I'm sure I've created a thread like this before but memory and search engines fail me... so here's another.

Anyone else have a 'Life List' or, as the film has it, a 'Bucket List'? (That's a list of things to do before you kick the bucket as it were....)


I've had one for about 25 years now, it's got 52 items on it, of which I've done 21. Last weekend I managed 2 more.

I've always wanted to see Mozart's birthplace, and whilst on a visit to Munich, we took the train over the border to Austria on Friday to visit the amazing and beautiful city of Salzburg. Well.. the city is gorgeous, full of light, colour, art and flowers. Mozart's house is custard yellow and on the most fascinating street, full of traditional wrought iron shop signs, it has little alleyways, market squares, incredible Christmas shops and friendly people. The castle towers over the town like a brooding mother hen, sparkling in the sunlight and looking stunning against a bright blue sky. Later, when a thunderstorm was brewing, it didn't look so friendly....

We avoided much of the 'Sound of Music' thing, although I now realise we stood on the steps where they sang 'Do, a dear' without noticing and walked through a group of women of a certain age posing in the gateway and taking photos with at least 8 different cameras whilst they all asked 'did you get one on ****'s camera?' They got at least one shot with 'disgruntled British Tourist who hates the bloody film' stomping through it. :D

On a complete contrast, I've long wanted to visit one of the major Concentration camps, so on Sunday, we took a trip to Dachau. Here are some photos.

Words cannot describe how horrible a place it was. What is left (most of the Barracks have been demolished but the majority of the buildings including the 'special prisoner' cells and the infamous 'bath house', workshops and crematoria still stand) is a bleak reminder of how cruel man can be for what can only be seen now as the most trivial of reasons. There are hardly any artefacts, only one barrack has exemplars of furniture, making the overall effect one of remembrance, not glorification or commercialisation. There are no concessions, no tacky souvenir stalls or overly emotional visitors' books or captions on the displays. It is simply a stark, informative and incredible presentation of the historical events of the time. The only emotion comes from the testimony of those kept prisoner there - and even they are written in such a matter of fact - almost common-place way that they evoke no burning desire for revenge, only a deep and lasting sadness for the past.

The Memorial wall there says - Never Again - but we still do it. People the world over are still being incarcerated and punished because they were born into a different religion, have a physical disability, belong to a different racial group, are attracted to the same sex or just simply carry a different political pamphlet.

And that's the saddest thing about Dachau - that we know it still happens.

LTS