Surprise Trade # 3 + Surprise card

Today i've received my last card from the Surprise Tarde round 3, so here are the 3 cards. And today i've also received a surprise card sent from Paris by Paula "geminiscp".

This is my 3rd card of the US National Parks. It was sent by "ribit1".

"Shenandoah National Park encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the U.S. state of Virginia. This national park is long and narrow, with the broad Shenandoah River and valley on the west side, and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont on the east. Almost 40 % of the land area (79,579 acres/322 km²) has been designated as Wilderness and is protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The highest peak is Hawksbill Mountain at 4,051 feet (1,235 m)." - in: wikipedia.

I've received this 1 today and it was sent by Tina "athena125".

The man on the picture is Janka Kernsnik and i couldn't find any information about him in english but Ana helped me with this. So, Janka Kernsnik was a slovenian publicist and politician born in Brdo Castle in 1852. Thank you Ana :D

"Brdo is an estate and a mansion in the Slovenian region of Upper Carniola. It is the Slovenian Government's main venue for diplomatic meetings and other Government-sponsored events.
The present mansion was built in 1510 in the Renaissance style, but has been frequently renovated since. The interior of the mansion is decorated with paintings, frescos and sculptures by famous Slovene artists." - in: wikipedia.

This lovely card was the 1st one i've received from this trade and it was sent by "doumik". My mom likes it a lot :p
"The various elements of the Alsatian costume were inspired by the style of the French nobility and bourgeoisie and adapted to local needs with variations from one area to another. Women wore white shifts with ruffled cuffs and collars and long skirts - befitting modest, hard-working peasants. Interestingly, colours played a religious part - ribbons adorning the skirts were black if you were Protestant whereas Catholics wore brighter, less austere colours.
Men also had their own dress codes - black trousers with six gold buttons signified bachelor status. Shirts were white linen, waistcoats were red and jackets were black.
These traditional costumes went out of fashion long ago but can still be seen in folklore musuems, museums of life in Alsace or at festivals and celebrations." - in: http://www.imagesofalsace.com/Folkore/Costume/costume.html

And now, also from France, the surprise card from Paula. Cards from Paris are always beautiful.
"Notre Dame de Paris, built between 1163-1330, is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It was restored and saved from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, giving them a more secular look that was lacking from earlier Romanesque architecture." - in: wikipedia.