ER in Germany

Hamburg, January 15th, 1923

Almost two weeks have passed since I last wrote in my diary. Here in Germany, the days have been so filled with work and other activities, that there has been no leisure to write. Tomorrow, at noon, we are to start our steamer trip. At present our group, with the exception of Uncle Aron and the Shroeder family, who remained in Berlin, are sitting around a table in the hotel, “Zum Schlesischen Hof”. My aunt is doing handiwork, the others are chatting and I want to use this opportunity to catch up on my diary.

As mentioned before, we left Riga late Tuesday eve, January 2nd. We had decided to check the largest pieces of luggage only, wishing to take the bulk of our belongings with us into the train. We regret this decision. Since Western trains are not arranged to hold much luggage. The porter, at first, refused to let us bring our rolls, bundles and baskets onto the train. Considering that our group was large and that there were crowds of other passengers with children and bundles, it is easy to realize that we had to push and struggle, until finally everyone and everything was aboard. Like at other hectic times, eventually it ended well and therefore all was well.

At the Lithuanian border, the customs inspection was hardly worth mentioning. The countryside was getting more and more diversified. Mountains and valleys, rivers and lakes, forests and towns keep us close to the windows. Once, in the early afternoon, it suddenly got pitch dark. We were going through a long tunnel that was lit only by occasional small lamps. Since the train was dark, the ten-minute stretch seemed much longer and we were happy to see daylight again.

At the German border station Edkuhnen, there was plenty of hurry and worry. We arrived on January 4th at 5 pm and had just half an hour to have the customs inspection and to transfer to another train. That would seem sufficient time, but if one considers that the officials were cross and impatient, that we misunderstood directions and almost lost each other, it was quite an accomplishment that all was in order at the end when the train started rolling.

We arrived in Berlin the next morning, January 5th. At the beginning of the trip, I described in detail the countryside through which we traveled. Everything seemed important in a rather vast and bare landscape. Here in Germany, it is impossible to describe everything. Every minute another picture: fields, farms, woods, ponds, canals and above, the gray sky, heavy with rain.

Since we had a whole day in Berlin, before we could go on, we had a chance to see some of the points of interest here in the capital of Germany. Uncle Will hired a carriage and the driver took us through the city, pointing out landmarks: das Barandenburger Tor, die Siegesallee, the palace and also several beautiful churches and memorials, too much to remember it all. A photograph of us sitting in the carriage will be a nice souvenir of this day.

I had lunch at one of the largest department stores, “Wertheim”. There was so much to see and admire that we tired early and were glad when the shopping was finished. While Uncle Will left to call on some friends, the Sperlings, the rest of us returned to the station to wait for the late train. Since we had a few hours to wait, we expected to get rather bored. As it turned out, we had a delightful evening. Mrs. Sperling and niece, whom we knew, came to take us to their apartment in the suburbs of Berlin, which we reached in a short time by the “Rundbahn”, an elevated railway that surrounds the city. We had supper, visited and returned to the station.

Here, we said goodbye to Uncle Will, who had to go to Frankfurt on refugee business, while the rest of us went to Grossmist by way of Hamburg and Luebeck, where the Nuefelds had bought a schoolhouse for a temporary refugee home. We traveled at night and had seats, but there was no heat in the car and we were very cold. The last stretch was an hour and a half by horse and wagon.

How grateful we were to finally arrive at this temporary home. Since Grossmist is just a small town, I had not expected such a good building and comfortable furnishings. Arriving in the middle of the day, we were glad to start housekeeping. Frank chopped wood and started the fire, my aunt and I cooked supper, we ate and retired early, glad to get a long night’s sleep.

The next day, Saturday, we “cleaned house”, putting everything in place and in the afternoon took turns in the warm kitchen to give ourselves a good scrubbing after a long trip without bathing opportunities. The kitchen was warm because the water, brought in from the handpump in the backyard, had been heated on the hearth.

The next day, Sunday, was December 25 according to the old Russian calendar, when our friends and relatives in the country we had just left were celebrating Christmas. We had not expected to have any Christmas, since we left Russia before the holidays and arrived here too late. What a happy surprise, when on entering the living room we saw the Christmas tree with lit candles and plates with candies and cookies. There was also a good black dress for me, which was a completely unexpected, but very welcome gift.

In the afternoon, we had callers, friends from our home town. My aunt had provided refreshments and there was lively conversation, as each had much to tell. It was a happy day.

The next week was a busy one. On Monday, we washed, on Tuesday drove to Lubeck to do some shopping and the rest of the week was busy sewing clothes. In general, getting ready for America. On Friday, the Neufelds took a trip to Hamburg to check on the date of our departure, returning the next day with the news. That we were to pack and leave for Hamburg on Sunday and to sail on Monday.

Now every hour counted as we sorted and packed. But we were ready on time and with a happy spirit went to the station, some by horse and wagon, brothers and I by walking. It was an enjoyable ride through fields and woods on a well-kept trail. We arrived in Hamburg toward evening, rented a room at the hotel “Zur Post” and shortly were asleep in the cozy feather beds, being so tired from packing and hurrying that we were not interested in any sightseeing.

The following day, that is, today, was also hectic and exciting. After an 8 o’clock breakfast at a nearby restaurant, we all walked to the Steamship Company office where Uncle Will bought the steamship tickets, after each of us emigrants had been checked and investigated. The next stop was a doctor’s office for another physical exam. At this time, the long hair of the girls and women received extra attention and now begins a story, both funny and sad. We “Russians” apparently were guilty of harboring some of Russia on our heads and were sent to a “Hair Sanitation Institute”. My aunt took us to our destination and then joined the rest of our group at the hotel for lunch. Mrs. K’s, her small daughter and my hair was shampooed and combed and combed. Two uniformed operators worked on my long hair thoroughly and it seemed forever. Actually, the procedure took nearly three hours. I was very uneasy because we were to get our birth certificate before 6 o’clock closing hours.

After waiting an hour for Mrs. K., I finally decided to walk to the doctor on my own. The directions, which I received at the Institute were not right and I looked and looked for Dr. Unna’s sign and walked and looked for hours. The doorways are usually recessed and the nameplates on the doors are rather small. If I asked any passerby for information they shook their heads. I did not see any policemen who might have helped either. It was getting dark and I was lost, desperate and hungry.

Finally, I spied a small carrier who briefly showed me to our hotel, where I anxiously waited. Brother Frank and I boarded a streetcar and reached Dr. Unna in a few minutes. Luckily, he was in, had my health certificate signed and we returned to the hotel. How good it was to relax and have a late dinner!