The First Time at the Sea
In the summer of 1934, Margot and Anne Frank experienced a magical first: they saw the sea. They spent two weeks at a special holiday house for children in Zandvoort, a seaside resort that would become a cherished family destination. For a few short weeks, the girls were able to enjoy the simple pleasures of the beach, a fleeting moment of peace and happiness.
A letter from their mother, Edith Frank, from that same summer, provides a touching glimpse into her life. She wrote that she was “by the sea with the girls,” noting that Anne, who had not fully recovered from an illness, would be missing three more weeks of school to stay in a children’s holiday home. She also described a healthy and happy Margot, who was “tall, tanned and strong” and who found “great joy in learning.” Edith’s words reveal a mother’s love and her hopes for her children’s future.
For years, the Frank family would regularly return to Zandvoort for their holidays, but this tradition came to a heartbreaking end in 1941, when Jews were forbidden from using the beach. This small, seemingly insignificant detail is a powerful reminder of how their world was slowly, but surely, being taken away from them. The freedom to simply enjoy a day at the beach was a freedom they would soon lose forever.