Here's to History.

We have spent the last few days moving throughout Germany - Nuremberg to Wurzberg to Rothenberg -  and I have one word to describe the country: Cool {really cool}. It is a place filled with a remarkable history, and I am in awe of the locals' dedication to that history. They are obviously home to a catastrophic international event, yet it is not a source of shame for the current population.  From what I understand, it took awhile to get to this point. The peoples' initial response to Hitler's devastation was embarrassment; they sought to destroy everything that remained of the Nazi party and concentration camps because they did not want to explain the horror to future generations. It wasn't until many years later that they realized the disservice they were doing to their country; they weren't learning from the mistake because they were being ignorant to its existence. If anything, they were contributing to the initial devastation because they thought they could will it away with the naivete that it would never happen again. Finally {light bulb!}, they poured their energies in the opposite direction: learning as much as they could about the experience so it could never {and would never} happen again.  As I stood in the middle of the Nazi Rally Grounds a couple days ago, I really began to wonder about my "historic" human errors: Was I sweeping them under the rug, acting like they've never happened? Or, was I owning them {in all their ugliness} as a means of preventing them from ever happening again? Germany's restoration came through answering yes to the latter, and my introduction to Germany is challenging me to do the same.

Entrance to Nazi Rally Grounds {aerial view}

Memorial at Nazi Rally Grounds for Concentration Camp Victims

Rothenberg, Germany

Kensie pleated corduroy shorts {similar color here & similar style here}, Gap polka dot chambray, Zen Threads American Apparel bike tee, Nike lunar glide +4: Livestrong edition, Coach Madison Lindsay crossbody {sold out color, but available style here} & Tory Burch aviator sunglasses

A pup working in a shop in Bamberg, Germany