Our trip to Germany was wonderful. We did so many things. I also gained access to texts that will help my dissertation in big ways. I spent a day with texts published about the people and art I am researching while it was happening. It was also amazing to walk out of an archive to wander around Munich chatting with Denny about my research.
I highly suggest you travel with your favorite person to places you have never been. If you can spend time in museums and libraries, even better. Especially if there is a beer garden nearby.
We toured the Salzburg Festival theatres in Austria. It was incredible, though early, as their first performance was at 11:00 am. Salzburg is a beautiful place. We had a nice leisurely day walking around and seeing the beauty that is there. And, we walked through an artists market by the river! It really was a great day.
We visited the Dachau concentration camp memorial. I read so much in their education center that what I planned to be a 3 hour visit (including a camp tour) became an all day affair. I was shocked when they told me it was almost 5:00 pm. Denny walked with me, he chatted with me when I was chatty and was silent when I was silent. I understand that my grandfather was in the 42nd Rainbow Division. I know that he was one of the American soldiers they are talking about. I see the images, and understand what he saw. But, I will never fully understand how a man who was so full of love and joy carried that experience. Of course, I only ever saw him struggle with the memory once, when we were working on publishing his story. We stopped writing the story.
I would never force the man who made me feel like I was a giant, relive horror. I know his entire story will never be told because of that decision not to push him. Walking through the Dachau camp, I still believe I made the right choice. feared I would think I was wrong. I was not.
Now, I’m excited to be home and writing my dissertation. I’m enjoying incorporating elements of my research in Germany that I have been translating. Thank you to google translate, a year of studying German with textbooks, and Duolingo; I found what I wanted to add to my dissertation quite quickly. The rest will have to wait for the book.