Klaipėda

Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Danė River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County. This nice card of the city wassent to me by Rasa who now lives in England.

The city has a complex recorded history, partially due to the combined regional importance of the Port of Klaipėda, a usually ice-free port on the Baltic Sea, and the Akmena – Danė River. It has been controlled by the Teutonic Knights, the Duchy of Prussia, the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, the Entente States immediately after World War I, Lithuania as a result of the 1923 Klaipėda Revolt, and the Third Reich following the 1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania. The city was incorporated into Lithuania during its tenure as a Soviet Socialist Republic and has remained within Lithuania following its re-establishment as an independent state.

The population shrank from 207,100 in 1992 to 177,823 in 2011, mostly due to the moving to the suburbs of the city. Popular seaside resorts found close to Klaipėda are Nida to the south on the Curonian Spit, and Palanga to the north.

Saranta Kolones Castle

Merja, thank you. This is a very memorable card. The Byzantine castle known as Saranta Kolones (Forty Columns) is located just north of the harbour of Pafos (Paphos). It takes its name from the large number of granite columns that were found on the site and probably once formed part of the ancient agora.

The castle is believed to have been built at the end of the 7th century AD to protect the port and the city of Nea Pafos from Arab raids and later remodeled by the Lusignans.

A three-metre thick wall with eight towers and a moat surrounded the castle. Access was across a wooden bridge spanning the moat. The square courtyard measured 35 metres long by 35 metres wide, with a tower at each corner. The main entrance was through a fifth, horseshoe-shaped tower on the east side. Destroyed by an earthquake in 1223, the castle was subsequently abandoned.

Peasant ships carrying timber in 1804

Thank you Dear Merja for this pretty card. The card depicts a painting of Finnish peasant ships carrying timber in 1804. The original painting is displayed in the Maritime Museum of Finland.

Bad Hamm in Westfalen

Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railway station is an important hub for rail transport and renowned for its distinctive station building.

The name Ham means "corner" in the old Low German dialect spoken at that time. In the old times the name thom Hamme would be used, which evolved slowly into its modern form Hamm. The name derives from the description of the Hamm's location in the corner of the Lippe river and the narrow Ahse affluent, where it was founded on Ash Wednesday in March 1226 by Count Adolf I of the Mark

My friend Steffi sent me this lovely card.

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.

Cathedral in Helsinki

Another lovely view of the snow clad Lutheran Cathedral in Helsinki, sent to me by my dear friend Ella.

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery is a functioning monastery in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The monastery is located on the right bank of the Dnieper River on the edge of a bluff northeast of the Saint Sophia Cathedral. The site is located in the historic administrative Uppertown and overlooks the city's historical commercial and merchant quarter, the Podil neighbourhood.

Originally built in the Middle Ages by Sviatopolk II Iziaslavych, the monastery comprises the Cathedral itself, the Refectory of St. John the Divine, built in 1713, the Economic Gates, constructed in 1760 and the monastery's bell tower, which was added circa 1716–1719. The exterior of the structure was rebuilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style in the 18th century while the interior remained in its original Byzantine style. The original cathedral was demolished by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s, but was reconstructed and opened in 1999 following Ukrainian independence.

This pretty card was sent to me by Yulia.

Cemetery of Confucius

The Cemetery of Confucius, also known under its Chinese name Kong Lin, is a cemetery of the Kong clan (the descendants of Confucius) in Confucius' hometown Qufu. Confucius himself and some of his disciples are buried there, as well as many thousands of his descendants.

Since 1994, the Cemetery of Confucius has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu". The two other components of the site are the Temple of Confucius dedicated to the memory of the philosopher and the Kong Family Mansion, where his descendants lived. The three sites are collectively known in Qufu as San Kong, i.e. "The Three Confucian [sites]".

In 1331 construction work began on the wall and gate of the cemetery. In total, the cemetery has undergone 13 renovations and extensions. Eventually, by the late 18th century, the perimeter wall reached a length of 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi), enclosing an area of 3.6 square kilometres (1.4 sq mi). In this space, the tombs of more than 100,000 descendants of Confucius, who have been buried there over a period of about 2,000 years, can be found. The oldest graves date back to the Zhou Dynasty, the most recent of which belong to descendants in the 76th and 78th generation.

The cemetery suffered serious damage in November 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, when it was visited and vandalized by a team of Red Guards from Beijing Normal University, led by Tan Houlan. The corpse of the 76th-generation Duke Yansheng was removed from his grave and hung naked from a tree in front of the palace during the desecration of the cemetery in the Cultural Revolution.

Timmy sent me this nice card.

Helsinki in winter

Another winter's scene from Helsinki. Please note that the ice mounds at the bottom of the picture are actually cars parked near the sidewalk. Yes Ella these are interesting pictures.

Winter in Finland

Thank you Dear Ella for these two lovely winter scenes in FinlaND. the 'Grannies' of course are universally famous, and avery popular on postcrossing.

Helsinki in Winter

Ella send me this lovely card with the pretty picture of Helsinki Cathedral in winter.

ASDA NATIONAL POSTAGE STAMP SHOW 2011

ASDA NATIONAL POSTAGE STAMP SHOW is a Gifts & Crafts trade show and event, was held in New York, The New Yorker Hotel from the 13^th  to the 16^th October 2011. ASDA NATIONAL POSTAGE STAMP SHOW is organized by American Stamp Dealers Association. Thank you Hemant for this nice MaxiCard.

VANITY FAIR MAGAZINE COVER ART POSTCARD February 1934

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's aggressive policies subdued the country, which is pictured as a bucking bronco. Leon Carlin's color-saturated illustration appeared on the February 1934 cover of Vanity Fair magazine. Thank you Anne-Catherine from Belgium for this nice card.

Turku

Besides the many cards of Turku already posted on this blog, here is another lovely card of that wonderful city. Thank you Pia for this nice card.