Vietnam's Traditional Hat

 How lovely is this card?! Diana has been to Vietnam a few months ago and brought me this card for my old people collection. Love it!!

The cute old lady is making a Non La, a cone-shaped hat made mainly from palm leaves, latanier leaves, or bamboo leaves. Its frame is crafted from thin bamboo or rattan, creating a light and durable structure. Each hat includes around 16 to 20 bamboo rings, all hand-stitched with great care and precision.

 

It usually takes 4 - 8 hours to complete one Non La, depending on the detail and craftsmanship. For farmers, the Non La is an essential tool used daily to shield them from the sun and rain. It is also used by women when going to the market, or as a hand fan to create a breeze during rest breaks in the fields. When worn with the graceful ao dai, it highlights the gentle and modest charm of Vietnamese women. You can see the Non La everywhere, from countryside fields to city streets, and even at cultural festivals and fashion shows.

Its simple and rustic beauty reflects the soul of the Vietnamese people.
Beyond its daily use, the Non La is a meaningful souvenir. Many visitors buy it as a special gift for loved ones or as a keepsake from Vietnam. It also holds deep meaning, appearing in poetry, music, and art, and living on through generations as a symbol of Vietnamese identity. - in: https://www.vietnamairlines.com

US-11759741

 This month I've received a few official cards from the USA but half of them were actually from other countries. This one here is from China. 

He Garden, or Heyuan Garden, located in Xuningmen Street in Jiangsu Yangzhou City, is known as "the first garden in late Qing Dynasty". The once private garden has now become a national 4A-rated tourist site, and attracted many ancient architecture lovers.

 

US-11759741, sent by Helen.

The garden was the private residential yard of the He Family, a notable family and great clan in Yangzhou. It was built by He Zhidao, an official of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. He resigned in 1883 and set up business in Yangzhou. He then bought the ancient site of Wu’s Sliced Stone Mountain Villa, and enlarged it into a big garden for his family. Construction lasted 13 years. - in: https://www.travelchinaguide.com

The He Garden is the representative work of Yangzhou gardens in the late Qing Dynasty, and is the embodiment of Yangzhou's garden characteristics. It makes full use of the gallery building function and charm; the 1500 meters complex road corridors here is unique wonderful landscapein China's gardens.
The scale of this garden is huge, covering an area of more than 14000 square meters; and the building area has reached more than 7000 square meters, accounting for more than 50% of the total area; reflecting the late Qing Dynasty garden architecture characteristics. The whole garden is divided into the east garden, west garden, garden countyard, slice of stone and hills room, with two layer series floor and compound corridor connecting with the house. - in: https://www.topchinatravel.com

Slender West Lake - China

 Yangzhou is without a doubt a top tourist city in China, with fascinating beauty. With a long history of over two thousand years, the city has accumulated numerous culture assets. It also possesses rich tourist resources such as endless water scenes, tastefully landscaped gardens as well as a varied architecture, in both magnificent and simple delicate styles. - in: http://www.travelchinaguide.com

One of the city's attrations is Slender West Lake, also known as Thin West Lake. 

 

Although I've had these postcards for years, I've just found out that this lake and the city's historic center are on UNESCO's Tentative List.

    

Slender West Lake was originally a wide river course and gradually became a famous scenic area with continuous constructions. In Sui and Tang dynasties, some gardens were built on the bank; and afterwards in Qing Dynasty, many wealthy salt dealers had the gardens built along the lake for self-pleasure (...).

Slender West Lake is famous for its natural charming sights, while it is also a place with plenty human cultures. Many politicians, litterateurs, painters and artists of past dynasties were attracted by the landscape and have left numerous poems, essays, paintings, calligraphies and music as well as their legends and stories. 

The whole lake is divided by bridges, isles and banks, which make this slender lake well-bedded in zigs and zags. 

 

  CN-2766806, sent by Brian.

One of the attractions of the lake is the Five Pavilion Bridge, which is also the symbol of Yangzhou. Built in Qing Dynasty with a history of more than 200 years, the five pavilions are just like five lotuses on the lake. Five-Pavilion Bridge is in southern style and was praised as a bridge with great artistic beauty by Chinese famous bridge expert Mao Yisheng. There are 15 arch holes in the bridge; and a special view can be enjoyed on full moon nights as "15 moons" will be reflected on the lake. - in: http://www.visitourchina.com/yangzhou/attraction/shou-xi-hu-slender-west-lake.html

Palmyra - Syria

 I've heard about Palmyra not only because it is a Syrian UNESCO site but mostly because it was all over the news when the extremist group ISIL took control of Palmyra and destroyed large parts of the ancient city, ten years ago. These two temples, as seen on the cards, don't exist anymore, they've both been partially destroyed. The city was recaptured by the Syrian Free Army, after the fall of the Assad government in December 2024 and hopefully something will be done to preserve what is left. 

I've also found the 1st of these cards in Brescia. It was written and stamped from Latakia, the principal port city of Syria, in 1989.

An oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences. - in: https://whc.unesco.org 

The structure of the Baalshamin temple dates to the Roman era. It was erected in the first century AD and further enlarged by Roman emperor Hadrian. The temple is one of the most important and best preserved buildings in Palmyra. 

The building was blown up in August 2015. Its cella, or inner area, was severely damaged, and followed by the collapse of the surrounding columns. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

The tetrapylon was a monument marking a major road intersection along the colonnaded street of Palmyra. It was a testimony to the grandeur of the era around 270 AD, during which Queen Zenobia had reached the height of her power. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

ISIL also destroyed the Tetrapylon. Only four pillars of the original 16 still standing, while the other 12 have been heavily damaged and are scattered around the base of the monument.

Baalbek - Lebanon

I've got my 1st card of Baalbek more than 10 years ago and a few days ago, I found another one in Brescia. Written, stamped with beautiful stamps and sent in 1973. When I saw it I immediately knew if was from a UNESCO site in Lebanon. Good find!

Baalbek is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon situated east of the Litani River. It is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of the Roman period, when Baalbek, then known as Heliopolis was one of the largest sanctuaries in the empire. It is Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure, and it can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world, containing some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins.

Towering high above the Beqaa plain, their monumental proportions proclaimed the power and wealth of Imperial Rome. The gods worshiped there, the triad of Jupiter, Venus and Bacchus, were grafted onto the indigenous deities of Hadad, Atargatis and a young male god of fertility.

The Temple of Bacchus was one of the three main temples at a large complex in classical antiquity, at Baalbek. The temple was dedicated to Bacchus (also known as Dionysus), the Roman god of wine, but was traditionally referred to by Neoclassical visitors as the "Temple of the Sun". It is considered one of the best preserved Roman temples in the world. It is larger than the Parthenon in Greece, though much less famous.

Vitacolor

The temple was commissioned by Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius and designed by an unknown architect c. 150 AD, and built close to the courtyard in front of the larger temple of Jupiter-Baal. When the temple complex fell into disrepair, the Temple of Bacchus was protected by the rubble of the rest of the site's ruins. The temple is 66m long, 35m wide, and 31m high. Its walls are adorned by forty-two unfluted Corinthian columns, nineteen of which remain upright in position standing 19 m high. The columns support a richly carved entablature. Inside, the cella is decorated with Corinthian half-columns flanking two levels of niches on each side, containing scenes from the birth and life of Bacchus. The adyton (inner shrine) stands above a flight of steps. - in: wikipedia

Hebron - Palestine

 When I found this card in the box of the book fair in Brescia I liked it because it was from a place I didn't have cards from, the building was interresting but when I got home I had reasons to like it even more. I googled about Hebron and found out that the Old City of Hebron is classified as UNESCO WHS. So, I found 2 cards from 2 missing UNESCO sites from Palestine in the last book fairs I've been to. How nice is that?

This is a written and stamped card sent from Nazareth to Brescia in 1976.  

The use of a local limestone shaped the construction of the old town of Hebron/Al-Khalil during the Mamluk period between 1250 and 1517. The centre of interest of the town was the site of Al-Ibrahimi Mosque/The tomb of the Patriarchs whose buildings are in a compound built in the 1st century AD to protect the tombs of the patriarch Abraham/Ibrahim and his family. This place became a site of pilgrimage for the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The town was sited at the crossroads of trade routes for caravans travelling between southern Palestine, Sinai, Eastern Jordan and the north of the Arabian Peninsula. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

The Tombs of the Patriarchs (...) is the burial place of three biblical couples — Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.
The second holiest site in Judaism (after the Western Wall in Jerusalem), it is also sacred to the other two Abrahamic faiths, Christianity and Islam.
It was the patriarch Abraham who bought the property when his wife Sarah died, around 2000 years before Christ was born. Genesis 23 tells how Abraham, then living nearby at Mamre, bought the land containing the Cave of Machpelah to use as a burial place. He paid Ephron the Hittite the full market price — 400 shekels of silver.
Today the site is the dominant feature of central Hebron, thanks to the fortress-like wall Herod the Great built around it in the same style of ashlar masonry that he used for the Temple Mount enclosure in Jerusalem. - in: https://www.seetheholyland.net

Heeswijk Castle - Netherlands

The Netherlands isn't just about windmills; there are also beautiful castles. During my travels, I've only visited one, but I hope to visit more in the future. This one is near Heeswijk, in the province of North Brabant.

Marina sent me the first postcard 10 years ago, and the other arrived this week.

 

© The online postcard shop

The castle was originally constructed during the 11th century and was later restored in 2005. A motte was first erected in 1080, but would be reduced over the next few centuries. A castle would eventually be built in its place.
Heeswijk Castle was an integral part of the history of the Netherlands. Prince Mauritis failed twice to take over Heeswijk in 1600. His half-brother Frederick Henry, however, did succeed in 1629. This allowed him to attack ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
In 1649, the castle was transformed into a baroque residence and lost its defensive features. In 1672, Louis XIV stayed at Heeswijk while campaigning against the Dutch Republic. King Charles II of England as well as the bishops of Munster and Cologne visited the castle to sign the Treaty of Heeswijk.

NL-6096795, sent by Bea.

General Pichegru, who was under Napolean’s command, used the castle as a headquarters in the late 18th century. In the early 1800s, the castle was purchased by Andre Baron van den Bogaerde van Terbrugge. However, by this time, the castle had already fallen into a state of disrepair. Reconstruction began and the castle was then expanded to include an armory. The “Iron Tower” was also constructed and served as a place to store his son’s collection of art and curiosa.
Surprisingly, the castle only suffered minimal damage during World War II. In 1944, the parachutists of the 101st Airborne Division actually landed around Heeswijk Castle. - in: http://www.netherlands-tourism.com

 

Dutch windmills

Everytime I get a card with a Dutch windmill, I just feel like taking the 1st plane and fly to the country to see more of these lovely structures. 

"The Netherlands is so closely associated with windmills, that it's often the first fact people recall about the country.

NL-541438, sent by Mariska.

 The Dutch built windmills for many centuries (and to some extent, the windmills built the country itself, since without them much of the land drainage could not have occured). In that time the mills were developed for corn milling, land drainage, saw milling, and in fact all manner of industrial purposes. Despite this widespread use, Dutch mills are in may ways quite primitive - using canvas sails, and turned to wind by hand (as distinct from the automated mechanisms that were developed for English windmills, including the fantail, and shuttered sails). 

 

NL-6093086, sent by Daphne.

There are a very pleasing number of remaining windmills in the Netherlands - the number is about 1150 and rising, in that the Dutch only count complete workable mills, and in the past 10 years especially many extensive rebuilds have occured to add to this number." - in: http://www.windmillworld.com/europe/netherlands.htm

Vienna's Karlskirche - Austria

 I've been to Vienna a few years ago and Karlskirche was the first church I saw in the city and Karlsplatz was the place of my very first Christmas market. These cards bring me good memories of that trip with my friend Karina.

The mighty green dome of the radiant Karlskirche (Church of St. Charles) towers over Karlsplatz. It is one of the most important sacred buildings in Central Europe and a symbol of Vienna.

 

 

 Verlag C. Bauer GmbH

AT-140257, sent by Claudia.

 The Karlskirche (Church of St. Charles) is the last great work of the eminent Baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. Completed in 1739, it was built by virtue of a vow made by Emperor Charles VI during a plague. The church is dedicated to the Habsburg emperor's namesake, St. Karl Borromäus. His life and works are depicted on the two giant columns (47 meters tall) next to the entrance portal. The lavish dome frescoes by Johannes Michael Rottmayr cover 1,250 m² of magnificent color.

 

AT-827814, sent by Bettina.

(...) public open-air events are regularly held in front of the Karlskirche. The fountain, which is filled in summer and offers a breathtaking reflection of the church, is a popular social meeting point. - in: https://www.wien.info

Cerveteri and Tarquinia - Italy

The Etruscan necropolis of Cerveteri and Tarquinia in the north Lazio have been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. 

 Back in 2011 Gisela sent me a card of Cerveteri and last week, I found a Tarquinia card in that book fair in Brescia. 

These two large Etruscan cemeteries reflect different types of burial practices from the 9th to the 1st century BC, and bear witness to the achievements of Etruscan culture. Which over nine centuries developed the earliest urban civilization in the northern Mediterranean.

The necropolis near Cerveteri, known as the Banditaccia, contains thousands of tombs organized in a city-like plan, with streets, small squares, and neighbourhoods. The 197.57 ha site dates from the 9th century BCE and contains very different types of tombs: trenches cut in rock; tumuli which often contain more than one tomb; and some, also carved in rock, in the shape of huts or houses with a wealth of structural details. The Banditaccia necropolis, among the largest in antiquity, reproduces the ‘city of the living’. Because there is little surviving written information on the Etruscans, this site provides exceptional testimony of Etruscan domestic architecture from archaic times to the Hellenic period.

 

The whole necropolis of Tarquinia, also known as Monterozzi, contains 6,000 graves cut into the rock. Covering 129.36 ha, it is one of the most extensive complexes known. Tarquinia is famous for its 200 painted tombs, the earliest of which date from the 7th century BCE. These paintings provide the only major testimony of classic artwork of pre-Roman times existing in the Mediterranean basin. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

Discovered in 1892, the Tomba dei Tori dates back to 530 BC, it stands on the east side of the Necropolis of Monterozzi.
The tomb is famous for its mid-late archaic frescoes, still deeply characterized by frontal drawings.

St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican

I haven't posted any Vatican postcards here since 2022, it's really not a place I get many postcards from. Yesterday when I got home, I found a card of St. Peters Basilica, sent as an official from USA. The other cards on this post are an official from the Netherlands and cards sent by Zé in 2015 and by Ilaria in 2010.

 

NL-5180774, sent by Caroline.

St. Peter's Basilica is a Rennaisance style church in Vatican City. 

 

US-11759744, sent by Macel.

The basilica was built according to tradition above the burial site of St. Peter, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus and the first Bishop of Rome. To maintain this tradition, Popes are now buried within the basilica. 

Servizio Fotografico de L'Osservatore Romano

Regarded as one of the holiest sites in Christendom, it was built to replace the Old St. Peter's Basilica between 1506 and 1626. It was designed by the greatest Old Masters of the time, including Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

 

Today, the church serves as a symbol of Rennaissance architecture, as well as being an integral site of pilgrimage, it is a papal basilica and not a cathedral, since it is not the seat of a bishop. The Arch Basilica of St. John Lateran is actually the cathedral church of Rome. - in: https://www.st-peters-basilica-tickets.com

Alignments of Ménec - France

 I just got home from for a trip to Italy and of course I've brought a few new cards to my collection, not all from Italy, though. In Brescia I found a book fair and guess what I found there?! A box with cards. This was the perfect way to end this trip and the best of all is that I didn't have to pay for them, they're free!! Yay. I found a few interresting cards from hard to get countries, UNESCO sites, incluing cards from my missing list. I've the list saved in my head and when I saw this card, read that it was from Carnac, immediately knew it was from a French site classified this year. Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan, in Brittany, features a dense concentration of megalithic structures built during the Neolithic period (c. 5000–2300 BCE).

7000 years old, the megalithic alignments of Carnac are world famous and are one of the most important centres of European prehistory in existence. The singularity of the Carnac megaliths is their extrordinary alignments and their sheer numbers, this is the largest gathering of standing stones of this type in the world.
The stones are placed in descending order and each alignment ends on a megalithic stone circle, some more visible than others.
Why were these stones erected and aligned? There are many theories that attempt to explain the origin of the alignments, including that they were religious monuments, related to the worship of the moon or sun, or to the farming calender. One legend even has it that they were a Roman army turned into stone! But their origin continues to be a mystery. The remains of this prehistoric period suggest, however, that they had a sacred and funereal function.

 

Sites are divided into three fields of menhirs. The site of Ménec is located on the West of Carnac. It is the starting point of sites, where is the “Maison des Mégalithes”, reception and information centre of the megalithic sites. 

This group is constituted of 1050 stones lined up on 11 queues. A series of more or less parallel queues where megaliths are rather regularly spaced out. Menec site stretches over 1 km and is the most representative group of menhirs. 

The site starts with a cromlech composed of 71 blocks, where the village of Ménec was built. Toul Chignan is east of the field of Ménec and collides with a surrounding wall. - in: https://www.carnactourism.co.uk

Spa - Belgium

 We all know the word spa and what it means but some people may not know that there is a place behind the name. Spa, the Belgium city in the province of Liège, whose name became an eponym for mineral baths with supposed curative properties, is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations, being renowned for its natural mineral springs, and production of "Spa" mineral water. 

Known as the “Pearl of Ardennes”, its healings springs, the pouhons, have been frequented since the 16th century and by the late 1700s Spa was a popular meeting place for the nobility and European bourgeoise, being known as the Café of Europe.

In 2021, Spa became part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site the Great Spa Towns of Europe. 

I was still missing this site but I was lucky to tag Gerda again and she sent me this nice card with a matching stamp.

 

 Edit. Thill, S. A., Bruxelles

The Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand houses a mineral water source particularly famous because frequented by Tsar Peter the Great. Designed by the architect Victor Besme and built in 1880 it was renovated in 2009-2012 and now houses the tourist office spadois. - in: https://www.visitacity.com

Fraueninsel - Germany

 My penpal Tanja, from Germany, spent a few of her summer holidays in Bavaria, before heading to Croatia. In Bavaria she has been to Chiemsee lake and explored it's islands. 

With 80 km² and 64 km of shoreline, Chiemsee is the largest Bavarian lake, popularly known as the “Bavarian Sea” and is considered the most beautiful lake for swimming in Germany.

 

Huber GmbH & Co

Fraueninsel island, together with Herreninsel, forms the smallest municipality in Bavaria with approx. 230 inhabitants. With a total of 256.8 ha. it is also Bavaria’s second smallest municipality in size. Fraueninsel is a car-free area and the second largest of the three islands. It takes about 20 minutes to walk its circumference. It is densely populated, with the “islanders” predominantly living from fishing, gastronomy, crafts and holiday room rentals. The center of Fraueninsel is the 1200 years old abbey, Frauenwörth, the pilgrimage site for Irmengard, the patron saint of Chiemgau, with her convent church and the Carolingian wall-painted gatehouse, which is the oldest building in Southern Germany. - in: https://www.gstadt.de

Brno - Czech Republic

 Heidi has also been to Czech Republic, again, and she stayed in Brno 4 days. She said it was a long stay in a boring city. I kind of agree with her. I've also been to the city and I've to say that of all the places I visited in the country, Brno was the city I liked the least. At I liked the most was it's location, perfect to visit a few places nearby. 

 

Foto: Lucie Vilímovská

Kraví hora is large park with an amazing view of Brno. 

It offers quite a lot of options for relaxing not far from the city centre. A major part of this hill is covered by private gardens that you can walk among via narrow paths. The Brno Observatory and Planetarium is located on the top of the hill and features an interesting science trail with freely accessible attractions, such as a 3D scanner, telescopes, and planetary scales. The slope under the observatory is often occupied by people who come to relax, have picnics, and enjoy sports. If there’s snow, it’s a perfect place to go sledging; when the wind is blowing, a lot of locals come kite flying with their kids. There is a public barbecue set nearby and a biotope pond under the slope, not far from the functionalist Church of St Augustine. - in: https://www.gotobrno.cz