Holland - Cycling in Dutch Life

Ingrid sent me this nice card about cycles. There is no country in the world where biking is so normal as it is in The Netherlands - except China. This is a tribute to Dutch Bikes. Yes, they really do a lot of bicycling - and they have the bikes to show for it. Want to commute to work or run weekend errands on a bicycle without looking like a sweaty, beady-eyed bike messenger? Want to save the planet and your clothes? Get a Dutch bike. Good for the environment and for keeping fit, bicycles in the Netherlands are more than just a leisure item, they are the workhorses of many families You need to realise that cars (even second-hand ones) are expensive to both buy and run , petrol costs Euro 1.43 per litre (unless it has changed since then). Bikes are so prevalent in The Netherlands that in some places there are just too many. All Dutch train stations have places for bikes to be parked, but when many people make use of that facility, chaos ensues.
One reason why bikes work in Holland is that the country is so flat. What the dutch call hills would hardly be recognized as such in most other countries. Bikes are also very practical in crowded cities. But, you will also find Dutch people riding their bike in the country-side during weekends. You will find bikes in villages. You will find bikes just about everywhere you go in The Netherlands. Try crossing the street in Amsterdam - you won't be able to, if you don't pay attention to the bikes. Bikes could be one reason why Dutch women wear pants so much ;-))

Germany – Ole West

Ole West was born in 1953, the son of the painter Gerhard West in Wedel near Hamburg. He got the first art lessons as 12-year old boy with the Wedeler painter Albert-Ludwig Glaser. In 1975, he began to study at the College of Further Education in Hamburg and finished in 1979 with a diploma in design. After that he created different designs for house fronts, exhibition stands, large graphics, film, project and ships painting, amongst others for the Studio Hamburg of the NDR and the Ernst-Deutsch-Theatre. Since 1984, he lives as a free painter and drawer on the island of Norderney (Germany), with a main focus on etchings, oil watercolour painting and mixed technics. His works are in public and private collections all around the world. Ute sent me this pretty card of the Lighthouse Dicke Berta off Cuxhaven paited by Ole West.Ole West is quite a popular artist in Northern Germany. He combines beautifully nautical maps with his paintings of ships and lighthouses. As characterised by this drawing on the card.

Built in 1871Dicke Berta has been Inactive since 1983 13 m (43 ft) round cylindrical steel tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern and gallery black. The lighthouse carried the front light of a range; the rear light was the 34 m (112 ft) cast iron Osterende-Groden Oberfeuer, nicknamed Schlanke Anna (Skinny Anna). Between 1915 and 1918 Dicke Berta was taken down and rebuilt a short distance away because of a change in the range line. The range was replaced in 1968 by the Altenbruch-Wehldorf range, but Dicke Berta remained active until 1983. The lighthouse was then transferred to a preservation society, which has restored the building. The building has since become a popular site for weddings. Located near the Altenbruch harbor.

Germany – Sanssouci, Potsdam

Annett sent this lovely card about the famous palace in Potsdam. Potsdam incidentally is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and is part of the Metropolitan area of Berlin/Brandenburg. It is situated on the River Havel, 24 km (15 miles) southwest of Berlin city center.

Sanssouci is the name of the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam, near Berlin. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and is far smaller than its French Baroque counterpart, it too is notable for the numerous temples and follies in the park. The palace was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick's need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court.

Taiwan

USA – Howard Chandler Christy

Born in 1873, Howard Chandler Christy was just 22 when the first "Christy Girl" was published in the November, 1895 issue of The Century magazine. Actually, he produced four images for the story, The Tragedy of the Comedy, by Chester Bailey Fernald (who?) and they depicted five women and little else. Like his contemporaries, W.T. Benda, Franklin Booth, Frank Craig, Harrison Fisher, and J.C. Leyendecker, he was a young artist in New York at a time when the magazines of the day were clamoring for images.

The patriotism he displayed in the Spanish-American war was rekindled during WWI. He drew upon that fervor and his tremendous talent to create posters for the war effort. Among the most popular were his Red Cross and Navy images, both featuring the famous Christy Girl. A lesser-known, similar image appeared in the 1921 Naval Academy yearbook. Mary Jones send me this card, with the picture that was so popular during WWII.

Cyprus- boat

Lovers of ships and boats are bound to love this little boat. It may differ slightly from the traditional ;-)), but this tree bark boat looks definitely sea-worthy. Merja thanks.

USA – Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle, United States. It is the most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of 14,411 feet (4,392 m). Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and it is on the Decade Volcano list. Because of its large amount of glacial ice, Mt. Rainier could potentially produce massive lahars that would threaten the whole Puyallup River valley. Thank you Hemant for this nice card.