6-27 Mauthausen concentration camp tour

Vienna – 27.6.17 - Mauthausen Concentration Camp

On 27.6.17, Our group visited a former concentration camp in Austria known as Mauthausen. Prior to our arrival, we traveled through the small town of Mauthausen by bus. As we got closer to our destination, the forest grew denser and the sight of civilization grew distant. Sitting on the quiet bus darkened by the rainy sky and thick overhang of the trees, the overall mood became weary. As we were traveling up the hill leading to the former camp, I could not help but think about the thousands of men and women whose last journey was up this very hill.

*Front/left view of former concentration camp, Mauthhausen.*

Our bus parked in the front and we got off, shortly thereafter greeting our tour guide, Hana. A timid voice, but a presence of conviction were present in Hana throughout the tour. Her emotional tone and nonverbal expressions added to the intensity of each part of the tour. We were lucky to have a such a knowledgeable historian to walk us through Mauthausen and describe the events that took place there.

Hana first described the old soccer pitch placed near the infirmary. She discussed how Austrians would come to spectate the games played by the SS Men adjacent to the camp’s infirmary - in sight of ill, elderly and dying prisoners who would almost never receive medical care. It was reported that approximately 400 people died at the infirmary in a single day at one point. This was hard to take in due to the small size of the area. She explained that Austrians would deny their knowledge of the horrors of the Holocaust until decades later. Hana stated how this is exemplified in the change of language in their History textbooks, as their phrasing from Austria being victims, to them being “annexed” by Germany.

We were led further around the exterior of the camp. We noted a large drop-off in the land in the distance, which was previously the scene of the prisoners main labor, where they were to collect granite and carry the large, heavy rocks up a staircase to the camp. The uneven, steep stairs from the quarry leading up towards the camp were referred to as “The staircase of death,” since so many of the prisoners succumbed to the excruciating pain of mining and carrying the rocks. We found it interesting that these stones were used to build the very camp these prisoners were forced to stay in, by the prisoners themselves. One thing that was surprising was that the camp was built beautifully. The scenery as well as the design of the camp is very impressive given the circumstances and the short amount of time that it was worked on. The passageway leading

Italy was most notable to us, with the many names and faces posted. Many of those from Italy came from Tuscany as a part of the Resistance Movement.

We then entered into the gates. A haunting beauty lay before us. Hana told us how the Nazi’s would show off these camps to the Red Cross and other groups, for they were a symbol of modern architecture. These remarks left us feeling uncomfortable with these past outsider’s skewed view of the camp. Hana showed us where the prisoners would line up off of the train, some not even making it past this area into the shower area.

*View of the gates from inside Mauthausen’s walls.*

We ventured around the grounds, checking out the brothel, barracks, and other areas. Our final area was the hospital, which possessed the cremation ovens and the gas chambers in the basements. A heavy and somber mood followed us throughout all of these scenes, particularly the latter two locations. We learned about how many of the women sent to the Brothel in Mauthausen would be promised freedom after spending 3-4 months in the brothel, only to be killed or sent back to the camp they came from after getting pregnant.

The final scene before exiting the hospital and completing the tour was a noose built into the wall, for those prisoners condemned to death by the S.S.

*The ovens used to cremate the people that had passed.*

We felt that the overall experience was one that produced introspection. It feels difficult to articulate words that can encompass the deepness of our questioning of humankind and what we are capable of doing. We feel that “sad,” or even “horrific” are words that fall flat in describing the Holocaust. Feeling these emotions and processing them can help us to understand that something like that can never happen again, not at our hands. Overall, this was an educational experience, but it was a lot more than just that. Mauthausen is a must see for future classes.

Food, friends, & fun! (7/4)

Today was packed! From start to finish, we were on the move!

It began bright and early with breakfast here at Generator Hostel around 7-8:00, followed by waiting for the coach to pick us up. Our first stop: Down House, home of Charles Darwin from 1842-1882.

Sign outside of Down House

It began with a self-guided garden tour while we waited for the audio tours to be ready. I took it upon myself, as did a few others, to take some photos of the flowers and walk through the green house.

Some flowers in Darwin's huge garden

Once the tours were ready, half of us begin on the ground floor and gardens while the other half began upstairs. I started upstairs, not needing the audio tour for this part of the house. It was fascinating to see the exhibit put together on Darwin's life and research, but I was disappointed we could not take pictures inside of the house (this was due to some objects being on loan to the exhibit and having copyrights). It really is a must see for yourself, if you're ever in London!

After I finished the upstairs tour, I used an audio tour guide to tell me about the different rooms on the ground floor. Darwin had a drawing room, a study, a billiard room, and a dining room. It seems that Charles' day was about the same every day. He would wake up, research, go for a walk, have lunch with the family, and then be with the family the rest of the evening from what I understand.

The tours were very detailed, describing each furniture piece and painting, it was hard to listen to them all but you still wanted to! The garden tours had a special selection of poetry I found. It was written by Charles Darwin's great- great- granddaughter about his life, using his memoirs, letters, notes, as well as his wife Emma's letters and memoirs, and their children's memoirs.

Gorgeous view of inside the green house

We had lunch at the Down House kitchen and it was absolutely delicious! I enjoyed a delectable brownie and a coronation chicken jacket (baked potato stuffed with spiced chicken). It was a beautiful day to be out in the garden and to share a meal together!

From left to right: Stefaney, Hannah Eve, and Hannah W (myself)

Next up was a quick 20 minute ride over to the Bethlem Hospital, one of the first and oldest psychiatric hospitals in history. It was founded in about the 1400s, has moved sites a couple of times, but is still in operation where it lies today. We got a quick overview of the 800 years of history, and even got to see some of the cases recorded in the 1890s.

It was interesting to see how the records didn't provide any information on how patients were treated, and sometimes barely said if they were improving or worsening. The books also had small treasures such as letters, photographs, and death certificates.

The Bethlem Hospital also had an art museum, with pieces made up by patients who had stayed there. Many that I remember most depicted OCD, depression, or disassociative disorders.

Entrance to the Bethlem Museum of the Mind

This exhibition was really well laid out and easy to follow. The interactive pieces were informative in a new sense, such as hearing patients speak about their initial diagnosis.

Next up was another quick hour bus ride back to the hostel to freshen up and change for our capstone dinner! We walked through the streets of London for dinner at PizzaExpress around 19:00. While many of us enjoyed pizza, I had some type of pasta that was really delicious!

My pasta dish whose name is forgotten

Dinner was full of laughter, cute dresses, and throwback songs! A couple of us sang High School Musical tunes, Mayday Parade jams, and NeverShoutNever! too. It was in this moment that some, or all, of us realized: this is it. It's ending. We have one more full day before we leave.

From left to right: Brandi, Elijah, Kristen, Hannah W (myself), Austin, and Kristina

I'm really going to miss this group once we leave. I'm also excited to go home and see my family again. It's a weird tearing feeling of wanting to stay and wanting to go home, because it feels like you've been gone forever.

Cheers from London! -Hannah W

Greeks and Ghosts (7/3/16)

I can not speak for the whole group today, because today we were given a free day to do with as we pleased. After a short lecture on Charles Darwin, I chose to take some time to go out with another group member and see some of the daily life in London, shopping in Covent Garden, getting lost along the way to the Hard Rock Cafe, and taking a double decker bus just for the fun of it. 

A short couple of hours later, we headed back to the hostel to pick up some other group members. A small group of 8 of us made a short side trip to visit my family's restaurant, Andy's Taverna. We were running a tiny bit late, in typical (as far as my family is concerned) Greek fashion. We arrived at the restaurant at about 5, where they seated us immediately. I asked if my cousins had arrived yet, but they were still on their way in. My great aunt happened to also stop in just to see me. Unfortunately she only speaks Greek, meanwhile the best I can do is that I could point out a watermelon, tell you the word for the color Red, say good morning/good night and tell you I love you (very much). I started to worry quite a bit when my cousins still hadn't shown up by 5:30 (although I hardly noticed time pass much, as we were devouring appetizers and having fun conversations) when we were supposed to meet at 4:30. Not too much later my cousins were able to sit down and join us. As it turns out, a 45 minute drive into town pretty much doubled when there was a giant accident and terrible traffic around rush hour. Our timing still seemed to work out just right, as our entrees were  arriving right as my cousins came in to join us.

Everyone in the restaurant treated us all like family, and made us feel warm and welcome. The food was amazing, and just like my Yiayia (grandmother) always makes. 

One student made a comment following dinner that I felt captured my thoughts exactly; "I am so grateful to have had such a lovely dinner and I will remember it, always! Thank you!" 

On a more personal note, it was lovely to connect with extended family that I haven't really seen since I was about 4 years old. It was fun to make jokes about growing up with my Greek family, and see the amazement on his face when I showed one of my cousins my drivers license. It was interesting to hear another cousin express her interest in our studies and talk about what she wants to do, since she just completed her A-levels in Psychology. The whole dinner tonight left me hoping that I could continue a correspondence with my family out here, and really gave me a lovely feeling of being close to home just when I needed it the most.

My family and I at Andy's Taverna

We ended up wrapping up dinner around 8:00. While it sounds like a long time I honestly was not ready to leave. I could have spent the rest of the night just catching up. We all made a quick stop at the hostel, and headed out again to catch a 9:00 Ghost Bus Tour.

The tour was okay, but I do wish I had personally stayed with my family. I thought that we had wonderful and energetic tour guides, and if you love a theatric performance and some ghost stories then you would love the Ghost Bus Tour. I felt a little rushed trying to snap pictures of all of the sites we were going by, and I did feel a little overwhelmed with all of the stories being told at once, but the humor and the views alone were worth the time and money spent. I would definitely recommend the tour for a second time London traveler, but not for someone who only has a few days and wants to fit in as much as possible.

Tower Bridge view from the tour

Another view from the tour

At around 10, the tour finished up. Since we were close by, I ran off to snap a few photos of the London Eye. While the London Eye is a bit underwhelming in the daylight, the night sky begins to show it come to life. We were home and happy but ready to crash by 11.

The London Eye at night

-Katrina

Clouds & Crowds in London, England

Cheerio from London! We may be calling home, but we're not calling it quits yet!

Today is July 2nd, 2016 and we joined Subhadra Das at the University to learn about the work of Galton. Galton was born in England where he was known for his work in eugenics, behavioral genetics, the weather map, fingerprinting, and standard deviation. He was also the cousin of the Naturalist, Charles Darwin! While Galton's work is seen today as dark, he used his resources to his advantage and was way ahead of his time. We still use his methods today in modern psychology like the use of questionnaires and surveys for collecting data on human participants. Below are a few pieces from his collection (left) and the entrance of The University College of London (right).

                                                                           

After leaving, we broke up into small groups and went our separate ways. We headed to find food with Alison, Kara, and Kaylee and made pit stops along the way. We hopped on The Underground and traveled towards Embankment, Westminster, St. Paul's, Backfriars, and South Bank to see Big Ben, Parliment, Millennium Bridge, St. Paul's Catherdral, and Shakespeare's Globe. Also, for those Harry Potter fans out there, The Millennium Bridge was also featured in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

                                         
                                         

                                                 
Along the way to all these incredible sites we noticed hundreds of people with flags and signs outside Big Ben and Parlimant protesting the recent decision to leave the EU. From what we have been able to learn from the protesters, they are very much against the idea of leaving the EU. We have read that some people that voted pro-Leaving said that they did not want to be European any more. However, we also gathered that those people were mainly Conservatives. The time we spent witnessing the protesting, many people's signs would not only read "We Love the EU!" They also said, "We Are Europeans!" . It is so incredible to be in England during this pivotal time in their country's history. Some are wondering if London itself will break away from the UK and unite with the EU. The same is happening with Scotland right now, as they still wish to be apart of the EU, but many wonder whether they really will leave the UK. Stay tuned to find out what happens next!


Embracing London's tourist locations and culture (like eating fish and chips at a local pub), it was only customary to hit up every single tourist shop and purchase items for our loved ones back at home (and if we're being honest, items for ourselves too) as a keep sake for our time here in this lovely country. We are having a great time and the pictures just don't do it justice! We are forever grateful for this opportunity to travel abroad with an amazing group!

- Samantha Belanger & Autumn Little

Traveling to London

7/1/2016

Today was possibly the longest travel day of the whole trip. Most students were up and running around to get ready by 4 am. We snacked on a quick breakfast and left the Sleepy Lion as a group of even sleepier students. We made a short trip over to the train station and piled in to train number one to get to the airport. Of course, we ended up in the airport where scenes from the new marvel movie Captain America: Civil War were shot. (We saw an ant during the flight, which we are convinced was ant man. Sadly, no view of Iron Man.) 

About to take off from Leipzig.

Leipzig from the air.

Look familiar?

The first flight was pretty short, and many of us slept the whole way. We had a three-hour layover in Cologne where, like the tourists we are, the two of us (Stefaney & Katrina), bought cologne. After naps and lunch and some little mini adventures walking around the small area of the Cologne airport near our gate, we boarded our second flight filled with excitement to see London. 

London from above.

Leaving Cologne and off to London

Our flight took forever to land, causing a little bit of anxiety, but we powered through. Our little group sluggishly made our way down the escalator to our first London tube ride, which lasted about an hour (30 minutes longer than expected, and two hours longer than we were hoping to wait). Dr. and Mrs. Lauterbach couldn’t join us for the ride, since they graciously took care of some subway card details (as they have been doing most of the hard work ironing out all the fine details since we’ve arrived) so David led us from the train station to the hostel. The Generator hostel has the coolest layout in their main lobby, which can best be described as a bar connected to the main hostel check-in area. Upstairs are all of the bedrooms, each floor with their own theme (Poppins, Bond, Dr. Who, etc…), and two communal bathrooms. Once we all got settled in, we all went our separate ways for dinner. A group of us waited at the bar for one other student to get back from a run before leaving, which turned out to be a good time as we started up a conversation with the friendly barkeep who introduced us to some other native Michiganders visiting London for a few days! After a fun little discussion of how Michigan would be THE place to visit for anyone coming in from another country, we parted ways from our new friends and headed to a nearby restaurant called Giraffe, and got some juicy home-style burgers (among other things). Dinner was a much needed hearty feast, and it felt good to finally get some food in our bellies. By the time we walked back to the hostel, we were ready to go into a food-coma/jet-lag induced deep sleep.

Leaving the London underground

A secret candid shot of the group at the hostel, waiting for further instructions.

Poppins/Third floor theme

The bar inside the hostel

Katrina's ribs from dinner

- Katrina & Stefaney

Leipzig, Germany 6/30/2016. The Wilhelm Wundt Tour at The Institute for Psychology

Today, our travel family began our journey early as we departed from Wurzburg, Germany to make way to The University of Leipzig. At the University is a room which contains many historic items and previews regarding Wilhelm Wundt and the finding of Psychology as a science. Wundt is often referred to as the Father of Psychology, bridging the gap between Philosophy and the study of the mind, itself. Though Wundt held many views that modern Psychology does not necessarily embrace, such as the notion that Psychology is a natural science, the field still owes its finding and expansion to this dedicated scientist. Wundt established a foundation of Psychology in the world of Academia and produced seventy doctors which later went to continue to the study that evolved to what we now recognize as Psychology.

Our tour guide explaining the earlier location of Wundt's study through a photograph

Previous to the tour, our hostel, the Sleepy Lion,  was not quite ready for us to move in, so we visited an Italian restaurant by the name of Valentino Leipzig. It was a treat.

the group at Valentino Leipzig before the Wundt tour

Many of us went to explore the city and see the beautiful architecture. We found many lovely shoppes, watched the various street performers, and some of us indulged in Spaghetti Eis- a delicious ice cream treat that looks like spaghetti (it's seriously phenomenal).

Spaghetti Eis- this one is called Spaghetti Nutella.. YUM

Overall, it was a beautiful and educational day. Tomorrow morning, we are on the road again, but this time off to London! Aufiderzein, Germany!





~ Shayla Rupacz & Hannah Eve Bihlmeyer

Würzburg, Germany -- 6-28 -- Fortress, University, and Night Life

Think about the greatest adventure you've ever been on. Then add physical excursion from a lack of sleep, an emotional depletion, and being in an unknown land far away from any sense of familiarity. After a forty-five-minute hike through obscure backyards and repurposed cabins, we arrived at the fortress of Marienberg. For a few Euros, it would be possible to enter to fortress and gain more knowledge about the history of the city. The Alte Mainbrücke, which holds a number of statues that remind the future generations of the history in combination with the reminder not to repeat the past, is highlighted in the tour of the Marienberg fortress. 

Looking out onto the city, breathlessly observing the life miles away that seems to be like a snow globe captured, able to a part of a game of I-Spy. There's many different angles of this city that is able to be view -- from the residential to the busy city life, back to the distance village and farm-life appearing life that is just as clear as anything else. In the average day in America, it is often one of the four or the other, with no connection to the others, being hours of travel away from the heart of the city to the countryside. Here, they are almost one in the same. In this country, in this city, you can aimlessly wander through the city and stumble upon unique history that would not appear in the average American city.

 

The night life in Germany is extremely similar to ours back in America. We were surprised to hear so much popular music in American while we out but the main difference is that the vast majority of the songs were released in the early 2000's. It is interesting to know how much English music they listen to. We initially expected to hear hear solely German or more non-English influenced music trends. We were able to talk to German psychology students that live here and we were also able to ask them questions about the differences between everyday life between Americans and Germans. It was easier to get a feel for people who live here on a day-to-day basis when we were able to ask questions rather than our frequent, yet limited and repetitive interactions that we encounter when we are out to eat. It was unique, genuine, and honest.

-- Kristina and Elijah