls Royce. It was a nice little break from reality to go see modern technology.

Once we made a stop for lunch, and a final shopping trip, it was time for the one place we were all excited and dreading going-Dachau. Dachau was the first concentration camp built by the Nazi's. It was built in 1933. Initially, Dachau was not a death camp. It was a camp for "political enemies, misfits, or those not deemed a benefit society" The camp was only meant to hold 6,000 prisoners. However, by the end of the war, the camp was holding over 34,000. During the years of 38-39' the inmates were forced to build 30 new barracks for incoming prisoners. All new prisoners were shaved, showered, and given a number.

From then on, they had to follow every order the SS guards gave them. If they disobeyed, or if a "report" was filed, then they would be punished. The punishments ranged from being hung from a pole, to being executed in a variety of cruel and unethical ways. In the far back of the camp lies the SS main method of "disposing" of prisoners. There was a gas chamber and a crematory. The chamber was the most used method in all the camps throughout the years. Dachau was the model of every future camp created by the Nazi's.

As the war progressed, the prisoners conditions worsened, and the deaths increased. Beds were put closer and closer together. Guards became hostile, beating entire groups of inmates for no reason. Food became more scarce, and "suicides" became more common. As the war was drawing to a close, the SS was trying to either kill or move all of the prisoners. the streets were lined with bodies, and the smell of the furnaces could be smelled for miles. What I saw, and what I felt is something I will never forget. I believe it is something that everyone should have to experience once in their lives. That, along with the cemetery at Omaha.