The Irish s.etter
Karl Warndorf
I
MET mM
on tho Comioh in
M.,,.,m,.
How"
a
poo' and homolo" dog
and I was a refugee, that is a poor and homeless human being.
The Cornich is a superbly constructed road that cuts into the Roucas
Blanc, as the last ridges of the Alps are called in
Pr~vencal.
Supported by
massive stone walls it runs across the viaducts that span the canyons the
sea has eaten into the rocks. On top and on the slopes of these rocks are
the villas of the rich who settled here attracted by the beauty of the
scenery. The Cornich closely follows the winding of the shore line, extend–
ing into the bay with it, and receding again as it cuts inland. At each turn
of the road you thus enjoy a constantly varying view of the city and the
bay. The white rocks glittering in the sun, the azure sky, the cliffs, which
in the distance appear to be another and steeper shore, the islands scat–
tered over the harbor, and beyond them the blue waters of the Mediter–
ranean. Palm trees growing among pines and maples, groves of wild
oleanders, evergreens, and cacti. The poor wretch from Northern Germany
who gazes at the rich colors and breathes the mild air filled with the
fragrance of blossoms will feel his heart throb.
But the poor wretch must not allow himself to become so entranced
by the beauty of nature as to forget that he came to Marseille "to get his
papers fixed" and that he has, in order to accomplish this, to appear punc–
tually at the various offices and stand in line to wait his turn. Patiently he
must stay there for hours on end, although he may be ready to cave in,
lest he lose his chance of escaping from the European scrapheap. Wait he
must before he obtains the overseas visas, i.e. until the Americans agree to
let him in; wait he must before he obtains the
permis de sortir,
i.e. until
the French agree to let him out. And even after this ordeal is over and he
has written proof that they agreed and proof that his passage was paid he
can't hurry off, but must wait again until he can show proof that reserva–
tions have been made for him on this or that liner sailing on such and
such a date and, after having been able to show that, continue to wait for
the Spanish and Portuguese transit visas, i.e. until the authorities of Spain
and Portugal agree to let him pass. And this they'll not do without hear–
ing from headquarters of the international police in Madrid and Lisbon
that no objections would be raised against his departure.
In the weeks that
I
spent waiting for my Spanish and Portuguese tran–
sit visas I went to the shore below the Cornich and took a swim in the bay
almost every morning and sometimes also in the afternoon. Even a refu–
gee could afford to go to the beach, because it cost nothing. My pleasure,
331
