Johnston's Pier

Johnston's Pier in Singapore, was a jetty, landing-platform for the convenient arrival and departure of sea travellers. It once stood opposite Fullerton Square, and Hong Kong Bank Building at Battery Road and Collyer Quay. Built by the Municipal Commissioners, construction started in early 1854 and was completed on 13 March 1856. In its time many famous dignitaries, including British Royalty and other VIPs first set foot in Singapore on this pier. Johnston's Pier was named after Alexander Laurie Johnston (b. Dumfriesshire S Scotland - d. 19 February 1850, Bluehill. Kircudbright, Scotland), one of the earliest European settlers in Singapore. 

A platform made of iron and wood, extending from shore over water, and supported by piles and pillars, the wide platform of the pier reached out to the sea. These landing facilities included a 7-ton crane costing $900. Initially, only the arrival/departure pier-end was covered, and the increasing number of activity, made it necessary to be entirely sheltered. Two handsome, stylishy designed ornamental lamp-posts, with fluted columns, turn-over leaves, and four copper lanterns were ordered from England to add a bit of elegance to its entrance. Another red lamp used to hang at the end of the pier, warning ships as it entered the harbour. Thus Johnston's Pier was popularly known as Lampu Merah or "Red Lamp" in Malay; and also, Ang Teng (the Hokkien, Chinese dialect name) and Lampu Merah and, Ang Teng, also became the name for Clifford Pier.

By the 1930s, the pier was worn out and the government decided to build a new one and name it after Sir Clifford.

My friend Hing Yan sent me this card.

Parliament House in Helsinki

The Eduskunta is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011. The card on display shows the Parliament House.

Parliament House is the seat of the Parliament of Finland. It is located in the Finnish capital of Helsinki, in the district of Töölö. In 1923 a competition was held to choose a site for a new Parliament House. Arkadianmäki, a hill beside what is now Mannerheimintie, was chosen as the best site. The architectural competition which was held in 1924 was won by the firm of Borg–Sirén–Åberg with a proposal called Oratoribus (Latin for "for the speakers"). Johan Sigfrid Sirén (1889–1961), who was mainly responsible for preparing the proposal, was given the task of designing Parliament House. The building was constructed 1926–1931 and was officially inaugurated on March 7, 1931. Ever since then, and especially during the Winter War and Continuation War, it has been the scene of many key moments in the nation's political life.

Thank you Ella for this pretty card.

The Wild West

This is the sort of Scene that inspires poets, writers of Western stories and Movies of non other than the American Wild West.

Thank you Norbert for this pretty card.

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Notre-Dame de Paris (for "Our Lady of Paris"), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is an historic Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture.

As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, Notre-Dame is the parish that contains the cathedra, or official chair, of the archbishop of Paris, currently Archbishop André Vingt-Trois. The cathedral treasury is notable for its reliquary which houses some of Catholicism's most important first-class relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.

In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. An extensive restoration supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc began in 1845. A project of further restoration and maintenance began in 1991.

Thank you Marie for this nice card.

Vegetarian borshch with mushrooms

Let me tell you first that the correct Oxford transliteration for the Russian word борщ is not borscht, but borshch. There are as many variations of borshch as there are cooks in the former Soviet Union. Its origins are Ukrainian, but it has become a staple dish of Russia. Some like it hot. Some prefer a cold version. It could be meat-based, or meat-free.

I had lots and lots of it when I lived in Vladivostk a long long time ago. But, that’s another story. 

If you are really interested in the actual cooking method of the dish shown on the card sent to me by my friend from the Urals Olya, do contact me.

Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius

This card sent to me by Renata gives a view of Gediminas Avenue as seen towards the Cathedral Square in Vilnius where she lives.

Gediminas Avenue is the main street of Vilnius, where most of the governmental institutions of Lithuania are concentrated, including the government, parliament, Constitutional Court and ministries. It is also the place of cultural institutions such as Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, Bank of Lithuania, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and Martynas Mažvydas National Library Nowadays it is also a popular shopping and dining street. It is partially a pedestrian street in the evenings when the traffic is prohibited.

Named after the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas, the street terminates at the Žvėrynas Bridge over the Neris River near Seimas Palace on one end and at the Cathedral Square and Vilnius Castle Complex on the other, passing the Lukiškės Square. It connects the Old Town with Žvėrynas.

Aurora Borealis

Why do the Northern Lights occur?  A brief explanation of what happens according to me is, that, The Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights are caused when charged particles from the Sun collide with atoms and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes between 100 and 250 kms. Due to the collision, oxygen and nitrogen emit what is seen by us as auroral light. These lights are mostly seen in the areas north of the Arctic Circle, and rarely, below the Circle, and then only sometimes.

This card was sent to me by Tero .