the (new) endomobile
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Camp Endo has moved further east. Yesterday was a special day, but since we had no internet connection in the evening, I can only report on it today.
We drove to the former Wolf's Lair—Hitler's headquarter during the racist war of extermination against the Soviet Union. He moved into the headquarters in June 1941 just two days after the attack began and stayed until November 1944, when the Red Army began capturing German territory and the cause was already lost. After that, he retreated to the bunker in Berlin, only to commit suicide there six months later.
During the aforementioned period of approximately three and a half years, he spent more than 800 days there. This timeframe encompasses not only the assassination attempt by Stauffenberg but also numerous decisions that cost millions of people their lives.
It offers little consolation to reflect on the wretched existence he must have led within that restricted zone—amidst the mosquito-infested swamps and forests of an otherwise beautiful Masuria—confined largely to bunkers reliant on artificial lighting and ventilation. There has been much speculation that this isolation may have further fueled his racial delusions and murderous ruthlessness.
All this didn’t leave me unmoved. I found it unsettling to see the ruins—resembling ancient Aztec temples—amidst the forest as part of a tourist itinerary that also includes rides in historic military vehicles and the sale of military toys; and I ask myself: if we cannot learn from this, then what can we learn from?
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Later, we drove for a long time through beautiful Masuria—a landscape of rolling hills, numerous lakes, and sparse settlement, shaped by the Ice Age and not unlike my home region of Schleswig-Holstein. For centuries, life here—as part of East Prussia—was defined by German and Protestant influences; however, following the great catastrophe, little of that remains today—and rightly so. We spent the night by a lake and drove through the Suwałki Gap into Lithuania this morning.
On the way to Vilnius, we visited Trakai Island Castle; now we are in a cool neighborhood of the Lithuanian capital, looking to see where we can get a decent beer.
si tacuisses
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@endo A moving post, thanks man.
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@endo
Masuria must be awesome, heard so much great stories about the countryside there.
Will you visit the kurische Nehrung mate ?
Those huge sand dunes must be stunning.
Someday when the kids are older I would love to go there
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We’ve arrived in Riga, Latvia. What a beautiful city. Here are a few impressions.
I think @RobeOfTheMagi has posted this before.
On the way here, we passed by the Hill of Crosses. It was impressive. I wonder what people hoped for when they set up their crosses. There are millions. The Soviets didn't exactly like it, but they couldn't manage to destroy it.
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@endo Thanks for the great pictures and write ups ~ it looks like your having an amazing time!
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Traveling is always wonderful. On this trip, a lot of things are new to me, too, which makes it very interesting. In Vilnius, for example, while I was shopping for vinyl, I struck up a conversation with the owner of a record store. We were about the same age. He told me how, back when they were living behind the Iron Curtain, they wanted to listen to cool music just like us—but it wasn't officially available. So, they would listen to and record Western radio broadcasts and buy records from foreign sailors or embassy staff; those records were highly coveted and passed around among friends.
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Just to be sure, I simply asked him, and he said yes. When asked what he liked about it, he said he simply enjoys being on the road and living in the bus; he finds it interesting to see and eat new things. He thinks the landscapes (on this trip) are beautiful, though not all that different from back home. He finds the history aspect interesting—he finds it crazy to think that the Soviet Union existed during my lifetime, as he has only ever known a free Europe.
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We’re in Gauja National Park in Latvia, and I went for a short walk today. The kid got to have a bit of a rest. Tomorrow, we’re heading on towards Tallinn.
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We have reached the northernmost point of our tour and are now just outside Tallinn, Estonia. On the way here, we visited the Estonian National Museum in Tartu.
Although the three Baltic republics traveled the path to freedom together and get along well today, they differ significantly from one another. Estonia belongs to the Finno-Ugric linguistic region and reminds me somewhat of Finland. Furthermore, among the three, it has the highest democracy index.
That’s really cool, but it was also significant for us that we finally have temperatures above 25°C today, the sausage for dinner turned out well, and that (unpronounceable) beer from Latvia still tastes great. Cheers!
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Tallinn is super cool. We spent only a little time in the Old Town, where thousands of cruise ship tourists pour in every day.
Instead, we visited the international photo art center Fotografiska and some really cool cafés and bars in Telliskivi Creative City. I actually would have liked to tour the Põhjala brewery too, but it’s closed on Mondays. Bummer.
