The whole gammut

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It was raining as we walked through the front gate of Dachau concentration camp, making the setting appropriately dreary . "Freedom through work" is the ominous greeting set in wrought iron above the gate. We watched an orientation video and had just enough time to explore the grounds and memorials. I say 'just enough time' because I honestly didn't want anymore time there, I have never been more ready to leave a place. I found myself oddly fascinated with the fence and surrounding trench. I felt guilty that I had privileges that the prisoners did not, I could walk on the grass, I could keep my shoes on in the buildings, I could leave.
There is nothing I can say here that hasn't been said before, by writers for more eloquent than I. So I will leave it at that.

(insert awkward transition and depressing link here)

From there, the sun came out and we drove through Oberammergau, Germany. This is a very cute town, where they host a yearly Passion Play. We stopped for lunch here on the way to Innsbruck, Austria.

We had the most amazing drive through the Tyrol region of Austria. 9000 ft. peaks, glaciers, glacially fed rivers, lakes, and valleys abound. It was one of the most beautiful drives I've been on. To get to our hotel in Tulfes, we took a single lane switchback filled road to 3000' where we found our secluded hotel. It was fantastic. Enjoying such a large dose of natural beauty was a strange way to end this particular day, but it was most welcome.

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