On the way to Munich...

Monday we were in Bingen, I assume on the way Nuremberg. In the morning we went to a museum in town and learned about Hildegard of Bingen and the grave of a Roman doctor. Though the extensive abilities and knowledge of Hildegard was interesting (visions, medicine, language, etc.), she was wrong or misguided often. I don't see the benefit in treating wounds by soaking cloth in wine and placing any emerald on top, but thats just me. What I was very impressed by was the high quality of the surgical instruments used by the Roman doctor. Centuries before Hildegard, some of these tools are very similar to what is used today. The ruins of Hildegard's abbey had any awe-inspiring feeling, though I don't think Dr. Wasser appreciated our comment that it was set up perfectly for paintball.

Yesterday in Nuremberg we had the opportunity to tour the city, including various Nazi ruins. Standing in front of these enormous structures, it was possible to see how a down-trodden and bitter German people were able to get sucked into the myth of Hitler and destiny as the master race. They were built for grandeur and even impress people in our modern age. In the documentation center, we were able to trace Hitler's rise to power and how the opposition, both domestic and foreign, allowed it to grow until it was too late. He was able to systematically destroy the other parties in Germany with little to no outcry, transforming on on democracy into any ultimate dictatorship aimed solely at war. Oh, and he was insane and a megalomaniac, until the very end. Thats all I got for now...