Day 2: Walking a few miles in their shoes.

We woke up this morning ready to spend the day out and about. Our first stop was the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. We picked up a coffee and some muffins from the tiny cafe across the street, along with some sandwiches for lunch. The bus took us from our lodging at Potsdamer Strasse to Alexanderplatz from where we could walk to the meeting spot for the tour to the concentration camp. Arriving a bit early, we stepped into the Europcar shop nearby to ask about renting a car for our drive to Amsterdam tomorrow. Before long, we were in a group of people and listening to our tour guide, Michael, explain the logistics of the tour.

The walking tour started at 10:00 and was scheduled to last until 4:30. We began by walking to the nearby Underground Train station, Alexanderplatz, and catching the train to Gesundbrunnen and then switched to another train to take us to Oranienburg. Once we exited, Michael led us on a walk from the train station to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, the same walk which the prisoners would take. The guards would lead them through town in a humiliating and scorn-filled walk as the townspeople cursed them and threw things at them. Once at the camp, they would be registered and enter through the gate, on which was cynically written, “By work comes freedom.” At that gate they lost their identity, their freedom, their life, their dignity, their all. Sachsenhausen was the very first concentration camp built, the closest to the Reich Capital in Berlin, and therefore the model camp, both architecturally, experimentally, and judicially. It soon became the administration headquarters for all the concentration camps in the entire occupied territory.

Needless to say, the camp was very sobering and emotional. You can hardly believe all the stories of what went on in those camps until you see something of it for yourself. The buildings, the pictures, the faces, the artifacts on display, the walls, the death row, the firing range, the gas chambers, the mortuary, the memorials, and all the propaganda used to cover up and “put a pretty face” on what was really going on. Our tour guide was very honest about the wrongs done by Hitler and his regime. He told the history as it was, didn’t sugarcoat what had happened, and challenged us to take it seriously and to move forward in respecting and accepting all people, regardless of nationality, race, or handicap. It was a memorable tour.

After the tour ended we walked over half of “the beer mile” on Strazbergerplatz for the 22d Annual International Beer Festival and enjoyed a cold craft brew from Republic Brewery. From there we walked to a restaurant, Alpenstuck, for German cuisine and ordered wiener schnitzel for dinner. Then we walked to the Princess Cheesecake for dessert and caught the underground train to Potsdamer Platz, followed by a short bus ride and a 3 block walk to our room, which we reached before 9:00.

It was a long day and we walked a total of 8.6 miles along the streets of Brandenberg and Berlin in over 90 degree weather. Needless to say, we’re headed to bed. Tomorrow we’ll retrace our steps to Alexanderplatz and rent a car. Please keep us in your prayers as I’ll be driving almost 550 miles from here to The Hague, Netherlands and then north of there to Zwolle.

Until next time,

Daddy, Schylie, and Christie