Spending time with Ross, Katja & little Laika in New York was truly wonderful. Laika is 2 ½ and with no exaggeration, in the short time I was there, I saw her grow up a little each day, absorbing everything around her like a sponge, exploring her own moods and creating new experiences.
Ross and Katja live in the north of Manhattan and are very near some great parks, including Fort Tyron Park with the magnificent Cloisters, built like a medieval monastery and housing medieval art works.
Here are some images of the first couple of days.
One day we went to see the 9/11 Memorial. I had watched a documentary about it so was keen to actually see it.
On the approach there were many signs reminding people that the site is a place for remembrance and quiet reflection, but when you are there, the sheer size and loud raging water completely dominates the air – making it impossible to hear anything other than your own inner thoughts.
It is very overwhelming and powerful and I was in admiration of the planning and the logistics of such a feat of architecture. The north and south pools represent the footprint of each of the twin towers.
Here is a short video clip so you can hear how loud the fountains are. At the end is a clip of me with Laika.
One quite eery thing happened when Ross wanted to take a photo of me by the South pool. I stopped and rested my hand on the metal plates with the names of the victims. It was complete coincidence that the name by my hand was “Niedermeyer”.
Here are some photographs of the memorial, including a look inside the museum, yet to be finished. You can see the large original steel girder from one of the twin towers that has been incorporated into the museum. At the end are two photos of the remarkable “Survivor tree”, a pear tree that not only survived the 9/11 attack, it also recovered from being uprooted in a storm in 2010.
And here is my all time favourite photo of the day – taken in another park in the city. Pretty little Laika blending in with Spring.
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