Berlin Day 2

Kerstin had to work today so I booked in on a tour to Sachsenhausen. I managed the U-Bahn (much to Kerstin’s surprise) and got there on time. It was a train tour so we trained out with our guide and then I stayed on after the tour finished and caught a train back. Sachsenhausen was a concentration camp and is now a memorial to all those who both perished and survived. It was built by the Nazis in 1936 - before the war and at that time the main prisoners were political ones. As the war progressed it was used for Jews, Gypsy’s, criminals, those classed as asocial, homosexuals, etc. It was a male only camp. As it was so close to Berlin it was also a training camp for the SS and so many atrocities were committed. The infirmary area holds details of the experiments and more that were inflicted on the prisoners (not inmates as inmates infers that there has been a judicial process such as a trial). Our guide Amelia was so passionate about telling the story and at the end iterated a quote (see the photo). As you can imagine i left there shell shocked. I know I have been to a concentration camp before but ….. On the way back I passed an ice cream shop and thinking i deserved something to lighten my day, I had a Kerstin special of Spaghetti Eis. Yum! Made it back to town and thought while there i would trek up the Berliner Dom. Another magnificent cathedral. A quiet night in. NB - actually had Germans understand my attempts at Deutsche sprechen today - very exciting.Read more