For our last full day in South Beach, we decided to walk around, do some last minute shopping, and visit the Holocaust Memorial. For the first time since we've been here, it was a hot and sunny day with no rain in sight. We walked up to Lincoln Road and then turned onto Meridian to get to the memorial. We tried to walk in the shade, but on the last two blocks to the memorial there weren't any trees.
Even though I had seen a picture of the memorial in our guide book, I didn't have any idea what it was really going to look like. I imagined a small statue in a park, but it wasn't like that at all. The Sculpture of Love and Anguish, which is in the photo, was an enormous statue, about forty feet high, that appeared to be coming out of a small pond. Around it was a shaded arbor with a black granite wall with names and photos of a few of the victims.
I was touched by the other poignant statues that were located around the pond. One of the most impressive parts was walking down a stone tunnel, called the Lonely Path, with shards of light coming in and at the end is a statue of a suffering child. I hadn't realized until I was standing next to the main sculpture that the wall on the outside of the pond was as high as it was on the inside. Names of the Holocaust victims were listed while children singing in the background was being played.
I was saddened by the memorial and to think that such an atrocity happened not so long ago. Alessandro and I both left with tears in our eyes. It is sad that we humans are capable of such hatred and violence.
Initially, I admit to not wanting to visit the memorial because I knew it would affect me and touch on my own sadness. I am grateful to my husband for insisting on going because it was the most touching place we visited during our trip to Miami, and it will not be forgotten.
Share your comments for this blog post on the Living in Florence's Facebook page. Grazie!