Right Under My Nose

As it gets colder and colder, I feel less and less energetic about taking long trips...unless, of course, they involve going south to a warmer climate. I still feel the need to get out and see something, though. Turns out, you can find some pretty interesting places in your own town so I'm always looking for something new to do in Stuttgart.

Not too long ago, an author from NYC contacted me. She said that she'd seen some information about me and my book online but the fact that I was in Stuttgart is what interested her. It turned out that she is a concentration camp survivor and lived in Kippenheim and Jebenhausen - very close to the Stuttgart area. There's a memorial at a train station in downtown Stuttgart and a Jewish museum in her hometown. Of course, this also is of interest to Rob (note previous blog 'One Big Happy Travelin' Family') so we are going to take a train to see the memorial (which has her name as well as several family members' names), leave a flower as a respectful remembrance, and then go out to her hometown and visit. Rob's already given me some very sad information on Terezin - the concentration camp in the Czech Republic where she spent several years in horrific conditions that no person, especially a child, should be subjected to. Yes, it's not a 'happy fun' type of an outing but it not only feeds our interest in the Stuttgart area but ensures that atrocities such as the Holocaust are not only remembered, they are taken in at a personal level.

For those of you that don't make it to the Stuttgart area, visit Inge Auerbacher's website instead: www.ingeauerbacher.com She's the prize-winning author of "I Am A Star", "Beyond the Yellow Star To America", "Running Against The Wind", and "Finding Dr. Schatz". Her website is heartwrenching and hopeful at the same time and I'm looking forward to reading her books!