Meeting of the Waters - Brazil

hen I 1st saw this card I thought it was a painting but then looked closer and realized it depicts the Encontro das Aguas - Meeting of the Waters, a phenomenon that occurs at the confluence between the dark (blackwater) Rio Negro and the pale sandy-colored (whitewater) Amazon River, referred to as the Solimões River in Brazil upriver of this confluence. For 6 km the waters of the two rivers run side by side without mixing.

This is one of the main attractions and one of the most spectacular views of the city of Manaus, where the beauty and majesty of nature Amazon is object of admiration.

Not only are the waters meet in Manaus, some postcrossers have also met there last month. Luzia sent me this card signed by two other postcrossers.

 

Photo: Herivelto Costa

This phenomenon provides an unforgettable experience. It occurs due to the different temperatures, densities and flows of rivers: the Rio Negro is about 2 km/h and a temperature of 22 ° C, while Rio Solimões runs from 4 to 6 km/h with a temperature of 28 ° C. The light-colored water is rich with sediment from the Andes Mountains, whereas the black water, running from the Colombian hills and interior jungles, is nearly sediment-free and colored by decayed leaf and plant matter.
Traveling to the Encontro das Aguas in a small boat is a unique experience, people can put their hands in the water, and feel the temperature change of both rivers.

Ennedi Massif - Chad

New country, new UNESCO site!!!

Sometimes months go by without receiving any postcards from UNESCO sites but these last weeks I've received a few and from some unique places. This is not only my 1st UNESCO card from Chad but also my very 1st card from this African country. Even though Svenja sent it from Germany, I still think this is a good addition to my collection. 

The Ennedi Massif, inscribed by UNESCO in 2016, is located in the eastern Sahara, northeast of Chad, and is one of the six mountain ranges of the Sahara.

 

Look/Robertharding

The Ennedi Massif first came into being in the Paleozoic era, approximately 500-350 million years ago. It was part of one of the primordial oceans which covered the majority of the Sahara. The ocean dried up. What was left behind were sandstone formations which ever since have been carved and re-shaped by water, wind and sand.
Today the sandstone plateau consists of a rock labyrinth, bizarre rock formations and gorges and valleys up to 200 metres deep, through which narrow rivers and streams still run.
The Sahara was once green and full of life. About 10,000 years ago, heavy monsoon rains had transformed it into a fertile savanna. It reached all the way to the Nile. Wild animals lived here and people on their way through the savanna settled here and there. Reptiles and fish inhabited the lakes and swamps.
Climate change saw the disappearance of the rains from the Sahara - and with it the life. Only by the rivers in the rocky valleys of the Ennedi mountains was life even possible. People, animals and plants found retreat here, with its life-giving water - sheltered for thousands of years from the outside world.
In the course of the Ennedi's formation, wind, sand and water partially hollowed out some of the rocks, forming very large over-hangs. In prehistoric times people used these cave-like niches as their living space. They added scenes of their lives on the walls.
The scenes depict stories of a long ago culture. They show, in their own way, the changing climate and the effects this had on living conditions.
The petroglyphs show people dancing, cows with their herders and hunters with their horses or camels, as well as scores of wild animals - for example, giraffes, rhinoceroses or elephants. - in: https://explore-chad.org

Markha Valley - India

Sachin and I share the love for hiking. He sent me this card of Markha Valley, one of the most popular and beautiful treks in Ladakh, North India. 

These last weeks I've been hiking more than usual and I've a few more trails on my list for the next weeks.

Set in the arid cold desert of Ladakh, Markha is a stunning river valley in Hemis National Park. 

The Markha valley is known for its panoramic views, its Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and remote villages. The valley is a huge favourite among trekkers due to its easy accessibility, it’s not difficult to navigate and it’s one of the few multi-day treks in the region that can be done independently by staying in homestays.

Pyhätunturi - Finland

 My friend Anne has been to Lapland once again, last february, but this time things didn't go that well. Too cloudy to see the northern lights, too warm to have decent snow and she got the flu. She got the flu but I got a nice card from there.

 

Foto: Sampsa Sulonen

 Pyhätunturi – is situated in eastern Lapland, in the north of Finland, right in the middle of pure, pristine nature. It is part of Pyhä-Luosto National park. 

Pyhätunturi is, in fact, a ski centre where Finns and foreigners alike come for their skiing holidays. Like with most destinations in Lapland, downhill skiing is the main activity in Pyhä.

Venice - Italy

Venice is probably one of the most famous and visited cities, not only in Italy, but in the world. The city is known for its canals. The Grand Canal is the largest and most important canal in Venice and forms the city's largest water traffic route.  

With around 3.8 km, it "starts" in the lagoon near the Santa Lucia train station, making an "S" shaped curve through the central neighborhoods, the sestieri, and ends next to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. The banks of the Grand Canal are lined with more than 170 buildings, most of which date from the 13th to 18th centuries.  

One of these buildings, highlighted in these postcards, is the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. The 1st of these postcards is an official one, received a few days ago, the 2nd was sent by Anne in 2018 and the last was sent in 2009 by Irene.

 

DE-13872773, sent by Kolja.

Santa María della Salute is one of the most important religious edifices in Venice. Its striking dome is depicted in most of the city’s postcards. 

© FLORENTIA MINOR S. N. C. - Fiesole (FI)

Salute, as it is commonly known, was founded in 1631. The basilica was built to commemorate the end of a terrible outbreak of the plague that began in 1630, and killed a large portion of the Veneto population. It was dedicated to Our Lady of Health (Salute in Italian).

The architect, Baldassare Longhena, was commissioned to design the church and had also been responsible for the construction of the Ca’ Rezzonico. Santa Maria della Salute took 56 years to build and was completed in 1687. 

The Basilica’s interior is octagonal with small chapels on each side of the building. Although the church’s decoration is quite plain, there are several impressive paintings by Titian and Tintoretto.

The most magnificent canvas is called “Marriage at Cana” by Tintoretto. It is located in the sacristy.

Every 21 November, the Venetians celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin (Festa della Madonna della Salute). It is one of the most popular festivals in Venice. It involves crossing an improvised bridge over the Grand Canal to the Salute Basilica in recognition of freeing Venice from the plague. - in: https://www.introducingvenice.com/santa-maria-della-salute

Torralba d'en Salort - Spain

 Spain has an impressive number of 50 sites inscribed on the UNESCO WHS list and I've cards from 49 of those sites. Last month Jordi sent me this card from Torralba d'en Salort, one of the most beautiful and best preserved prehistoric settlements in Menorca. It is also one of the largest and most complete. This is one of Prehistoric Sites of Talayotic Menorca, classified as World Heritage Site last year.

Foto: Ricardo Pla

The main features of this site are two talaiots, the taula enclosure, a hypostyle room, some caves dug out of the ground and the remains of other buildings used as dwellings.
The taula and its enclosure are among the largest and most beautiful on the island. The building dates from the 4th-3rd centuries B.C. and was used for worship up until the 2nd century A.D. It is built on a horseshoe-shaped layout with separate areas inside. The T of the taula consists of two huge blocks of stone, one vertical and the other horizontal, beautifully finished and standing nearly 4 metres tall. Various excavation works carried out on the site have revealed the remains of a fire, wine amphorae plus evidence that kid goats and young lambs were ritually killed and eaten. Other finds include ritual objects such as an altar, a terracotta image of the Punic goddess Tanit, the bronze figure of a bull and bronze hooves belonging to the figure of a horse. These items are on display in the Museum of Menorca and provide the most compelling evidence to support the notion that the taula enclosure was a place of worship. The settlement had its heyday during the time of Punic trading expansion, towards the 1st century B.C. - in: https://www.menorca.es

Curral das Freiras - Portugal

A month ago I was in Madeira and one of the places I visited was Curral das Freiras, Nun's Valley, a place I had already been to the first time I visited the island, in 2010. This time I did more than just enjoy the views from the Eira do Serrado viewpoint. I hiked a short but very scenic 2 km's path to Curral das Freiras. This trail was one of the main accesses to the town until the arrival of the first road access in 1959.

 

Fotografia: Ilídio Gonçalves

With its unique location, in a deep valley resembling a volcano crater, the parish of Curral das Freiras is one of the most picturesque places on the island of Madeira. Its surroundings are marked by the imposing presence of the mountain peaks that shelter the town.

The town was named after the nuns of the Santa Clara Convent who, in 1566, found this to be the ideal refuge when pirates attacked Funchal: Curral das Freiras is one of the few places on the island that, being hidden between the mountains, is not visible from the sea. - in: https://visitmadeira.com