Out of the castle and in to the frying pan.

Today was a long day of travel.  We left Rothenberg this morning (a little worse for wear...) and headed down to Dachau.  I slept mostly, until we got there, but I was wide awake upon stepping out onto the concentration camp monument.  It was a sobering experience that cannot be described by words or pictures.  I was deeply affected and shaken and disturbed.  My friend and travel companion, Allyson, is Jewish.  I would not have preferred sharing this experience with anyone other than this woman.  She exhibited such strength and bravery today, I could  not not have been more proud if she were my own daughter.  We've taken very good care of each other on this voyage, but taking care of her at the memorial today will forever be one of my most humbling experiences.  She brought personal and deeply impacting emotion to this journey that I'll never be able to forget.  I love her.

When we left Dachau, we continued on our way to Austria, stopping once more at a beautiful Rococo (Baroque's silly, girly, frou-frou little sister) style church, Wieskirche, which translated means "church in the meadow".  The amazing thing about this church is not only its impressive ceiling painting of Jesus sitting atop a rainbow in the final judgement (looking very Arian, might I add, with his blonde hair and blue eyes...), but the story behind the wooden sculpture that sits close to the Eucharist at the front of the church behind the alter.  It's a carved sculpture of Jesus, after being flogged on his way to the cross.  The statue wept at one point in history and people have been making pilgrimages to pray before it ever since.

When we crossed over the border to Austria I suddenly and inexplicably got the urge to run into one of the lush, green fields of the foothills of the Alps and sing at the top of my lungs while spinning in circles!!  It. Is. So. Beautiful. Here!!  We ate dinner at our hotel, family style, got some laundry done, and then sat on the back patio and had Martini Bianco's with Richard, our driver.  It all felt very adult until our new little girl friends came to talk about boy troubles. Of course...by this time we had had enough Martini Bianco to really give some good advice!!  So, there we sat...two twenty somethings, an eighteen year old, a fifteen year old, and a thirty seven year old bus driver talking about the boy problems that girls face in high school!!  What a great and quirky family this is turning out to be, and what a great end to our solemn day.  I love it here.  Even in darkness, we seem to find light and hope.  Take care of each other, ya'll.

                                                                             Peace, Love, and Travel,

                                                                             Reba 

"Work Makes Free"

The protestant chapel at the Dachau Memorial. 

Side view of the Jewish memorial.

Entering the Jewish memorial.

The view from across the "roll call" area.

Ceiling painting. Jesus on a rainbow!

You can't see the miracle statue from this view, but it gives a nice understanding of the Rococo style...

pipe organ.

"The hills are aliiiiiiiiiiiiive!!!!"

Hello, pony!!