Day 8--Munich to Dachau to Oberammergau

Day 8 started with a driving tour of Munich. 

Munich

As part of the tour we drove to Nymphenburg palace for just a picture stop. 

• Very pretty palace, it was the place where Mad King Ludwig II (of castle building fame--but more on that later) was born. It would have been nice to have had more than twenty minutes here. 

Next back to the bus, 

then on to the Marienplatz in Munich 

to watch the glockenspiel that tells the story of a wedding that happened in the square in 1568. The duke and bride watch as two nights joust (Bavarian one winning over bride's family of course) followed by dancing. Pretty cool!

Next to St. Peter's church for a quick look inside, 

before heading to the viktualienmarkt for lunch. 

(a potato pancake (tastes like a hash brown) and a ham and cheese hand pie...yummy!)

We wanted around the stalls some 

(White asparagus!)

until heading back to the Marienplatz  (after getting some ice cream)

We had a few extra minutes so we took a closer look at the Rathaus exterior 

and went into its courtyard. 

Next it was back to the bus,

which picked us up at Max-Joseph Platz

(National Theater)

(The Residenz, the former "residence" of royal Wittelsbach family)

Dachau

Next to the Dachau concentration camp. Dachau was the first concentration camp, longest one in use, and a model for those too come. It was sobering in the museum, which was in the former camp maintenance building where prisoners were admitted and where the washrooms were (which sounded horrific).

I learned quite a bit...I didn't realize each camp had many satellite camps in the surrounding area. It also makes it less likely that those nearby didn't know some of what was happening...they had to see the prisoners being moved between camps. They were basically slave labor, and  more than gypsies and jews were sent. Political detractors, foreign nationals, one exhibit described child prisoners.  They basically served as slave labor for businesses, especially armaments for the Nazis. At Dachau the gas chambers weren't used, but prisoners were shot, worked to death, starved, or experimented on. If they could no longer work, they were sent to other camps to be killed too. 

They had also built replicas of two of the barracks we could look in for an idea of the conditions the prisoners were in, as well as religious memorials to the Catholics, Protestants, and Jews who suffered and died in the camp.  Not sure if I ran out of time, but I have no pictures of the protestant memorial or the Russian orthodox chapel in honor of the Soviet prisoners imprisoned at Dachau.

(Jewish Memorial)

(Catholic Memorial of the Mortal Agony of Christ)

It was a beautiful day, which made the contrast with the museum very stark. 

You could see the outline of each of the barracks buildings along this main path.  These buildings would have been filled with prisoners.

After a quick pic of the gate on the way out 

("work sets you free"--except it didn't) 

we left.

Oberammergau

Next a pretty drive near the Alps to Oberammergau. The views were gorgeous!

Oberammergau is in a valley in the Bavarian alps, once we arrived, we immediately ran up to the church in town before dinner.  

The St. Peter and Paul Church and Cemetery, a rococo style church, completed in 1742.

There was even a saints skeleton dressed and on display, Katherine's favorite.

This is the St. Amandus crucifixion altar (a reliquary).  St. Amandus died in about 670s AD and is (one of) the patron saint of brews and breweries.

 We wandered the well kept graveyard,

with its gorgeous carved wood tombstones.

Soon it was back to the hotel.

(Beautiful views of the Kofel from the front of the hotel)

Back to the room to freshen up,

Before included dinner at the hotel, a bit fancier tonight.

Afterwards we went up to the church again for night pics.