Marine Educator - The Rest of the Story

Our remaining time with the Marines found us doing some close order drilling (our version of it), close combat, shooting guns, and obstacle course.  We saw the indoor simulator gun range, the outdoor range, the squad room, the mess hall, the flight line, and the Thunder Dome. We were able to shoot the M4 indoors and the M16 outdoors. THAT WAS AWESOME!!!  The M4 had a scope. It helped ALOT! The M16 had iron sights. I struggled.  The Martial Arts Instructors showed us close combat. And, we got to battle them with pugil sticks to mimic strikes with a bayonet and rifle butt. That was exhausting but so cool! 30 seconds never seemed so long. The MAI explained and demonstrated the obstacle course. We got to try a few of the "easier" ones. Judas...need to get back on the dedicated and intense workout wagon... 

The group watched parts of the Crucible. The Crucible, the final test in recruit training, represents the culmination of all of the skills and knowledge of a Marine. The Crucible is a rigorous 54-hour field training exercise and includes a total of 48 miles of marching.  It simulates typical combat situations with strenuous testing, hardship, and the deprivation of food and sleep. The test emphasizes the importance of teamwork in overcoming adversity.  A recruit gets three MREs and may get four to eight hours of sleep through the entire event. The recruits are faced with physical and mental challenges that must be accomplished before advancing further. Teamwork is stressed; as the majority of tasks are completely impossible without it. Every recruit in each group must complete each task. The recruits must leave no one behind. This includes any “casualties.” Each group will succeed or fail as a whole. Corps' core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment are stressed.  On the final day of the Crucible, recruits begin their 10 mile final march. Immediately following this, recruits are treated to a "Warrior's Breakfast." Following this is the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor ceremony where the recruits receive a plastic Eagle, Globe and Anchor and are called Marine for the first time by their DI.

We meet with Colonels, Captains, various levels of Sergeants, and recruits. The highest ranking officer to meet with us was Colonel Garbowski. He was an Iowa farm boy. He grew up in Farmington, IA. I told him I had been through there many times while living in SE Io wa. Nice guy.  We ate lunch with recruits. It was sort of an odd environment. We performed our single file entrance and lined up in 2 rows facing the tables. The recruits were waiting for us. They were standing at attention beside their seat at the table. Who knows how long they had been standing there. They were required to pop off and give basic info: name, platoon, MOS, and home town. We were able to sit among them and converse. Their responses were in the third-person. This is to help reinforce the unit and teamwork. The recurits I ate with were a future infantry man and a future meteorologist/oceanography. They were great kids.

The last morning, we were some of the guests of honor for Morning Colors. It was pretty cool. We followed it up with viewing the graduation of Company's L & O. The pride in the new Marines. The happiness of family and friends that came to view. The military knows how to do ceremony right.

The floor was always open. We could ask as many questions as we wanted and of anyone we wanted. It was great access to the amazing facility.

Marine Educator - Through the Doors

We were then directed to walk fast not run in formation to a location in front of two large silver doors (hatches). This was the biggest cluster I have seen. I am sure we were not the only ones to have to repeat this a few times. These silver doors are the next step in the transition from civilian to Marine recruit takes by passing through these two large silver doors. They will pass through these doors one time and never again. As the silver hatches close behind them, a chapter of their lives closes too and a new chapter begins. Recruits learn as they pass through them that no one else walks through the silver hatches. Visitors do not walk through them. Even Marines do not walk through them. Rather, two hatches on wither side serve as portals into receiving for those who are not recruits. We filed through them in single file and took a seat among the silver desks. 

We learned that this is receiving. In receiving, recruits spend a few days here. They get all the gear they need, haircuts, physicals, vaccines, and their initial strength testing. It is also hear where they get the last contact with their loved ones. A 30 second phone call to basically tell them they arrived and to not send any bulky packages and to thank them for their support. The recruits are basically up for 3 days during this process. Recruits also get a last "moment of truth."  It allows those who have been dishonest about their eligibility, such as drug use, judicial convictions, or other disqualifying conditions to reveal this information. This is their last chance of coming clean and to possibly recieve a waiver in order to continue with recruti training. Long gone are the days of the Marine Corp being heavy with felons who enlisted to avoid jail time. The Corp boosts a 99% graduation rate from High School. The Marines are now trying to court the best and the brightest. They quotas are decreases but the applications are rising. The average wait once committing to the Corp is now between 6-9 months. A couple years ago commitment and time to report to training were only a month different. The recruits are then assigned battalions and turned over to their permanent drill instructors for the remaining time at Parris Island.

We, the educators, were turned back out in to the early morning light. We were turned over to our permanent DI...Gunnery Sergeant Edgecomb. He was as intense as SSgt Rivera. He organized us into squads based upon height. He taught us how to stand at attention, parade rest, responds to commands beyond "Aye Sir" and "Yes Sir." Next we moved to learning what close order drilling. Close order drilling promotes discipline and teamwork. It also allows for the efficient and quick movement of a platoon from one location to another. When the recruits do it it looks pretty impressive. We on the other hand looked pretty crappy. We couldn't even line-up right behind our squad leaders; let alone align and cover There were about 8 individuals who just didn't get what this experience was all about. The Corp developed an immersion tech for educators so that we can honestly discuss military service with student who are considering it. These 8 never listened. Or, paid attention. These 8 drove the rest of the squad nuts.

 As we stood in formation waiting for them to figure things out, I thought...it explains a lot about the abilities and capabilities of the students I get in class at the collegiate level. These 8 high school educaors didn't want to follow direction or order. And one thing the military is about is order. they weren't about team. Weren't about accountability. Weren't about effort. Weren't about motivation. It's no wonder students come out of high school with the same attitudes and work ethic. These students are products of their environments and their mentors. No wonder most high school students are not prepared for the rigors of college.

Marine Educator - Yellow Foot Prints

As a civilian, ever wonder what happens to military recruits when they arrive at boot camp? Which service branch is the toughest/hardest? You can't just show up to see what goes on. It's not on any adventure outing offered by local guides. You have to be invited. I hoped to find out when I took advantage of an opportunity presented this week.

I was asked by the Office of Military and Veteran Affairs at Marshall to attend the District 4 Marine Corp Educator's Workshop. The Workshop is designed to expose educators, advisers, coaches, and administrators to experiences recruits encounter while completing their 13 weeks at Marine Corp Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC.  The hope is to give these groups better information to guide students who profess an interest in military service. The Marines claim to have the toughest training. The Corp does have the longest duration training for enlisted service members at 13 weeks followed by another 13 weeks at the School of Infantry. The new Marine will receive infantry and marine combat training at SOI.  The Army, Navy, and Air Force all last approximately 9 weeks. The Corp follows the principle that every marine, regardless of job duty, is a rifleman. This concept has been in place since 1775 when the Marine Corp was conceived.

The adventure began with an early morning pick-up, drive and drop off at the airport by one of the local recruiters. At the airport, I met SSgt. G., senior recruiter for the area. They fed me breakfast and put me on a plane with a lanyard identifying me as a Marine Educator for the recruiter I was meeting in Savannah. My understand at first was that we would have lots of briefs and do lots of watching. Ummm....not so much. We actually got to experience many of the situations the recruits do. From the yellow foot prints to graduation, we were exposed to all facets of recruit training.  Not just with the recruits, we had time with drill instructors, martial arts instructors, weapons instructors, recruiters, and high ranking officers. It was an amazing experience. 

The days started "late" by Marine standards....breakfast at 5 AM with first activity at 6. Most recruits have been up since 4 AM.  No matter what you hear or think you know of Recruit Intake, it doesn't prepare you for the experience. It is very disorienting and intense. You are confused. Overwhelmed. Scared to speak. Scared not to speak. Scared to move. Scared not to move. We loaded the white buses and rode to the depot and waited in the bus; much like the recruits. The DI came on and gave us a great welcome and got us off the bus and on to the yellow foot prints.She wasn't demeaning or disrespectful to us. She was intense!  We were expected to respond with the following: "Aye Ma'am", or "Yes Ma'am." I don' think "no" was an option. Holy crap! This is just a taste? I wanted to bail within 5 minutes. I asked myself "why would any one put up with this?" and "what the hell did I agree to?" The DI then instructed us to get off the bus and on to the footprints as quickly as possible. We got organized on the footprints and then we were rewarded with the inspiring Welcome Speech that is given to all recruits: 

“You are now aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, and you have just taken the first step toward becoming a member of the world’s finest fighting force, the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps’ success depends upon teamwork, therefore teamwork will be an essential part of your training here at Parris Island. Starting now, you will train as a team. You will live, eat, sleep, train as a team. The words ‘I,’ ‘me,’ ‘we’ are no longer part of your vocabulary. You will use words like, ‘these recruits’ ‘this recruit’ ‘that recruit’ and ‘those recruits.’ Do you understand? Tens of thousands of Marines have begun their service to our country on the very footprints on which you stand today. You will carry on their proud tradition. Do you understand?”

This experience was humbling among many things previously mentioned for mature adults. I can't imagine what a 17-20 year old individual experiences. Many misunderstand the tactics used by DI's and the military. The mental and physical stressors.The Corp is not about humiliation. It is about breaking bad habits, enhancing qualities, and developing the ability handle intense situations. These 17-20 somethings are not being broken down to change them. They are being broken down to fine tune them. Improve character. Break bad habits. Perform commands without hesitation or question. Recruits have committed to this in order to develop into one of the best military units in the world. We, the adults. We, the educators only get a taste. There is no penalty for misstep or misspeak. For us, there is no permanency in this. We are just here temporarily. We get to leave at the end of the week.

Who knew laundry could be so much fun!

Doing laundry typically sucks especially in a laundromat. Most on the trip had packed enough closes to last for about a week. So, laundry was needed to be done. Our guide found us a place nearby. The majority of the group (10 out of 14) went and overtook yet another establishment.

The place was small by USA standards. Not only in number of machines but size of them as well. It took us a bit to figure out how to operate the machines. In the USA, each machine has a coin drop box in order to pay for operating the machine; not so at this particular laundry. There operations were run from a central location. Ahhh....German efficiency! A local was kind enough to help the tourists figure it out.

Doesn't sound like fun yet...you're right. Next door was a doner place with beer and wine. Yes. We overwhelmed them and greatly improved the bottom line for the day. The fun came as we began to chat with some of the locals doing their clothes. We had great conversations with several individuals. First was an elderly women who travels an hour to this particular laundry because it has the best iron. She was born and raised in Germany but her English grandfather required all of his children and their children to learn English.  The reason...he wanted to talk with them but didn't want to learn German. Second was a young man who was in the wind energy field. He actually knew where Iowa was due to his job. The third was an upper level chemistry teacher at St. George's School. It is an English International School. Jackie has just moved to Cologne from Ireland. She had been to the States backpacking through several of the national parks. The most memorable though was a young man who not due to his conversation but for his outburst at us stuck with us. He came in to do laundry and realized very quickly as most people did...American tourists were here. He hurriedly left to reutrn with a box of t-shirts. He was a shirt designer, I guess. He was wanting us to take a look and potentially purchase a tee or two. Well, we were wrapped up in our little conversations with the locals. I know I didn't really know what he wanted until he yelled at us to go back to American because we were rude self-absorbed people.  Really???  Rude and self-absorbed? OK maybe a little rude since we didn't really know what he was doing or wanted. At least, I didn't know what he wanted. But self-absorbed...nah. I am having convo with locals. Get over yourself.

It took us roughly 4 hours due to being self-absorbed. This was much to the consternation of one of those who chose to stay at the hotel. But, it was one of the more memorable moments of the trip.

Chocoloate!! What could be better?

Today, we left the quiet country side of Trier allowing life to return to normal for the locals. No more loud fun crazy Americans! We are off to the bustling urban area of Cologne. I will say I wasn't as excited as that. It was early morning and we were back on the bus of 2.5 to 3 hours.

The itinerary for the day was as follows:

1) a tour of the Chocolate museum

2) a visit to the Roman-German museum

3) a visit to a German style department store

The chocolate museum (Imhoff-schokoladenmuseum) was fun and educational. Who knew? The museum and chocolate is cooperative effort of Hans Imhoff and Lindt ( the Swiss chocolate company). Imhoff was infatuated by the aroma of chocolate from a nearby factory. He spent almost his whole life with and for chocolate. There a four levels to the museum. The first level housed a tropical forest and a small production line. The cool thing was that it was a functioning production line. It was set-up that we could wander though and watch the process from start to finish without interfering with the workers. I know I would park under a spout of chocolate or put my backpack under the area where the wrapped chocolate was dropped.  It was very Willy Wonka! The remaining levels detailed the history as a drink of the gods in aztec tribes, a luxury item in euope, the advertisement of chocolate thru history, and the cult culture of chocolate. The best part was the cafe and the gift shop!! Gift shop? No it was a supply depot!!  A supply depot of chocolate!!!! 

Lunch of a Donner, pommes frites, and a beer were enjoyed. The photo below is the BeerBike. Next time....

We wandered over to the Dom area to visit the Roman-German Museum. The museum has a large collection of artifiacts from the Roman settlement of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium. Cologne was.is built over this sight. The impressive stuff to see where the collections of jewelry, clasps, and glassware. Yea, they had lots of grave markers, statues, and shrines. But, seeing how the aritisians improved the detail in the jewelry and clasps was impressive given the tools available to them. Also, seeing the changes in materials used to construct these. Impressive.

We wandered through one of the pedestrian zone in Cologne. The Schildergasse connects the Neumarkt plaza and Hohe Stasse. It has been named the busiest shopping street in Europe. It is estimated that 13000 people pass through every hour. A pedestrian zone is a car free outdoor walking mall. Kaurhof  Galleria is Cologne´s biggest department store (think Kolh’s on steroids). Sure the usual items: shoes, clothing, jewlery, watches, perfume, household goods, and books can be found there along with  an outstanding grocery area with the fresh produce, baked goods, wines and spirits as well as a upscale deli.It was fun.

We had our first "stress" of the trip while in the pedestrian zone. We had roughly an hour before our scheduled pick-up by the bus. One of the members got separated from her usual "handlers." People were sent to search. Others to occupy strategic spots. Mine was from above. I was asked to climb a light pole to get a better vantage. Eventually, she stepped out of a store and stood in the open where she could be seen. A member of our group was then given a job with a title...Assman. The bike company used this in Munich. A designated person was always last. And, when they came in the group leader knew we were all in. We decided to employ that for the remainder of the trip.... I am the Assman and my name is Dan!  Thanks Dan! Much appreciation for a job well done.

Four Paws

Military Statues. They are everywhere in Europe. You can't throw a cat an not hit one. You could add that thought to churches and pubs as well.

James, our guide on the bike tour in Munich told us of the meaning behind the symbolism behind many of the statues we see in Europe. The legend in Europe as well as in the United States is in regards to the position of the hooves of the horse and the health of the rider.  The belief as we were told is that if the horse is rampant (both front legs in the air) or has two legs off the ground, the rider died in battle. A horse with one leg up means the rider was wounded in battle or died of battle wounds. And if all four hooves are on the ground, the rider survived the war and died after battle. James used the term "wuss" when he referred to the riders heroics on the battlefield.

A few members of our travel party took to calling me "4 Paw" after our time in Munich. After the night we had; followed by the experience of the next day, I will admit I was a little reluctant to get back on the horse. But, eventually, I did. I think I picked up pretty well. Yes, it took a couple of days for me to keep up with the group. But, the name stuck....4 Paw.

Day 5 - Luxembourg

View from Hotel in Trier

Today's itinerary was a bus trip to Luxembourg' specifically Ettlebruck, Niederfeulen, Oberfeulen, Mertzig, and Luxembourg City.  The whole purpose of the day was to visit with Klein relatives.  The day was planned by Annie Besenius, a distant relative to the Kunkel's on the trip.

In Neiderfeulen, we saw the farm land, original house, and the church.

In Oberfeulen, we saw the cemetary where many of thier relatives were buried and the church. I loved the draft horses that you could see dotting the hoizon. It reminded me of the stories Grampa used to tell me about his Percherons.

We met Annie's brother. He has an iron works shop. The do wrought iron stairs and spiral staircases among many things. They had several cool bbq/fire pit type pieces. The picture below is one of the employees working on a baluster for a staircase.

After a lunch, we made the trip to Luxembourg city. On the agenda was Notre Dame and the Lady of Consolation (Our Lady of Luxembourg), and a walking tour of the old part of the city.

Four of us broke from the group to relax and people watch on the Platz. A few beers were drank. I seem to recall a crepe being ordered and eaten....nutella and banana! The best. Our waiter was preparing us for ou recpetion in France. He was pretty much an ass.

Day 4 - Konz, Germany

Konz, Germany
After we caught back up to the group, we were staying in a hotel in Treir, Germany.  The train passed through Konz Germany on the way to Trier.

I really don't know what the rest of the group did on the day that we were coming back from Munich. But the itinerary listed the following:

1)  Porta Nigra – The northern gate of the Roman Empire. Truly a massive gate (ca.200)
2) Cathedral of St. Peter – Oldest cathedral in Germany (ca. 350) and rebuilt several times. Has a mix of architectural styles. Houses the “Seamless Robe of Jesus said to have been worn by Jesus shortly before his crucifixion.  (ca. 310)
3) Largest surviving Roman bath works, outside of Rome (ca. 314)

All riveting and entertaining I am sure. But, I'll take a  dayof train riding in exchange for the fun we had in Munich.  

We got back in time to join the group for dinner. Dinner would include a drive to and a walk through the village of Konz.  Dad was like a 6 year old at Christmas for as excited as he was. The camera was snapping pictures at a higher rate than usual. Joe, our guide, got Deiter to pull over at the Konz fire station. Photos galore were being taken when Joe, the guide, got the attention of the firefighters that were in the house on shift. A conversation was struck up. Dad wanted to know if there were any Konz's living in the village. There was actually a Konz on the squad but he was not on shift. We wandered a few blocks to the platz and had dinner and beer outside. Then on to the ice cream shop for what seemed to be a daily thing.

Day 4 recap ---- Ein Prosit

Travel day back to the group.

Our experience at Oktoberfest started out back at the Hofbrauhaus. We hung out with a couple from Perth who were into the 3rd week of an 8 week vacation. They were fun. He was an ex physiologist and she was a triathlete. A couple from the Bronx joined us as well. They were to say the least entertaining. After our time there, a couple people wanted to shop for drindl and lederhosen.

We had an awesome time at Oktoberfest. The Volksfest is nothing like I imagined. Take the Texas State fair and put it on massive dosage of steroids; you are starting to get close. There is a midway, food and of course beer. Germans love beer. To many Germans, it is a food. True German beer contains only 4 ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast. That's it! Adding wheat or anything else, does not make it a true beer by German standards. These additions were originally forbidden by the Reinheitsgebot (German beer purity law).

http://www.germanbeerguide.co.uk/styles.html

There are 9 permanent beer tents at Volksfest. We spent most of time in the loudest craziest tent of all. The Lowenbrau tent. It was insane and fun. The band played covers of American pop tunes. So we sang along with. Once we closed that tent down we were forced to find non-beer related fun. So, we wandered over to the Wienzelt, the wine tent, to continue the night. It was crazy in there. When you read to website dedciated to this tent, it refers to it as a classy place....right. In their dreams. Wine drinkers are no different than beer drinkers after drinking too much.  By our best estimates, we each consumed at least 5 Maß (5 liters).  Maß means a measure. It's also known as a masskrug. A mass holds 3 bottles of beer. So we drank up!. And, that doesn't include the champange we drank at the Wienzlet. We closed this tent down and found a bar to close down on our way back to our room. We were among the Bierleichen; which means beer corpses on the train back to our group.

We finally wandered back to our hostel. everyone should experience this as well. We were booked in a room designated for 8 by the number of beds. But, there were so many more bodies in there than that. It was coed. It was an experience. Bodies laying all over and in every manner of clothes or lack there of. I was fortunate enough to get a bed. My upper bunk mate was male and hairy. I thought it was a bear at first sight. But, then I realized I was still a little impaired. 

Day 3 recap

The intinaray for the day was as follows:

1) Bus to Speyer for another Cathedral tour

2) Bus back to Heidelberg for a boat ride up the Neckar to Neckarsteinach, Germany, with Neckar River Tours. The Neckar is a major tributary of the River Rhine. Rising in the Black Forest, it flows through a steep valley in the Odenwald hills and passes through Tubingen, Nurtingen, Esslingen, Stuttgart, and Heidelberg. The total length of the Neckar from its source near Villingen-Schwenningen to the Rhine is 367 km. The Neckar is navigable for cargo ships up to the river port of Plochingen, about 200 km upstream from Mannheim.

3) Lunch in Neckarsteinach – town with 4 castles and 2 churches
4) Free time in Heidelberg  for shopping on the Fussgängerzone (Pedistrian zone)
5) Dinner at The Schnitzelhaus. You can choose from over 100 types of schnitzel.

I don't know if that is what the group did as 3 of decided to head to Munich for Oktoberfest. I mean how can you not be in Germany during Oktoberfest and not go!  Octoberfest in the USA is not celebrated for the same reasons as it is in Germany. The USA version seems to be celebration for of the arrival of fall and for the harvest. However, it is actually a weeding anniversary celebration. Crown Prince Ludwig was married to Princess Therese on 12th October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. The festival is actually know as Volksfest by the locals.The Volksfest is held on fields that are named Theresienwiese ("Theresa's meadow") in honor of the Crown Princess. We were told that the population of Munich swells by 1.2 million people during this time. 1.2 million!  That's a ton of beer drinking people!! And the chaos that happens. Some embassies set-up temporary tents to assist people who lose their passports. The Aussies lost 15000 passports alone one year according to legend. The picture below is of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese.

So, we departed for Munich via train early in the morning. We will catch up with the group again in Trier Germany tomorrow evening.  The train is a main mode of transportation for many people. It offers a fast and affordable means of travel. We arrived in Munich and headed over to Mikes' Bike Tours for a 4 hour tour. Riding bikes and drinking beer in a major city in a foreign country? What's not to like about it!?!

The bike tour took us through many of the major sites in Munich. The flag above carries the colors of Munich. Black and yellow. Sounds like a Wiz Kalif song... We started out the tour by heading to the Hofbrauhaus. The Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, Munich’s famous “hofbrauhaus” was founded in 1589 by the Duke of Bavaria, Wilhelm V. It is owned by the state government. It is one of Munich’s oldest beer halls. It was originally founded as the brewery to the old Royal Residence, which at that time was situated just around the corner from where the beer hall stands today. The beer quickly became world famous thanks to the first brewer, Heimeran Pongratz. In fact, the beer became so famous that it once saved the city from annihilation. When King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden invaded Bavaria during the Thirty Years’ War in 1632, he threatened to sack and burn the entire city of Munich. He agreed to leave the city in peace if the citizens surrendered some hostages, and 600,000 barrels of Hofbräuhaus beer. The Hofbräuhaus in Munich was one of the beer halls used by the Nazi's to declare policies and hold functions. Hitler’s experiences with the Hofbräuhaus were limited to political events and the commemorations. Since Hitler did not drink alcohol, eat red meat, or smoke, the beer hall was not his scene. That explains a lot…

 

Next up, was the Residenz of Prince Ludwid and Princess Therese and the National Theater of Munich. Followed by Odeons Platz. Odeons Platz is a very historical place. We are familar with this area from the new reel footage of Hitler's speeches and military parades that occurred there. The Odeonsplatz is also the southern initial point of the Ludwigstaße. The top picture below looks down the street.

At the end, of this street is Feldherrnhalle(Hall of Heroes).  I recognized this from pictures and footage from history. It is a massive monument. 

On the west side of the Odeonsplatz is the copper-domed Theatinerkirche or Theatiner Church. It is also known as St. Cajetan's Church. The outside has a mustard color. It is large and slightly impressive....on the outside. The inside however is immense and impressive. It is white marble. It was very beautiful. The locals call it the "white church". It was incredible.

During the Nazi era, Munich residents were required to do a Nazi salute as they passed a shrine to fallen heroes of Nazi movement. This was on the east side of the Feldherrnhalle along the street.  Those who did not want to give a salute to the fallen heroes would use Viscardigasse, a back alley which was nicknamed "Evaders' Alley" which located behind the Feldherrnhalle. The SS made note of those who would not pass in front of the shrine and punish them. There is a streak of copper colored cobblestones to recognize those who were killed by the SS for resisting this practice.

 

 We headed to the Saatskanzlei. It is the Bavarian state chancellery. The photo below shows sharpnel damage from WWII on the columns.  At the end, of this complex was a monument to the White Rose. The white rose was a non-violent/intellectual resistance group consisting of students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor. The group became known for an anonymous leaflet campaign that called for active opposition to Hitler’s regime.  The six core members of the group were arrested by the Gestapo and they were executed face up by the guillotine. The text of their sixth leaflet was smuggled out of Germanyand in July 1943 copies of it were dropped over Germany by the Allies. Today, the members of the White Rose are honored in Germany amongst its greatest heroes, since they opposed the Third Reich in the face of death.

Finally, we moved to the English Garden and the Chinese Turn (tower).  The Chinese Tower is a pagoda that was built in 1789. The area around the tower is one of Munich's most popular beer gardens. An om-pah  band was playing from the first floor of the tower. It was awesome. And so commenced the beer drinking!