Dachau Concentration Camp - 6/13

The biggest difference that I’ve been able to notice between Eastern Europe, particularly Russia, and the West is in the personalities of the different groups. Obviously I’m over generalizing, but it’s been my impression that those in the East of Europe are often cold and standoffish at first impression, while Germans, for example, are extremely friendly. The Germans, so far, have been great, and the German countryside is beautiful. As I drove from Heidelberg to Frankfurt, I felt as if I could take a picture of any passing scenery and sell it as a postcard…but my camera battery was temporarily deceased, so my postcard business will have to be put on hold for now.

Today is Sunday, and on Sundays we usually take the day to go to church and to travel to a new destination. This Sunday, as we travelled from Prague to Austria we stopped in Germany at a place called Dachau - an infamous Nazi concentration camp.

It was a truly sobering experience. As we walked through the dorm blocks and other facilities, we read countless stories of Nazi terror and violence against the prisoners. Dachau was a labor camp devoted originally to political prisoners, and later to anyone who was “different” within the Reich. This included the mentally handicapped, homosexuals, gypsies, hundreds of pastors, other races, and particularly Jews. Prisoners were held within the confines of the camp by guard towers, barbed wire, and electric fences. They were stripped of their belongings and identity. As one form of psychological terror against the prisoners, the Nazi’s gave each prisoner a shelf to remind their captives that they had no belongings to keep on the shelves. The prisoners actually found humor in this. Other Nazi methods were much more sadistic. Prisoners were frequently packed into small rooms for hour upon hour with no ventilation. Many died from the heat. Prisoners were also starved, beaten regularly, and punished for any flaws in their clothing, bed, or behavior. The camp was under Marshall Law, and included a gas chamber. Any insubordination would be met with death. Disease was rampant, and conditions were so deplorable that prisoners regularly threw themselves at the fences and to certain death, rather than continue to live in such a devilish place.

As I surveyed the camp site, I could hardly believe what had taken place here…and this wasn’t even the worst of the camps. What the Nazi’s did was so evil that words hardly begin to summarize the atrocities.

Despite the smiling German faces that I’ve met so far in my travels, I’m constantly reminded of how dark and sinful this world is. We are desperately in need of grace, and we certainly don’t deserve it.

Heidelberg Part Deuce

Unfortunately I've gotten extremely behind on my blog, which is a shame because my memory of a lot of stuff is fading as I experience new things. Needless to say, it's about time I started catching up. Before I move on to tell tales of mountain climbing, Belgian waffles, and Dutch dominance, I have to finish talking about one of my favorite cities.

Heidelberg was unbelievable. If you ever get a chance, please go there. We spent several days there, and ate some awesome food. German food is so good. Those people sure know how to cook a schnitzel. Highlight of Heidelberg, besides the array of beautiful mullets, had to be cruising around the city one night on a Vespa. It was my first time driving one, so I wasn't too confident, but as I got the hang of it I began to make my way through the city streets. As I continued to ride, the sun set over the mountains. It was such a beautiful night. To cap it all off, for some reason, the city put on a fireworks display...apparently they had heard that our group was coming to town. We're that special.

Heidelberg

It’s about time that I started to catch up on my blogs. From Moscow we flew to Amsterdam to stay for one night, but were driven an hour out of town to a rural hotel. My guess is that they didn’t want anyone to enjoy the city too much. We pulled into a country hotel, surrounded by farmlands. Luckily it was right next to the American Embassy…aka McDonald’s. After a restful night we made our way to Germany. After having a questionable bus experience in Russia, I was delighted to find that our new bus driver, Ronny, was the man. Since then we’ve been

traveling everywhere in a brand new Mercedes Bus equipped with a cooler full of ice cold sodas and water...for those that know me...meaning anyone that would read this blog, I'm a big fan of soda. I'm really a gnome at heart. Ronny also brought along a guitar for anyone to use during the remainder of our time in Europe. Playing guitar is probably the biggest thing I’ve missed besides people and free refills. Problem solved…well, one problem. Ronny is also a huge football fan (soccer to the layperson), and is constantly rooting for his Dutch brethren, which is fine with me. I’ve officially claimed the Netherlands as my second team to the U.S. in the World Cup…after North Korea, of course.

Needless to say… but I’ll say it anyway… our drives have been quite nice lately. After crossing the German border, we made our way to Mannheim to visit the John Deere factory and plant. I never thought I’d come to Germany to see how a Deere runs, but I’m glad I did. It’s every guy/kids dream to see how giant tractors are made, and to climb inside some of the biggest machines around, or to pedal around on tiny replicas. Those green machines are a thing of beauty, and the huge museum is also worth a visit.

Later that evening we arrived in Heidelberg. So far on my travels, this is my favorite city.

It’s a beautiful medieval town surrounded by green mountains and split down the middle by the quiet Neckar river. Some people don’t like Heidelberg because it is such a large tourist center.However, I think it’s a tourist center for good reason. It’s beautiful, fun, authentically German, and historical. It’s little wonder that Mark Twain had a special place in his heart for Heidelberg. On one mountainside is a large old castle, and across the valley on the opposite peaks is a winding thoroughfare of stairs and trails known as the “Philosophenweg”. I don’t know what it means. I don’t think anyone does anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost centuries ago…or it just means “Philosopher’s Way”. Apparently philosophers, University teachers, intellectuals, and wannabes have used the trail for ages in order to understand the meaning of life or to debate endlessly about the finer points of Calvinism/attracting ladies. Aaron and Kevin would both love it. As I made my way up the trail to the top of the mountain, I couldn’t get “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus out of my head, but that didn’t deter me. I pressed on toward the goal set before me. At the top was a great reward. Along the crest of the mountains was a giant concrete stadium created by Adolph Hitler for his speeches, as well as an ancient castle ruin, and an old tower that overlooked the valley. The views were spectacular, although my photography skills don’t do them justice. I’m good, but not that good.

The end

But seriously, Heidelberg is awesome, so I have more to write. Stay tuned.

Tights, Tightropes, and Tasty Treats

As some may have noticed from my Facebook statuses, I’m am no longer in Russia, but unfortunately I’m a little behind on my blog. Before this blog can leave Russia and catch up with me, there are a few more things I need to highlight.

As part of our "academically rigorous program" we made a corporate visit to a Russian IKEA plant, or "HKEA" as they like to spell it. More importantly, however, we went to the Mars Candy Factory in order to learn some valuable business lessons while floating down the chocolate river munching on Snickers. It felt like a day on set at the Discovery Channel, an episode of Mr. Rogers, and a non-creepy version of Willy Wonka all wrapped into a nicely packed box of chocolates. The factory smelled so good that I almost turned into Augustus Gloop and plunged into a river of chocolate in my desperation for a taste. Luckily the Mars staff saved me by supplying each student with a generous bag of treats. I thought about ending this entry with a "snickering"comment, but maybe that's a little much.

During my time in Russia, besides stuffing my face, I was able to see the legendary Russian Ballet, as well as the Russian circus. Both were incredible.

The ballet was Swan Lake, which a lot of people may know from the Looney Tunes version. The music was amazing, and the dancers were all on top of their game. I had a great view from my box seat, and felt very cultured for once, as I took in one of the premier ballets in the world. However, the ballet was not necessarily my cup of tea. I mean, I was extremely impressed by the dancing, the athleticism, and the grace of it all, but something about the dudes prancing around in tights got a little old after three hours. The story was also a little hard to follow, but I think I got the gist of it. There’s a dancer guy. He falls in love with a dancing swan….and then they dance around for a couple of hours. I meant to check out the synopsis online, but I think mine’s about right. Either way, despite the tights, if you get a chance, see the Russian Ballet. They really are amazing at what they do, all joking aside.

Some may feel that it would be a threat to their masculinity to go to a ballet, but I’ve already got a beautiful girlfriend, so I’m not too worried about it. If you do happen to be more into dude stuff, however, the circus is the place for you. These Russian acrobats are amazing. Their acrobatics would make Flip Wilson proud. The whole show was fun from start to finish. They had a troop of crazy trained poodles, giant seals, 8 tigers, beautiful people, non-creepy clowns (if that’s possible), ridiculous flying and flips, sickening contortionists, and weird cirqu-du-solie stuff, and everything in between. It made me feel how I look…like a little kid. There were some lamer parts to the show, like the strong man who lifted fake weights and spun big swords, and the evil tiger trainer who loved using his whips. PETA would have a field day with his act, but when it comes to that kind of thing, Russia has no rules. He was kind of a jerk though, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him get just one little paw to the face - nothing damaging, just a little something to set him straight.

Overall, it was one of the most fun shows I’ve seen, and had me gasping and laughing constantly. After the show I couldn't help but shout in typical Russian/Mom fashion, “bravo!”

Red Square and other Adventures

During my first day in Moscow, I had the opportunity to walk through Red Square in downtown Moscow. That was an incredible experience. Red Square is a giant, paved, rectangular square...which makes no sense, but it has been the home of many large military marches and demonstrations. It's seen as the center of Russia. At one narrow end, the famous St. Basil's cathedral stands, looking extremely similar to a pile of colorful Hershey's kisses. To the opposite end is a giant old museum. On one wide end, the Kremlin, and its giant brick walls frame the square, and directly opposite the Kremlin is a huge commercial mall known as GUM ("goom"). Lenin's tomb occupies the center of the square, adjacent to the Kremlin wall. For those that don't know what the Kremlin is, it's Russia's royal palace - a huge complex of governmental buildings, museums, and monstrous palatial structures. It was interesting, and extremely cool to see the Kremlin, a symbol of communist power opposite a huge mall, a symbol of capitalism. This image expressed the exact dichotomy between communism and capitalism as they currently relate to each other in post-Soviet Russia. In my lifetime, perhaps the awe factor of standing in Red Square has diminished, but think back 10-20 years if you can. I know I didn't live through much of the cold war, but for those that did, being an American in Red Square can be quite an emotional experience-an experience that many thought would never occur prior to fall of the Soviet Union. Before 1990, the idea of being an American in Red Square was nearly unthinkable, and certainly unlikely to occur, but times have clearly changed. I'm fortunate to have experienced it.

Also in Moscow, I came across the "lover's locks" again at a bridge crossing. I happened to be touring on a Saturday, and saw 5 or 6 newlywed couples placing locks on small metal trees lining the center of the bridge (See earlier blog if you have no idea what I'm talking about). It's a fun idea, and one that will probably make its way to America before long. Seeing a happy couple getting married is always fun, but what made it even better was the hairdos. Europeans have the most incredible mullets. I've been fortunate to snap pictures of quite a few, and will soon have a Facebook album lovingly devoted to their beauty. I may even have a top-ten mullet poll...stay tuned.

From Russia with Love

Moscow was just how I’ve always pictured it – hot and sunny with daylight from 5am until 10pm.

Well, that’s not what I expected, but it made for great touring weather.

Moscow is full of crazy architecture, and huge gaudy buildings. Some of the largest and most ornate are the Russian Orthodox cathedrals that occupy entire city blocks. There are also many large palaces, historical buildings, bridges, and statues from the pre-soviet era of Peter the Great and later the Romanov Czars. However, the largest and most self-indulgent structures were primarily Stalinist. That guy really loved himself from what I can gather, and his monstrous palaces – “Stalin’s Seven Candles” – illustrate the decadence of his rule in large-scale terms.

My favorite structure that was never actually built was a gigantic statue of Lenin. The plan was to make a statue so large that the main operations of the Soviet government would take place inside the statue's brain, and Lenin's outstretched hand would be a place for helicopters to take off and land. Absurd.

Each of the buildings and museums that we visited during our time in Moscow were painstakingly described in excruciating detail by our tour guides. Russian culture has had an interesting effect on their tour guide population. In America, we are very time oriented. Everything we do is on a schedule. In Europe everyone is very event oriented. Young Life doesn’t start at 7:47, it starts when it starts. Also, the soviet system has caused tour guides to be unmotivated in their jobs, just doing enough to get by, and doing their job with no opportunity for advancement. That wouldn’t be the worst thing, but some of the most loyal and ruthless communists were tour guides…that goes without saying. It seems that tour guides have conspired since the fall of the USSR to do everything they can to make Americans miserable. They accomplish this through mental attacks and focused telekinetic boredom. Thankfully a lot of the stuff the guides showed us was awesome - try as they may to ruin it – and just like the Miracle on Ice, the Americans persevered. We survived our tours.

Overnight Sleeper Train - Riga to Moscow

After leaving Lithuania, we drove accross the border into Latvia where we stopped for lunch at another ridiculously huge resort/restaurant/fun house with birds flying around inside the building and Latvian food cooking on the grill. The food was awesome and cheap, so it was a good start to the day. The weather was hot and humid, which was fine because we were going to be on a nice comfortable train as we traveled to Russia...right? Not exactly. The soviet era train was lacking in the AC dept. and windows were a no-go, so we sweltered for a bit.

Thankfully it was only a 16 hour ride.

We settled into our cabins, and found them to be quite cozy with four guys to a room. Cozy meaning ridiculously hot. It was a fun experience as we hurtled along the tracks, but things quickly became tense.

Just before midnight we were stopped at the Russian border. We waited patiently, anticipating a

quick stop. Two Russian officers, both female, did a quick look through the cabins collecting

passports. No big deal. But before we knew it, the train was suddenly occupied with up to 15

Russian soldiers with guns and large German Shepherds. They went from cabin to cabin questioning each rider and sending their dogs in to sniff and search. In some cabins they removed and searched luggage. In ours, after a quick questioning and sniffing they left us in peace. We were relieved, but still somewhat uptight from the search... We didn't have anything to hide, but in Russia they'll often make up something to find. Corruption and bribing among the police is rampant, and added to the tension, as officers who find a small mistake in a passport will often threaten jail time unless quietly paid off.

However, all was calm again, and we were ready to press on toward Moscow until we realized... they still had our passports. The tension remained in the air until the soldiers returned and distributed the stamped passports. Moments later we were on our way. The whole experience was awesome. It felt like we were still in the cold war, and at times seemed like a scene out of a James Bond movie. However, in this version, 007 almost peed his pants. If it weren't for the dehydration, I may have.

Lithuania - Parting Thoughts

Lithuania was a very cool place. The capital Vilnius was a beautiful city as you may have seen from my photos. There were a bunch of things that I meant to blog about, but my time/internet access has been very limited. I’ve since moved on through Latvia to Russia, but here are my parting thoughts/highlights of my last few days in Lithuania, particularly in Klaipeda, the major coastal city.

Food in Lithuania is crazy. A typical meal consisted of a salad, and maybe soup, followed by a salad, maybe some chicken, and a cup of lemons with a hint of water. At one particular eatery, “Pizza Jazz”, we all prepared for a filling plate of cheese and pepperoni on a tasty crust. After a delicious salad and bowl of soup, the excitement began to grow. We were famished, and the prospect of Pizza made me as giddy as Kevin in the presence of a female. Suddenly, our guide approached our end of the table and asked, “Who wants dessert?”…Lithuania…they've got the Jazz, but not the Pizza.

I’m not complaining. The food was actually very good, but at times I felt like ringing out my socks was the best way to get a cup of liquid refreshment. I don’t know how anyone stays hydrated. Thankfully our bus had AC…broken AC, but it’s the thought that counts.

The best part about meals in Lithuania wasn’t the food though, it was the restaurants. These people eat in the strangest places. On several occasions, we would travel several miles to a giant theme park/restaurant/garden for lunch or dinner. You may have seen hobbit villages or strange statues in my photos. Those aren’t historical sites (besides the occasional castle)…those are typical Lithuanian restaurants…an experience more than a meal. So weird. Every major restaurant in this country is a Chuck E Cheese for adults and mythical creatures. I think someone should try it in America.

Lithuania - After the fact

On our first Sunday in Europe, we had the privilege of participating in a worship service at an evangelical Lithuanian church.

“City Church” was a very cool place. It was a congregation of 100+ and they met in the attic of an old hotel. The songs were mostly translations of contemporary American worship songs, which made for a beautiful cacophony of language as we sang simultaneously in our respective tongues. The sermon, on letting go and letting God live through you, was given in English for our benefit and translated into Lithuanian, complements of a teenage girl who translated both ways, perfectly, and on the fly. It was awesome to see God working in this place that was formerly oppressed by the Soviet Union.

Very Cool.

Later that afternoon we were able to go to Pida, a national park along the Russian border. It was full of desert forests and giant sand dunes along the Baltic. It looked like something out of star wars. I honestly thought I might see Luke Skywalker taking out womp rats in his T16.

After dune jumping with some of the guys we finally went down to the beach and took a plunge in the Baltic. It was freezing, but I’m glad I did it. Not too many people back home can say they swam in the Baltic. I must have swam for a good 10 seconds. Not too shabby.

Motha Russia

I have very limited internet access. More blogs to come, including: Latvia, food stories, sleeper train to Moscow, Red Square, and Mullet hunting.....stay tuned.

Much love from the former USSR for my loyal followers

Russia Quotes, etc.

"We pretend to work, they pretend to pay us" - Soviet saying

On Monday we had the opportunity to go on several trips to different businesses and operations around Klaipeda, which is the only ice-free port in the Baltic. The second visit of the day was to the Kalipeda State Seaport Authority. We were given a presentation on the port by the marketing director....a middle aged awesome Russian guy. He had a sweet accent that sounded like Shawn Kuykendall/Leon Kerensky, and he spoke decent English. But he kept calling people out for falling asleep in his presentation, and he said some ridiculous stuff like... "Klaipeda port ees a giant sausage, I don't know what to do with it". He also liked to say "those big motha ships" whenever he talked about tankers.

Basically he was Nick Mud with better handwriting.

My favorite moment happened when he was describing ISPS..."Which stands for....internationally...system...at the different ports from around world for...uh...security"

...Now that I think about it, maybe he was telling us what ISDPAWUS stands for. I applaud him for his effort.

Vilnius - Lover's Locks & KGB

There's a new tradition in Vilnius that was apparently borrowed from Florence, Italy. On their wedding day, couples place a lock on the bars of a city bridge and throw the key into the water-apparently to symbolize the unbreakable bonds of love. Some lame dudes also take their girlfriends to place a lock on the bridge on Valentines Day...It's only romantic until they break up.

On a lighter note, we also went to the former KGB headquarters/prison.

It was pretty chilling. The old building was full of tiny prison cells that held 20 prisoners at a time, execution rooms full of

bullet holes from over 2000 executions, torture chambers, and hidden graves.

In one particular room, the floor was sunken several feet to hold ice cold water. A small metal disc was at the center of the chamber slightly above the water. Prisoner's would be made to stand for 3 days at a time on the disc. If they fell from exhaustion, they would be soaked and freezing as they returned to the disc. This process would go on until the prisoner made a confession or died by passing out into the ice water.

The most shocking part was that the prison was active until 1991 when it was finally shut down. So awful... so recent.

Copenhagen Airport

Jet lag is the weirdest thing. I got on a plane in Newark around dinner time, flew until morning, and woke up in Copenhagen....all before midnight. Doesn't make much sense, but my tiredness does. I wish I had slept more during the flight, but terrible movies kept me awake. I couldn't resist watching Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Just kidding... but seriously.

I wasn't in Copenhagen for long, but I had a funny cultural experience as soon as I arrived. After getting off the plane we walked through security and into the main terminal. And, of course, the first thing I saw was a table of European middle-aged men with several beer cans apiece....at 7:30am. Ridiculous.

Vilnius, Lithuania

I'm finally starting to adjust to the time difference, but unfortunately it doesn't get dark until after 10 at night and the sun rises before 5am. Thankfully, I've been too tired to notice... otherwise I might never sleep.

Believe it or not, Lithuania is actually unbelievably beautiful. I thought it would be grey and ugly. Picture the way Russia looks in movies... pretty terrible. Lithuania is nothing like that. I could literally take a picture of any building in Vilnius and it would make a worthy screensaver.

Hopefully I can upload some photos to prove it. The gigantic cathedral was one of many cool buildings, and the underground crypts were strait out of the library scene in The Last Crusade. Creepy, but full of sweet

medieval coffins and tunnels.

The cathedral was the start of our tour of the city which ended at a restaurant straight out of Robin Hood. It was an old dungeon with a candlelit chandelier and weapons hanging on all the walls. We had three dinner knives... Erol Flynn's utensil of choice.