The journey starts... in Munich!

Who would have ever guessed that this sabbatical would kick off with a nine week trip to Europe (nine weeks!) starting in, of all places, Munich. Only for two days, but being in Germany still feels strange to me (though I have been here a number of times before). Being in Munich, where I have not been, feels even stranger.

How ironic, and yet suitable, to begin this journey of building a peace and dialogue center in the city that was dubbed by the Nazis as the “Capital of the Movement.” While the government was centered in Berlin, the Nazi party headquarters were in Munich and the city was know for its many Führerbauten (“Führer-buildings”), some of which still exist.

The famous Munich Glockenspiel in Marienplatz Square,
we got to see it in action as the figures marched around at noon.

Munich is also only 20 minutes from the Dachau Concentration Camp. Valerie, my intrepid better half and ethical conscience, traveled to Dachau today. She went there to bear witness. I cannot even bear the burden of going there.

Perhaps this project is a kind of penance. I have never been able to watch movies about the Shoah, visit the camps, read accounts. I feel guilty about it, not being willing to bear that pain after the unthinkable agonies those millions (including a number of my relatives) went through. If I help create a center for peacebuilding, reconciliation, to help mediate conflict, perhaps I have contributed in a small way to “never again.”

This is the vacation before the work starts. Off to a wedding in Kitzbuhel, then a few days in the Alps, then to Bellagio. I know, life is rough…