A Memorable Day

One day I will never forget is when Petra's parents took us to Westerbork. Westerbork was a transfer camp primarily for the Jews during World War II on their way to the death camps in Poland mostly. Auschwitz and Sobibor the two main destinations. Well over 100,000 people passed through this camp. Most never came back. Being a student of history it was something I wanted to see but had mixed emotions on how I would feel. I'm very glad I witnessed it first hand. Even now I cannot describe exactly how I felt being there. All I know is I will never forget it. I had the strongest emotions when standing on the spot where Anne Frank was housed up until the day she too was sent to her final destination.
I was fortunate in that in the museum there were books translated into english and I bought a couple. I just finished one written by a survivor of Westerbork and Auschwitz.

The area is not only a memorial to the events of the past but is also now a science research area that explores deep space. There were several displays along the route to the camp that were very interesting and it was good to see on a cold winter day in December that many people were there to learn about both the past and our place in the universe.

After spending several hours walking around Westerbork Petra's parents drove us back home and Petra treated us to a wonderful dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the village. I can't wait to go back there again. It was really, really nice. It was a full day and one I will never forget.