Herford, Germany

Herford is a city of 65,000 in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany that was originally founded by Charlemagne in 789. The city still has some buildings dating from the 11th and 12th centuries, but it also has a contemporary art museum designed by Frank Gehry. This card is most interesting to me because of its varied fonts and writing styles.

The message on the front of the card is written in old German script, by someone who was accustomed to writing on the front of the cards due to early postal regulations that allowed nothing other than the address on the back of the card.  This card has a place for the message, which is blank. I struggle with old German script, but it appears to be a simple happy birthday greeting from grandma. 

The address was likely written by someone else, since the handwriting is different. On top of that, Postkarte is printed in a very distinctive art nouveau or Jugendstil style, while the text below is an old German Fraktur font. The front of the card has a modern font along with another one that I don't recognize. It's just all a strange intersection of old and new styles. It looks like the card was sent in 1907.

Biarritz, France - Part 2

The Rock of the Virgin in Biarritz, France was named after the statue of the Virgin Mary that was placed there in 1865.  It was Napoleon III who decided to make a tunnel through the rock and have it connect to the shore via a bridge.  The original bridge was wood, but the current bridge is a metal one built by Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel-Tower fame.

In bad weather you can't cross the bridge, because the waves crash into it, although that didn't seem to stop these people:

The last card was mailed from Madrid on December 30th, 1911 to Madame Marie de Vignier in care of R.M. de Vignier. The message reads:

Many thanks dear Marie for your New Year's wishes, which we sincerely reciprocate. Remember us to Fernand and all of your children. Yours sincerely, your cousin and friend

Therese M. Vignier

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!