The Jolly Fisherman

On the postcard you can see the Jolly Fisherman. It is the statue and fountain which you can find in Skegness J.

Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, 69 km east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910 (from Wikipedia).

The Jolly Fisherman it is a local mascot, designed by John Hassall in 1908 for the Great Northern Railway), and a slogan - "Skegness is so bracing" - a reference to the chilly prevailing north-easterly winds that can and frequently do blow off the North Sea. The slogan is thought to have come from an unknown member of staff of the railway. The poster was first seen at Easter in conjunction with an excursion from Kings Cross Station. The last of these trips ran in 1913 (from Wikipedia). 

The Beekeeper

This postcard I received today from Eunice. She live in Breeston - a lovely place with lots of independant shops.

Beeston is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is 5,5 kilometres southwest of Nottingham city centre. Although typically regarded as a suburb of the City of Nottingham, and officially designated as part of the Nottingham Urban Area, for local government purposes it is in the borough of Broxtowe, lying outside the City's unitary authority area.

To the immediate northeast is the University of Nottingham’s main campus, University Park. The pharmaceutical and retail chemist group Boots has its headquarters on a large campus just 1 km east of the centre of Beeston, falling on the border of Broxtowe and the City of Nottingham. To the south is the River Trent, Attenborough and its extensive wetlands.

The Beekeeper

The earliest recorded name given to the area was Bestune. This is now generally thought to be derived from “bes” = rye grass and “tune” a farmstead settlement. The description of local pasture is still preserved in the name of Beeston Rylands. However there are alternative derivations from “Bedestun” = the farm of Bede.

In the late nineteenth century, a genteel convention was contrived that the town’s name derived from bee. This would have also been consistent with the notion of Beeston as a “hive of industry”. The bee was adopted as the emblem of the town council. Beehives appear carved in the brick of the town hall exterior, and in 1959 three bees were included in the coat of arms adopted by Beeston and Stapleford Urban District Council. However, as this derivation was known to be dubious, the College of Arms subtly included some long grasses entwined with meadow crocuses in the arms as an alternative visual pun on the more likely origins of the name. With the formation of Broxtowe District (later Borough) Council in 1974, the bees were carried on to its coat of arms, representing Beeston. The tradition of the bee as symbol continues - the litter bins and other street furniture in the High Road are decorated in black and gold, with a symbol of a bee on each.

There is also a sculpture on the High Road of a man sitting next to a bee hive. Again, this is another reference to the “Bee”. The sculpture is popularly known as the “Bee-man”, “the man of Beeston”, “The Beekeeper” or “Bee King”(from here).

Siegessäule

This postcard I found in my mailbox few days ago. The sender is…my dear friend Marta. The card showed Siegessäule – The Victory Column in Berlin. Thank you, thank you and one more time: thank you :)

It is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War, by the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), giving the statue a new purpose. Different from the original plans, these later victories in the so-called unification wars inspired the addition of the bronze sculpture of Victoria, 8,3 meters high and weighing 35 tonnes, designed by Friedrich Drake. Berliners, with their fondness for giving nicknames to buildings, call the statue Goldelse, meaning something like "Golden Lizzy".

The total height of the column with the statue is 66,89 m. The columns are inside the stairs (285 steps) leading to situated at a height of 50,66 m viewing platform.

If you have claustrophobia – better do not try go on the viewing platform, however…view from this platform is magnificent. Also you should know that inside the Victory Column you will not find the elevator ;)