Category: Travel (Page 17 of 23)

While traveling in Spain last month, Dawn and I followed a crowd (9 times out of 10 a good idea in a foreign country) and luckily caught the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace of Madrid. Imagine our surprise when several dozen Spanish cavalry came riding down the street. Some carried swords, others hoisted pikes and still more rode in playing trumpets. All were serious, like this gentleman. We watched the elaborate ceremony for an hour – the best free show I’ve stumbled upon in a long time!

This wall was part of the southern boundary of a ghetto, built by the Nazis during WWII, to cut off the Jewish population from the rest of the city of Warsaw. Approximately 450,000 Jews were housed behind these walls. Almost all eventually died, either of starvation, or in an uprising brutally suppressed by the Nazis, or in the nearby concentration camps.

Standing and gazing at the wall, it’s hard to imagine the depth of depravity that could lead to such events. These bricks stand as an emblem of the evil found in the heart of man. They stand as a reminder of our need to be ever vigilant in our concern for freedom. These bricks urge us to remember our God-given call to seek peace and the good of all people.