For July 17th-19th.
Today (Friday) was Bergen-Belsen concentration camp near Hannover. Before this program started, I was able to visit Dachau, which gave me a really graphic image of the Nazi concentration camps with the reconstructed barricks, solitary confinement cells, and an intact gas chamber. So, although I didn't think the two would be exactly the same, I was not expecting what I saw at Bergen-Belsen.
With most of the buildings destroyed, Bergen-Belsen has started to revert back to its natural state before its landscape was used for hatred and frequently death. It really was a beautiful area, and somewhat resembles how Germany has reacted since the WWII time period. Of course, there were plenty reminders of the past, including the mass graves and countless memorials.
This weekend, most of us went to Prague, which was a beautiful area despite our initial reaction. After being kicked out of the train station at 1 AM by the "ne" lady with no money, we eventually made our way to the hostel who graciously welcomed us. The next morning and day were quite rainy and cold, but the sights were amazing. Many great memories were made there with my fellow students and hopefully more will come as we proceed to Vienna and the rest of the program!
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