Expectations for On the Nazi Trail

Having been born and raised in Germany, I have always been interested in World War II. I have taken many history courses throughout my education, but have somehow never studied the Holocaust in depth.  When I lived in Germany, I was too young to remember seeing of this amazing history. From this trip, I expect to gain a deeper understanding of the Holocaust and the terrible things that took place. Overall, I am expecting to see a lot of history on this trip. Everywhere we are going is filled with centuries of history that has affected us all. I want to be able to come back and tell everyone the amazing things that I saw. I want to gain a higher knowledge of the things that happened during WWII.

Expectations

For as long as I can remember, the Holocaust and the Nazis have fascinated me. I love reading books about all aspects of World War II and its impact on Europe, but the Holocaust is especially interesting to me as it hits close to home. Two of my grandparents were forced to flee Germany in the 1930s, and some of my other relatives ended up in concentration camps or were killed by the Nazis. I even had a great uncle who was captured on Kristallnacht  and ended up in Dachau. He was able to escape and lived long enough for me to meet him; I remember at dinner parties when he would tell stories about his experience at Dachau and show us the branded number on his arm. For this reason, I am really excited but nervous to visit Dachau on this trip. I have heard that visiting a concentration camp is often a life-changing experience even if the Holocaust is not part of your family background. The Nuremburg Trials and the Nazi officials who escaped Germany after the war is one aspect of the Holocaust that I have not studied in depth, and I am really excited for the opportunity to learn more about it.

The Holocaust aside, European history is one of my favorite subject to study. This will be my first experience travelling to Europe, and I have always wanted to visit Germany, Austria, and Italy. I am really excited to visit the Renaissance towns in Italy and attend mass at the Duomo in Milan. I have also heard that the Cinque Terre is one of the most beautiful and enjoyable places in the world. This trip will be the opportunity of a lifetime! I can't wait!

Munich's Dark Past

Your Munich tour guide here again  ...  Of course, you are travelling to Munich to delve into the city's Nazi past, and Third Reich tourism is actually a thriving business in Munich, bur frankly, many Muencheners would prefer to just forget it all. For the most part, Germany - especially Bavaria - still has a difficult time coming to grips with its Nazi past. Many public figures, even historians, would prefer to keep this past hidden so it remains forgotten. Even when the monumental Nazi buildings cannot be hidden, most areas do very little to call attention to them.

To be completely honest, tours like ours are sometimes denigrated as "Brown tourism" (brown being the Nazi color). Some think that to tour a concentration camp site is all the attention that should be given to Third Reich history, and any other site should be ignored. It has only been in the past few years that some historians have expressed the opinion that not only the sites of the victims of Nazism should be preserved and interpreted, but also the sites where the crimes were planned and regulated ... the Nazi government sites.

This is just some information to bear in mind during our tour ... as we visit the Nazi headquarters in Munich, which is now a music school, and the Feldherrnhalle monument on the Odeonsplatz, where the Nazis celebrated the "martyrs of their cause" who were killed during the 1923 putsch, and which today has no reminder of that time.

Some Hints on Dining Out in Germany

Dining out in a German restaurant can be a delightful experience! But there are several cultural and practical differences from the American norm ...

First off, eating at a sit-down restaurant in Germany is generally not fast, and can be a very time-consuming (if very rewarding!) experience. (It takes awhile to properly prepare that delicious German food!) A lot of the larger restaurants, especially in tourist areas, will have a menu (“die Speisekarte”) that includes English (although some of their English food names may not really tell you what the dish is!). (Note - the word “Menu” in German does NOT mean the same as menu in English - ask for the Speisekarte, not the Menu.) Most of the time, you order a main course meal, and you get what it comes with - you don’t get a choice of vegetables, salad, bread, etc. (there is the possibility of substitution, though). If you want to order bread and/or a condiment that doesn’t come with the meal, it will cost extra (up until very recently, you had to pay for every packet of ketchup or mayonnaise in any restaurant).

Normally the waiter/waitress will not bring you the bill (“die Rechnung”) until you ask for it (even if you are obviously finished). For that matter, after the waiter/waitress brings your food, you generally won’t see them again at your table until you call them. If you are in a hurry and the place is busy, it may take some doing to get their attention and get them to come to your table with the bill (if you are lucky, they will come to clear off the table, and you can ask to pay then). You can try holding up your wallet as a signal, or if all else fails, just get up and go to them. Also note that at most sit-down restaurants, you walk in and choose your own table - you don’t have to wait to be seated. If the place is crowded, you can also sit at empty spaces at a table where others are eating - just ask “Ist hier frei?” - this is done all the time in crowded restaurants in Germany.

You will hear almost every waiter/waitress in Germany say two things to all customers - “Guten Appetit” when they bring the food, and either “Hat es gut Geschmack?” or “Schmeckt es Ihnen?” when they clear the dishes - asking if you liked the meal. (You could just answer “Sehr gut, danke!”)

A few hints about drinks in restaurants - there are no free refills on drinks, including coffee, etc. (the concept of the “free refill” is just coming to a few fast food restaurants, like McDonald’s). Most Germans drink beer, wine, or sparkling water, or soft drinks, with their meal. A glass of table water or tapwater is almost unknown (and it won’t be free!) - if you’d like just plain water, ask for “Stilles Wasser” - this will get you a bottled water without carbonation. Another restaurant drink that is almost unknown is milk (milk is for babies). If you like diet colas, there are only a very few choices - “Cola Light” is about the same as Diet Coke (the taste is slightly different). One final drink hint - there is a very good reason why German beers are world renowned!

University Students vs. the Third Reich

Hi again ... Geoff Walden, your Munich tour guide, with a note about Munich history. A unique resistance movement against the Nazi government was formed among university students in Munich in mid-1942. This movement became known as the "White Rose" group, headed by siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, Christoph Probst, and others. The students printed and distributed anti-Nazi leaflets until February 1943, when the Scholls were caught throwing leaflets into the air in the atrium of the University of Munich. The Scholls were interrogated by the Gestapo and other members of the group were rounded up and tried in a Peoples Court (Volksgerichtshof), several receiving sentences of death. The Scholls, Probst, Schmorell, and others were executed by beheading.

The legacy of the "White Rose" lives on in Germany, particularly the memory of the Scholls, who are memorialized across the country in street names, memorial plazas, and monuments. We will have the opportunity to visit the Geschwister-Scholl-Platz at the University of Munich, to see for ourselves where the "White Rose" stood up against the Third Reich.

Expectations for May Term

I have been really excited about this trip for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the amount of history that is in Europe is amazing and learning something new everyday is guaranteed. I am also looking forward to learning the history involved with WWII and the correlation it has with the places we are going. I haven't studied WWII in depth very much and this is a perfect opportunity to do just that. Secondly, the locations we are going will be incredible. Munich will be a lot of fun, and I'm definitely looking forward to the Hofbrauhaus. Innsbruck looks gorgeous, and Cinque Terra is going to be amazing as well. The trip is just going to be overall fantastic and I can't wait to get there!

Eric M

How to Change Your $$ into Euro in Germany

You may have already changed dollars for Euros before you get to Munich (I don't know your itinerary). If not, or if you need more Euro, you could change money at the airport Money Exchange, but this is the most expensive - worst exchange rate. Probably the best way to get Euro cash in Germany is to use your ATM card or MasterCard/Visa at a “Geldautomat” (ATM). This will give you the best exchange rate, and won’t charge you any extra fees (although your bank may tack on fees). Be aware that the Geldautomat machine will not give you a receipt, so you’ll just have to jot down how much you withdrew, if you’re keeping track. To find a Geldautomat, look for the following signs - Bank, Sparkasse, Geldautomat, or a small sign with EC in big letters (don’t look for “ATM”, unless maybe in a big tourist area). You may even find a convenient Geldautomat in the airport, at a bank kiosk or even by itself. Most Geldautomat machines (in fact, most automated machines of all types) in Germany allow you to choose what language is displayed - for English, choose the British flag.