Tuesday, September 25, 1917

Breakfast at eight. The men left for their appointments, and we went to do some shopping. We bought some postcards and stamps and a pouch for our passports. Had lunch and went to our room and washed some more of our clothes and it was time for dinner. Then we read and tried to brush our minds and cheer our hearts a little and went to bed. In the middle of the day the weather is very warm, but at night it is very cold. In the morning, the young people wear black. Deep black and long veils; they look like sisters of night. They drink lots of wine both the women and men. They make wine out of roses called rose wine of grapes. The grapes grow on low vines and pear trees on the houses like vines. It looks very queer to see them hanging on the branches. They have very good vegetables, especially carrots. They eat many eggs, make omelets of many kinds of things. Eat much fish and beans and have two meatless days a week, but only until the 15th of Oct. Two sweetless days till Oct. 15th. They serve fish first, then meat, then vegetables, then bread and tea. You must be sure and tip the waiter. Sugar is very scarce, and at present we use brown sugar; it tastes like maple. They have a very dark sugar made of beet. Coffee is made of extract and is very thick and you can’t get cream.

More Information

The following section provides historical context and is not part of the original diary entry.

Likely location: At sea / Bordeaux / Paris, France

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Margaret Sheldon departed New York in September 1917 with the first contingent of Salvation Army workers bound for France. After crossing the Atlantic in a convoy system designed to evade German U-boats, she arrived in Bordeaux and traveled to Paris before heading to the AEF training area in Lorraine.

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