Auschwitz-Birkenau

We visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps yesterday. Sobering. Decided not to take any pictures because it is absolutely impossible to capture the creepy, menacing vibe this place emits. I had a pit in my stomach all day.

Then we happened on these two - survivors. He was one of 7,000 people liberated from Birkenau at the end of the war. (Compare that to the 1,500,000 who were murdered at this camp alone.) She was a 6-year-old twin on whom "Dr." Mengele performed experiments. They were showing us the identification numbers that the Nazis had tattooed on their arms and telling us about their experiences. Then they started bragging about their kids and grand-kids, outdoing each other with the younger generation's accomplishments. [Smile.] They really had survived.

This is the only other picture I took - barb wire fence (once electrified) and a guard tower. One of the few things in the camp that hint that this place was malevolent.