Four days in Frankfurt to celebrate with my cousin her 2nd son's Bar-Mitzva as well as spend time with the family.
In between family dinners, getting dressed for parties ( 5 pair of shoes for 4 days, is this normal???) and walks with my cousin, I was able to spend precious time with my 93 years old mother in law.
On the last day with her, after morning coffee I told her about the crazy travels trips I used to have. 1 day meeting in Australia, 2 day meetings in Rio de Janiero. Since she also traveled quite a bit, I stopped and asked her what is her favorite place?
'Favorite place?' she asked surprised at the question. 'Bratislava. Let me show you'.
And out of the book case, she takes out a book and for the next 20 minutes or so, shows me old photos of the street she lived in as a girl with her parents and her 7 brother and sisters. The happiest time of her life. Unlit at the age of 20 she was taken with all other jews in town to Auschwitz.
'This was the Jewish street, here was our house. Here we shopped for groceries.....' on and on, with a smile, remembering happy old times.
At some point she shows me the bridge and road built where the old street used to be. And the sentence that is probably stay with me forever
"Neither houses nor people remained ....."
'Neither houses nor people remained' Frankfurt, June 2015
At home, Frankfurt, June 2015