Carolyn Ayars 1927 European Vacation

July 18. Train to Geneva. Geneva lovely – whole family rented a motor boat for evening – perfect ride on the lake.

July 19. Sightseeing in Geneva. Rhone & Arvejunction – former clear, latter muddy.

July 20. Train to Grenoble. We were shut in a compartment with no aisle – terrible. Customs, then to Majestic Hotel; rooms nice, food terrible. Went dancing. Kept only hand luggage for trip through the French Alps. Snowy mts. 1st day –lunch on a high mountain – lovely. Stayed at Briancon – narrow streets, open sewer in center – quaint peasants – 21 forts.

July 21. Went through Col d’Izoard. Winding, steep – poor peasants, ox-carts. Stayed at Barcelonette – awfully odd town. Dark streets – narrow. Hotel peculiar, to say the least…huge rooms, huge bath but no hooks or closet space. Bob & I wandered around – delightful.

July 22. Hot, barren ride to Nice. Bob purchased Beret. Nice is perfect. Hansom ride at night along the Strand – Mediterranean gorgeous. Jack met us here and he and I went dancing at the Casino.

July 23. Nice – morning spent swimming – Jack and Bob purchased horrible cotton swimming trunks – only ones available (Dad bought 2 for modesty’s sake). Monte Carlo in the afternoon. B, A & I couldn’t get into the Casino, we were too young. Jack fibbed about his age and went in. Riviera is lovely. Dancing again at night – Nice Casino with Jack.

July 24. 5:30 am. Train to Genoa. Funny box lunch putup at Hotel, no diner on train. Customs at Genoa at 2:30pm. Bob’s knickers caused comments. Golf knickers “the thing” in U.S.

July 25. Morning train to Pisa. Dad, Bob, Alice climbed the Leaning Tower. Mother & I looked on. Hot – 2:30 pm train for Rome. Rome at dinner time. Roses in the hotel room for me from Jack. Went dancing with him at night.

July 26. Rome sightseeing. Siesta from 12:00 – 3:00. Bob sick – blamed  it on “horse meat”. Appian Way in afternoon. Jack & I went in evening to see the Colisseum [sic] by moonlight.

July 27. Alice sick – too hot. Vatican in a.m. Mrs. Chamberlin’s shorts. (Mrs. Chamberlin is Jack’s mother). More Rome sightseeing in afternoon. St. Paul’s Outside the Walls – Borgia Gallery – Vatican Museum. Fountains.

July 28. Train at 7:10 night of 27th to Naples. Pompeii in a carriage in the morning at 8:30. Naples very dirty – children unclothed. Spaghetti drying by dusty roadside. Colorful carts. Amalfi Drive in afternoon. Had lunch in a hotel on the hill at Amalfi – Mediteranean [sic] wordlessly lovely and blue. Back to Rome.

July 29. Rome – shopping. Washed thousands of stockings at night and packed.

July 30. Left Rome for Florence – arrived in afternoon. Jack met us at the train. Hotel on a lovely court. Water melons [sic] being sold on the street – in slices. In the evening Jack and I took a carriage to an outdoor dancing Pavilion (very popular) with marble floor and perfect music. Warm evening – nice.

July 31. Florence – sightseeing in am. Carthusian Monastery in afternoon. Charming. Each monk has a cell and sees other monks only once a week. Hot. Mother’s white hair caused much comment by the natives. Florence is perfect.

August 1. Linen purchasing in a.m. Then a horrible, hot, dusty train ride to Venice. Venice in late afternoon. Jack here again. He took me for a Gondola Ride until 2 a.m. – Carlos, #64, was our gondolier. “Street cars” are large boats.

August 2. Venice sightseeing. Pigeons in Square – fun to feed. Another perfect night with Carlos as gondolier – Jack’s proposal & ring at 1am in Gondola – my answer “no”. Gave me the ring anyway!

Aug.  3. Went by Gondola to the train – hopeless to start late for a train when being transported thus. Milan reached.

Aug. 4. Milan. Streets seemed large – buildings up-to-date. Sightseeing. Cathedral lovely. Went from here to Lake Como. Hotel Menaggio – perfect.

Aug. 5. Left Lake Como. Had a perfect swim and liked little boats with awnings. Left Menaggio on funny little mountain train which took us to Lugano. Hotel here nice – beautiful flowers –view perfect – went swimming. Bob, Alice & I took a boat in the afternoon and at night. Perfect ride. Mother & Dad called on Dr. Wallace.

Aug. 6. Scrambled to catch train – jerky electric train. Gorgeous Swiss Alpine scenery. Waterfalls, green mts., everything clean, cold. Lucerne about noon. Wandered around in afternoon - girls doing needlework in front of the shops. Jack met us here again. Went swimming and played tennis in afternoon. At night went to Kur-Saal dancing, gambling and general amusement center.

Aug. 7. Mt. Pilatus and sightseeing.

Aug. 8. Left Lucerne at 9 a.m. Went to Interlaaken [sic] – a delightful city. Went dancing at the hotel at night. Alice’s Spanish acquaintance. Jack & I were in a dancing contest.

Aug. 9. I was ill today. The family went to Trummelbach Falls.

Aug. 10. Left for Heidleberg [sic]. Most interesting. Duel Halls – Beer Garden of “Student Prince” fame. University students’ prison. Quaint hotel.

Aug. 11. Heidleberg [sic] – holiday today celebrating forming of the new Republic. Bands, parades. Left at 3 p.m. for Weisbaden.

Aug. 12. Trip along the Rhine – beautiful country – Castles.

Aug. 13. Cologne and on to Brussells [sic]. Flowers in my hotel room again (from Jack).  Ride in evening with Jack through Brussells [sic].

Aug.14. Drive in a.m. through Brussells [sic] – afternoon to Waterloo through beautiful woods. Panorama at Waterloo of the battle with Wellington and Napoleon’s armies all laid out. Remark of American woman tourist – “where were the Americans?”!

Aug. 15. Crossed the border into Holland. Amsterdam in the afternoon – cold and damp.

Aug. 16. Left in rain on a fishing smack for Vollendam and Isle of Marken. Odd island of morons who keep old Dutch dress for tourists’ sake. After this – on to the Hague. After dinner, decided to go immediately to England for which we were rather homesick. Jack here & persuaded Dad to go on. Crossed the “Hook”, rough! I was seasick.

Aug. 17. London again – seemed like home. Shopped. Jack and I went to the theater. Saw “Vagabond King” and went afterwards to the Trocadero.

Aug. 18. Mother ill. Rest of us went on Stoke Pogis trip. Grey’s Elegy Church – Thames by boat. (Old man with guitar – “If You Knew Susie”).

Aug. 19. Shopping. Packing. Jack & I took a bus and went shopping. Hats & overcoats fine – shoes horribly large.

Aug. 20. Train to York Cathedral – seen in a hurry – caught another train for Edinburgh.

Aug. 21. Melrose Abbey (heart of Robert Bruce buried here). Dryburgh Abbey (Sir Walter Scott buried here).

Aug. 22. Sightseeing in Edinburgh – Castle, Cathedral, War Memorial, Holyrood Abbey ruins.

Aug. 23. “Hop, skip and jump” day. Train, another train, bus ride through Trossack Country – very beautiful Lady of Lake country. Tally-Ho Ride (carriages driven by red-uniformed old drivers). Tea at a little hotel – bagpipe players in the mountains – boat trip to Lake Lamond. A perfect, beautiful day. Glasglow [sic] by night by two more trains!!

Aug. 24. Hated Glasglow – bad hotel. More trains and then motored to Keswick through Lake Country of England. Lovely, green – would like to spend several months touring it by motor.

Aug. 25. More England and then by train to Liverpool. Boat to cross Irish Sea.

Aug. 26. Dublin. Dirty, wretched people – many children – poverty – look of hopelessness. Left for Belfast. Jack met us at Belfast. All went to a movie house, where community sing was entered into by everybody. Aug. 27. Belfast. Too thrilled to be getting started for home to see or care much about Belfast. Hours dragged by – finally boarded for the Lighter which took us out to Canadian Line “Melita” – for home sailing.

Aug. 28 – Sept. 4. At Sea

Sept. 4 – Arrived at Montreal, Canada.

Sept. 5 – 12. Train trip across to Lake Louise, Vancouver, Victoria; Seattle, Portland, and finally home to Glendale, California. 281 Hill Dr.

Ayars Verdict – A perfect summer.

Ages: Bob – 18 yrs.

Alice – 14 ½ years.

Carolyn – 19 yrs.

Note: After Carolyn Ayars retired from Occidental College, she moved to Carlsbad. She then worked hard for the library, raising $30,000 for various collections and serving as president of the Friends of the Carlsbad Library for four terms. She never married because "she never met a man who wanted to eat all of his meals out!"