Biarritz, France - Part 1

Maybe I'll visit Biarritz one day. In a way I don't want to because I'm afraid it won't be as magical as what I imagine from these postcards. The city of Biarritz is on the south-western coast of France near the border with Spain.  If you think Biarritz doesn't look like a French name, you would be right; it's Basque. Biarritz may be located in France, but it is also in the heart of Basque territory.

Biarritz was a whaling town as early as the 12th century, but it was recognized as a resort destination by the 18th century.  In 1854, Empress Eugenie (Napoleon III's wife) built a palace here, which is now the Hotel du Palais , where the nightly room rate ranges from about 400 Euros per night to 1,500.  If I were going to spend that much money on a hotel room I would do it here. Over the years, Biarritz has attracted the rich and famous, including the British royal family (as in Victoria), exiled Russian royals, the Hapsburg family, and celebrities such as Coco Chanel, Charlie Chaplin, Pablo Picasso,  and Ernest Hemingway. There is also a casino in Biarritz, which is the building shown on the postcard above.

I should also mention that Biarritz is a popular surfing destination. Actress Deborah Kerr's husband Peter Viertel is credited with bringing the first surfboard to France and introducing surfing to Europe. He was purportedly so impressed by the waves in Biarritz that he called for a surfboard to be sent to him from California. It must have been magical for him to have all of those waves to himself.

The card below shows the Cathedral  of Saint Eugenie.

More cards of Biarritz tomorrow!

Flag Day!

Flag Day is celebrated on June 14th, although it is not an official holiday. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued the proclamation to designate June 14th as Flag Day. U.S. Citizens commemorate the day by flying the flag for the week and by having parades. And then of course there are postcards:

The message sent to Louisa Rose in 1918 appears to say:

On my way to camps Tue

Jos Kehrles

This card was sent to Master Howard Gibbons in Binghamton, New York, but I just can't make out the message.

Streetcar Sunday - Hastings, U.K.

Hastings is located on the coast of East Sussex in England. Historically, the town has been an important fishing port and a tourist destination.

Hastings had tram service between 1905 and 1928. Initially, most of the system operated with overhead wires, except for some areas right along the waterfront, such as this one. They were operated on what was called a Dolter stud contact system, which was later determined to be too dangerous, because it occasionally electrocuted horses. So, in 1914 these were replaced with petrol electric trams. However, in 1921 this section was converted again and operated on overhead wires along with the rest of the system. In 1928 the entire system was converted to trolley buses, but there has been recent discussion in Hastings about re-introducing trams.  For more detailed history of the Hastings trams, check out this website. If you are interested in the future of trams in Hastings, you may want to check out the Hastings Tramway Club.

Hastings has another claim to fame: Fred Judge, photographer and postcard publisher. This postcard could well have been printed by Judge, especially as his shop is in the center of the photo! Here's an enlargement so you can see it clearly. Fred and his brother started producing postcards in 1903.

If it is a Judges card, the number in the stamp box would help to determine an approximate (O.K., very approximate) date. The earliest numbered series in 1906 started out at 50. This one is numbered 4719. I would guess that the card is from about 1910, whether or not it was printed by Judges. By the way, Judges is still printing postcards.

Oh, and here's what the same corner looks like today:

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