Port of Dover and the Famous White Cliffs of Dover – Photo Credit: wikipedia.org
Attention people, who have recently joined my blog and wish to read from the beginning the Peter and Gertrud Klopp Story. You simply click on the menu tab ‘Klopp Story’ then again on ‘Book One’ to select the starting point.
Biene Travels to England
“If you want to eat well in England, eat three breakfasts.”
W. Somerset Maugham
In the meantime Biene had exchanged quite a few letters with Mrs. Lande, her employer-to-be in Manchester, England. She found out that she would be working in a modern household with three small children all less than six years of age. I spite of the many warnings from her friends regarding tough working conditions, Biene was looking forward to her job as an au pair girl, which offered a great opportunity for improving her English language skills through direct contact with people speaking their native tongue. Becoming familiar with running a household while earning some money also proved useful for the young lady from Germany.
Biene and her Parents at the Düsseldorf Railway Station – August 1965
On August 10th Biene took the train from Düsseldorf to Calais to catch the ferry to England. At dawn the ferry reached her port of call at Dover, where Biene had to endure a gruelling long time at customs and at the passport control station. She arrived at London by train two hours later than expected and therefore missed her connection to Manchester. Fortunately at Dover she had had enough time to send off a telegram to Mrs. Lande. After a brief sightseeing tour of Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London she was on the train again and traveled through a very pleasant landscape, the so-called Midlands, featuring one of Britain’s finest scenery, greenest countryside and grandest views, through a picturesque patchwork of streams, valleys and woodlands.
The Midlands of England – Photo Credit: wikipedia.org
After the cold night onboard of the ferry Biene felt sleepy and happy in the warm afternoon sun that was peering through her compartment window. After she had conducted her first English conversation with a nice elderly couple, who almost overwhelmed her with good luck wishes for her time in England, she fell asleep and awoke only, when the train was already approaching Manchester. The closer she got the more excited she became and wondered if Mrs. Lande would recognize her on the platform.
Victoria Station, Manchester, England – Photo Credit: wikipedia.org
But she worried about that for nothing, because her employer was nowhere to be seen. In vain she looked around and after some time she was standing with her suitcases all alone on the deserted platform. She asked a black porter, who looked at her with pitiful eyes, to carry her suitcases to a taxi. When he found out that she was from Germany, where his mother was living, he was so delighted to be able to help her that he did not take any tip from her. Biene was quite touched by his helpfulness, especially after the porters in London had shamelessly taken advantage of her uncertainty over how much money would have been the appropriate amount for a tip. In the taxi she felt drowsy and suddenly very tired after so many wakeful hours. She could barely follow the verbal onslaught of the taxi driver, who in his zeal to share his local knowledge wanted to tell her about the remarkable sights of Manchester.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 
It sounds like Biene is on a great adventure. When you are young, inconveniences don’t stop one from interesting learning experiences.
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The biggest problem of international travel in old days was of language. Looks like biene overcame this successfully.
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Language was indeed a big problem. Positively speaking, for Biene it also was a golden opportunity to refine her language skills to prepare her for the future in Canada. Thank so much for your continued interest in our story, dear Arv!
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I’m sure it must have helped her immensely. 😃
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Certainly, it helped her greatly.
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So glad to hear what comes from Biene’s side of challenges taking on of her adventures.
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Thank you so much, dear Cornelia, for your kind words! Your interest in Biene’s side of the story is greatly appreciated. Her adventures and challenges will dominate the scene of the entire chapter 32. Stay tuned!
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Das aufregende Abenteuer geht auch für Biene los…
Und daß es gleich am Anfang Schwierigkeiten gab, war bald zu erwarten… Aber Biene wäre nicht Biene gewesen, wenn sie sich davon hätte abschrecken lassen!
Ein sehr schönes Foto von Biene mit ihren Eltern..
Liebe Grüße!
Edda
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Liebe Edda, Biene hat ihr Elternhaus in Deutschland als junges und unerfahrenes Mädchen verlassen und ist als gereifter Mensch zurückkehrt. Wie das sich entwickelt hat, ist in Kapitel 32 zu lesen. Ja, das Foto mit ihren Eltern gefällt mir auch sehr gut. Vielen herzlichen Dank für deine lieben und anspornenden Worte! Biene wird bald auf eure liebe Post eingehen.
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It’s always good to have adventures when you are young. Then you can cope much better. I’m sure that Biene was successful in every way. I’m looking forward to a new story, dear Peter. Regards from stormy Hamburg, Mitza
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Even in a love story there are situations where it would be best to view things from a distant and different viewpoint. This opportunity is now given to Biene with her stay in England. Thank you, Mitza, for your valuable input!
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Poor Biene! And now I want to find out what happened to her in Manchester. Please don’t make us wait too long.
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I am glad that you, Ann, and others like to read more about Biene’s adventures in England. Chapter 32 will give her a chance to bring her part of the story to the forefront.
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Interesting side here!
I learned recently that many Germans write in English to reach a broader audience (and of course because their English is at least as good as their German).
Gerhard
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I am writing in English for a different reason. My wife and I have been living in Canada for more than 50 years. Most of our relatives and friends live in North America and many would not be able to read my blog if it was written in German. Vielen Dank, lieber Gerhard!
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Thanks for the clarification 🙂
I love English but have rarely the chance to speak it. But I read a lot in English on the net.
Gruß zurück, lieber Peter!
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I loved the hills and dales of the Midlands countryside. Beautiful! 🏞
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It surely must be a beautiful countryside. hanks for your compliment!
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This is an exciting new chapter in the story. It’s funny to think of you and Biene both having separate although connected adventures in entirely different continents. It seems you were both in beautiful (in different ways) parts of the world too. As ever, I look forward to finding out what happened next.
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Looking back at our life of some 50 years ago, I sense that some readers might perceive the story with a certain degree of disbelief, as if it had been concocted by a novelist, who deliberately added twists and turns to make his novel more suspenseful. Thank you for your interest in the true story of a complicated and somewhat convoluted relationship, dear Bun!
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It’s a great story, Peter, but also one that rings completely true to me. Real life often has all sorts of fascinating twists and turns. Now the story has got to a particularly interesting point with your separate adventures. I now have one eye following you in Canada and the other following Biene in the UK, which I imagine must give me a rather chameleon-like appearance.
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The focus will be on Biene’s life in England for the most part of the present chapter. This might help you a bit keeping your mind on just one person, unless you enjoy having a chameleon-like appearance. By the way, I am missing your posts. They would definitely add some color to my life, dear Bun.
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Thank you, Peter. I hope to return to blogging at some point in a few months. (For one thing, I’m still paying for my website, so I really should do something to justify the expense or my wife will have something to say about it.)
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