Shiretoko - Japan

Shiretoko National Park in Japan is the newest unesco site in my collection. I've received this card today and it was sent by Evita "evitayuhe".

" Shiretoko National Park covers most of the Shiretoko Peninsula at the northeastern tip of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. The word "Shiretoko" is an Ainu word meaning "end of the earth".
One of the most remote regions in all of Japan, much of the peninsula is only accessible on foot or by boat. The park is best known as the home of Japan's largest brown bear population and for offering views of the disputed Kunashiri Island, claimed by Russia. The park has a hot springs waterfall called Kamuiwakka Falls. Kamui wakka means "water of the gods" in Ainu.
The forests of the park are temperate and subalpine mixed forests; the main tree species include Sakhalin fir, Erman's birch and Mongolian oak. Beyond the forest limit there are impenetrable Siberian Dwarf Pine thickets.
In 2005, UNESCO designated the area a World Heritage Site, advising to develop the property jointly with Kuril Islands of Russia as a transboundary "World Heritage Peace Park"." - in: wikipedia

Cards from Brazil

The last cards of this week arrived from Brazil. Karina "kazinhabueno" hosted a lottery on the portuguese community and decided to send cards to everyone who've joined it. I got my cards on thursday.

"The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi is a Rococo Catholic church in Ouro Preto.
Its erection began in 1766 after a design by the great Brazilian architect and sculptor António Francisco Lisboa, the so-called Aleijadinho, who also designed the carved decorations inside, which were only finished towards the end of the 19th century. The circular bell towers and the oculus closed by a relief were original features in religious architecture of that time in Brazil.
The façade has a single entrance door under a fine stone frontispiece, surmounted by a relief depicting Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. The interior is richly decorated with golden woodwork, statues and paintings, and the wooden ceiling displays a beautiful painting by Manuel da Costa Athayde on a Marian subject, one of his best works." - in: wikipedia
This chrch was recently elected as one of the 7 Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.

The second card is from the Mel Island in Paraná state with the Conchas Lighthouse.

"The lighthouse was built 1872, ordered by the King Dom Pedro II and it was brought from England to Ilha do Mel. It is a working lighthouse used to orient boats entering in the Paranaguá Bay. From that spectacular height you get a lovely view of various beaches and also the point where the island separates. The lighthouse has featured in films due to its beauty." - in: http://www.ilhadomel-travel.com.br/destination_guide

Cards from Italy

I've got 2 brazilian cards today but first i need to show the italian cards i've received last tuesday. It was my second trade with Katja "maggiolino". All these cards are unesco and the last one is a new unesco.

"Verona is a city in Veneto, northern Italy, one of the seven provincial capitals in the region. It is one of the main tourist destinations in north-eastern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient amphitheatre built by the Romans.

Because of the value and importance of its many historical buildings, Verona has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Verona preserved many ancient Roman monuments, no longer in use, in the early Middle Ages, but much of this and much of its early medieval edifices were destroyed or heavily damaged by the earthquake of 3 January 1117, which led to a massive Romanesque rebuilding. The Carolingian period Versus de Verona contains an important description of Verona in the early medieval era." - in: wikipedia

"Verona Cathedral (Italian: Cattedrale di Santa Maria Matricolare, or simply Duomo di Verona) is a church in Verona. It was erected after two Palaeo-Christian churches on the same site had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1117. Built in Romanesque style, the cathedral was consecrated on September 13, 1187. The structure was later modified by several renovation interventions, although the plan has remained unchanged." - in: wikipedia

"Parco del Delta del Po is a protected wetlands region in the Po delta consisting of four parcels of land on the right bank of the Po and to the south. In 1999 the park was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and was added to "Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta."
The 53,653 ha (132,580 acres) of the park contain wetlands, forest, dunes and salt pans. It has a high biodiversity, with 1000-1100 plant species and 374 vertebrate species, of which 300 are birds." - in: wikipedia

New German Unesco cards

My german unesco wishlist is getting shorter and shorter. Today i've recived these 2 wonderful cards sent by Sabine "bine", all of them new in my collection.

With the 4 cards i got today, i've now more than 2000 cards, 2002 to be precise :D

"Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a town in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the Elbe River.
The importance of Wittenberg historically was due to its seat of the Elector of Saxony, a dignity held by the dukes of Saxe-Wittenberg and also to its close connection with Martin Luther and the dawn of the Protestant Reformation; several of its buildings are associated with the events of this time. Part of the Augustinian monastery in which Luther dwelt, first as a monk and later as owner with his wife and family, is preserved and considered to be the world's premier museum dedicated to Luther." - in: wikipedia

"Bauhaus ("House of Building" or "Building School") is the common term for the Staatliches Bauhaus a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933.
The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar. In spite of its name, and the fact that its founder was an architect, the Bauhaus did not have an architecture department during the first years of its existence. The Bauhaus style became one of the most influential currents in Modernist architecture and modern design. The Bauhaus had a profound influence upon subsequent developments in art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and typography.
The school existed in three German cities (Weimar from 1919 to 1925, Dessau from 1925 to 1932 and Berlin from 1932 to 1933)." - in: wikipedia

Urbino - Italy

After a few days without cards, today i've finally got great mail.

From Italy i've received this new unesco card, Historic Centre of Urbino sent by Chiara "chiarandino".

"The small hill town of Urbino, in the Marche, experienced a great cultural flowering in the 15th century, attracting artists and scholars from all over Italy and beyond, and influencing cultural developments elsewhere in Europe. Owing to its economic and cultural stagnation from the 16th century onwards, it has preserved its Renaissance appearance to a remarkable extent.
During its short cultural pre-eminence, Urbino attracted some of the most outstanding humanist scholars and artists of the Renaissance, who created there an exceptional urban complex of remarkable homogeneity, the influence of which carried far into the rest of Europe. Urbino represents a pinnacle of Renaissance art and architecture, harmoniously adapted to its physical site and to its medieval precursor in an exceptional manner." - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/828

Dresden - Germany

"Dresden is the capital city of the German Federal Free State of Saxony. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe.
Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendour. The city was completely destroyed by the controversial Allied aerial bombing towards the end of World War II. The impact of the bombing, 40 years in the German Democratic Republic and contemporary city development have all completely changed the face of the city. Since German reunification in 1990, Dresden has re-emerged as a cultural, political and economic centre in the eastern part of Germany.

The Dresden Elbe Valley is a World Heritage Site in Dresden. The valley, extending for some 20 kilometres through the city of Dresden, is one of two cultural landscapes along the Central European river Elbe. The value of this landscape lies in the fact that it is part of the urban area as well as part of the natural river banks and slopes.

In 2006, UNESCO World Heritage Committee placed the site on its list of World Heritage Sites in danger and threatens to remove the Dresden Elbe Valley from the World Heritage List. Describing the committee's decision, the World Heritage Site reported that "plans to build a bridge across the Elbe would have such a serious impact on the integrity of property's landscape that it may no longer deserve to be on the World Heritage List." It therefore decided to inscribe Dresden Elbe Valley on the List of World Heritage in Danger "with a view to also consider, in a prudent manner, delisting the site from the World Heritage List in 2007 if the plans are carried through."

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee in July 2008 has decided to retain the Elbe Valley on the World Heritage List in the hope that the building of the four-lane bridge across the valley will be stopped and the integrity of the landscape will be restored. In the event that the construction of the bridge was not stopped and damage reversed, the property would be deleted from the World Heritage List in 2009." - in: wikipedia

Madeira's Levadas - Portugal

A few days ago i tagged Joaquim "kosta28" and requested a Laurissilva Forest card, my last portuguese unesco whs. He was at the portuguese postcrossing meeting last weekend in Coimbra and he gave me the card.

My portuguese unesco cards collection is finally complete.

Madeira's Levadas are former irrigation channels along which people now walk, enjoying the beauty of the countryside and panoramic views of the lush surrounding hills.

Madeira is a natural reserve with two thirds of its territory assigned as a Conservation Area, where rare flora and fauna abound. On the 2nd December 1999 UNESCO classified the Laurisilva forest of Madeira as a World Nature Heritage Site.

The existence of an amazing network of primitive man made irrigation canals known, as Levadas as well as the Veredas or Mountain paths, will enable the attentive visitors to encounter along the way the rare indigenous Laurisilva forest of Madeira.

Postcrossing Meeting

Last weekend i went to the 3rd portuguese Postcrossing Meeting in Coimbra, my 1st meeting. The meeting was sunday but i've traveled to Coimbra saturday. That night i've met 3 postcrossers, kryx87, ninocas and her family and ludovico.

The meeting was great and 13 portuguese postcrossers were there. On this picture you can see 12 of them because Ana "subtleLens" was already gone when the pictures was taken.

From left to right (girls): Susana "susana_portugal"; Rita "rita_simões"; Ana "ninocas"; Cristina "kryx87"; Duarte (ninocas kid) behind Cristina; me; Paula "geminiscp"; (Boys): Francisco "ribossoma"; Américo "valdagua"; Joaquim "kosta28"; Fernando "fernandoferreira"; Luís "ludovico"; Zé "zepombal" .

Like in every postcrossing meeting, we also signed cards to send to some postcrossers friends (maybe you'll received one). I stole zepombal's idea and i've sent a card signed by them to me :P and received it today!!

I loved the meeting and i can't wait to go to another one!