A somber trip to Dachau...

When you think of visiting the site of a Nazi concentration camp, it's not like you say, "Wow! I want to visit a concentration camp!"
But when you have the opportunity, you do want to visit. You do want to honor those who suffered and died there. You do want to offer prayers and pay tribute to those men, women and children -- and to never forget what happened there.
As tour guide Rick Steves notes in one of his books: "Many people come away with more respect for history and the dangers of mixing fear, the promise of jobs, blind patriotism and an evil government."
Profound food for thought in our current American situation, to be sure. And don't think that only Jews were taken to Dachau -- far from it. Revisit your history, if that is your belief.
So experiencing Dachau was truly important during my recent trip to Germany.
It was a somber visit and it was hard to grasp how this ever happened.
But I will never forget the feelings this site evoked.

This sign, "Work makes you free," greeted the prisoners with this false promise. If you can believe it, the original sign was stolen in 2014, so the sign above is a replica. Fortunately, it was recovered last year and this year they placed the sign in the museum, protected now behind glass. Sad that someone stooped so low to steal this piece of history.

These are far from all of the photos I snapped at Dachau, but I hope they help to convey the feelings stirred there. If you have a chance to visit, please do. I only wish certain "leaders" would do the same.