...but to start an important message:
I AM MOVING HOUSE AND FAMILY ON SATURDAY, SO PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME ANY MAIL UNTIL YOU HAVE MY NEW ADDRESS (EMAIL ME IF YOU NEED IT, OR ASK THE USUAL SUSPECTS). THANKYOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.And also, if you comment, please tell me who you are, so i ahve an idea of who's reading my blog! Thanks! And the funny scoopy thing, from a few episodes ago I think is a ditch digger... HAve my English schularbeit (important exam type test) next week, should be fun, I got some of my prepositions wrong on the homework, but I think I'm right, was just an alternative!
Anyway, my terrible news, I'm going to have to go to Verona, in Italy in my summer holidays... Isn't it a hard luck life? Oh, I don't know what I'm going to do! Basically Bibi informed me today her family has had the trip planned for ages, but I am 'most welcome' to go along too, and they'll be going for 5 days or something in August! And she asked if it was ok! Really! Munich has now also been addded to the list of places we are visiting in the holidays, so that makes Vienna, Salzburg, Graz and Munich! And Verona...!
Visited Mauthausen yesterday, Austria's biggest concentration camp in WW2. The weather was really wrong for it, but very right as well. REally I think it would be best to visit on a horrible day, with lots of rain, or at least dark clouds, but yesterday was beautiful, warm, sunny. It drove away the timage that concentration camps, or Konzentrationslager, were always dark and gloomy and made me realise how sad it was that the birds would stil have been singing beautifully and everything, while all those people were dying. The part with the most impact were the Todesstiege, Death Stairs. These used to be incredibly uneven stairs going down into the quarry (it was used to mine Granite), one 1 metre high, the next only 20cm (now they've been evened though). The prisoners, häftlinge, would go down in their hundreds, crammed ont othe stairs, and the guards at the top would give the rear ones a shove, sending dozens of men to their deaths. Bascially men were sent to the camps to die, but they wanted to get some use out of them first, or at least not have to pay to kill them, so they worked them to death. I wonder how the area will be treated in 100 years, when I reckon all the quarry will be gone, filled in with the (young) trees... Even now there is little trace, just a few bits of metalstuck into the cliffs, some concrete things in the ground and the mined look off the cliffs. Other than that, it could be just a park type area with frogs and ducks in the two pond type things (which I couldn't help but wonder if concealed more bodies, but they may not have been there when the camp was in action.). But I really wish I could see how people treat the area in 100 years, whether the world wars will just become those 'ancient wars' that people choose to know about by choosing ancient history or something, and areas like Mauthausen will just become more derelict, be vandalised and forgotten about, or if people will really see the WWs as learning opportunities, and still study them and make them a 'Never repeat this mistake' to be taught to everyone. Anyway, back to SUnday...
All the actual barracks and cabins and stuff I found a little disappointing, if that's the right word. They were incredibly sterile to me, and there was nothing to really make me think there was truth in the fact that 500 people were squashed in at a time. I know it is true, but they were just like backyrd sheds cleared out for the rat's nest hunt or soemthing. THe Crematorium was slightly creepy, and there was an atmosphere of erkyness there, with plaques saying where a type of noose was etc etc. The Gas chambers however were the worst part. They looked so innocuous, but still had an atmosphere of being built for pain and suffering. I've always been a little cynical of poeple who said they could reallysense the pain that had gone on in a place, but the gas chambers were definately a testament to that. I should have taken a photo of them, but forgot completely. They were just like white tiled shower rooms, with a window somewhere, and pipes over head with openings.
There were also displays of photos of the prisoners and military people, and these were incredible. There were some of the typical (but still emotive) emaciated prisoner shots, but also of the SS men, in their comfortable barracks, of body piles and carts heaped with the dead at the end, when the Americans came and freed them all. What amazed me was that so many of the prisoners looked the same, there were mugshot from when they were brought in, and a lot of them had the square head, short hair etc etc look... There really was a sort of person who was kept there. They all looked the same at the end as well, just like a science room skeleton with skin.
There were also takls by survivors of the war, which were ver interesting, although I would love to have heard from an actual survivor of the camps. There was an old man who'd helped to build the camp, as an apprentice builder, and had been able to see what was going on, but unable to help at all because they were all threatened with being dressed in RUssian uniform, and then killed. I wonder if he's proud of the place as a structure (ignoring the use), it has stood well over the years, looks well built, but thought it was a little tasteless to ask. Magdalena was translating for me anyway! Another person who spoke was a lady who is protrayeyd in a film about her families story of saving 2 Russian prisoners, out of 30 who escaped (the other 28 were recaptured.) Her story was full of miracles, from all five of her 6 brothers who went to war returning fully intact (while they were away, someone had to go to the church everyday and pray for their safety) and perhaps more amzing was the story regarding th Russians. They hid in a hay stack for 3 months in their shed, and not all the family even knew they were there, especially the soldiers sons. One day the SS came to look for them, with dogs, and they searched the shed. The dogs climbed up the hay stacks, and (in the movie, which I think was fairly accurate) practically stepped on the men, but did not find them. No one knows why not. At least one of hte men is still alive today, it was his 90th birthday recently which he celebrated in Austria with the family, and lots of important people came, like the Russian ambassador.
I didnt understnad much of what was happening at times, but when I did, and when Magdalena translated for me, I found it incredible. Combined with actually seeing the places where so many people died made it a very powerful day. There was also a short service type of thing, with music and stuff, and we signed a rock from the quarry.
Will put some photos up at some stage, when I get round to it, in cafe at the mo though, so a little tricky!
Btw, Nicola, guess what film we're watching in music! I still can't remember if I've seen the end, think I have, but still get THAT songstuck in my head! It's in German, which is fun! Is Amadeus for those of you who don't have a clue what I'm talking about (which probably inclued Nicola...!)
Have myde up a new quiz for you, will put it up at some stage! Gotta go now though, think I've written enough, not all of what I did have beofre the computer deleted most of it, but i'll deal with it! Ahhh, man at the desk next to me has just commented that I type very fast! In german, I think he may have expected me to reply with more than just a 'übung' (practice), but can't be bothered with the 'sorry, my germyn isn't good' routine....!
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