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John Demjanjuk has died

His true role in the Holocaust may never be determined.

The meandering and strange story of John Demjanjuk seems to finally be coming to an end. The Ukrainian guard of the Nazi Sobibor death camp turned U.S. autoworker died of bone marrow and kidney diseases, among other ailments, on Saturday at the age of 91. Demjanjuk’s death seems to signal that the world will never know absolutely if he was a Nazi sympathizer—as courts dubbed him—or Nazi victim—an identity he claimed for more than thirty years.

Demjanjuk was born in a small village in the Ukraine in 1920, two years before the country became a part of the Soviet Union. As a young man, he drove a tractor for a farm in his village, but was called up for duty in the Soviet Red Army. In the army, he was wounded, and later captured in the battle of Kerch Peninsula in May 1942.

Demjanjuk was convicted in German court in May of more than 28,000 counts of being an accessory to murder, and sentenced to five years in prison. However, he died a free man in Bad Failnbach in Bavarian, in the nursing home where he’d been released during his pending appeal. The case was the first of its kind in that it convicted a man for no specific killing, but solely his involvement with the Nazi machine.

After his trial, his family continued to fight to have their father’s U.S. citizenship reinstated so that he could live out his final years in Cleveland. They argued that the Nazi ID card used against him at his trial may have been inauthentic.

Demjanjuk first was accused of being involved with the Nazis more than thirty years ago. In defense against these early accusations and the accusations that continued to be levied against him, Demjanjuk said that he was a victim of the Nazis as well, first injuried in battle against German soldiers, and then as a POW held in poor conditions. In the 1970’s, Demjanjuk successfully fought allegations that he was a particularly brutal Ukrainian guard at the Treblinka extermination camp.

In 1950, Demjanjuk applied for U.S. citizenship, saying that he had been a farmer in Sobibor during the war. Had he told the truth about his role in the Vlasoy Army, a anti-communist group of Soviet POWs who fought with the Germans at the end of the war, he would have been barred from emigration to the United States. His request was permitted, and he moved to a Cleveland suburb, married and had three children. His son released a statement saying that his father had been a victim of German and Soviet brutality since childhood.

Learning The Language

Getting around in Germany does not tend to be as difficult as one might initially imagine it would be. If you are able to get over your shyness of being a tourist in another country, you will discover that having an outgoing personality during a trip to Germany can be one of the best ways to ensure that you have an ideal time while you're there. Being outgoing enough to at least try interacting and conversing with the people who are around you will add an element to your experience that will be truly unforgettable.

As you could imagine, it is very helpful if you know how to speak some of the fundamentals of the German language. This will allow you to communicate with people more easily, even if you are not fluent in German. However, many people also speak English within the region, so you do not have to worry about being completely lost if you are not the best at speaking German. Perhaps one of the major points is just being able to get over the shyness that is involved with trying to speak another language in a region where everyone is completely fluent. You might expect it to be embarrassing or worry about offending someone if your pronunciation isn't perfect -- however, it's generally respected if you will at least try to speak the language while you're there, even if it's not always correct.

A great idea would be to start taking German lessons and take a companion study booklet along with you on your trip so that you can practice while you are there. Being able to converse with those around you in German will help you to learn the language much more quickly. Likewise, you might even discover that after spending some time using basic conversational German while you are in Germany, you might master your first level of fluency and become ready to tackle new vocabulary.

Get The Best Ticket Deals

Save money - even with the crazy airline fees.

Now that we've covered some of the basic ways to save money on your trip, it's time to consider the way to get the best deal on your tickets. The problem with many airline tickets is that when you purchase them, you run the risk of purchasing a ticket that may be more expensive than a cheaper ticket that is available in the future. Not all airlines will reimburse you the money and award you the lower ticket as well. Yet, there is always a way to get a deal if you know how to master the right approach.

One factor to consider is to book seating that is beyond coach or economy. If your ticket is on a higher tier level, which is generally anything beyond coach/economy seats, your ticket tends to be refundable. While these seats are more expensive, they are worth it in the long run. Why? Because refundable tickets can be exchanged with other refundable tickets, meaning that if you change your travel dates, you don't have to worry about paying change fees or having to buy a new ticket entirely. Likewise, you can also receive credit on these types of tickets.

Yet additionally, many travel agents and airlines will be willing to reimburse you for your expenses if a lower price ticket becomes available and you have purchased a refundable ticket beyond coach or economy value. This can sometimes help you to save hundreds of dollars on your flight, as long as you have planned appropriately. Booking early ensures that you will always have plenty of time for your airline or travel agent to discover a lower price for your traveling plans.

How To Save Money On Hotels And Plane Tickets

Now that there have been a few suggestions about locations to visit during a trip to Germany, it's important to start considering ways to find the best ticket deals. Because it can be so expensive to plan any sort of trip to Europe, it's important to start planning ahead in order to get the best price available. Of course, sometimes you may not always have enough time to plan ahead, but if you have the opportunity, you can save a great amount of money from planning wisely.

Generally, the best recourse is to start planning for your trip a few months early. This will give you time to really research what some of your options are, especially if you are planning on visiting for an extended period of time. You should consider any possible landmarks that you want to visit and hotels that are nearby. If you are more curious about staying in a specific city, it can be a great idea to book your hotel there instead of traveling from a nearby city instead.

Purchasing your ticket several weeks early or even a few months early is the ideal way to discover low ticket prices. You can find your plane ticket for prices that are hundreds of dollars cheaper than they would be if you were to purchase tickets closer to your departure. Another easy way to save money on your trip is to use travel websites such as farecompare.com, which help you to find the lowest available prices on the internet for your trip.

Roaming In Alexanderplatz

Another area that must be visited while you are roaming Berlin is Alexanderplatz. This area was once the center of the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) and also the main center of what used to be East Berlin. It is a very interesting area because of the architecture that can be seen there. If one chooses to walk around Karl Marx Allee, you will notice that the streets are very broad and the buildings are more inspired by the Stalinists of the time. Aside from the typical architecture of the area, you can also visit locations such as the Nikolai Quarter, Red City Hall, and the Fernsehturm television tower.

The Red City Hall is actually Berlin's city hall. It gets the name red city hall in reference to the red bricks that make up the architecture. Although the city hall was damaged during World War II, it was repaired in the following years and also has three courtyards. Within the city hall, there are many rooms that you can visit such as the Grand Ballroom and the Hall of Arms.

Meanwhile, the Nikolai quarter (Nikolaiviertel) showcases the oldest residential section of Berlin. There were stores, businesses, inns, housing, and many other places within this district of Berlin up until World War II. Thankfully, in the 1980s the district was reconstructed with houses and streets that remain very accurate to the original style. It is an ideal location for anyone who wants to visit the beauty of the old Berlin and experience a taste of the culture that is so unique to Berlin itself.

Exploring In Berlin

Berlin is an unforgettable city with many areas that silently reflect history wherever you may venture. The Brandenburg Gate (or Brandenburger Tor in German) is such an area that everyone should have the chance to visit while they are in Berlin.
It is one of the most well-known landmarks that is associated with the area and used to be the gate of entrance into the city. Before the Berlin Wall was built, people were able to pass through the gate to go into East Berlin. Since the wall fell, there are now celebrations that are held at the Brandenburg Gate during anniversary dates.

It should be noted that photographs never really truly reflect the real beauty of the architecture of the Brandenburg Gate. When it is in full view in front of you, one cannot help but to notice all of the details that went into its overall design. Parts of the gate were significantly damaged due to World War II, but the gate was renovated around 2001. Because of that renovation, the public is now able to enjoy the true aesthetic beauty that the gate can offer.

Another unforgettable element of Berlin can be found when you are walking around the areas where the Berlin Wall was once present. If you look down upon the streets, you can see markings in the pavement that will show you where the wall was once located. It is a powerful experience to realize that you can merely step over these areas now when only decades ago, people were not able to pass so easily.

An Introduction To The Land of Germany

Germany is a beautiful country that is guaranteed to steal your heart from the moment you step off of your plane and begin to explore one of the local cities. Whether you are visiting Hamburg, Berlin, Nuremberg, or Stuttgart, there is something in Germany for everyone to enjoy. Perhaps one of the greatest experiences in the world is to walk down the street and know that you are in an area where history literally surrounds you. There are countless museums, memorials, landmarks, and points of interest that every visitor should take the time to stop and appreciate -- and if you are not able to see and experience everything the first time, it merits visiting over and over again until you have seen it all.

It isn't necessary to be fluent in German in order to understand and enjoy some of the great elements that the country has to offer. Though knowing the language will certainly help you, the people of Germany wonderfully kind to their visitors and will help you along if you are willing to ask questions and try to communicate. When you have a better understanding of everything, you can participate in shopping, take remarkable tours, and explore the country on your own. Locals can almost always recommend some of the best places to visit during your stay.

My upcoming entries to this blog will focus on some of the very memorable and unique places that you can visit during your next trip to Germany. If you have a passion for travel and this beautiful country has always fascinated you, stay tuned for new updates here every week!

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