5 Cents To Spare - Chapter 3 - Arrival in Europe

Chapter 3

Arrival in Europe

We docked in Antwerp, Belgium, at about 10 PM on April 21, 1936, At 6 AM the next morning the stevedores began to unload the cargo and there was no sleeping after that.  One by one we gave up the attempt to sleep and had our breakfast.

Mr. Cohn and I were both going to Brussels, Belgium, so we decided to travel together.  He proved to be an invaluable friend, espe­cial­ly since I did not know the language nor the customs.  We put our baggage together, and, lo and behold, it went through without one cent of duty.  As we were preparing to leave the customs' office, a messenger came with a letter from my  Cousin Heinz asking that I telegraph him where and when I would be in Berlin.

On we went. We took taxis and electric trains and finally arrived in Brussels.  Mr Cohn arranged the purchase of my ticket to Cologne, Germany.  I could never have managed it as well, as we had quite a lengthy discussion about the price, Mr. Cohn being the interpreter.  I contended that I should get a 33% reduction in the price of a ticket to Berlin to allow for the tourist discount on the exchange rate Germany was offering.  The ticket agent said I must have a tourist card.  The result was I decided to go to Cologne, the closest large town to the border.  Mr. Cohn left me in Brussels to continue on with his own concerns after perform­ing this valuable service.

Safely on the train to Liege and Cologne, I had time to observe the scenery outside my window.  The land was flat for the most part, divided into many small parcels necessitated by the rotation of crops on the small, vastly productive farms.  Everything was more than neat.  The houses were conspicuous to me because of their compactness and construction.  All were of brick with terra cotta shingles on their sloping roofs... simple and efficient.

There was little time to observe anything in detail as we sped on.  A storm outside made the view a dreary impression.  Finally we arrived at the German border station.  Custom inspectors came through the train examining the baggage.  I had no difficulty here, but at Cologne, my problems began.

First, I had to cash a German check and then buy a ticket for Berlin.  I learned that I was saving about $5 this way by buying my ticket to Berlin because I was able to take advantage of the discount allowed foreign visitors.

Next, I had to find out where and when I would arrive in Berlin.  The station agent couldn't tell me in English and I couldn't understand him in German.  Finally an information officer supplied the needed information.  Then I had to send a telegram to my cousin Heinz.  Fortunately for me there was an agent in the Cologne telegraph office who wrote out the telegram.

I finally began the weary third class trip to Berlin.  The seats were entirely wood.  The coaches were divided into compartments.  Each compartment had a glass paneled door which separated it from the rest of the coach.  Six people could sit comfortably in each compartment.  At one end of the coach was a small room with the sign "abort" on the door which served for both the men's and women's restrooms.

My fellow passengers were all nicely dressed and very pleasant Germans.  Beside me sat a German soldier, a man of my own age.  He knew a little English and so we conversed pleasantly on various topics not too difficult for our mutually limited vocabularies.  With us was a German girl going to Berlin.  She did not know English, so we spoke in sign language, pictures, and the few German phrases that I knew.  I managed to pick up a few new words.

Uncle Eric and I finally arrived at his house, after a half dozen transfers, at Berlin Lighterfeld West, Kommandantstrasse 24.  April 26, 1936.               (E2-18)

Finally the long journey was over at 10:30 PM.  I saw cousin Heinz on the platform as the train pulled up to the Friederich Street Station.  I recognized him in an instant from photographs constant­ly exchanged between my father and his brothers and sister in Germany.  Heinz is taller than many Germans so I was able to see his face clearly.  Fortunately he spoke English so we greeted each other cordially.  In the vestibule was Uncle Erich.   We talked of this and that, about my father and my family in America.  Uncle Erich knew little English and it was difficult for him to correctly understand what I was trying to say.  It became quite humorous at times.

We boarded the Interurban train.  Heinz soon left us, transferring to another train to go to his home.  Uncle Erich and I finally arrived, after a half dozen transfers, at Berlin - Lichterfelde West, Kommandantenstrasse 24, where I met Aunt Elisabeth.  Their daughter, Viola, not yet ten, had gone to bed.  After a cup of coffee and a little supper, they showed me to my room which was all ready for my arrival.  They were very cordial; I felt at home almost at once.

A taxi in Berlin.  They exist along side modern vehicles.  Apr 16, 1936. (E3-40)

The following day I was up early and went to the heart of Berlin with Uncle Erich, accompanying him on his way to work.  He showed me the important architecture of Berlin and suggested I see the Pergamon Museum.  I left him at his office on Post Strasse.

At the train station some fifteen blocks distant I had noticed a "men's room" so I hastened that way.  It was my first trip abroad and I didn't know that practically every park (of which there are a great number in Berlin) was so equipped.  On arriving I discovered  that "stalls" were free, but water closets and wash basins cost 10 pfennig (about 4 cents), and were supervised by a female attendant!  I can't say that this was usually the rule for this was the first occasion I had to investigate Berlin's "sanitary resorts."

From there I meandered back to the museum and spent the rest of the day among the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Mycenaeans.  Museums are things one must take little by little.  I saw so much I couldn't possibly remember it all.

In the middle afternoon I met Uncle Erich and we went home togeth­er.  The next day or so was spent in a similar fashion.  I pur­chased a dictionary and maps.  It was very difficult to get around without the knowledge of German.

The 27th of April was a very important day for me.  That was the day I bought my bicycle with the aid of Uncle Erich.  Never have I seen a bicycle shop quite like this.  There must have been no less that 1,000 bicycles lined up in a long row almost as far as the eye could see.  At one end were the cheapest starting at around 15 Marks ($6).  At the other end were the most expensive at around 150 to 300 Marks ($60 - $120).  We selected one for about 52 Marks ($21), a very good looking bicycle equipped with fenders, double balloon tires, front and rear brakes, pump and tools.  I bought accessories such as an electric head lamp and generator and a carrying rack.  The total cost amounted to about 63 Marks ($25).   Considering the rate of exchange for tourists my actual cost in US dollars was 33% less or $17.  This was more than reasonable.  I was very proud of my new acquisition.

Apartment houses as far as the eye can see.  They are white with blue roofs and trimmed in yellow and olive green.  Grunewald Forest, Berlin. April 29, 1936.   (E3-36)

Since I now had a convenient means of transportation, I took trips every day into almost every quarter on the south side of Berlin.  One day I visited the modern Zehlendorf Colony situated near the Southern edge of the Grunewald Forest.  It was the most exciting day I had up to this time, and I took pictures right and left.

Among the pine trees were row after row of modern apartment houses.  Some of the rows were as long as one could see with dwellings exactly alike.  In fact, the rows were often so long that the repetition formed a distinct pattern.  The only variation was in the design of each row or group of dwellings.  In America this would be very monotonous, but here it was because the designers took great pains to create differences in design plus patterns of trim in a rainbow of colors.

There was a surprising lack of garages.  In California, USA, this would be a tremendous over­sight, but in Germany, where motor cars and fuel are so heavily taxed and where the wages are lower, the motor car is a luxury that most people cannot afford.  Therefore, bicycles and motor cycles are used almost exclusively by the working classes and these may be stored in a back yard or on a porch.

As I rode along I saw men with three wheel bicycles delivering groceries or meat, and often I would see wagons of bread being rolled along the streets from door to door.  From one of these wagons I bought three jelly rolls at 5 Pf. each (about 2 cents).  The man handled his bread and cakes with long tongs lest they become dirty since nothing is packaged like the products in America.  It seemed a curious combina­tion of old traditions in a very modern landscape.

Perhaps Berlin is correct in clinging to many of its old customs such as this.  In what better way could delivery from door to door in such close quarters be effective?  I can think of none that would be as economical or as efficient.

A bakery wagon delivers door to door.  I bought three of his rolls which he carefully handled with tongs.  Grunewald Forest, Berlin. April 29, 1936.                              (E3-33)

A little farther down the street a house was being built.  I stopped to look at it closely.  It was typical of many houses being built in Berlin.  All houses are of brick, the exterior walls are about three bricks thick (about 12 inches).  Openings are left for windows and doors which are put in later. This one story house would cost about 20,000 Marks ($8,000).

Berlin is a curious mixture of the old and very new.  One sees this everywhere.  Here, in the Grunewald Forest, was a very new settle­ment; and within a comparatively few miles one finds any number of old Renaissance, baroque and nondescript styles.  The most star­tling comparisons to this very modern section is the Kaiser's palace and the museums in the heart of Berlin.

Berlinser's palace, now a museum called the "Schlöss" was the most elaborate of all.  I visited this "Schlöss" along with many other tourists and, with the aid of a guide, saw the over-decorated and elaborate rooms.  True, it was rich, but to me it was so rich it lost any charm it may have had.  There were cupids, busts, and ornaments gaudily decorated in gold, silver, red, blue, and other colors hanging from the ceiling and wall niches.  I am sure they would have had the same things plastered on the floor, too, if it had not, by some strange quirk of circumstance, occurred to some­one that it was necessary to walk on the floor.

May First is a great day all over Germany.  It is the day set aside as a workingman's holiday and celebration.

Early in the morning I witnessed a group of school children which included my 10 years old cousin, Viola, go through the various rites of the celebration.  They per­formed a little pageant and a few chosen ones spoke verses bearing out the historic tradition of the holiday.

Afterward I hurried to the center of Berlin to hear and see Adolf Hitler speak.  It was jammed with people for blocks and blocks and blocks.  There were loud speak­ers at every corner and crowds at each one.  I was not certain at what place Hitler would speak.  I could not tell by the crowds as they were the same everywhere.  When I did manage to reach the right location, the speech was over and I was still so far away I could not see him.  There were miles of marching men... not soldiers, as this was not a military parade, but men of the Nazi party.

Everywhere on the First of May there was celebration. From every barroom was the sound of laughter and music.  Everywhere on the streets were men who had too much.  Never before, or never since, have I seen men as drunk in Germany as on this day.  Usually the German is laughing or smiling, but seldom is he too drunk to maintain his good behavior.

A typical delivery wagon.  The apartments in the background area riot of color, cream with windows trimmed in yellow, red and white.  Grunewald Forest, Berlin.  April 29, 1936.                                       (E3-34)

I noticed a "street car bus" in Berlin that ran by electric­ity from an overhead cable.  It looked like an ordinary motor bus from the outside with rubber tires so there was no need for a track.  The driver handled the vehicle and dodged traffic exactly as with an automobile.  This was made possible by a long arm above the bus which easily followed the overhead electric cable and allowed the bus to move from side to side with considerable latitude.  Quite an idea!

Berlin has a rather pleasing way of treating streetcar tracks on streets which are wide enough.  The tracks are in the center of the street and a nicely kept lawn is planted between them.  The out side edges of the tracks are terminated by a hedge and then the pavement.  The hedge serves the double purpose of hiding the tracks and of keeping people from walking across the street or lawn except at intersec­tions or street car stops.  The appearance of the street is certainly improved.

In the evening I went with my cousin Heinz to a public refreshment and dance hall.  There are many such places in Berlin.  Here you may sip wine or beer, or eat ice cream or any­­­thing else, all evening to the music of a dance orchestra.  The people are located around tables for four.  A man has the privilege of asking any lady in the room to dance and many girls came to these places unaccompa­nied just to dance.  The only cost is that of the refreshment which never exceeds 2 Marks (80 cents).  It is customary for the girl to pay for her own refreshment, even though she may dance with one man all evening.

Big establishments, such as the one we visited, had four dance floors or balconies built around an orchestra pit.  The first two floors had one orchestra, and the second  two floors, another orchestra.  We were located on the fourth floor.

Refreshments on the first floor cost less than on the second floor, and the second less than the third, and so on.  In this way there is a segregation of classes with the more affluent on the upper levels.  The majority of the girls who come to these places work in stores or are servants.  The girls are usually very pleasant.  Even though I could not speak German I was able to have a good time.  In Berlin the average girl is fairly well educated and most knew a little English. 

Early in the morning I witnessed a group of school children, including my cousin Viola, perform a pageant to celebrate May Day in Berlin.  May 1, 1936.     (E3-30)

It was at this dance hall that Heinz and I met Anneliese Huesmann who turned out to be a lot of fun.  She was good looking, witty, a good conversationalist, and she knew a little English.  She liked to be daring and that appealed to me a great deal.  When our dance hall closed for the night we went to a bar.   We had beer and almost before we knew it, the evening had slipped away and dawn had come.  But it was a "capital" day and night.  We took Anneliese home and then I went home to Uncle Erich's just in time to meet him leaving for work!

There are three main types of entertainment for young people in Berlin: the dance hall, the barroom and the theater, or "Kino" as they call it in Germany.  Germany produces most of her own films but does import the better American films as well.

American films are very popular and almost every German knows about them and has learned expressions from them.  Unlike our American theaters, reservations are a requirement in Germany.  When the performance is over, everyone must leave the theater because another group has reserved seats for the next performance.  Theater prices range from 1 Mark (40 cents) and up depending on the location of the seat, the time of the performance, the popularity of the picture and the theater itself.

Other indoor entertainments are the stage, opera and symphony.  On the weekends or holidays, many Germans are to be found hiking, bicycling, motorcycling, sunbathing, boating or swimming.  Germans like the open air and even if they ride in an automobile, they must have the top down.

I hurried to the center of Berlin to hear and see Hitler speak.  It was jam packed with people.  May 1, 1936.                  (E3-17)