Apr 27 2008
Day 12 - Paris
Today was our last full day in Paris. We began the day by going to the Memorial de le Shoah which was the first Holocaust memorial in Europe. At one time, many people were upset that the memorial was in France and not in Israel. This memorial was dedicated solely to the French-Jewish population that was deported during the Holocaust. The Shoah Memorial Center collects names of the victims from the German National Archive and displays them alphabetically on walls made of stone. The names included in this archive are proof that they were deported from France during the Holocaust. However there are millions of people whose names weren’t documented in this archive, and unfortunately cannot be included in the memorial because there is no definitive documentation. After viewing the memorial, we toured the museum which included a tomb in the shape of the Star of David, filled with ashes from victims of concentration camps. Our tour guide gave us in-depth answers to our many questions concerning France’s involvement in the war and the Holocaust. After the tour, we walked down Avenue Des Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe where we were given free time. We all decided to spend our time exploring the beautiful city of Paris. We climbed the Eiffel Tower, shopped on the Champs, visited museums, viewed the sites, and relaxed in the City of Lights. We concluded the night by hanging out in front of the Eiffel Tower, taking pictures, eating crepes, making human pyramids, and releasing our emotions. We enjoyed every minute because we knew this was our last night. It was a bittersweet night because after this trip graduation would only be weeks away. This has been a once in a lifetime experience that has shaped our perspectives on the past and will influence our futures based on what we have learned about history and ourselves.
Today we visited King Ludwig’s famous Neuschwanstein Castle. This structure served as the inspiration for Walt Disney’s castle. To reach the castle, we had to climb up the mountain on which it sits. Our hike took about 30 minutes and included incredible views of the town below. Some students decided to take a horse carriage ride up the hill, while others chose to run.When we reached the top of the mountain and started our tour of the actual castle, we had to climb 134 stairs to the third floor. This floor was the only level of the castle that was ever completed. We learned that the castle had 64 rooms and only 16 were finished. King Ludwig really didn’t spend any time in the castle. In fact, he only lived in his castle for a couple of months. During his stay he spent most of his time in the dressing room, which can only be entered through a secret entrance door from his bedroom. We noticed that there were a lot of sculptures and portraits of swans. The swan holds significant meaning in Bavaria and also serves as a symbol of loyalty. We were surprised to hear that King Ludwig died at the young age of 40 and left behind no wife or children. His death came before the completion of his castle.After visiting the castle we began an eight hour bus ride to Prague in the Czech Republic. The scenery during our drive was amazing. From the windows on the bus, we could see beautiful mountains, some covered in snow, and landscape unlike any we have ever observed in America. We even noticed that one of the small towns had a ski lift. Another highlight of our day included the group discussions on the bus. We talked about what we experienced in Germany and our thoughts on the country, the culture, and yesterday’s visit to the concentration camp in Dachau.After eights hours on the bus, we finally arrived in Prague. Right away, we noticed the difference in the architectural styles from Munich. We were also reminded that after WWII, the nation of Czechoslovakia became Communist. At first they were encouraged by the propaganda spread by the Russians. They believed that Communism would be the best thing for them. Later on, they realized that they were lied to. They finally won their independence by marching in Wenceslas Square and demanding control of the government. Since there was no bloodshed it was called the Velvet Revolution.