Germany - 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 junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which Berlin was once entered. 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. Having suffered considerable damage in World War II, the Brandenburg Gate was fully restored from 2000 to 2002 by the Stiftung Denkmalschutz Berlin (Berlin Monument Conservation Foundation). Today, it is regarded as one of Europe's most famous landmarks. My Dear friend Britta sent me this card during her recent visit to Berlin.

USA - La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción

La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción (Spanish for The Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception), was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa. The Santa María was probably a small carrack, about 70 feet long, used as the flagship for the expedition. The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the smaller caravel-type ships Santa Clara, remembered as La Niña ("The Girl"), and La Pinta ("The Painted One"). All these ships were second-hand (if not third or more) and were never meant for exploration. The Santa María was originally named La Gallega ("The Galician), because she was built in Pontevedra, Galicia, in Spain's north-west. It seems the ship was known to her sailors as Marigalante, Spanish for "Gallant Maria". Bartolomé de Las Casas never used La Gallega, Marigalante or Santa María in his writings, preferring to use la Capitana or La Nao.
The Santa María had a single deck and three masts. She was the slowest of Columbus's vessels but performed well in the Atlantic crossing. She ran aground off the present-day site of Cap Haitien, Haiti on December 25, 1492, and was lost. Realizing that the ship was beyond repair, Columbus ordered his men to strip the timbers from the ship. The timbers from the ship were later used to build Môle Saint-Nicolas, which was originally called La Navidad (Christmas) because the wreck occurred on Christmas Day. Thank you Maria for this nice historical card.

Germany - Water Mill

Thank you Stan for this card from Germany. Stan's card is self-explanatory.

Singapore

This is a photograph of the Chinese archway erected at St. Andrew’s Road (in front of the former Supreme Court) by ‘PO CHIAK KENG TAN SI CHONG SU’ in celebration of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2^nd June 1953 (68 years ago).

Finland - Joensuu

Joensuu is a city and municipality in North Karelia in eastern Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of North Karelia region. It was founded in 1848. The population of Joensuu is 73,373 (January 31, 2011). In the upper card one sees the tiny castle in the River Pielisjoki. The Regional Council of North Karelia meets in this castle. In the lower picture, beyond the small harbour of Joensuu one can see the Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Kirkkokatu, Joensuu in the distance. Merja sent me these cards of this lovely “Forest City” of Finland. Joensuu is a lively student city with over 15,000 students enrolled at the University of Eastern Finland and a further 4,000 at the North Karelia Technical School

The largest employers are the municipal City of Joensuu, North Karelian Hospital District Federation of Municipalities, Abloy and Punamusta. The European Forest Institute, the University and many other institutes and export enterprises such as Abloy and John Deere Forestry give Joensuu an international flavour.

Joensuu is - as the name of the place translates - at the mouth of a river entering a lake. It is one of the relatively fast growing centres in Eastern Finland whichs university supplies a constant stream of freshmeat student from all over the country. There are reportedly also a few foreign students doing their study exchange or post-graduate studies here.

France - Painting

A lovely painting By Julian Taylor. Thanks a lot Maria.

USA – Cincinnati Ohio

Cincinnati city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and is one of the southern most cities in the American North. Settled in 1788, Cincinnati is located north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it the Ohio's third-largest city. According to the 2010 Census Bureau estimate, the Cincinnati metropolitan area had a population of 2,130,151 making it the largest MSA in Ohio and the 27th most populous in the United States Residents of Cincinnati are called Cincinnatians. In the early 19th century, Cincinnati was the first American boomtown in the heart of the country to rival the larger coastal cities in size and wealth. As the first major inland city in the country, it is sometimes thought of as the first purely American city. It developed initially without as much recent European immigration or influence as took place in eastern cities. However, by the end of the 19th century, with the shift from steamboats to railroads, Cincinnati's growth had slowed considerably and the city became surpassed in population by many other inland Midwest cities, especially Chicago. Cincinnati is home to two major sports teams, the Cincinnati Reds and the Cincinnati Bengals, and it sponsors annual events such as the Cincinnati Masters tennis tournament, the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival, and the Thanksgiving Day race. The University of Cincinnati traces its foundation to the Medical College of Ohio, which was founded in 1819. Cincinnati is known for its large collection of historic architecture. Over-the-Rhine, a neighbourhood just to the north of Downtown Cincinnati, boasts among the world's largest collections of Italianate architecture, rivalling similar neighbourhoods in New York City, Vienna and Munich in size and scope. Constructed manly between 1850-1900, Over-the-Rhine was the centre of life for German immigrants for many years, and is one of the largest historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This nice card was sent to me by Erin.