9/11

One of those days. You still remember where you were, with whom you were with and what you saw. I was at work and the first message I got was from a friend: ‘A plane fell down on one of the Twin Towers.’ We were both shocked, because we were on top of one of the towers a few months before. Unexpected trip to NY and somebody told us the view was stunning from up there. I remembered being up there, standing against the window, looking down. Unbelievable high. And then up to the top. Outside. Beautiful.

That day I just cried. Hearing about the people jumping out the windows, seeing the scared people in the streets and of course thinking about the people in the towers, but also in the planes. It was just too much to handle.

Since then I was back in NY a few times. The first time I went to Ground Zero. Heartbreaking. But I didn’t break down until I saw the Hilton Hotel. Remembering that in 2001 I stood there as well, taking a picture of the Twin Towers mirroring in the hotel. The hotel was still there, but in it there was no reflection of the towers.

This year I finally got back to NY and visited Ground Zero again. It just gets to you, but I think the city did a great job with the memorial and the museum. Very sophisticated, honoring everybody who died that day. The pain will never go away, especially for those families losing a loved one that day, but it’s become a great place to remember.

RIP and never forget!