Adventure’s with Luke, Part 2

Luke and I left the Rundale Palace (see post below), and got on a small bus that took us back to Bauska and then onto Riga.  We arrived at the bus station and ran through the twists and turns of the central market to make our way to the train station.  Gasping for air, we asked the woman at the ticket office when the next train to Darzini was to leave.  She looked at her clock, and said, “4 minutes.”  Of course we went for it.  We got the tickets and dashed for the platform.  We arrived at platform 6 and jumped on the train.  Luke quickly asked the other passengers if this was the right train.  But as he did, the train started moving.  My first thought was, “I am going to have to jump off this train.”  But thankfully it was the right train, and Luke and I gave each other a celebratory hug. We got off at the Darzini stop to find nothing but a small boarded up building and forest.  

We made our trek though the pine forest to our final destination, the Salaspils concentration camp.  (for a virtual tour click here.)  The largest concentration camp in the Baltics, it had 12,000 Latvian and political prisoners.  A large concrete block marked the entrance to the memorial.  On the block, in large black letters reads (originally in Latvian) ‘the earth moans behind the gate’.  Today, the only presence of the original concentration camp are the large forest clearing and the concrete foundations.  Luke and I walked around the large pebble track in silence, except for the sound a soft metronome ticking like an immortal heartbeat.  

After some reflection and stone placing, Luke and I left the memorial to try and catch the next train.  To ensure that we got to the train stop on time, we started to run on the tracks.  In the back of my mind I kept thinking, “I think I have seen this movie before.”  Though it was funny in my head, little did I know that my thought would become reality.  I turned around and I see a train about 600 meters behind us.  I tell Luke, and we start running faster.  We need to make this train to get back in time and the tracks are the only level surface to run on.  After some time I realize what we are doing I jump off track and tell Luke to do the same.  We continue running and make it to the platform.  We arrived just in time as the train is approaching the stop….but it keeps going.  It was not a passenger train, but a commercial train.  We both laughed and waited for the next train.  Unfortunately our train did not come for more than an hour later.  Luke almost missed his flight and I was almost late to my own Chanukah party.  Thankfully everything worked out and Luke and I have an amazing adventure under our belts.

Photo Description

Top Row, Left: Luke and I in front of the entrance to the memorial

Top Row, Right: Large stone with an inscription that alludes to the many Jews that died in this place.

Second Row, Left: Enormous memorial statues symbolizing hope and defiance

Second Row, Right: Enormous memorial statues symbolizing hope and defiance

Third Row, Left: The large concrete block that marks the entrance to the memorial.  This concrete block also houses a small museum inside.

Third Row, Right: Concrete foundation and large concrete block 

Bottom Row, Left: Tally of Prisoners in the camp by year

Bottom Row, Middle: Large memorial stone where the metronome was the loudest

Bottom Row, Right: Toys that adorned a memorial.  This motif continued as a reminder and memorial to the many children that lost their lives.  It is believed that children were experimented on at the camp.