This photo I took last year at the Railway Museum in Hamar, Norway.Today my mother told me a story I cannot remember having heard before.
At the time I was around two and a half and my baby brother just a few months old.
My aunt had been staying with us in Moss since my brother was born, and now the four of us, my mother, my aunt and us two children were going to my grandparents who lived around Stockholm.
First we took the train from Moss to Gothenburg.
In Gothenburg lived Karin, then around 50 years old, married, without children.
A family friend.
We spent some hours at her apartment and she then followed us to the night train to Stockholm.
At that time (now too?) there was something called Barnekupe (Norwegian) or Barnkupe (Swedish) - a special compartment for families with children.
My mother and aunt entered the Barnekupe on the nighttrain and settled down with us two young children. Karin was standing in the door of that specific compartment. We must have come fairly early.
Then came another family with children, and they of course wanted to enter the same compartment.
Oh no! Karin filled the whole door opening and explained in an assertive manner that this compartment was now full.
The arguments from the family did not help.
Karin did not move from the door opening.
The family then brought the conductor.
But Karin explained in the same assertive manner that this compartment was full.
The conductor came no way with this superwoman.
Behind her, crunching on the seats, my aunt and mother felt very uncomfortable...
The conductor then brought the man in charge of the whole train.
But even he could not persuade Karin to move from the door.
"I", said Karin, " have worked as the private secretary of Mr. So-and-So (she mentioned the name of a former director of the Swedish Railways system SJ) and I know how the company cares about their small passengers. There will not be enough air in this compartment during the night if you put more people in here!
You better move those two men who have already fallen asleep in the next compartment somewhere else and make that compartment into another Barnkupe."
By now, the train personell was exhausted and took her last suggestion.
We stayed - two grownups and two children - in our compartment and the other family got the next compartment.
When this was settled, Karin moved from the door opening, went off the train, and waved goodbye.
Finally the train could start its journey towards Stockholm.
PS. She had fought as a lioness, even telling a lie about having been a private secretary for the director of the railways. But it had been done in very educated and assertive Swedish and she had pulled it through.
At the time I was around two and a half and my baby brother just a few months old.
My aunt had been staying with us in Moss since my brother was born, and now the four of us, my mother, my aunt and us two children were going to my grandparents who lived around Stockholm.
First we took the train from Moss to Gothenburg.
In Gothenburg lived Karin, then around 50 years old, married, without children.
A family friend.
We spent some hours at her apartment and she then followed us to the night train to Stockholm.
At that time (now too?) there was something called Barnekupe (Norwegian) or Barnkupe (Swedish) - a special compartment for families with children.
My mother and aunt entered the Barnekupe on the nighttrain and settled down with us two young children. Karin was standing in the door of that specific compartment. We must have come fairly early.
Then came another family with children, and they of course wanted to enter the same compartment.
Oh no! Karin filled the whole door opening and explained in an assertive manner that this compartment was now full.
The arguments from the family did not help.
Karin did not move from the door opening.
The family then brought the conductor.
But Karin explained in the same assertive manner that this compartment was full.
The conductor came no way with this superwoman.
Behind her, crunching on the seats, my aunt and mother felt very uncomfortable...
The conductor then brought the man in charge of the whole train.
But even he could not persuade Karin to move from the door.
"I", said Karin, " have worked as the private secretary of Mr. So-and-So (she mentioned the name of a former director of the Swedish Railways system SJ) and I know how the company cares about their small passengers. There will not be enough air in this compartment during the night if you put more people in here!
You better move those two men who have already fallen asleep in the next compartment somewhere else and make that compartment into another Barnkupe."
By now, the train personell was exhausted and took her last suggestion.
We stayed - two grownups and two children - in our compartment and the other family got the next compartment.
When this was settled, Karin moved from the door opening, went off the train, and waved goodbye.
Finally the train could start its journey towards Stockholm.
PS. She had fought as a lioness, even telling a lie about having been a private secretary for the director of the railways. But it had been done in very educated and assertive Swedish and she had pulled it through.
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