[original page 34]
I also did not feel any discomfort in sleeping in an open four-bunk section made to accommodate up to twelve people by sleeping crosswise on the bunks. Our double section had only seven -- the six of us and one Jewish woman, [who was] a complete stranger. Sleeping in our clothes for nearly two weeks (including train time) seemed perfectly natural and not at all uncomfortable.
We Arrive in England
[It] was a great relief when we set foot on solid ground in England. We thanked our good fortune to be alive and in a free country. After we disembarked from the ship, we all just huddled together on the pier on solid ground that seemed to be swaying and vibrating-an after-effect from our rough voyage. A Jewish man from the Travelers Aid Society who spoke fluent Yiddish came over to us and asked where we were going. “America”, Mother answered. He looked over our tickets and noted Liverpool was our next stop. He informed Mother that we could wait for the train in the railroad station. Mother was in no mood to get mixed up in a noisy crowd. He then suggested that we could wait on the railroad platform near our baggage. That was very appealing to Mother, and that is where we waited in the quiet of the night and in the comfort of our soft bundled baggage for more than two hours. During that rest period we lunched on food we always carried with us in wicker baskets. Two kinds of dried bread, one plain and one topped with sugar. For real flavor we had jars of schmaltz (cooked chicken fat).
To Liverpool, Where We Wait
The train to Liverpool arrived close to midnight. We were ushered into a compartment that could seat up to twelve people. On the seat opposite us were two strangers. They left the train about halfway to Liverpool, and we had the whole compartment to ourselves. How nice. Shortly after entering the compartment most of us were asleep, only to be awakened at every station by bells and the opening and closing of doors to each compartment to enable passengers to get off the train at their destinations or to use the station facilities.
The sun awakened us… Through [the] glass window of a door on each side of the compartment the fast-changing views of the landscape fascinated us. We ran from one side of the aisle to the other so we would not miss any new sights. At every station stop were new wonders to observe. In that way we arrived at the Liverpool railroad station during midday, refreshed somewhat, and ready for new adventures.
In a forlorn manner we walked along the platform toward the large station. An attractively dressed middle-aged woman approached us, saying in Yiddish that she was from the Jewish Travelers Aid Society and desired to help us.
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