Holocaust Survivor

 

This morning, summer school had the pleasure of hearing the story of Holocaust survivor, Jerry Valfer.  He was born in Germany in 1924.  He and his dad were sent to a camp in 1938.  He was sent back to his mother because he was too young.  His parents had the foresight to send his older brother to Palestine.  Jerry was too young to go at the time; when Jerry was old enough to send, the Italian border had been closed.  Later after living in Denmark, he did eventually end up in a concentration camp, where he was reunited with his parents.  He stated that the three of them were one of the few families that actually made it out of a camp with all members still living, when the camp was liberated in 1945.

Jerry stated several times that you can't become bitter because of what you've experienced in life and that two wrongs don't make a right. He talked about how being hungry is one of the worst experiences to endure.  After coming to the United States, he became a chef. 

 

Mr. Valfer lives in Rochester, Minnesota now.  In 2000, he co-authored a book about his experiences titled,  Jerry's Story: Sometimes I Didn't Think; I Just Kept on Living. I just ordered a copy from Half.com.  I wish I had had the forethought to order it and have it here for him to inscribe after his talk.  

I appreciate his willingness to share his story with our students and staff.  It is important that we not forget the Holocaust and those who died due to prejudice. 

Swim Lessons

We interrupt this tour through Italy to bring you the latest on Gavin. We started swim lessons at Hubenak Swim last Monday.  Ms. Cheryl and Mr. Gordon want the kids to be able to float on their backs when they're tired and to be able to get to the edge of the pool and get out.  Last Monday there were lots of tears.  I think Gavin and Dean were relying a lot on each other last week--in the sense of, "Hey, we're going to swim lessons with Dean today.  Won't that be fun?"  

I am impressed with all that Gavin can do.  At the end of the first class, kids had to dive to the bottom (guided down by Mr. Gordon) to pick up a ring.  Gavin was willing to go first because he had been having fun playing with the rings.  He came up empty handed the first time, but had two rings when he came up the second time.

By Thursday, the tears were less.  You can see Gavin swimming below.  I didn't capture him projectile vomiting into the water after screaming and swallowing too much water. Mr. Gordon had a great, "not the first time that has happened, won't be the last time" attitude about the vomiting.  Mr. Gordon has a great touch with the kids.  He's firm; the boys listen to him and do what is asked of them.  He also praises them and gives them high-fives for a job well done.

Over the weekend, we went to the pool to practice.  Gavin didn't want any part of the pool; he just wanted to play at the splash pad.  At the end of class Thursday, Lindsey and I mentioned practice to Mr. Gordon.  He reminded us to let the boys have fun at the pool, too.  I didn't push Gavin to go to the pool instead of the splash pad.  I really just wanted him to have fun, and he did.  It was apparent that the three other little boys, Dean included, had practiced and Gavin didn't.  However, by the end of today, he had made good progress.

Near the end of class, the boys raced in pairs to Mr. Gordon.  Gavin didn't want to jump into the water from standing, but would sit down and get in.  Oh well, we'll take what we can get. 

After the races, the boys had to dive to get rings again.  Gavin was ready to volunteer.  He likes diving--go figure.  When I asked him at dinner what his favorite part was, he quickly replied the race. 

We'll see what the next 3 classes bring.  Hopefully a little boy who doesn't cry for Mama.  And here's hoping our next trip to the pool will find an opportunity for G to practice what he's learning.

Il Duomo Florence

Wednesday morning we departed Milan and traveled via train to Florence. After dropping our bags at the hotel, we hit the streets of Florence.  Our first stop, Il Duomo.  The church is beautiful. 

Again, we were blown away by the attention to detail.  Everything was layered and layered in carvings.

 Here, we got over our inhibition of taking pictures inside churches.  I was silent and respectful as I marveled at the beauty, but we did decide to take pictures when allowed.  The artwork inside the dome was incredible.  I'm sure volumes have been published describing the scenes depicted. 

 Part of what was so very striking was the three-dimensional nature of the dome.  Look at the very top part (shown below), the men look as if they are ready to leap from the ceiling into the sanctuary below.

Back outside Il Duomo, we waited our turn to climb to the top of the dome.  Once inside the first section was a series of short runs of stairs with 90 degree turns.  It was a narrow passage with all people walking up.  There was this obnoxious guy behind us who could not stop talking.  His incessant talking was annoying in and of itself.  The fact that he was able to carry on a conversation while walking up the stairs added an entirely different level of frustration to me.  Add in the fact that you just had to keep walking, and I was not happy.

After a certain amount of climbing, you emerge on to the bottom of the painting in the dome above.  Look how tiny everyone is.  Look at the beauty of the floors.  We loved the marble floors in the churches.  One of the neat things is how the different colors of marble have different densities, as evidenced by the uneven wearing of the floors, where centuries of people have tread upon the floors.

Back inside the dome, the ascent continued.  The path became more narrow and winding.  But, the view once we arrived up top was breath-taking.

 It was very windy in the city that day; the wind was increased atop the dome. 

 Check out Dave's hair blowing in the breeze.

 Once atop the dome, I encountered a man on crutches who had climbed up.  I felt bad then for being such a wimp at moments during the climb.

 The view from below.  We were way up there.

There is a tower at Il Duomo that we could have climbed.  Maybe next trip.  The trip where I put vanity aside and bring real walking shoes.  The full day of walking on Tuesday and the climb up Il Duomo did a number on my knees.  On Thursday I started taking Advil for the discomfort.  Getting older can really stink. 

Afternoon Walk Around Milan

Above is the chapel where Da Vinci's Last Supper is located.  Dave and I had reservations to see it on Sunday, but our delay in arrival prohibited seeing it.  I walked by hoping to be able to get in without a reservation, but was unsuccessful in that endeavor.  I did listen to a couple come out and describe it to another couple with whom they were traveling. 

I wandered for a bit with Basilica Sant'Ambrogio being my goal.  I got lost for a bit on the campus of the University of the Sacred Heart. 

I found a sandwich on the most delicious bread and had a lunch in this piazza before roaming for a bit more and finding the Basilica.  As it turns out, I was at the colonne di San Lorenzo; the columns (colonne) are to my back in this picture below.  I didn't take the a picture of the columns--drat.  The columns date back to the 4th century. 

I finally found the Basilica Sant'Ambrogio, which dates back to 385, but the current structure was built begun in 1080 and completed in 1128. No photographs were allowed inside, so I have these two exterior shots.

 

After all my walking, I was tired, so I rode the subway to the piazza Il Duomo, had a gelato while I watched people.  I rode the subway back to the Milano Centrale train station, seen below, and walked the 2 blocks to the hotel.  After resting for a bit, I headed out for dinner--a delicious pizza with left overs for Dave and a yummy salad.  Dave returned from Geneva around 11 that night.  We called it a night and started packing for our trip to Florence the following day.

A Walk in the Park

After emerging from the castle, I was greeted by Sempione Park.  It was a beautiful day, and I had no agenda, so I wandered through the park to get a look at the gate on the opposite end. 

Arco della Pace

It turns out the gate is called the Arco della Pace, or Arch of Peace.  The arch was begun in 1807 while Milan was under Napoleon's rule and finally finished in 1838. 

Here is a look from the Arch back over the park to the castle.

The attention to detail with the arch was, as all architecture in Italy, exquisite. 

Even the underside of the arch was adorned with carved flowers.

Castello Sforzesco

Tuesday, Dave traveled to Geneva by train to visit Alcon.  Instead of spending $250 on a roundtrip train ticket, I decided to explore the city.  Dave left early; I took the opportunity to sleep in.  I finally got up around 10, had a Cliff Bar and a Coca Cola Light (not at all as tasty as a Diet Coke), and hit the city to explore.

My first stop was Castello Sfrozesco.  I rode the Metro and walked right to the castle.  I approached from the side, but did walk around front to see the fountain and the statue across the way in front of the castle.

The castle dates back to the late 1300s and Galeazzo II Visconti.  Then in 1450 it was transformed into a ducal residence by Francesco Sforza. After serving as military barracks for various groups, the castle was turned over to the city in the late 1800s and is used as a venue for various cultural events.  The castle was damaged by WWII bombings in 1943, but has been restored.

The fountain is described as the most beautiful in Milan.

Giuseppe Garabali Monument in front of Castello Sforzesco

Piazza del Armi inside the castle

Ducal Courtyard

Moat around the castle walls