Raili's cards

These 3 finnish cards are a result of a trade with Raili. 

This a beautiful painting of Espoo church. 

Some animals enjoying the finnish winter. 

This girls is wearing a feresi, the everyday dress of Karelian women, worn in the kitchen and cowshed. 

FI-2375688 & FI-1687947

 Officials from Helsinki with the Uspenski Cathedral.

Photo: Ismo Männisto © Copyright Funky Banana O

FI-2375688, sent by Marjanna.

Uspenski Cathedral was built between 1862 and 1868. It was designed by Aleksei Gornostajev and based on a 16th-century church near Moscow. The bricks came from the Bomarsund fortress in Aland, which had been destroyed during the Crimean War in 1854.

Photographed and Published by Janne harala Tmi, Lahti

FI-1687947, sent by Eva

Today, the cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Helsinki in the Finnish Orthodox Church. The Finnish Orthodox Church has about 60,000 members and is part of the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate based in Constantinople. - in:  http://www.sacred-destinations.com/finland/uspenski-orthodox-cathedral.htm

My dutch trip cards

My trip to the Netherlands was more than a month ago. I really like the country and I'm sure I'll visit again in the future, not only to visit again 2 or 3 places that I've been to on this trip but also to visit other places and meet some friends too. I've been to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Kinderdijk, Den Haag, Delft, Gouda, Marken, Volendam and Zaanse Schans. 

These cards were sent by me and also signed by my penpal Tessa with whom I've sent a lovely day at Kinderdijk and Rotterdam, and Gouda, where I met 4 postcrossing friends, Leonie, Astrid, Jetske and Tjitske. 

 © Foto + Art work: Arthur van Loo

I wrote on my last post about Kinderdijk that this place was on my must visit list, now it's on my visited list :) Besides cards, I also like to write letters and Tessa is one of my pals. When I started to think about this trip I asked her if she'd like to meet me, she said yes and we met in Rotterdam. Her dad gave us a ride to Kinderdijk and we spent a lovely morning there. The place is really beautiful, the weather was great and the company was perfect. 

© Fotopersbureau Herman Van Os

Because of postcrossing I've a few friends in the Netherlands and once there of course we had to met. We met in Gouda. The weather was not so great that day but we spend a nice day visiting the city. 

Gouda, the historic city in the province of South Holland, is known world-wide for its Gouda cheese, its candles and its delicious stroopwafels. 

This is the Markt Square on a market day (we were day on a market day) with the Old City Hall in the middle of the square. The Town Hall was built between 1448 and 1450 and is one of the oldest Gothic city halls in the Netherlands. 

DE-4131160 & DE-4135322

An affcial from Oberellenbach and another one from Berlin. 

DE-4131160, sent by Anke.
This church is 800 years old and that's all I can say about it.

DE-4135322, sent by Thomas.

The Berlin City Palace (German: Berliner Stadtschloss, Berliner Schloss or simply Stadtschloss) was a royal and imperial palace in the centre of Berlin, the historical capital of Prussia, and subsequently Germany. It was located on the Museum Island at Schlossplatz, opposite the Lustgarten park. It was the winter residence of the Kings of Prussia and the German Emperors.

The palace was originally built in the 15th century and changed throughout the next few centuries.

 Heavily damaged by Allied bombing in World War II, although possible to repair at great expense, the palace was demolished in 1950 by the German Democratic Republic authorities, despite West German protests.

In 2013 work started on reconstruction and a part of the exterior of the palace has been rebuilt. The completion is expected in 2019. - in: wikipedia

Argèles-sur-Mer - France

 After all the drama of João's last holidays, the stress is finally over, now he's travelling again with is family. That's really good news after all they had been through.

Photos: Willy's - Estel

Argelès-sur-Mer is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

Argelès-sur-Mer is located in the coast sector of the Côte Vermeille at the foot of the Albères mountain range, just a short drive away from the Spanish border. Argelès-sur-Mer is the longest beach of Pyrenées Orientales. - in: wikipedia

3 in 1 RR - Group #202. Religious (any places of worship)

Churches from the Minas Gerais state in Brazil, sent by Sérgio. 

Foto: Paulo Laborne

The church of Our Lady of Conceição is located at the Main Square of Catas Altas. It is one of the most important temples in the state. According to a  document the first baptism held in the chapel took place in 1712.

Foto: Paulo Laborne

The chapel of Sant'Ana, in Chapada sub-district, in Ouro Preto, presents a similarity regarding the formal and volumetric aspect of the early 18th-century religious buildings of the state. 

Foto: Paulo Laborne

Side altar of Saint Helena in the chapel of the Rosary in Ouro Preto. The sculpture is a work of António Francisco Lisboa (Aleijadinho) and the gilded woodcarving from Manuel José Veloso. 

3 in 1 RR - Group #202. Religious (any places of worship)

Religious constructions in California, Rhode Island and New York, sent by Michele. 

Photographed by Gene Falk 

Mission San Antonio de Padua is a Spanish mission established by the Franciscan order in present-day Monterey County, California, near the present-day town of Jolon. It was founded on July 14, 1771 and was the third mission founded in Alta California by Father Presidente Junípero Serra. The mission was also the site of the first Christian marriage and the first use of fired-tile roofing in Upper California. - in: wikipedia

Copyright John T. Hopf

 Trinity Church, on Queen Anne Square in Newport, Rhode Island, is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Founded in 1698, it is the oldest Episcopal parish in the state. The current Georgian building was designed by architect Richard Munday and constructed in 1725–26. It is a National Historic Landmark. - in: wikipedia

St. Patrick's Cathedral is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral in New York. Its construction began in 1858 but was halted during the Civil War and resumed in 1865. The cathedral was completed in 1878 and dedicated on May 25, 1879.

US-3230280

The 1st thing that crosses my mind when I think about Seattle is Grey's Anatomy. 

Photo by: Ken Glaser, Jr. 

US-3230280, sent by Lisa.

Seattle is a coastal seaport city and the seat of King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. With an estimated 652,405 residents as of 2013, Seattle is the largest city in both the State of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America and, as of July 2013, the fastest-growing major city in the United States. - in: wikipedia

US-3230296

This is my 1st card sent from Hawaii.

Photo by Scott Hanft

US-3230296, sent by Tania.

Wai’oli Hui’ia Church is located in the town of Hanalei, which is on the rugged and dramatic north shore of Kauai between Princetown, and the Na Pali Coast State Park.  

The Wai’oli Hui’ia Church was established by American Christian missionaries in 1834. Because they expected the arrival of the missionaries, the Hawaiians themselves built the first structure on the site, a pole and thatched meeting house. A more permanent Hanalei church building was completed in 1837.

A plaster and timber-frame building was completed in 1841, with the lime for the plaster made from coral found on the beaches during low tides. The Mission Bell arrived and was installed in 1843. 

Today, the Hanalei Church Mission Hall is the oldest church building on Kauai. - in: http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/hawaii/kauai/hanalei-church

Joya de Cerén - El Salvador

I said in the previous post that Marco sent me the León card and also a card from El Salvador, my 1st from there and from the only UNESCO site in the country. Joya de Cerén was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

Joya de Ceren Archaeological Site is a pre-Columbian Maya farming village that has been preserved remarkably intact after it was destroyed by volcanic ash around 600 AD. 

Loma Caldera, a nearby volcano, erupted and buried the village under 14 layers of ash. The villagers were apparently able to flee in time – no bodies have been found – although they left behind utensils, ceramics, furniture, and even half-eaten food in their haste to escape. The site was discovered in 1976 by Payson Sheets, a professor of anthropology. Since then the excavation process has continued. About 70 buildings have been uncovered.

Even more important than the buildings, however, are the paleoethnobotanical remains. The low temperature of the wet ash from Loma Caldera, as well as its rapid fall, ensured the preservation of much of the plant material. Of great importance is the discovery of manioc fields, the first time manioc cultivation had been found at a New World archaeological site. - in: http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/joyadeceren.html

León - Nicaragua

I don't have many cards from the Central America countries, this one is only my 2nd card from Nicaragua. After trading a few stamps with Marco, I've got this card and another one from El Salvador.

León is the second largest city in Nicaragua. The first city named León in Nicaragua was founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba about 20 miles (32 km) east of the present site. The city was abandoned in 1610 after a series of earthquakes. 

The city preserves its attractive historical center and colonial buildings. It has more colonial churches and cathedrals per capita than any other place in Nicaragua. These are only five of the thirteen to check out in the city. 

Editor: Motivación Sevilla, Masaya * © Photo Jorge Sebasta

Church of la Recolección, construction began on December 5, 1786, by Bishop Juan Félix de Villegas thanks to contributions made by parishioners. Its outstanding Mexican baroque façade is considered one of the most important in the city. 

Church of Subtiava was considered the main temple after the cathedral. Its construction began in 1698, during magistrate Diego Rodríguez Menéndez administration and was completed August 24, 1710. 

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of León, typical colonial baroque building built between 1747 and 1814. Because of its solid, anti-seismic construction its walls have endured earthquakes, volcanic eruptions of Cerro Negro volcano, and bombings during civil wars.

The Cathedral has maintained the status of being the largest cathedral in Central America and one of the best known in the Americas due to its distinct architecture and special cultural importance. It was was awarded a UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2011. - in: wikipedia

The joined facades of the school and the chapel of Asunción together take up the whole southern side of the central park of León. The original building was constructed in 1679 and used as episcopal palace. In 1892 it was donated to the nuns from the Asunción School. The building was partly destroyed in 1935, and when it was rebuilt the chapel was constructed in its current form. - in: https://vianica.com/attraction/370/school-and-chapel-of-asuncion

Church of el Calvario, a fantasy of textures and colors of pure Leonese baroque. Built by the illustrious Mayorga family, el Calvario dates from the first half of the 18th century and it is one of Leon's architectural jewels at the east end of calle Real or "Main Street". - in: wikipedia

Serengeti National Park - Tanzania

The picture on this card was the winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, a photography competition co-owned by two UK institutions that pride themselves on revealing and championing the diversity of life on Earth - the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.   The competition provides a global showcase of the very best nature photography. 

The picture was taken by Michael "Nick" Nichols in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. 

Miguel sent me this card after visiting the photography exhibition at the museum. 

On the back of the card: Nick set out to recreate a time past, before lions were under such threat. Here, the five females of the Vumbi pride in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park lie close together, sleeping calmly, photographed in infra-red.