The New Station At Gjenovic

We headed back to our station. Outside the barricades a torpedo boat flashed to us the signal that we should enter at the new station at Gjenovic. We were anxious to see what it was going to look like. The talk about it went on for a long time. It was said that brick barracks were built and we were supposed to get beds over there. Of course all was only hear-say. Those shelf units we used as beds at the Villa Stein were anything else but real beds and the rest of the furnishings had the same style. Everything was genuine war-like or maybe what we thought of as "wild west."

When we entered at Gjenoviv we first had to find our dock but it was not difficult. The Fiver was first and then our Fifteener. Then came the Sixteener and finally the Seventeener. There was one more place for the Sixer but he won't be coming anymore. He has been overdue for quite some time and must have been caught.

After we stepped on land we looked at the nice barracks the have built here. The interior was one large room with four rows of beds similar to the rooms in a big hospital. How times have changed. Now the crews from all four boats were together. Tables and benches were set up for the men between the rows of beds. Our personal things had been brought here already and each of us had our places assigned.

"Everything is just fine and dandy." noticed the Second Torpedo-Master, "But I would still rather stay at the Villa Stein." We were far less disturbed but here it smelled too much like barracks and they would soon start with their military discipline. "That will all be up to us," said the Torpedo-Master from the Sixteener, "If we keep order ourselves there shouldn't be any problems because nobody who is not from a boat will be snooping around here. The station crew lives on the Panonia anyway and is none of our business."

We really missed Ponte Rosa. Even though it was nicer here it hurt us to be together with so many. In Rosa the rooms for the different boats were divided and we were completely separated from the others. Here we could not do fencing or wrestling or entertainment like dancing anymore. But there was also one at Rosa who missed us very much. It was the owner of the wine tavern there. He could close up shop now. And then there was another one who was surely glad we were gone. He was the so-called Mayor. We had always harvested his lemon trees before he had the chance. Nevertheless, we soon got used to the new place and it felt a little more like home.