Gryphon Travel

We went to the tour of the Anne Frank house. We climbed behind the bookshelf into the concealed door to walk through the rooms they lived in during the time she wrote her diary. They were tiny. The floors creaked. The windows were blackened out. The families spent 2 years in that space. You can see where they tracked their height on the wall. They celebrated birthdays and anniversaries. In between fear there was hope and happiness. Otto Frank, Anne’s father, had a radio he would listen to at night when the workers were not in the building. He was tracking the movements of the allied forces on a map. They were filled with hope upon hearing the news that the allied forces had landed at Normandy, knowing they would be there soon. The business was raided and the hidden rooms behind the bookcase was discovered. They were taken to Auschwitz on the last train. All but Otto died in those murder camps.

It’s real. It’s hard. It’s a lesson too many people are willing to forget. The Nazi’s rationalized their hate with devisive language and used misinformation to spread fear and distrust for anyone that didn’t fit into their ideal.