Washing Dishes at the Hotel Nordsee-Halle in Büsum, Germany, 1966

In Summer, 1966, I was a guest worker in the North Sea resort town of Büsum, Germany. My co-workers, Adriano and Rosa, traveled from Italy that summer to work at the same place. Together, we were responsible for keeping the dishes, glasses, cutlery, pots, and pans clean at the Hotel Nordsee-Halle.

This hotel bordered a branch of the city's harbor that was usually filled with battered old fishing boats.  Just beyond the harbor from Hotel Nordsee-Halle was a a high, sloping beach that served as a dyke to protect the low-lying city. At the top of the grass-covered beach, near the entrance closest to Hotel Nordsee-Halle, were mineral bath buildings and a lighthouse.

Postcard showing Hotel Nordsee-Halle and the Büsum Harbor, middle 1960s

The city of Büsum had a normal population of a couple of thousand residents, but its population grew in the summer as German and English tourists arrived. The city offered tourists healing waters, a beach, long sea-view promenades, a frigid sea, boats trips, nice restaurants, and some inexpensive hotels. 

The attractions of Büsum, 1966

Adriano, Italian

Because the trip to Büsum was my first time in Europe, it was both instructional and enthralling, even if I did have to wash dishes. Among the highlights of the trip was working with Adriano and Rosa. They were the first real Italians I had known, and it was fun working with them.  Here is a picture of Adrino, who was in his late 20s when we worked together.

Just for fun, I have written an account of the summer washing dishes in Büsum that is posted on Scrib'd.  It can be found at this location:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/62108620/Adriana-Rosa-Dennis-Dornik-Wash-Dishes-in-Boom-time-Germany

The title is "Adriano & Rosa & Dennis Dornik Wash Dishes in Boom-Time Germany."