On my way to the U.S.: Höxter (12/7-9/1983)

Wednesday, December 7, 1983

Awoke just before the alarm went off at 5:15. Had my daily portion, which actually in Switzerland I have been having in halves twice a day. Is it still diarrhea if the frequency is twice a day?! I got dressed and packed the pajamas. Let myself out of Jan & Kirby's apartment, locked the door and locked the keys in the car. It was lightly snowing as I walked to the train station and my footprints were the only ones in the snow. I caught the 6:29 train to Basel, arriving at 7:36.

Cover of brochure for train info and timetable

I noted the train to Germany was an InterCity, so bought a Zuschlag/supplement for 6 CHF/$3.

Supplemental ticket

Biel to Brussels train ticket cover

Bought some chocolate bars with my leftover Swiss money. Caught the 8:08 train into Germany, arriving in Göttingen at 13:43, where I crossed the platform to board the 13:57 train to Kreiensen, arriving at 14:29. Walked to the other side of the station to catch the 14:38 local train to Höxter Rathaus. Passed through the gently rolling hills of the Weser valley with farmland and tiny towns. Arrived in Höxter about 15:25. I went to check the train schedule to see if there was an earlier train towards Aachen than 12:30. Then Elke N arrived, tapping me on the back! She said we could find out later about a train, so we went to hop in her old VW bus and drive through the neat little town with several restored medieval buildings among modern ones. The N house is one of the new ones with a flat roof. Inside, four little kids were milling around; all so cute! Nearly six-year old pixie-like Rebekka, pudgy nearly four-year old Anna, three-year old Daniel was almost as tall as Anna, and the adorable almost two-year old Michael. I was given a tour of the spacious house where every kid had his own room, but they prefer to sleep together. The Spielzimmer/play room was a madhouse! They had all the modern comforts: dishwasher and even a huge freezer. At 16:30 Ulrich came home and he took some videos around the house, even some of me. Boy, my German sounds schrecklich/terrible. We had a z’Vieri of waffles with cream and plum preserves with coffee or hot chocolate. The problem was that I thought this was dinner and ate two whole waffles! Elke and I continued to sit and talk, then went to the supermarket that stayed open later than the others. It was like a U.S. grocery store and even had some A&P brands. Then we went to visit a church acquaintance of the N’s who live in a 16C house that they are renovating. From the outside you can see that the floor levels had shifted. Inside each room was on its own level!

When we got back, the kids were given dinner of bread with butter, liverwurst and cheese, and hot cocoa. After they were put to bed, the grownups ate. I had a piece of bread with a cream of tartar spread, and one with liverwurst. Then we sat by the fireplace and Ulrich made a fire. Ulrich went to bed at 23:00. Elke seemed to need someone to talk to, and it was even interesting, but I was dead tired.

Thursday, December 8, 1983

Finally went to bed in the studio apartment they have which they can rent out. Having been up for 21 hours, I fell into bed.

Up at 8:00 and went upstairs to keep the kids amused while Elke went shopping for rolls. The kids ate bread with honey and a chocolate spread. When Elke came back, we had a “real” breakfast together, of several types of rolls (one with cheese baked on it) spread with butter and choice of jams, quark and whipped cream mixed together, peanut butter from Holland, honey, and chocolate and cream cheese spreads. I tried quark mixture with strawberry jam, and quark with peanut butter. The kids were off on their own, while Elke and I talked as we cleaned up the kitchen. Then it was time to start lunch! At 14:00 we sat down for beef rolls (thin slices rolled with lard and onions in them) and gravy, boiled potatoes and brussel sprouts. The kids had dessert of rice pudding and canned peaches.

We got ready to go out, with the kids wearing mismatched gloves. Michael liked to wear unmatched slippers or his daddy’s giant slippers. We, including the dog Ali, left to drive down to Höxter and parked behind the bank. Elke went into the bank while I held the dog leash. My hands got cold and the dog pulled the whole time. We went to the Christmas market of a few booths, mostly for food. The kids rode the carousel. We passed some finer shops and made our way to the train station. Rebekka dashed across a street so that a driver had to slam on his brakes! We stopped at a simple but pretty church. At the train station it was determined that I could catch a train in an hour to arrive in Brussels at 23:30. Elke ruled that out, so the next option was for Elke to drive me to Kreiensen and I’d leave at 22:00 to go to Hanover and then change for Brussels, arriving at 10:22. That was fine by Elke!

We wandered back to the market and the kids rode the carousel again. The three older kids were taken into the department store to use the restroom while I waited with Michael. Then the kids had waffles while Elke and I had crêpes. The kids got to ride the carousel once more, then we returned to the car, after seeing an aerial photo of the city in the bank. It didn’t have the N’s house on it.

This evening we visited an acquaintance of the N’s who was somehow connected to Ulrich’s work. Only the daughter was home, but it was there that I got an inkling of what Elke was planning. She wanted to drive me to Hanover, stopping at her parents’ house on the way. She expected to drive back in the morning, but then needed someone to watch the kids after Ulrich went to work. As we were leaving, we ran into an older couple, the daughter’s parents. The man seemed to think the plan was stupid, and called the train station to learn I could have been in Brussels tonight. Elke retorted that I would have to find a hotel. They suggested I take the train to Hanover, but Elke didn’t want me to wait for hours and hours. (I was ready to get a hotel or wait hours and hours, but Elke had her own ideas!) They finally agreed to come watch the kids. We stopped to buy bread on the way home.

Ulrich was napping when we got home at 20:00. We had dinner of bread with butter, liverwurst, cheeses, and canned herring. We watched a little TV and each kid except Daniel had a turn to sit next to me. Rapport was finally established at the last moment! The kids were put to bed and I went down to say goodbye to them.

Elke and I left at 21:30 to drive to Oerie where her parents live. It was raining as we drove through the hilly countryside and out into flat land. I was so tired and yawned myself silly. I was afraid of falling asleep on Elke who was keeping up a conversation. We arrived at her parents’ shortly before 23:00. I meet her mother and father; really nice people. We talked for an hour, then went upstairs to Elke’s old room with a sofa and a mattress on the floor. We put some sheets on the sofa and mattress, put on our pajamas and went to sleep.

Friday, December 9, 1983

The alarm went off at 2:00. We quickly got dressed and Elke gave me a bag lunch her mother had prepared. We went outside where Elke’s 18-year old brother Heiko was waiting in the N’s old Passat, now his car. He drove us into Hanover. Elke took my ticket and explained I needed to change from Höxter-Brussels to Hanover-Brussels. It cost me an additional 11 DEM.

Hanover-Brussels train ticket

We went to the platform to wait for the 2:56 train to Köln that was coming from East Germany. They announced it would be 20 minutes late. Elke and her brother were told by their mother to stay with me until I was on the train!  So we walked around the underground shopping mall with the sleeping bums and the signs on shop windows saying not to bother breaking in as the cash register is empty.

We returned to the train station and found the train had arrived. I had to go through several cars to find a seat, in a Polish car! Waved goodbye to Elke and Heiko as the train left at 3:20. Arrived in Köln at 7:25 and waited to the 8:09 train to Brussels. It was an InterCity train, so I bought a Zuschlag/supplement for 5 DEM. I then went to change all my DEM into Belgian francs. I spent the last of my change on a carton of milk and a bottle of tomato juice for 2.19 DEM, but was still left with 2.01 DEM! Oh, well!

I ate an orange and salami sandwich from the bag lunch.
On the train to Brussels, the conductor took my Zuschlag and charged me an extra 2 DEM.

Köln to Brussels supplement

I was glad I still had that much left! The Belgian conductor accepted the 2 DEM receipt as the supplement. There was no more snow after Köln. Arrived in Brussels about 10:20 at the Nord station, and went on to the Central station. I asked at baggage consignment and was told to go to the Midi station. Took the 10:42 train to Midi and went all the way around the back to baggage consignment. The guy took my ticket and told me to go though the back to Customs. I did and they couldn’t find my skis! I was taken back to baggage consignment and in the back room were my skis and boots!

Baggage tag on skis

I returned to the platform to catch the 11:10 train to Central, and there I hobbled over to track 1A and managed to get to 11:19 train to the airport. I stood in the vestibule with my skis. The conductor came and I paid 110 BEF/$2 for the ticket.

Train to Brussels airport ticket

A half hour later we were at the airport. I went to the Capitol Air desk to see if my open ticket was still valid. Everything was in order, but I did have to pay a 250 BEF/$4 airport tax.

Airport tax receipt

I went back to check-in and was told the skis were considered excess baggage, even if I wasn’t checking any other bags. So I had to return to the Capitol Air desk to pay the fee of 1,500 BEF/$27.

Excess baggage fee receipt

Ouch! Then I could check in and get my boarding pass.

Brussels to JFK ticket receipt

Ski baggage check

Baggage tag

Brussels to JFK boarding pass

Went through passport control and x-ray. Then wandered through the duty free shops and bought a Coca-Cola to use up the last of my Belgian coins. After that ski fee, I had very little left! We had a 13:30 boarding time for the 14:14 flight to JFK/New York City. It was late coming from Frankfurt and we boarded at 13:45. There was a lot of seat assignment confusion. They were still loading cargo at 14:15 and we left 20 minutes late. The steward doing the oxygen amsk and life vest demonstration thought he was a comedian. Lunch was beef chunks with rice and green beans, a salad with mayonnaise and bacon bits (real ones!). No dessert! The two girls beside me had to climb over me several times to use the restroom. We were given a snack at 20:00, or 14:00 local time; a little ham sandwich and a raisin roll. We landed about 16:30. With a U.S. passport, I was able to bypass passport control. Waited for the baggage to arrive, and the skis were carried out by hand. Although not necessary, I had itemized my souvenirs to a total of $136 in value. Normally you don’t have to declare anything less than $400, and to declare only the amount over $400. You only have to itemize if the total is over $1,400. The customs official glanced at my passport and signed the card. He asked where I had been skiing (Switzerland), and how was it (not much snow). He said I would be better off skiing in Buffalo. I changed all my Swiss and Belgian bills, getting only $35! I caught the airlines connector bus. Everything seemed so clean and new. It was already dark outside. Went almost in a complete circle to reach the Pan Am building where Empire Air was supposedly located. First I had to find the elevator to go to the third floor for departures. I walked back and forth, but no Empire Air, just the Pan Am ticketing office. I went in to wait in line, but decided I didn’t have enough time. A sign said domestic tickets for today could be obtained at some other counter. I went off to search. I found a cashier to ask, and was told to go to Gate 1 to buy a ticket. I was stopped by security before I could reach Gate 1, and needed a ticket to get through! They told me the ticket counter was in the back. I went off in one (unknowingly the wrong) direction, but finally found a Pan Am info desk to ask where Empire Air check-in was. I was directed in the opposite direction. Finally at 18:00 I was able to purchase a ticket for the 18:25 flight to Buffalo, costing $92, but there was no excess baggage fee.

JFK to Buffalo ticket receipt

Ski baggage check

JFK to Buffalo baggage tag

JFK to Buffalo boarding pass

I had to carry the skis to the gate with me and at security they asked why I hadn’t checked the skis. They laughed when I had to put the skis through the x-ray machine. I went to the desk to get my boarding pass and hand over the skis. The flight was going to be late because the plane hadn’t come in yet. So I called home to let them know I was on an earlier flight, but it was to be late. We boarded at 18:30, and the little plane was only half full. We took off at 18:55 and landed in Buffalo at 19:55. I went to baggage claim and called home to let them know I had arrived, and then waited for my things. Waited outside in 32 degree weather with lots of snow on the ground. Finally Frank and Paul drove up, and we got home at 20:30. Still having concurrent relief of bowel and bladder.

My Switzerland chapter is completed.