Kolossi Castle

Kolossi Castle is a former Crusader stronghold 14 kilometres (9 mi) west of the city of Limassol on the island of Cyprus. It held great strategic importance and contained facilities for the production of sugar, one of Cyprus's main exports in the Middle Ages. The original castle was possibly built in 1210 by the Frankish military, when the land of Kolossi was given by King Hugh III to the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (Hospitallers), The present castle was built in 1454 by the Hospitallers. Dwellers in the castle include the Templars and the already mentioned Hospitallers.

The castle consists of a tower known as a keep with an attached rectangular enclosure or bailey about 30 by 40 metres (98 by 130 ft).

A fine example of military architecture originally constructed in the13th century and subsequently rebuilt in its present form in the middle of the 15th century. It served first as the Grand Commandery of the Knights Templar, and after the fall of Acre in 1291 for some years, as the headquarters of the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
Kolossi and its castle are directly connected with a number of important events, which constitute various interesting folds of the agelong and stormy history of Cyprus.
In 1191 Richard the Lionheart of England conquered Cyprus after it had been ruled by Isaac Commenus. Isaac Comnenus was the Byzantine Governor of Cyprus who declared himself an independent ruler of Cyprus and would not assist Richard and the Crusaders.

This historic card was given to me by my friend Merja.

Wisła

Wisła is a town in Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, with a population of about 11,810 (2006), near the border with Czech Republic in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. It is situated in the Silesian Beskids mountain range. Wisła is the Polish name for the Vistula River, which has its source in the mountains near the town.

Located near the national tourist centre Ondraszek, Wisła is a popular year-round tourist destination, with the nearby mountains favoured by ski jumpers. It is known for being the home town of ski jumper Adam Małysz, and for the fact that it is the only town in Poland with a majority Protestant population.

Wisła is also the home of the Beskid Museum, on B. Hoff square. It has on display agricultural tools, folk costumes and goatskin bagpipes from the surrounding region.

In Wisła a trail starts that leads to the Stożek Wielki, a mountain on the border with the Czech Republic that reaches a height of 978 meters.  This pretty card was sent to me by Agnieszka.

Icarius from Athens

Not to be confused with Icarus, whose wings failed in flight.

In Greek Mythology, there were two people named Icarius or Ikários.

This card is about the Icarius from Athens, and not the chap who wanted to fly. 

He was cordial towards Dionysus, who gave his shepherds wine. They became intoxicated and killed Icarius, thinking he had poisoned them. His daughter, Erigone, and her dog, Maera, found his body. Erigone hanged herself over her father's grave. Dionysus was angry and punished Athens with a plague, inflicting insanity on all the unmarried women, who all hanged themselves like Erigone did. The plague did not cease until the Athenians introduced honorific rites for Icarius and Erigone. Icarius was placed in the stars as the constellation Boötes. There is a mosaic in Paphos, Cyprus, from a Roman villa from the mid 2nd century a.d. which is called "Dionysus House". The mosaic First wine drinkers describes Dionysus giving the gift of vine and wine to Icarius as a reward for Icarius' generous hospitality. It was probably this Icarius whom Clement of Alexandria referred to as husband of Phanothea, a woman who was believed to have invented the hexameter.

The mosaic decorations and the mythological compositions are the main characteristics of this restored Roman villa, dating back to the second century A.D. The name “House of Dionysus” is mainly due to the many representations of Dionysus, the god of wine. The house most probably belonged to a member of the ruling Roman class or to a wealthy citizen of Paphos.

Thank you Merja for this lovely card.

Winter

Really Ella, I love these winter scenes. Thank you.

Winter in Finland

Winter

Wow! You are right Ella, that is awesome. Winter in Finland.

Winter Greetings

Winter Greetings from Finland. Thank you Dear Ella.