Wow, this has been a hard day at the office!

Woke up this morning to watch the Wallabies get flogged by South Africa (not surprised by the result). Then drove the hour to Auschwitz memorial, officially called the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi German Concentration and Extermination Camp. I opted for the 3 hour tour and it was so intense. Our guide has been doing this for 17 years and I have no idea how she does it. The details she gave our small group about the horrible experience of the camps and crematoriums was so depressing. Some displays, such as the collection of hair shaved from the dead bodies and later sold for textiles are “no photo” zones. Today was the most psychologically emotional day I have had in last 2 years of my travel life. It is impossible to describe how much this visit affects you. Our group started with a few laughs but by the end there was total silence, and a few tears. It should be compulsory for every single person on the planet to visit this place. This is the largest mass murder installation in occupied Europe.