Pengalanty's Blog

My Exciting Time in Europe

I have had many different experiences, jobs, careers etc. since leaving school over half a lifetime ago. Most of the changes have been due to situations that I was not in control of.

It seems that my life is deemed to stay that way.

Some of the things I have done, I enjoyed; some were just to pay my way,  keep my head above water and pay the bills! Most were boring or unpleasant!

In my 20’s, I was a company rep. It was quite a well-paid job, complete with car and expenses. It was all right at first but I became very tired of being nice to people I did not always respect, mainly to get the order and earn my commission. It was a false life and I was unhappy doing it.

On the spur of the moment, I jacked it in one day, (I actually gave in my customary month’s notice and was then asked to return everything immediately,) which I did. I then ‘hitch-hiked’ to Germany. It could have been anywhere but earlier in my life, I had a brief encounter with a very vivacious German girl! I was always envious that she could speak two languages and I only spoke English. So, – Off I went to Germany!

If my ex. Girlfriend, (At that time,) had been French, no doubt I would have ended up in France. Totally irrational I know but life is sometimes like that.

I ended up in Bayern, (Southern Germany) where a strong dialect was spoken; they even had different names for some things, which were definitely not ‘High German.’ So I learned with a dialect!

I managed to get a job in a paper factory, in Dachau. This was a hard physical job, in very hot surroundings and little or no safety facilities around the large machines. It didn’t pay too much money either. However, when you cannot speak a language, one’s choices are not great.

I set about learning German, bought myself a Berlitz phrase book and made an effort to communicate. I had lots of enjoyable experiences along the way and got to know many people.

Because of the poor working conditions, i was not keen to stay there. I managed to change jobs, (Even though one needed a ‘Work Permit’).

I ended up at Grundig ‘Works 3’, a Volkswagen car radio factory, also situated in Dachau, Southern Germany.

Because my hobby, in the early days was radio controlled aeromodelling and had I made my own transmitters and receivers and could ‘read’ a circuit. I had some electrical knowledge, so I ‘spoofed’ my way into the job. This paid even less money and was boring, so I didn’t stay too long here either. All the time my German, although very broken and a long way from being fluent, was getting better.

Some months later, I saw an advert in a Munich weekend paper, which advertised for a waiter in a nightclub. I duly reported to their main office, said, “ I’m a waiter. Can I have the job?” They took me on trial for one weekend. I stayed in the job and finished with the Grundig Radio factory.

They very soon learned that I was not a ‘trained’ waiter and was flying by the seat of my pants! However, my turnover was high, the customers liked the way I looked after them, so I was able to keep the job.

Actually it was easy to keep the job! You see, the customers, when they found out there was an Englishman as a waiter in the “Scotch Knipe”, in Munchen, they flocked to my station. They either wanted to practice their English on me, or they were intrigued by the ‘funny’ way I spoke German. It was like finding a double-headed coin. I won either way. I also looked after them on a more personal basis too, (The English Way!) which was also appreciated.

This job was very hard, due to the long unsociable hours. I used to start at 7:30pm and finished work about 4.35am the following morning. Then, very often, because ‘us night workers’ were just finishing work, we were like other normal mortals and enjoyed going for a drink after finishing the work, relating experiences and just chatting and drinking. The only difference being, it was 12-hours out of phase to ‘normal’ mortals!

In Munich, there were a couple of ‘Early Locals’. They opened at 5am; just right for us waiters and other night workers. At 5am in the morning, in these locals, were the Traditional German Brass ‘Umpah’ bands, complete with their leather trousers and traditional dress. Beer flowed quite freely and everyone had the time of their lives. The beer being served by rather large, (And strong,) waitresses in traditional dress.

I sometimes arrived at the ‘Early Local’ before they opened. You would be amazed to see the crowds outside, waiting to go in, sometimes 5 deep and about a 100 yards long. You would think that all these people, (Looked like the entrance to a football final,) would never get in! However these places were as large as Paddington Station, London and everyone soon sat down on long trestle tables and bench seats. If it was crowded, one shoved up and made room for yet another person to sit down.

The serving ‘wenches’ (A horrible slang word I know), who were mainly large women in Bavarian Traditional dress used to come to the end of the trestle tables, with 5 ‘litres glasses’ of Mass Bier in each hand (10 x1- litre handled glasses full of beer). They then put all the beers on the end of the table and proceeded to slide them down, (One for each person,) and they actually stopped sliding right in front of the person it was meant for! They would have won any shove halfpenny competition in any pub!

Just think for a moment  - Think of trying to carry 10 litres of beer plus the weight of the glasses. A mammoth task! I tried to do this once and failed miserably!

I hope I have been able to paint the right mental picture for you, in your mind. Together with this picture you must add the ‘electric’ atmosphere this created with everyone enjoying themselves, the noise of the brass band and people shouting to each other. It was so noisy; you had to shout to be heard!

I stayed in the “German Night Local” type of work for about 2 years. By then I had had enough, so I looked in the Munich weekend papers again.

This time there was a job advertised, which was right down my street, Driving long distance holiday coaches. Fortunately I had an English coach licence, which was still current, as I used to help a friend of mine with a coach firm in Dudley, Staffs. (Before I went to Germany,) over weekends and Bank holidays etc..

I got my English licence ‘officially’ translated. The paper said, “ This attached driving licence is valid for motorcycles, cars heavy motor cars, lorries and coaches.” I can’t exactly remember the wording but it included everything except road rollers and track laying vehicles

The ‘Official’, when he gave me back my driving licence, then informed me that I was OK for driving an English coach in Germany, or even French or Italian for that matter but I was not permitted to drive a German coach on this licence as a full time, or part time job or profession, as one had to have a German licence for this purpose. I acknowledged that I understood and went away quite happy. Unfortunately, I had a very short memory at this particular time and by the next morning had forgotten what was said!

I knocked on the office door of the coach company in Munich, spoke to the owner and then had the company’s own driving test. They hired me! I completely forgot to mention that I needed a German licence to drive a German coach – How Naughty!

I ended up driving a coach for 3 months effectively without a licence, until I took the coach early one morning and went and passed my test. Before my actual driving test, I took my Theory. This was all in German! Although I could speak quite well by this time, I couldn’t read German, especially the legally written typed documents produced for the test.

However, I previously made friends with the Sales Manager of the Main Mercedes car showroom, in Munich. He advised me that I could purchase a book with all the questions and answers of the German Highway Code in it.

Every day, for 2 weeks or maybe a bit longer, I copied out the whole of this book. Question and answer, until I knew which question went with which answer, without having to understand them. I duly went into the exam room, complete with my dictionary, which I was allowed to have. I took about 4 different papers, to cover all the classes of vehicles. Out of over 350 questions, I got 2 wrong! Fortunately they were in two different parts of the paper. The examiner said, you have done very well. You have passed. I could hardly hide my excitement.

I then applied for my German licence and carried on driving coaches for a further 7 years, until I came back to England.

This was most Probably the most interesting time of my life. I travelled all over Europe, both East and West, which took me to Russia, Poland, Finland as well as most of the Western European countries, including couple of trips to London. I could write a book on these experiences alone. I had a really great time, although the work was again very hard, especially with the Mediterranean sun burning your legs as you were driving. I often had to place a towel doubled up over my trousers to shied me from being burnt.

After 10 years, I became a little homesick for England. There are things that one does miss and over time they become important. At the end of the 1970 summer season I decided to return to the UK.