Postcards vs Pictures I

No cards today and yesterday, so today i wanted to post something different.

Postcards are my addiction but i also love taking pictures. When i travel i always buy cards and try to take some decent pictures. Sometimes when i get home i realize that the pictures and cards are very similar. Today i'll start a serie of posts to show postcards and pictures.

Today's post shows 2 of the 12 portuguese historical villages, both in my district. These villages are very old settlements founded even before the portuguese nation foundation. They stand out for their militar architecture because some of them are surrounded by walls and protected by a castle.

This card is from Marialva and it shows the castle, a pillory, a cistern and the jail.

"Despite being practically abandoned nowadays, the village of Marialva had its hey-day in the 12th and 13th centuries, when the Castle was built. It is one of the most singular ruins of Portuguese castles, keeping its structure almost intact, as well as the population settlement around it. The wall line that surrounds the ancient village is interrupted by two small windows and two gates (the Guardian Angel gate and the Hill gate) connected by an ancient pavement. The pillory, the cistern, the fortress, the donjon, two churches and five towers remain." - in: http://www.ippar.pt/english/monumentos/castelo_marialva.html

This is the picture i took. That day the weather wasn't that good and the sky was kind of grey. To visit the castle we have to buy a ticked and i was lucky because i was the only one visiting it at that hour. That was great because i like to take my time and i hate to have people arround me when i'm taking pictures.

This one is from Sortelha and i've already been there a few times.

"Sortelha is likely a pre-roman settlement, which has been continuously inhabbited, in turns by celts, romans, goths, arabs, leonese and, at last, portuguese. The present castle walls were built on the 13th century. It is one of the best preserved portuguese Historical Villages." - in: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=abd41212-c4e4-44e5-b81d-eabdf8c438a0

I think i took this picture 2 years ago, probably the last time i went there.
If you ever visit my region, you must visit this village. It keeps an immaculated mediaeval architecture and is extremely well preserved with its stony lanes and granite houses (some have been turned into restaurants and holiday inns). Definitively, this is one of the most typical and beautiful villages in Portugal. This historic village hasn't got signs of modern life, time didn't pass here.

Portugal isn't only beaches and sun, if you want to see something else, you must visit our Historic Villages, i'm sure you’ll not loose your precious time.