Dutch and German Immigrants The Prins Family - Pier 21

Memories of Kennemerlaan 7 / Living with Oma & Opa PrinsAfter the divorce of my parents in 1936 I moved with my dad to mygrandparents house at Kennemerlaan 7. This house had the shape of atriangle which gave some of the rooms a most interesting shape. In myeyes the stairway was majestic, painted once a year by Aunt Nel. A signmarked 'we paint' was hung, actually quite unnecessary because of thepaint smell!I don’t remember if I had been at the house before but I surely remembermy first entrée at that time through the front door with my dad. Later Ialways came in through the backdoor and the kitchen.I lived with my grandparents until my dad remarried in August 1941.The first few years he was still in the merchant marine and sailed toSouth America. When I hear the names of Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiroor Buenos Aires, I am reminded of those days. Once in a while he wenton a short trip to Germany (Hamburg or Bremen). A trip to SouthAmerica took approximately 2 months and then only a few days home. Iremember well the welcoming home at the North Sea Canal lock andthen the walk to the railway station to accompany him home. His trunkwas full of clothes, a bushel of green bananas and a boxes with cornedbeef. The bananas disappeared into the basement, never had a chanceto ripen and were never seen again!There was a dog named Limmie (where did they find a name like that?), arather small, white long-haired dog. Sometimes she was put into the tubto be washed. After the bath, she promptly disappeared under the coalfurnace in the kitchen with predictable results.When my dad was home we always went one day to Amsterdam to theCineac (movie theatre) and dinner at Heck’s Restaurant, where we atekale with sausages or pea soup.Early in 1940 my dad got a permanent job in the harbour, adjustingcompasses on fishing boats. On his last trip back from South Americaon either the Eemland or the Zaanland, his ship had to dock in Londonfor inspection of the load, to make sure no strategic materials for theGermans were on board.It was such a sure thing for me to be cared for by my dad’s family, that Inever realized what it must have been like for my grandparents,especially my grandmother, or Oma as I called her, to take care of a sixyearold boy and that for five years.