Some of the recurring themes were:
The overall feeling of gratitude to have been able to do this in a supportive group, particularly this group, and most said they wouldn't have done it alone. This has to be passed on to the future generation, and people should be encouraged to make their own journey to pay homage. Anger at man's inhumanity. Those who had not lost relatives have been permanently affected by the Holocaust.
David expressed eloquently what some of us must have been thinking, but were not able to articulate. "Was my grandmother's hair in that pile? Did I see her spectacles there?"
Some very raw emotions were revealed and made us feel so close to one another. . .
After undergoing a mood swing from rock bottom to almost euphoria I have felt strangely disconnected and very weary since returning home, and haven't really wanted to talk about the trip to anyone who wasn't there with us. Hopefully I've been able to convey some of the experience in this page out of my diary, which I am now sharing with you.