New Zealand – White Cliffs

The White Cliffs and the Three Sisters rocks with Mt Taranaki/Mt Egmont (height 2518 meters) in the distance. And, the Whale Family is holidaying in this region at present. They sent me this card with a Kia Ora (Greetings from NZ). Same to you friends – have a good time.

Ireland – The Cliffs of Moher

These majestic cliffs, among the most magnificent stretches of cliff scenery in these islands, front the Atlantic to a height of nearly 200m and extend for a distance of 8 km from Hag’s Head due West of  hisscanner to a point beyond O’Brien’s Tower. They take their name from a ruined promontory fort, Mothar, which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower. This lovely card is from Emma.

Brazil - Sao Paulo - The World's first X shaped Cable-Stayed Bridge

This is a nighttime aerial view of The World's first X shaped Cable-Stayed Bridge with two crossed lanes in São Paulo (Brazil)

This is a new bridge built in the City of São Paulo.

It commenced in 2004, and the project changed a couple of times, but now its going pretty fast!

It will link the Brooklin region to Morumbi.

And will link major avenues to the Marginal (the freeway across the river), it will be really good for traffic!

The viaducts are built and in use already, the bridge is being built pretty fast.

This nice card was sent to me by Jennifer.

Season's Greetings

United Nations

The magnificent UN Building and its surroundings.

Season's Greetings

Cinderella and her Prince Charming

Seasons Greetings.

Russia – Wishing you All a Happy New Year from Vladivostok.

Vladivostok. Its right on the Southern edge of Siberia. With temperatures varying from a comfortable 30 plus in Summer to freezing minus 40 sometimes on Winter nights. I spent two very enjoyable winters there in the late ‘60s. By sending this delightful card Elena from the Primorski Krai in Siberian Russia has rekindled so many old memories. Thank you Elena , and a Very Happy New Year to You too.

Germany

This pretty card was painted by Daniela just 10 years old from SOS – Kinderdorf in Munich, Germany. Interestingly it was sent to me by another Daniela from Germany.

SOS Children's Villages (German: SOS-Kinderdorf) is an independent, non-governmental international development organisation which has been working to meet the needs and protect the interests and rights of children since 1949. It was founded by Hermann Gmeiner in Imst, Austria. It has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize 14 times and received the 2002 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. According to the Financial Times, the 2004 turnover of SOS Children's Villages altogether was US$807 million, and it was ranked 33 out of a 100 global NGOs for "global accountability". Its international umbrella organisation, SOS-Kinderdorf International, was founded in 1960, after national associations had been established in France, Germany and Italy in addition to the original Austrian association. Over a hundred national associations across the world have since been established.

Romania - Peles Castle

Located in Sinaia (44 km from Brasov), Peles Castle is considered by many one of the most beautiful castles in all Europe. It was the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs including King Carol I, who died here in 1914. This lovely fairy-tale castle can be seen on my blog dated 31 October 2009.

The castle was built in wood, stone, bricks and marble and comprises more than 160 rooms. The representative style used is German Renaissance, but one can easily discover elements belonging to the Italian Renaissance, Gothic, German Baroque and French Rococo style.
Peles is surrounded by seven terraces decorated with statues (sculptured by the Italian, Romanelli), stone-made-wells, ornamental vases and Carara marble. The architects used an abundance of wooden decoration, both for the exterior and for the interior of the castle, which confers a very special quality to the building.
Quite outstanding are the Big Armory Room, the small Armory Room, the Florentine Room, the Reception Room (where paintings and wooden sculptures depicting 16 castles of the Hohenzollerns are exhibited), the Moresque Room, The French Room, the Turkish Room, the Council Room, the Concert Room as well as the Imperial Suite.
Other exquisite attractions such as the statues, the ceramics, the gold and silver plates, the Meissen and Sevres porcelain, the Murano crystal chandeliers, German stained-glass windows, walls covered with Cordoba leather, ebony and ivory sculptures, as well as the extensive weapon collections are worth mentioning. It is also important to know that Peles Castle shelters one of the most important and most valuable painting collections in Europe, almost 2.000 pieces.
Sala Florentina (The Florentine Room) combines revived elements of the Italian Renaissance, mostly Florence. Most impressive are the solid bronze doors executed in Rome ateliers of Luigi Magni and the Grand Marble Fireplace executed by Paunazio with Michelangelo motifs.

Salonul Maur (The Moorish Salon) was executed under the guidance of Charles Lecompte de Nouy, and as the name suggests it is meant to embody elements of  North-African and Hispanic Moorish style. Mother of pearl inlaid furniture, fine Persian Saruk and Ottoman Isparta rugs, Oriental weapons and armour are perhaps the most expressive elements, complete with an indoor marble fountain.

Estonia - Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies a surface of 159.2 km² (61.5 sq mi) in which 406,573 inhabitants live. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki.

The picture shows the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on the left and the Dome Church on the right.

SS WENNO

This picture is of the unique steel-hulled steamship Wenno. Wenno (aka Vetehinen) was built in 1907 and is still fully operational. Today the ship serves the town and tourists by providing cruises along the Saimaa during the summer season.

Romania -Brasov - Kronstadt

Braşov (Corona or Brassó or as medieval Germans called it - Kronstadt) is a city in Romania and the capital of Braşov County, with a population of 284,596, according to the 2002 census, is the 8th largest Romanian city.

Braşov is located in the central part of the country, about 166 km from Bucharest. It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians, and is part of the Transylvania region.

The city is notable for hosting the Cerbul de Aur, (Golden Stag) International Music Festival.

The city was first attested in the 13th century under the name Corona. The current Romanian and Hungarian names are derived from the Pecheneg word, barasu, meaning "fortress". On Tâmpa Mountain, located on the southern side of the city, there was a citadel called Brassovia, which gave both the Romanian and the Hungarian name of the city.

The first attested mention of Braşov is Terra Saxonum de Barasu ("Saxon Land of Baras"), in a 1252 document. The German name Kronstadt means "Crown City", and is reflected in the city's coat of arms, as well as in its Medieval Latin name, Corona. The three names of the city (Braşov/Brassó, Kronstadt, and Corona) were used simultaneously in the Middle Ages.
This nice card was sent to me by my friend Daniela. 

Kurenai – Curonian Lagoon - Lithuania

Boats were the most important assets for the Curonian fishermen in their daily life. It was the only means, which connected them to the continent. Besides fishing, Curonians used them for hay and animal transportation from the meadows in the Nemunas delta. Flat-bottomed boats, whose draught and shape were the most suitable according to sailing conditions, prevailed in the lagoon. Curonian fishermen sailed four different kinds of boats: dragnet boat, sailing boat, fish-trap boat, and kurenai (korno valte); they had the name given according to the net they were drawing. Depending on purpose, boats were of different size. For instance, Kurenas was eight to ten meters in length and 3 meters in width. Four or five fishermen could fit in it.
An interesting fact is that fishermen from Juodkrante didn't use bi-masted sailboats for dragnets, sealing-nets or kurenai.

The prerogative of constructing sail boats belonged to masters from Gilija, Labguva and Dreverna. Nobody from the Curonian Spit had such skills. The great boats were constructed on the southwestern side of the lagoon and smaller, fish-trap boats and keelboats came from the northeastern side. Experienced masters were able to build a traditional boat in one month. Such a boat would cost as much as a fisherman's house. The fisherman described the type, shape and size to the constructor, and it was custom built.

The first picture of the flat-bottomed boats was found on the map from the 16th century. Such boats were used until 1956. Now there are only three kurenas and one fish-trap boat which sail the Curonian Lagoon.


This nice black and white picture postcard was sent to me by Kotryna from Lithuania. The picture was taken sometime in the 1940’s of  a fishing fleet of Curonian boats at anchor in the Curonian Lagoon.

Netherlands

A Dutch Coast Guard vessel in action. This nice card was sent to me by Ellen.

Petronas Towers

The Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world until Taipei 101 was completed in 2004, as measured to the top of their structural components (spires, but not antennas). Spires are considered integral parts of the architectural design of buildings, to which changes would substantially change the appearance and design of the building, whereas antennas may be added or removed without such consequences. The Petronas Twin Towers remain the tallest twin buildings in the world.

The floor plan of the Petronas Twin Towers is based on an eight – pointed star that is an important motif of Islamic art design.

Zipping across Kuala Lumpur, KL Monorail offers an elevated view of the city sights, including the twin towers.

The Twin Towers are shown reflected in the waters of Lake Titiwangsa, a magnificent park with lush greenery.
These three cards were sent to me by My dear friend Caroline from Sabah. 

Belarus

The picture is of the City Hall, Architectural monument of XVIII century in the town of Chachersk, Homel Region in Belarus.

Chachersk  is a city in the Homiel Province of Belarus, an administrative center of the Chachersk district. It is located in an area which is highly contaminated due to the fallout of the Chernobyl disaster.

The town was founded in the late 10th century on the Sozh River. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1159 as the city Radimichi Chichersk. Sometime later a castle was built in the area.

In 1772 it became part of Russia, as the center of the county in the province Rogachev, then borough, and parish center of Rogachev district. In 1774 Catherine II of Russia in collaboration with a local governor helped build the town hall, churches a theater, 2 hospitals, and other notable buildings. Redevelopment of the city took place, with the destruction of the castle and the fortifications, which were mentioned more in the "Census" Chechersk for 1765.

Since 1919, it has been part of Gomel province in the RSFSR. It officially became a town in 1971.

Paulista Avenue , Sao Paulo, Brazil

Paulista Avenue (Avenida Paulista in Portuguese, Paulista being the gentilic for those born in São Paulo state) is one of the most important avenues in São Paulo, Brazil. The 2.8 kilometre thoroughfare is notable for headquartering a large number of financial and cultural institutions. It is also home to an extensive shopping area and to Latin America's most comprehensive fine-art museum, MASP. Since the 1960s, the avenue has been identified as one of the main business centers in the city. Being one of the highest points in São Paulo, it is distinctively clustered with radio and TV stations antennae, such as Gazeta's. The road is served by a subway line, as well as many major bus routes.

The avenue, which was inaugurated in December 1891, is generally regarded as the second most expensive real estate anywhere in Latin America, after Mexico City´s Avenida Presidente Masaryk.

Friesland in The Netherlands

Friesland  is a province in the north of the Netherlands.

Up until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân. Nevertheless "Friesland" is still commonly used by Dutch speaking people, being the Dutch translation of the official name.

Friesland has 643,000 inhabitants (2005) and its capital is Leeuwarden (Ljouwert), with 91,817 inhabitants, in the center of the province.

Friesland distinguishes itself from the other eleven provinces through having its own language, West Frisian, which is also spoken in a minor part of the province of Groningen, to the east. Closely related languages, East Frisian ("Seeltersk", which is different from "East Frisian (Ostfriesisch)", a collection of Low German dialects of East Frisia) and North Frisian, are spoken in the Saterland and in North Friesland areas in Germany, respectively.

Friesland is mainly an agricultural province. The famous black and white Friesian cattle and the well known black Friesian horse originated here. Tourism is another important source of income, the greatest touristic destinations are the lakes in the south west of the province, and the islands in the Wadden Sea in the north. Technology companies such as Asset Control have also set up base in Friesland.

The province is famous for its speed skaters, with mass participation in cross-country ice skating when weather conditions permit. When winters are cold enough to allow the freshwater canals to freeze hard, the province holds its traditional Elfstedentocht (Eleven cities tour), a 200 kilometers ice skating tour. In the warmer months, many Frisians practice wadlopen, the traditional art of wading across designated sections of the Wadden Sea at low tide. Another Frisian practice is fierljeppen, a sport with some similarities to pole vaulting. A jump consists of an intense sprint to the pole (polsstok), jumping and grabbing it, then climbing to the top while trying to control the pole's forward and lateral movements over a body of water and finishing with a graceful landing on a sand bed opposite to the starting point. Because of all the diverse skills required in fierljeppen, fierljeppers are considered to be very complete athletes with superbly developed strength and coordination. Another interesting feature is the presence of many windmills. There are 195 windmills in the province of Friesland, from a total of about 1200 in the entire country.

Leuven, Belgium

Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium. It is located about 30 kilometers east of Brussels, with as other neighbouring cities Mechelen, Aarschot, Tienen, and Wavre.

The township comprises the historical city of Leuven and the former municipalities of Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, a part of Korbeek-Lo, Wilsele and Wijgmaal.

It is home to Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewing group and one of the top five largest consumer goods companies in the world; and to the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the largest and oldest university of the Low Countries and the oldest Catholic university still in existence.

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (in short K.U.Leuven) is the Flemish offshoot of the oldest university in the Low Countries which was originally founded in 1425 (see Catholi University of Leuven). Centrally located in the historic town of Leuven in Flanders, the K.U. Leuven is officially a Dutch-speaking institution. With 35,347 students in 2008-2009, the K.U. Leuven is also the largest university in the Low Countries. The university of Leuven was for centuries a major contributor to the development of Catholic theology. With predecessor institutions dating back to 1425, the K.U.Leuven and its French-speaking counterpart, the Université catholique de Louvain, are regarded as the oldest existing Catholic universities in the world.

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven also has a campus at Kortrijk, formerly known as Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Afdeling Kortrijk (KULAK).

This nice card was sent to me by my friend Thomas Vanreusel

Finland

My Dear Friend Outi Makinen who lives in Helsinki, Finland sent these two lovely cards of sailing ships to me. The ship shown on top is the Suomen Joutsen (Finnish Swan) I had written about it in my post on 23^rd November 2009. The ship shown below the Joutsen is the Herzogin Cecile (Cecile of Herzog). These ships were active around 1900.

Odessa, Ukraine

Welcome to Odessa says the card sent to me by my friend Stanislav. These are the famous steps in Odessa.

China

This picture is from Hubei. It shows the Memorial Hall of the Wuchang Uprising of the Revolution in 1911. Card was sent by Huang.

China

A really cute Angler, isn't she? Card was sent to me by Madam Wu Hong Yan from Beijing.

Italy

These views are from the lovely town in Northern Italy. The card was sent by my friend Anita of Austria.

The Brandenburg Gate.

The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is a former city gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city center at the intersection of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which one formerly entered Berlin. One block to the north stands the Reichstag building. The gate is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees which formerly led directly to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791. The Brandenburg Gate was restored from 2000 to 2002 by the Stiftung Denkmalschutz Berlin (Berlin Monument Conservation Foundation). Today, it is considered one of Europe's most famous landmarks.

Benalmadena - Costa Del Sol

Benalmádena, a privileged hillock rising above the sea. A watchtower overlooking the Mediterranean. An Arab-sounding name: Benalmádena. A town dipping its feet into the sea and warming its body on the sand. A city of winding streets and hustling ports, with Africa looming on the horizon. Benalmádena Pueblo. Benalmádena Costa. Arroyo de la Miel. A town to be discovered. A town to visit once and again.

When you come to Plaza España you will see one of the symbols of town: La Niña de Benalmádena (The Girl of Benalmádena): a bronze sculpture in a fountain. This lovely card was sent to me by Belem.

Great Himalayan National Park

Snow range above in Tirthan Valley. Card is courtesy of Jeevan Jyoti.