Thursday 13-10-2016
13 oktober 2016
Day 3
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Gaby's birthday. I already congratulated her tonight. The program is partly adjusted. Because of the holidays no meeting with the youth of Krakow but an interview by Tomasz Owoc, curator of the museum.
It promises to be a great and exciting day.
Unfortunately, the reality is faster. I skip a great part of the story and I promiss I will fill in later.
Late in the afternoon Dad is fallen again, repeat first aid.
He doesn’t feel very well. He has a lot of problems with his right hip and cannot stand on his right leg anymore. Our short-term concern is the flight back to Holland. What next is another question. We worry about that tomorrow.
It was a beautiful day until I was back with Dad at an emergency room. This time in Krakow.
It is late, the report follows. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or may be even later, it follows! Before Dad's fall the day was already filled with a lot of emotional moments.
Promisses fullfilled
We are on our way with the van. Google maps shows a lot of red and purple. That is more normal then special in Krakow. To late we arrive at Faktory Schindlera. Tomasz is awaiting us. Fast we went upstairs to the reception room. Pictures of wellknown people who visited the museum hanging on the wall. How typical, also Hillary Clinton “was here”.
This is not our van.
Picture with Hillary Clinton
Dad is preparing his answers at the questions, we drink some coffee. The interview will be recorded and used in the documentation for the museum. A unique document. Especially since it's your father being interviewed. Also because he is one of the few still living survivors of the POW camp. Able to come to Krakow and to tell his story. A final check of the film cameras.
Hein examines the left camera.
Tomasz kicks off. Johan van Hoppe supports translating the answers into English. Dad answers, no talks on his well-known manner, enhanced with an eye for detail. Poor interpreter who has a lot of work for the subtitles.
Tomasz has arranged a bus so that we can visit two for Dad important places outside Krakow. Anne Marie Vidonne joins us. She represents an organization dedicated to French soldiers in captivity. First we visit Stalag 369 (Stalag abbreviation for “Stammlager” which means “Main Camp”). Of the camp is nothing left. Only a memorial stone. Zoom in on the picture with the Dutch text right below. Unfortunately, some language errors. That should be corrected by our ministry of defense.
The memorial stone
Dad knows this text almost completely out of his head.
Up to Fort Borek, an old fortress from the Hungarian time. The Germans used this fortress as a prisoner of war camp for the French and the Russians. Dad was imprisoned here some time with some other Dutch soldiers. (Read more in his story of POW) Fort Borek is at this time no more than a ruin. Long used by homeless people and graffiti spraying youth. Renovation has recently undertaken. Be restored in Krakow more historical dilapidated buildings. Such as in the former ghetto.
The environment, more comfortless and killer through the rain of recent days. A bleak, cold building, now in disrepair, but even in that time not a pleasant living room. Small spaces, round ceilings, dark corridors. Making contact with the neighbors, they appear to be French soldiers who generously shared their rations with the Dutch who had hardly anything to eat.
Outside I talk briefly with a construction worker. Thereby I lost the group. Where I thought they went inside, I dive into the unlit building. A few meters away, around a corner, I can not see a thing. It takes a while to get my eyes used to the darkness. Sometimes some sight, sometimes by touch, listening to voices. A crumbling staircase, a flashlight in the distance, I am back again.
Dad walks fast no nearly runs from niche to niche. Searching for his stay, the toilets, the hole in the chimney. The logistics opening to the French, fingertip to fingertip, passing bowls of soup. His room! Tottering on a pile of rubble towards the chimney hole. It relieves , is gripping, emotions shooting in all directions. No board with the national anthem “Wilhelmus”. He writes his name in the frame, leaving something from him. Will this survive the renovation? Will this be the only graffity in the future here?
Right behind: you can see the hole in the chimney.
Left on the picture you the toilets
Dad writes his name in the frame.
Back to the bus, shoes under mud and cement film. Who cares? The driver stares disapprovingly at us.
Tomasz guides us to a synagogue in the Jewish Quarter. Live little more Jews in Krakow. From more than 65,000 before the war to 500-600 nowadays. The district in which Schindlers List partly takes place. Not the ghetto during the war. This is located elsewhere in Krakow. Walking through the district is Thomas our guide.
Our next stop is Pomnik Grunwaldzki.
Hence on foot to another location of the Museum. We, not only Dad, are tired. Our legs can’t stand another exhibition. Our head even less. The air is dry.
There is a lunch reservation for 14:30. The Deputy Mayor joins us. The director of the museum also.
From left to right: the Deputy Mayor; the director of the museum; Tomasz Owoc
The Deputy Mayor, underlines the importance of both the exhibition as our visit. There are not many survivors who can tell their story. So important to learn the history, to prevent in the future, to fraternize in the present.
The lunch is a dinner. Hein and I will pick up the car, walk the route highlighted by Thomasz and a dive into a shop in ceramique. October 13 Gaby's birthday. On the car, the phone vibrates, an SMS is rolling in, changing our world.
SMS: Dad has fallen, now by ambulance to the hospital. SMS: What hospital? SMS: an address (5 Wojskowy Szpital Kliniczny z Poliklinika SPZOZ)
We get in and 15 minutes later we arrive at the first aid. There we see Dad, in a wheelchair, Hans and Tomasz. Dad has stumbled on something, he does not know what. His hip causing excruciating pain. Inaction is not an issue, but moving does.
We can go to the treatment chamber eh room, patients separated by green curtains. He groans as they laid him on a bed. Waiting can begin.
He sleeps, wakes up, sleeps, repeat. Many staff, three desks, sliding files, measuring blood pressure, more movement can not be seen. Coffee Break? No X-rays, everyone runs away, I get sent away. For patients radiation is not harmful.
Tomasz remains loyal to us, we are complete again. He feels a not to tame responsibility, his second evening away from his family. Fortunately he ignores our advise to go home. The staff speak mainly Polish, is typical unfriendly, not committed with the patient. The contrast with previous week cannot be greater. I no longer allowed to go to Dad, count to ten.
Contact with emergency center, insurance company, repeat. Both of them do not want to pay for the return trip. Downloading policy conditions and studying them. Tomasz translates and opens doors that otherwise remain closed for hours. Nothing broken, Dad can go home, the pain sometimes excruciating, farewell Tomasz, pick up medications on our way to the hotel.
Tomasz says goodbye, Dad is tired.
No wheelchair to be arranged at the hotel. Hans took a chair from the restaurant. Dad is carried to his room sitting on this chair. After that we have a drink in the restaurant.
Home but how? Is Dad allowed to fly? What will Ryanair do? What if they say no? What will the insurance company then do?
Tomorrow we will get immediately to work. Hein and I have contact with home by facetime. It will be late again. Fortunately, we don’t really have to get up early. Have breakfast at 09.00 am.
Go back to the website via the link below
