Brazil - Estádio Moisés Lucarelli,

The Estádio Moisés Lucarelli, also known as Estádio Majestoso, or just Majestoso, is a football stadium inaugurated on September 12, 1948 in Campinas, São Paulo, with a maximum capacity of 19,722 people. The stadium is owned by Associação Atlética Ponte Preta. The stadium has a pitch size of 107m x 70m and its area stands at 36,000 m². Its formal name honors Moisés Lucarelli, the co-ordinator of the stadium construction works commission. Its nickname, Estádio Majestoso, means Majestic Stadium, because it was the third largest stadium in Brazil at the time of its inauguration. The stadium was inaugurated on September 12, 1948. The stadium was built with the help of hundreds of Ponte Preta supporters. The inaugural match was played on September 12, 1948, when XV de Piracicaba beat Ponte Preta 3-0. The first goal of the stadium was scored by XV de Piracicaba's Sato. The stadium's attendance official record currently stands at 34,985, set on February 1, 1978 when São Paulo beat Ponte Preta 3-1. The stadium's attendance record currently stands at 33,500, set on August 17, 1970 when Santos beat Ponte Preta 1-0. The stadium biggest score was set on April 16, 1994, when Ponte Preta beat Ferroviária 8-1. This very interesting card was sent to me by Guilherme Salustiano.

Russia

Here is a picture of a smart private of the 13th Nizhegorodshy Dragoon Regiment in 1842. This card was sent to me by Liubov.

The Carpathians - Bucegi Mountains

This peak is part of the Bucegi Mountains, and is one of the highest peaks in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. A beautiful landscape made nearly impossible to reach in such Winters. This spectacular card was sent to me by Daniela.

Klaipeda – Dolphinarium

The Dolphinarium in Klaipeda was opened in 1994; it is the only dolpinarium in the Eastern Baltic. Along with the Sea museum and the aquarium it makes up a unique complex for acquainting people with marine life and Sea business. The dolphinarum is a complex technical installation. The modern technologies of water preparation, filtration and regeneration ensure that the living conditions are the three pools are maintained suitable for the animals. The largest of the three pools is the arena pool (1300 m3, 5.5 m deep) where shows are held. The dolphins take their rest in a 340-m3 pool, which is 4 m deep, while for cases of sickness or delivery there is a quarantine pool. The salinity of water in the pools is 1.8%, and the temperature is maintained at 18-20Ā°C. To keep the water clear it is filtered at night; bacteria are also exterminated then. Living in Klaipeda dolphinarium are Black Sea, or bottle-nosed, dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Each of the dolphins gets about 10 kg of sprat, mackerel, herring and cod every day. Dolphins are very sensitive animals, they need special care. The health of the dolphins is taken care of by the veterinary service, which not only treats the animals, but also applies numerous preventive measures and controls the quality of water in the pools. In 1998 two female dolphins gave birth to babies for the first ever time at Klaipeda dolphinarium. It was a time of joy and test for all the employees of the dolphinarium. Together with the dolphins, the dolphinarium also houses a couple of Californian sea lions (Zalopus californianus), which were brought to Klaipeda from Duisburg Zoo, Germany.

The dolphins and the Californian sea lions perform in the shows. Trainers of sea mammals train them. It is a rare profession, which requires thorough knowledge of animal physiology and psychology, and at last but not least, love. The basic aim of staging performances with dolphins and Californian sea lions is to educate the public, to acquaint the visitors and especially the young people in a most attractive way with these animals which are one of the most interesting sea animals, with peculiarities of their life and behavior, to foster love to the animals and sense of responsibility towards the living nature and the necessity to preserve it. Every summer, merry water festivals are held in the dolphinarium on weekend evenings in which a group of synchronized swimming, dancers and acrobats perform. These are really exotic shows. Dora sent this lovely card to me.

Finland – Votive Ship Barque Turku

Have you seen the tail of a whale in the Aura River close to the Varvintori Square. Somewhere near that place was located the old Turku shipyard where this whaler, the barque Turku, was built in 1852. Turku sailed and whaled in the Pacific. The Turku Ship Masters’ Association presented the scale model of Turku to the Cathedral as a votive ship in 1968.

Votive ships are seen in churches close to the coast. It was customary for mariners to build a miniature model of their own ship and donate it to their home church in thanks for making it home after a long voyage. The votive ship in the Cathedral was made by Åke Sandvall and was based on the original drawings of the barque. Åke Sandvall also built another votive ship in St. Michael's Church in Turku.

Fires have destroyed the earlier votive ships in the Cathedral. Hannele sent this nice card to me.

Poland – Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Wenecja

The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Wenecja near Żnin is an open air museum collecting and exhibiting steam locomotives, passenger and freight cars, trolleys, railwaymen's tools, signalling equipment, contents of an old waiting room, and old maps. The 600 mm Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Wenecja is a department of the Muzeum Ziemi Pałuckiej (the Żnin's Museum of Pałuki Land) and was established in 1972 at the suggestion of enthusiasts of the Pałuki region, of which Żnin is considered the capital. The Museum has collected many steam locomotives. One of the oldest is the German one, made by Orenstein & Koppel in Berlin in 1900. The Tx-1116 locomotive made by Henschel & Son (Kassel, 1918) and the Tx4-564 locomotive made by Hanomag (Hannover, 1923) are also very interesting. A real rarity is the Belgian locomotive made by Les Ateliers Metallurgiques Nivelles with the unique wheel arrangement 2-3-1 ("Pacific"), and the only one, which has steam brakes. There are also steam locomotives made in the first Polish plant in Chrzanów. The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Wenecja is situated at the foot of the ruins of the medieval castle (which can be seen in the picture) built in the 14th century by legendary Mikołaj Nałecz. Tourists can travel on the historic narrow gauge railway from Żnin via Wenecja to Biskupin which is famous for a reconstruction of the Lusatian culture settlement and the Archaeological Museum. This pretty card was sent to me jointly by my friends Kasia and Zbyszek.

Spain – Granada – La Alhambra

The Alhambra, the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra ("the red fortress"), is a palace and fortress complex constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus, occupying a hilly terrace on the south-eastern border of the city of Granada, now in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.
Once the residence of the Muslim rulers of Granada and their court, the site became a Christian palace. Within the Alhambra, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, erected the Palace of Charles V in 1527. After being allowed to fall into disrepair, the Alhambra was "rediscovered" in the 19th century. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions and exhibits the country's most famous Islamic architecture, together with Christian 16th-century and later interventions in buildings and gardens. This pretty picture postcard was sent to me by Anna of Torremolinos.