The Riemer family on holiday in Abbazia

The Riemer family on holiday in Abbazia

My family in Abbazia. My older sister and I are wearing identical dresses. We were always dressed alike. It was quite common then for siblings to dress that way. There was a shop where children's clothing was sold, called Benesovskij, a name I will never forget. We shopped there every year for our seasonal wardrobes. Mommy had her dresses made in the salon - such an excellent salon it was! The entire extended family went down to Abbazia on holiday at the same time. We traveled by train. Oh, that was a big journey! It took almost a whole day, and we had to change trains at Fiume, which was not easy with our large amounts of luggage. In Abbazia we all lived in the Breiner Hotel, which was a strictly kosher hotel. I remember that the meat table and the meat section were set with red covers, while the milk table and section had nice blue tablecloths. You could eat meat or milk-based meals, but the two parts were kept separate. The Breiner was the only kosher hotel in Abbazia, so all our Jewish acquaintances also stayed there. The family all traveled there together, my mother and the two of us (and of course the Fräulein - since she worked all year, it was natural that we wouldn't leave to go on holiday without her!). My mother's younger sister with her two sons also went, as did our grandparents, and, I think, others as well. There were lots of children in Abbazia, as well as many acquaintances, relatives and neighbors. Everybody knew everybody else. There was also always a rabbi who spent his summer holiday there, because the place was kosher enough for him. He conducted a religious service every Sabbath, as there was a synagogue there, too. Daddy was with us there for a few days, sometimes even for two weeks at a time, but we always stayed in Abbazia with Mommy for a month. Daddy had to be at home to look after the factory.
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