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Date:
August 8, 2002
I hope this email find you all well.
I am in the dinning room of my hostel. I just finished
my breakfast. Willie Nelson was followed by Olivia
Newton-John on the radio. The clinking of silverware
mingles with the hum of other travelers voices. A
Turkish staff is cleaning the facilities.
The Western European section of my trip has come to an
end. Rather appropriately I logged my 15000th
kilometer (9300 miles) on the outskirts of Munich. I
arrived 3 days ago and intend to explore the city
through the 8th. After a brief train ride to the lake
town Prien I will continue to Salzburg, through the
Salzammergut region of Austria and onward to Prague. I
hope to reach Prague by the 17th.
I received an email from Scott. A reunion in Prague
seems certain. I have enjoyed the freedom of traveling
alone. The experience has been a confidence booster. I
have also felt the isolating effect of the language
barrier. I look forward to cycling with Scott again.
Did you receive all 4 of the pictures that Betty
broadcast ? She is sweet for doing that. The one where
I am ready to go to the train station makes my legs
look like big hunks of muscular dough. That is a
direct quote from Ali.
My path from Stuttgart took me (via the train) to the
French city of Strasbourg. After touring the
picturesque city I followed my beloved Rhine River
south towards it`s source. The silent gentle power of
the river comforts me while ride. It's steady presence
reassures me that I am progressing towards my goal.
South of Strasbourg I was examining my map. ( the
international symbol for "Help!"). I was
attempting to select the ideal route south when I met
an "angel". This was no ordinary angel. He
caught my attention when he abruptly jerked his bike
to a stop by my side. He wore only overalls and the
absence of a shirt exposed his shoulders that were
burnt form the day's sun. He had a beer belly, laughed
at his own jokes, corrected my poor German, spoke no
English and reeked of beer. What he was able to
recommend through hand gestures and maps was the Rhine
StaÛe.It is one sweet bike path that hugs the banks on
the Rhine between Strasbourg and Basel, Switzerland.
For 2 days I cycled through nature preserves where the
only traffic was river boats and other cyclist. Again
a simple act of kindness enhanced my journey.
Interesting thing happened when I crossed the Rhine
into Switzerland. Everything looked ,smelled and
tasted the same but a twice the cost. I use McDonalds
as the standard. I do not eat the food. I compare the
prices. In Basel an extra value meal served in the
smaller European size costs 9$US. After a long day of
cycling it would require 2 of the to satisfy my
hunger. Eighteen $US for dinner at McDonalds ! I
calculated this while I drank my awful $2US cup of
coffee. Twenty kilometers later I was back in Germany.
From Basel I followed the Rhine to it's source on the
western tip of Lake Bondensee. On the way I viewed the
Rhine Falls in the Swiss town of Schaffenhausen. The
normal high summer water volume added to the majestic
grandeur of the falls. Lake Bondensee is a popular
summer destination for sailing ,wind surfing, swimming
and camping. I stayed in a few of the sparkling clean
campgrounds that bordered the lake.
Now Neil Diamond is on the radio ?! My high school
Spanish teacher loved Neil.
After the ease of many "flat" days I was
greeted by the twisting mountain roads of the Bavarian
Alps. The German peaks are smaller that their Austrian
and Swiss counterparts but are no less spectacular.
When there were no cars I was accompanied by a chorus
of cow bells on my longer climbs.
Nestled in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps is the
town of Fôssen. Tourist flock here to see Schloss
Neuschwanstein which was constructed by Ludwig II on a
mountain top adjacent to the town. Walt Disney's
Cinderella Castle was inspired by Neuschwanstein's
design. My original intent was to tour the interior of
the castle. Unfortunately the grounds were choked with
loads of tour buses. I refused to wait hours for a
tour where I would be herded through in a mandatory 35
minutes and then ejected out the back door like a
piece of....Well... You know... a piece of meat:-) I
want to return to Europe in the future. I envision a
trip where I have more money but less time. When I do
it will not be during tourist season.
On a somber note I visited the site of the
concentration camp Dachau. The memorial is located
15kms northwest of Munich city center. Dachau was the
first concentration camp. It opened in 1933 primarily
to house political prisoners who opposed Hitler. By
the late 30's Dachua's inmates were almost exclusively
Jews, Poles, gypsies, blacks, gays, priests and
intellectuals. Anyone The Third Reich thought to be a
contaminant to the Aryan master race. Other camps
throughout Germany and Central Europe were constructed
on the Dachau model. They were also built on a grander
scale and from conception were designed for "human
liquidation". Hitler wanted to guarantee the
German population's supremacy in number within the
new occupied territories.
Nazi propaganda described the concentration camps as
work rehabilitation centers. The prison's front gate
taunted the new arrivals with the slogan, " Work
will set you free". The SS guards who ruled the
compounds with an iron hand used all forms of torture
to maintain discipline. They utilized their obsession
with order and cleanliness to justify brutal
punishment. Something as insignificant as a prisoner's
straw mattress lacking a square corner brought on the
most popular form of punishment which was referred to
as hanging. The prisoner would be forced to stand on a
chair with his hands cuffed behind his back. The cuffs
were secured to a pole and the chair was kicked out
form under the inmate. Survivors described the
excruciating pain they experienced while they dangled
in this fashion for 1 to 2 hours. The offenders even
had to endure the indignity of marching to their
punishment while signing the camp song. One hundred
and fifty to two hundred prisoners were hung daily.
There were also medical experiments. An example was
subjects were immersed in ice water for hours. The
"doctors" were attempting to verify how long
it was practical to search for German pilots who were
shot down over the frigid water on the North Sea.
In 1945 the camp was liberated by American solders.
Afterwards a study was performed to ascertain what the
local residents knew of the atrocities that occurred
in Dachau. The conclusion was that the segment of the
population associated with the SS knew all. A second
segment of the population that financially profited
from the camps existence were aware something
diabolical had taken place. They were not fully aware
of the details. Only a tiny minority of the community
considered the camp a disgrace and openly opposed it's
presence. The Nazi would intentionally leak facts of
the living conditions to foster an aura of fear among
the populace.
Whew ! New subject.
I was touring through Munich on my bike. (like I do
not ride enough) I scoffed at those who waited for the
crossing symbols. I felt proud of my ingrained
American-made impatience. We do not pay attention to
those silly little lights ! I hopped to stop on the
corner and inspected my map. I felt a tap on my
shoulder. I turned to see 2 stern policeman. I played
the ignorant tourist. In German I said, "I do not
speak German.". The shorter policeman asked for my
passport in English. "Is there something wrong
?", I asked innocently. He responded, "There
is a little something wrong." After checking my
passport the taller policeman smiled and said,
"You crossed on a red crossing light.".
"Oh !" I responded as though the the existence
of the light was a revelation to me. The tall
policeman's smile widened and he said, "You know.
Just like the ones you have in the States.". I was
busted. Twenty-five Euros lated I grunted a goodbye. I
have learned my lesson. Now after checking for traffic
I make sure there is no policeman in the vicinity
before I cross on a red light. :-)
I will log on again in Prague. I look forward to your
thoughts and news form home.
I miss you all,
Dennis
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