Nuremburg

The next morning, we all boarded a train to Nuremburg. Today we were visiting the documentation center museum and the way of human rights. I've found I prefer to explore museums on my own - just me and my audio guide. The museum was very well done. Built into the remains of a massive Nazi structure, it was a reminder to me how truly delusional Hitler was about his own grandeur. The museum did an excellent job of laying out the process of Hitler's rise to power, taking a methodical and comprehensive approach that began with pre-WW2 German history and ended with a picture of American troops and an American flag on the top of the structure where the museum now stands. One thing I saw that bothered me was pictures of young children saluting and cheering for Hitler. There's another picture of him, surrounded by kids, where he has a demeanor that almost looks human unless you know that he was pure evil behind that smiling face and fatherly gestures. It's poetic justice how, on that very structure built to exhibit the powerful nature of the Nazi party, individuals are now learning about their cult-like nature, the massive human rights violations they inflicted, and their ultimate demise. The purpose of learning about it, particularly in the fashion the museum presents it, is so it will never, ever be repeated. What can I say - karmas a bitch. :-)

We visited the way of human rights after that. I really liked how it incorporated so many different areas of the world, although I can only imagine the political drama surrounding the decisions about what article should be written in which language, etc etc.

Myself,Caryn, Rachel, Meghan and Amy walked around with Meghan's hostess Ana that afternoon. We did a little shopping, ate nuremburg sausages which are sort of like breakfast sausages and headed home around 5. We arrived just in time to jump in the shower and get ready for the design school party that evening.

We ate Italian food that night with our hostess Ana, her friend from Nuremberg, Ulrich and his friend Flo. It was this Italian food that would cause us to get "food poisoning" and miss tomorrows trip to Flossenberg. From there we headed to the design school party, which was, well, wow. They had outdoor tents with bonfires and couches and bars, and inside an old castle-like house there were two dj's spinning electronic and techno. Outside exhibits from design students served as decor and created a very modern atmosphere, contrasting sharply with the traditional landscape of Coburg. Inside, the electronic was a bit more mainstream and everyone seemed more comfortable there, so we danced for hours and hours. It was a great transition when all of a sudden the dj switched to The Roots and other hiphop I happen to love but that not as mainstream in the US as I think it should be. We went home, totally spent, and passed out.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone