Unesco cards... again, and...

Another great day :P 2 new unesco cards sent by Anne "nanou" and a tag card sent by Suvi "suzie". Amazing cards, all of them. Thanks Anne and Suvi.

"The Place Stanislas is a large pedestrianized square in Nancy, Lorraine, France. Since 1983, the architectural ensemble comprising the Place Stanislas and the extension of its axis, the Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance, has been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The square was a major project in urban planning imagined by Stanisła Leszczyński, Duke of Lorraine and former King of Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth. The square would also be a place royale to honor his son-in-law, Louis XV. The design linked two handsome buildings that already existed, the Hôtel de Ville, now centered on its grand square, and the Hôtel du Gouvernement. The seat of city government and the seat of ducal government faced one another as complements through a series of rational, symmetrical, yet varied urban spaces unequalled in Europe at the time.
Construction began in March 1752 and ended in November 1755." in: wikipedia.

"The Völklingen Ironworks is located in the German town of Völklingen, Saarland. In 1994, it was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
In 1873, Julius Buch began planning of a steel works near Vöklingen on the banks of the Saar river. However, this planned work was not completed. In 1881, Carl Röchling began new construction. Two years later the the first smelter began operation.
Today, the Völklinger Hütte is a museum. The Ferrodrome is an interactive science center focusing on the making of iron. Visitors can tour the production areas. In addition, temporary exhibits, on a variety of topics are hosted in the large power halls. In the summer, there are occasional concerts held. In 1986, operation ceased." - in: wikipedia.

Isn't this cute little one just adorable??! I love animals but i don't like animal cards that much but..... i loved this one!! 2 months ago i've seen and touched an hedghog for the 1st time and i completely fell in love for these animals, they are so cute. I guess Suvi read my mind :P

More Unesco Cards

Today was a nice day. I've received 2 worderful cards sent from Poland by Waldeck "kasandra". 

"Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, on the north bank of the River Thames.
The Tower of London is often identified with the White Tower, the original stark square fortress built by William the Conqueror in 1078. However, the tower as a whole is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.
The tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom." - in: wikipedia.

"The Wieliczka Salt Mine, located in the town of Wieliczka, had been until 2007 in continuous operation, producing table salt, since the 13th century. It was one of the world's oldest operating salt mines. Active mining was discontinued in 1996 due to low salt prices and mine flooding. Currently the mine is a major tourist attraction.
The Wieliczka salt mine features a 3.5-km. tour for visitors (less than 1% of the length of the mine's passages) that includes statues of historic and mythical figures, all sculpted by miners out of rock salt. Even the crystal chandeliers are fashioned out of rock salt. Also featured are beautifully carved chambers, chapels, an underground lake, and exhibits on the history of salt mining. The mine is frequently referred to as "The Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland."
To get down to the 150-meter level of the mine, visitors must walk down a wooden stairway of some 400 steps. After the 3 kilometer tour of the mine's corridors, its chapels, statues and lake, visitors take an elevator back up to the surface. The elevator holds 36 people (9 per car) and takes roughly 30 seconds to reach the surface.

In 1978 the Wieliczka salt mine was placed on the original UNESCO roster of World Heritage Sites." - in: wikipedia.

RR Portugal x Portugal group 43

I've received today the last card of this RR. It was a great RR because all the cards are great.

This card was sent by Joana "juca" and it shows one of my favorite cities. I love my city but if i had to move to another one, it would be to Coimbra.

Another one from Coimbra. This one was sent by Raquel "kel" and it shows the University of Coimbra, the oldest university of Portugal. "The University of Coimbra, founded in Lisbon in 1290 by King Dinis I, was transferred to the premises of Coimbra Royal Palace in 1537 by King John III. Built in the 18th century, the Joanina Library (Biblioteca Joanina), a Baroque library, is other notable landmark of the ancient university. The Baroque University Tower (Torre da Universidade), from the school of the German architect Ludovice and built between 1728 and 1733, is the city's «ex-libris».
Coimbra has been called A cidade dos estudantes (The city of the students) mainly because of the university. Nowadays, it has students from 70 different nationalities; almost 10% of its students are foreigners, making it Portugal's most international university." - in: wikipedia.

And this beautiful card from Sintra, showing gorgeous details of some old houses, was sent by Ana "ninocas".
"Sintra is both a town and a municipality located in the district of Lisbon. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its 19th century Romantic architecture.
The town of Sintra refuses to be promoted to City Status, despite being the center of the second most populated municipality of Portugal." - in: wikipedia.

USA, Portugal

These are 2 of the 3 cards i've received today. The american card was sent by Heather "heatherc" and the portuguese is from a private trade with Susana "SusanaPortugal".

"The New York State Capitol is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of New York. Housing the New York Legislature, it is located in the state capital of Albany on State Street in Capitol Park.
The Capitol was constructed between 1867 and 1899 and inspired by the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) in Paris, France. Three teams of architects designed it. The building is constructed in both Romanesque and Renaissance styles. This has led some historians to dub it "The Battle of the Styles." Notable architectural features include its interior "Million Dollar Staircase" and massive, 166 foot long exterior Eastern Staircase. The Capitol exterior is made of white granite from Hallowell, Maine, and the building incorporates marble cut by state prisoners at Sing Sing. The granite structure is 220 feet (67 meters) tall at its highest point, and it is one of ten U.S. state capitols that does not have a domed roof." - in: wikipedia.

"Church of Saint John of Alporão (Igreja de São João de Alporão): Built between the 12th and the 13th centuries by the Knights Hospitallers, this church is a fine example of transitional architecture, with a Romanesque main portal and an early Gothic main chapel and vaulting. The arches of the ambulatory of the main chapel show Arab (Mudéjar) influences. The church now houses a small Archaeological Museum. Its most important piece is the flamboyant Gothic tomb of Duarte de Meneses, missed in a battle in North Africa in 1465. His magnificent tomb is empty." - in: wikipedia.

South Korea

Traditional south korean costume sent by "shangrila".

Sun & Sea - Dominican Republic

The images speak for themselves.

More unesco cards

Great day today with nice unesco cards, one of them from a new country, Ecuador. Thanks a lot to Violet "violanie59".

"Sangay National Park is a national park located in the Morona Santiago, Chimborazo and Tungurahua provinces of Ecuador. The park contains two active volcanoes (Tungurahua and Sangay) and ecosystems ranging from tropical rainforests to glaciers.
The park has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. In 1992, it was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in danger due to illegal poaching, extensive grazing, unplanned road construction and encroachment of the park's perimeter. It was removed from the list of endangered sites in 2005." - in: wikipedia.

"Vézelay Abbey (now known as Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine) was a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery in Vézelay in the Yonne département in Burgundy, France. The Benedictine abbey church of Ste-Marie-Madeleine (or Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene), with its complicated program of imagery in sculpted capitals and portals, is one of the outstanding masterpieces of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture, though much of its exterior sculpture was defaced during the French Revolution. The church and hill at Vézelay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979." - in: wikipedia.

"The Grand Place is the central market square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guild houses, the city's Town Hall and the Bread House. The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels next to the Atomium and Manneken Pis.
The Grand Place was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998. One of the houses was owned by the brewers' guild, and is now the home of a brewers' museum." - in: wikipedia.

1 trade and 1 surprise

Today i've received 2 cards, 1 from a private trade with Minna "cottonella" from Sweden and a surprise cards sent by Ana "subtlelens" from Portugal.

"The royal castle in Stockholm has 605 rooms. It is the biggest castle in world that is still in use by a king. The castle is the workplace for Karl XVI. The royal family lives in another palace outside Stockholm. The castle is built on the old castle Tre Kronor that was destroyed in a fire in the year 1697. The royal castle was designed by the architect Nicodemus Tessin. The castle was ready in the year 1754 and the first king that lived in the castle was Adolf Fredrik with his queen Lovisa Ulrika." - in: http://www.old-town-stockholm.com/royal-castle-stockholm.php

"Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa or Sé de Lisboa is the cathedral of Lisbon and the oldest church in the city. Since the beginning of the construction of the cathedral, in the year 1147, the building has been modified several times and survived many earthquakes. It is nowadays a mix of different architectural styles." - in: wikipédia.

Rhodes - Greece

An UNESCO card from Greece sent by Barbara "lilo".

"Rhodes is a Greek island approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) southwest of Turkey in eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007 of which 53,709 resided in the capital city of the island.
Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes has been declared a World Heritage Site. Today Rhodes is a major international tourist destination." - in: wikipedia.

Snowy Bulgaria

Some winters views from Bulgaria sent by Stefka.

"Bulgaria has a temperate climate, with cool and damp winters, very hot and dry summers, and Mediterranean influence along the Black Sea coast. The barrier effect of the Balkan Mountains influences climate throughout the country: northern Bulgaria gets slightly cooler and receives more rain than the southern regions.

Precipitation in Bulgaria averages about 630 millimetres per year. Drier areas include Dobrudzha and the northern coastal strip, while the higher parts of the Rila and Stara Planina mountains receive the highest levels of precipitation. In summer, temperatures in the south of Bulgaria often exceed 40 degrees Celsius, but remain cooler by the coast. A site near Plovdiv has recorded the highest known temperature: 46.7 degrees Celsius." - in: wikipedia.

Dunns River Falls - Jamaica

I've only received this card today. It was sent by a portuguese postcrosser Dúlio "luso". He went on a cruise for his honey moon and he visited Jamaica.

"Dunn's River Falls is a famous waterfall near Ocho Rios and a major Caribbean tourist attraction. The falls empty into the Caribbean Sea. It is one of the very few rivers in the world that actually fall directly into the sea.
The waterfalls are staggered and span some 600 feet, several small lagoons exist interspersed between the vertical sections of the falls. Climbing up the waterfalls is a popular tourist activity and is often, but not exclusively performed with the help of tour guides from the park. The falls can be walked up with relative ease, often a human chain is used snaking up the falls behind the tour guide."
Parts of the James Bond movie Dr. No were filmed at the Falls, including a scene of Ursula Andress walking onto the beach. - in: wikipedia.

Portugal, Spain

4 cards today, 3 from Portugal sent by Américo "valdagua" and a new unesco whs from Spain sent by Aimar "ArwenUndomiel".

Night view of Santiago do Cacém.

Traditional way to make cheese.

Baking a traditional cake.

"Vizcaya Bridge straddles the mouth of the Ibaizabal estuary, west of Bilbao. It was designed by the Basque architect Alberto de Palacio and completed in 1893. The 45-m-high bridge with its span of 160 m, merges 19th-century ironworking traditions with the then new lightweight technology of twisted steel ropes. It was the first bridge in the world to carry people and traffic on a high suspended gondola and was used as a model for many similar bridges in Europe, Africa and the America only a few of which survive. With its innovative use of lightweight twisted steel cables, it is regarded as one of the outstanding architectural iron constructions of the Industrial Revolution." in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1217

Portugal vs Turkey

Euro 2008 has just began and in 1 hour and a bit the portuguese national team will play against the turkish. I'm preparing myself for the game and i believe we'll win.

"Guimarães is a city and municipality in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the district of Braga. As the first capital of Portugal, Guimarães is known as the place where the country was born - "The Cradle City". In 1095 Count Henry of Burgundy, who had married princess Teresa of León, establishes in Guimarães the 2nd County of Portugal (Condado Portucalense). In July 25, 1109 Afonso Henriques, son of Count Henry of Burgundy, is born in this same city. That is were Duke Afonso Henriques proclaimed Portuguese independence from the Kingdom of León, after the Battle of São Mamede, declaring himself to be Afonso I, king of Portugal. The Historic Centre of Guimarães was declared a World Heritage Site in 2001 by UNESCO, due to its Middle Age historical monuments." - in: wikipedia.

"Turkey is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace (Rumelia) in the Balkan region of southeaster Europe. Turkey borders eight countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhichevan), Iran, Iraq and Syria. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea and Archipelago are to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. Separating Anatolia and Thrace are the Sea of Marmara and the Turkish Straits (the Bosporus and the Dardanelles), which are commonly reckoned to delineate the border between Asia and Europe, thereby making Turkey transcontinental.
Due to its strategic location astride two continents, Turkey's culture has a unique blend of Eastern and Western tradition." - in: wikipedia

On this card we can see the Celsus Library, life in Anatolia, the Temple of Athena - Assos, Pamukkale, Istanbul, Cappadocia and Kursunlu Waterfall - Antalya.

The card was sent by Emel "darcy".

Ksour de Tataouine - Tunisia

Tataouine is a city located in southern Tunisia.
The district is famous for its ksour (fortified Berber granaries) including the picturesque Ksar Ouled Soltane.

"Ksar Ouled Soltane is a fortified granary, or ksar, located in the Tataouine district in southern Tunisia. The ksar is spread out over two courtyards, each of which has a perimeter of multi-story vaulted granary cellars, or ghorfas. Like other ksour (plural of ksar) created by North African Berber communities, Ksar Ouled Soltane is located on a hilltop, to help protect it from raiding parties in previous centuries.
Ksar Ouled Soltane is now a tourist destination, with visitors coming to see its well-preserved granary vaults. It was also featured in the film Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in some of the scenes used to represented the slave quarters of Mos Espa, where the character Anakin Skywalker lived as a boy." - in: wikipedia.

Angra do Heroísmo - Azores

A new portuguese unesco card :) It was sent by Márcia "magl". I still need 3 sites to complete the portuguese list.

Angra do Heroísmo is a city in Terceira Island in the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores.

"Considered the most cosmopolitan city of the Azores, Angra do Heroísmo was declared a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 1983. For centuries Angra has been a stopping point on the routes between Europe, America and Africa, and this rich past is visible, despite the damages caused by a great earthquake in 1980, in its great churches and monasteries, the impressive fortress of St. John the Baptist, the twin-towered Cathedral (16th century) or in stately Renaissance houses with graceful balconies.

The best views over the city of Angra do Heroísmo and its beautiful harbour are obtained from the top of Monte Brasil, a vulcanic crater of lush vegetation rising on the western side of the bay." in: http://viajar.clix.pt/geo.php?c=278&lg=en

African Day

What a nice day, 2 new countries from Africa, Namibia and Senegal :)

This is my 1st official card from Africa. ZA - 2728 sent from South Africa by Sandy but the card is from Namibia.

This is the Damara dik-dik the smallest antelope in Namibia, only 30-40 cm's in height and 3-6 kg's weight.

This Senegal card was sent from Germany by Joana "neojojo". It shows the return of the fishermen in M'Bour. "M'Bour or Mbour is a town on the Petite Côte in Senegal, lying approximately 80 km south of Dakar. M'bour's harbour is the 2nd most important harbour in Senegal, after Dakar." - in wikipedia.

Tartu - Estonia

1 card today, sent by Elina "elsu" from Estonia. It shows the Tartu Observatory, the Anathomical Theatre and the Botanical Garden.

"The Tartu Observatory is the largest astronomical observatory in Estonia. It is located on Tõravere hill, about 20 km south-west of Tartu in Nõo Parish, Tartu County. It is known internationally for it's connection to Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve and the Struve Geodetic Arc, an Unesco whs, of which it is the first point." - in: wikipedia.