Chester Jackson Family

Beulah's Vacations

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Beulah took vacations to England and Paris in 1926, Europe in 1936 and Mexico in 1960.  She took no camera, so other than two group photos we have no visual documentation of those trips.

Beulah's England Tour - 1926 (not visible)

Beulah's Mexico Tour - 1960 (second from right)

Beulah kept a diary and wrote postcards and letters home, of which we have several, but only a few of them are worthy of inclusion:

  • A letter home from Paris, August 3, 1926:

... may get a steamer rug in Scotland.  We went to Grand Opera last night and heard Tannhauser -- such a beautiful place as this is.  I spent about two hours in the Louvre this aft -- saw Mona Lisa and The Last Supper by da Vinci [it had to have been a copy, since the original is a fresco in Italy] and many other famous pictures -- I enjoyed the Dutch collection of pictures at Amsterdam more.  I like their style better than the Italians.  Tonight we .. shall see Carmen at the Comic Opera House.

  • Another letter (7/30/26 from Paris) contains this scandalous revelation:

I bought tickets for 9 of us to go to the Follies [Folies Bergère] tonight ... I'll probably never be the same after the Follies tonight.  They're a trifle risqué you know.  We have box seats for 6 & orchestra for 3 -- at 2.50 each or 100 [francs].

I have trouble imagining Beulah at the Folies Bergère.

  1. Her viewing of the controversial Sistine Madonna in the Dresden Art Museum (which fortunately survived WWII and the British firebombing of Dresden).

  2. Comments about encountering a dachshund for the first time (probably a short-haired variety).

  3. Observations about the Olympics and eating German wurst.

  4. The aforementioned fascination with Hitler.

  • From her diary, August 20, 1936 (still the 1936 Berlin Olympics)::

We went, after assembling [for] lunch, to stadium -- such a sight -- 100,000 accommodated -- & the beautiful arena -- in green grass & the run ways in red brown.  The flags of all nations waving from the circular top -- & the beautiful stairway entrance.

Hitler was present in afternoon when the German girl was awarded medals for javelin throw, all Germans rose, & sang national anthem -- band playing.  They rose & saluted when Hitler came in -- a sea of outstretched arms, a sight indeed.  Jesse Owens wins 800 meter dash.  A beautiful negro.

  • Beulah's diary of her 1960 trip to Mexico, of interest to those who have been, might go in the future, wish to read an amateur's observations of Mexican culture fifty years ago, etc.