Tha Czech Republic - Terezin

Warm over night but still a good night sleep. The very quite parking area nearby was very quickly alive with buses and people early in the morning - all from Prague - and many of them American tourists. 

We visited the Small Fortress of Terezin along with the first bus group! A good choice  - they had an English speaking guide and there were no others in  the Fortress in as we commended the tour - but by the time we came back to our starting point the place was alive with other tours.

The chilling sign at Terezin - 'Work makes free'

This fortress was a companion fortress to the Theresienstadt Ghetto - built as a fortress back in the ' who knows when' - in the 18th century! This Small Fortress was use almost solely through its history as a prison. The two complexes together was a god send to the Nazis - an ideal location to implement its ' final solution ' against the Jewish communities of Europe.

Over 400 prisoners would sleep here!

By the end WWII over 30000 prisoners   - normally of a political nature or the Australians who where sent because they kept escaping from other camps.

Again very emotional - the horrors of war on display - but perhaps more than this, what war does to individuals who lack moral fibre, and the atrocities they, as individuals are prepared to enact.

We took the full tour of the Small Fortress before going back to the Ghetto Fortress again to visit the Magdenburg Barracks and the crematorium. Enough of this!

We moved on again after a longer stayover than was planned. 

Graves of some of the dead in the Small Fortress - buried after the Nazis had escaped at the end of the war!

This was not quite the end of our Czech journey - the town of Litomerice was yet to be visited.

Litomerice is a beautiful town founded I the 13th century. It reached it peak in the 15th century when it was among the largest towns in Bohemia, and following the Thirty Years War it be and the diocese for the Catholic Church' assault on northern Bohemia. The town still has grace and style with many beautiful buildings, arcades, churches and passage ways. Starting also to become very hot so a surrender was called at this stage. 

Litomerice

Litomerice

The short excursion in the Czech Republic was very enjoyable. What a rich culture and historical legacy this county has. We have been well received by the local and their assistance was always readily provided. Wherever we traveled you could see the country was making great strides to provide the infrastructure badly neglected under the old communist regime - work in historic towns and on roads was evident everywhere.  

Had a very late lunch before heading for the German border.  Crossed the border into German Saxony - you often don't know when these days - before arriving at Bad Gottleuba for the late after noon and evening.

It was interesting g to note that as soon as we crossed into Germany house began to have solar panels covering their roves and wind turbines graced the landscape . 

Where we are stopping in Bad Gottlleuba is right next to a parkland and small lake - and our first ever sighting of black swans in Europe - are these Aussie swans?

Black swans at Bad Gottlleuba