Monthly Fav. Surprise RR - February '26

Cards from Germany, Finland and Israel.

 

www.papersisters.de

Grace sent me a new HP card.

2026, year of the horse, is a year full of events. When it comes to sport, the year started with the Olympic Winter Games in Italy; in July we can expect great soccer matches in the Canada, USA and Mexico World Cup - go Portugal - and in September, Germany will host the Women's Basketball World Cup. 

The astronomy lovers will look to the sky to see Artemis II orbit the moon and a lunar and solar eclipse in August. 

The 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II, the 100th anniversary of the death of Claude Monet and the 7th anniversary of World Postcard Day  are also happening this year.

Lookphotos / Sabine Lubenow

Red Cliff on Sylt is a wonder of the North Sea. Card sent by Nicole.

It is an impressive landmark and popular photo motif on the island. Due to its unique colour, the Red Cliff on Sylt used to help sailors find their way around the North Sea. The imposing cliff stretches for around four kilometres. It is around 30 metres high and lies on the beach between the villages of Wenningstedt and Kampen. The reddish colouring of the limonite sandstone cliff is particularly fascinating in the evening light. - in: https://placesofgermany.de

 

 I don't have much to say about this castle because I already have and posted a few cards of it, I actually already had this card. The other one was an official received many years ago and this was sent by Minna.

Olavinlinna Castle is an impressive 15th-century three-towered castle located in Savonlinna. Built on an island, it is the northernmost medieval stone fortress in the world.

Michelle sent this card from USA but this beautiful church is actually located in Mount Tabor in the holy land. Church of the Transfiguration is believed to be connected to an event mentioned in the Gospels, where Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah. 
The current Franciscan church was designed by the Italian architect Antonio Baraluzzi and completed in 1924. It was built on the remains of an ancient Byzantine church refers to the 6th century, and a 12th century refers to the crusader period. - in: https://jm-tours.com

Masada - Israel

Happy New Year everyone!! Have you already received any cards this new year? I haven't but I've plenty of cards to show. 

What a change of scenery. From an australian island to a desert in Israel. 

Masada is a natural fortress in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. Masada is a national park and has been classified as a World Heritage Site since 2001.

 

 Herod the Great, King of Judaea, who reigned between 37 BCE and 4 CE, built here a sumptuous palace complex in classical Roman style. After Judaea became a province of the Roman Empire, it was the refuge of the last survivors of the Jewish revolt, who chose death rather than slavery when the Roman besiegers broke through their defences. As such it has an emblematic value for the Jewish people.

 Photo by Andrew Weaver

US-8871401, sent by Rachel.

It is also an archaeological site of great significance. The remains of Herod's palaces are outstanding and very intact examples of this type of architecture, whilst the untouched siegeworks are the finest and most complete anywhere in the Roman world. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

 

Nahal Me'Arot - Israel

UNESCO site #991 in my collection. The Caves of Nahal Me'arot, in the Carmel mountain range near Haifa in northern Israel, are classified since 2012. Marcel visited them in 2019 and he sent me this card a few days ago.

 

© Photography by A. Shabataev

Situated on the western slopes of the Mount Carmel range, the site includes the caves of Tabun, Jamal, el-Wad and Skhul. Ninety years of archaeological research have revealed a cultural sequence of unparalleled duration, providing an archive of early human life in south-west Asia. This 54 ha property contains cultural deposits representing at least 500,000 years of human evolution demonstrating the unique existence of both Neanderthals andEarly Anatomically Modern Humans within the same Middle Palaeolithic cultural framework, the Mousterian. Evidence from numerous Natufian burials and early stone architecture represents the transition from a hunter-gathering lifestyle to agriculture and animal husbandry. As a result, the caves have become a key site of the chrono-stratigraphic framework for human evolution in general, and the prehistory of the Levant in particular. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

US-7637283

Here it is another example of a card that doesn't match with its ID. Even thought it was sent from USA, the card is actually from Nazareth, Israel. 

US-7637283, sent by Amanda.

The Greek Orthodox Annunciation Church, also known as St. Gabriel Church and Mary's Well Church,  is one of the most beautiful and unique ones in Israel. Following the Easter Christian tradition, this church has many wall paintings, statues and chandeliers. 

This church is the most sacred place for the Greek-Orthodox community in Nazareth, and is built where, according to an ancient tradition, was the annunciation to Virgin Mary from Archangel Gabriel as she came by to draw water from the spring. The church was established during Crusader-Era times in the 12th century, shortly after the Crusaders’ occupation, then was destroyed during the Mamluk Era times by the Mamluk Sultan Baibers in the 13th century, and re-built during the Ottoman Era times in 1750. - in: http://www.nazarethinfo.org

IL-64339

Is always a surprise to see in the mailbox, a card from a not so common country, espcially when it comes to Postcrossing official card. Today I received this wonderful card from Jerusalem. It like it not only for beeing from an unique place but also because it is a snowy view, which places the scene even prettier.

The Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall”, is the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, it is the western support wall of the Temple Mount. Thousands of people journey to the wall every year to visit and recite prayers. These prayers are either spoken or written down and placed in the cracks of the wall. The wall is divided into two sections, one area for males and the other for females.

Photography by S. Mendrea

IL-64339, sent by Avital.

King Herod built the Western Wall in 20 BCE during an expansion of the Second Temple. When the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 CE, the support wall survived. For hundreds of years, people prayed in the small area of the wall that could be seen. In 1967, following the Six Day War, Israelis dug below the ground of the wall, exposing two more levels of the wall. They also cleared the area around the wall to create the Western Wall Plaza that visitors see today. - in: https://www.touristisrael.com/western-wall/15946/

Dead Sea - Israel

The other card sent by Debora was this one from the Dead Sea. 

The Dead Sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are 429 metres (1,407 ft) below sea level, Earth's lowest elevation on land. The Dead Sea is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With 34.2% salinity (in 2011), it is also one of the world's saltiest bodies of water.

© Published by Palphoto Ltd * Photography by Garo Nalbandian

 It is 9.6 times as salty as the ocean. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea is 50 kilometres (31 mi) long and 15 kilometres (9 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley and its main tributary is the Jordan River.

The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. In the Bible, it is a place of refuge for King David. It was one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from asphalt for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers. People also use the salt and the minerals from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets.

The Dead Sea water has a density of 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to floating. - in: wikipedia

Capernaum - Israel

Cards from Israel are a rare sight in my mailbox and I only have a few in my collection. Last week I got two sent by Debora. This one is from Capernaum, currently an archeological site known as the Town of Jesus. 

Situated on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, the town of Capernaum remained a large (in ancient terms) and prominent city, holding some 1,500 residents, for over nine centuries until its mysterious evacuation in the 7th century AD.

Though no longer a functioning town, Capernaum's importance in modern times is based on its rich history in antiquity and its multiple mentioning in the New Testament. Most notably, Capernaum is believed to have been Jesus' home and the center of his ministry after leaving his birth town of Nazareth. Reference to Capernaum as Jesus' home and the place where He performed many of His miracles is made in the Gospel of Matthew, where it is said that Jesus was approached by a Roman officer who asked Him to heal his servant when the latter fell ill. Jesus' ability to cure the feverish servant serves, to this day, as a reminder of His ability to work miracles. In the Gospel of Luke too, the town of Capernaum is mentioned several times with regard to Jesus prophetic abilities. According to Luke, in the town of Capernaum Jesus healed a man who was possessed by the devil, as well as curing Peter's sickly mother in law.

Capernaum is mentioned twice more in the New Testament, once as the home of Peter, Andrew, James and John, as well as the dwelling place of Matthew the tax collector. The second time Capernaum is referred to is as one of the three cities damned by Jesus for its inhabitants' wrong doings and lack of faith in God.

For all its importance in Jesus' life and His ministry, Capernaum is a destination not to be missed when on a Christian tour to Israel.

© Published by Palphoto Ltd * Photography by S. Mendrea

Of particular interest in Capernaum are the ruins of the ancient synagogue. Though there is no finite knowledge of the time this synagogue was built, archeologist estimate that it dates back to the 1st century AD.

It was the Roman officer who asked Jesus to heal his servant that is credited with building the synagogue as a token of good faith and gratitude to Jesus for his miracle work. Liturgical documents indicate that Jesus held regular sermons in this synagogue, most notably the famed sermon on the Bread of Life (John 6: 35-59).

Of this ancient synagogue, only the western wall remained in tact. It has been the foundation for a later synagogue built on the same grounds some three centuries later.

The ruins seen in Capernaum today are of the later synagogue, which stands out from the rest, much humbler, huts and small stone houses in the city. With white bricks making up its external walls and intricately painted stucco covering its internal walls, the synagogue must have been quite lavish when in use. The excavations carried out by the Franciscans have also uncovered four distinctly separate halls, making the synagogue big enough to seat all the town's inhabitants. - in: http://www.tourstotheholyland.com/christian-travel-guide/places-in-the-holy-land/capernaum.aspx

Mt. of Olives - Jerusalem

This was another bad mail week. Mail has been really slow, i didn't get many cards this week, i think i've only got one and my sent mail is travelling for way too long! Getting and sending mail used to be so much more exciting, i really miss those days. 

A few days ago Ania, from Poland, requested me a card and in return she sent me this Mt. of the Olives card. 

Photographed by Garo Nalbandian

The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to the Jerusalem's Old City. It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. The southern part of the Mount was the necropolis of the ancient Judean kingdom. The Mount has been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years, and holds approximately 150,000 graves, making it central in the tradition of Jewish cemeteries. 

Several key events in the life of Jesus as related in the Gospels took place on the Mount of Olives, and in the Book of Acts it is described as the place from which Jesus ascended to heaven. Because of its association with both Jesus and Mary, the Mount has been a site of Christian worship since ancient times and is today a major site of Christian pilgrimage for Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christians. - in: wikipedia

Tel Aviv - Israel

I hate not beeing able to put the stamps here!! Why?? I hope this isn't a permanent situation. I've put this stamp in a picasa album but the upload to this post was slow because the album is too full. The picasa albuns tend to get slow when their capacity is close to 600 pictures. If i've to do this from now on, it will take ages to create a new post and i'm not that patient.

© Published by Palphot Ltd. Photo by A. Shabataev, L. Borodulin

I wasn't expecting this card from Israel. It was a surprise from Luís and his son. His son went to Israel and he asked him to send cards to some of his postcrosser friends!! I was one of the lucky friends.

Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 and developed as a metropolitan city under the British Mandate in Palestine. The White City was constructed from the early 1930s until the 1950s, based on the urban plan by Sir Patrick Geddes, reflecting modern organic planning principles. The buildings were designed by architects who were trained in Europe where they practised their profession before immigrating. They created an outstanding architectural ensemble of the Modern Movement in a new cultural context. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1096

IL-18862

This is my 1st official card from Israel. It shows the Church of the Holy Sepulchre within the Christian Quarter of the walled Old City of Jerusalem.

 Photo by Garo Nalbandian

IL-18862, sent by Hanna.

This t is the holiest Christian site in the world. It stands on a site that is believed to encompass both Golgotha, or Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb (sepulchre) where he was buried. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century. - in:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-church-of-holy-sepulchre

Claus tagged me on "portuguese speaking countries tag" and he knows i'm addicted to unesco cards, that's why he sent these 3 new unesco places. Like most of the tags, it was supposed to send 1 card but sending 1 card is never enough for Claus. He sent cards from Japan, Australia and Israel.

Vielen Dank.

"Hōryū-ji is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji (法隆学問寺), or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as seminary and monastery both.

The temple's pagoda is widely acknowledged to be of the oldest wooden buildings existing in the world, underscoring Hōryū-ji's place as one of the most celebrated temples in Japan. In 1993, Hōryū-ji was inscribed together with Hokki-ji as a Unesco World Heritage Site under the name Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area. The Japanese government lists several of its structures, sculptures and artifacts as National Treasures.

The temple was originally commissioned by Prince Shotoku; at the time it was called Ikaruga-dera (斑鳩寺), a name that is still sometimes used. This first temple is believed to have been completed by 607. Hōryū-ji was dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of healing and in honor of the prince's father." - in: wikipedia

"The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, NSW, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, who, in 2003, received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour.

The Sydney Opera House was made a Unesco World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. Currently, it is the most recently constructed World Heritage Site to be designated as such. It is one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.

Contrary to its name, the building houses multiple performance venues. As one of the busiest performing arts centres in the world, hosting over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people, the Sydney Opera House provides a venue for many performing arts companies including the four key resident companies Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony, and presents a wide range of productions on its own account. It is also one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia, with more than seven million people visiting the site each year, 300,000 of whom take a guided tour." - in: wikipedia

"With over half a million visitors a year, the Bahá’í Gardens in Haifa and ‘Akko are among the most popular sites in the Middle East. Their unique design, combining geometrical shapes and exquisite detailing with loving conservation of natural and historic landscape features, leaves an indelible impression on visitors.

In July 2008, the Bahá’í Gardens in Haifa and ‘Akko were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, in recognition of their “outstanding universal value” as holy places and places of pilgrimage for the followers of the Bahá’í Faith.

The Bahá'í Gardens in Haifa, located in the heart of Haifa, comprise a staircase of nineteen terraces extending all the way up the northern slope of Mount Carmel. The golden-domed Shrine of the Báb, the resting place of the Prophet-Herald of the Bahá’í Faith, stands on the central terrace, looking across the bay towards ‘Akko.

While different parts of the gardens offer a variety of experiences, they speak in a common language of graveled paths, hedges and flower beds groomed and nurtured by dedicated gardeners. The gardens frame panoramic views of the city, the Galilee Hills and the Mediterranean Sea." - in: http://www.ganbahai.org.il/en/

Tel-Aviv - Israel

No cards today and i'm really bored now. There's no one on the GTKY thread, there's no one on msn and there's no one at home, so i've deciced to post a card to kill some time.

"Tel-Aviv is the second-largest city in Israel. Tel-Aviv is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline, covering 51.8 square kilometres (20.0 sq mi). Tel-Aviv was founded in 1909 on the outskirts of the ancient port city of Jaffa. The growth of Tel Aviv soon outpaced Jaffa, which was largely Arab at the time. Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged into a single municipality in 1950, two years after the establishment of the State of Israel. Tel Aviv's White City, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, comprises the world's largest concentration of Modernist-style buildings." - in: wikipedia

This card was sent by Leeba.

3 countries, 1 envelope

Today was a nice day. I've got 6 cards, 3 in 1 envelope sent from Israel with 1 cards from Israel, 1 from Egypt and 1 from Jordan, a new country in my collection. All this cards were sent by Yohai "euclid".

"Acre is a historic walled port-city with continuous settlement from the Phoenician period. The present city is characteristic of a fortified town dating from the Ottoman 18th and 19th centuries, with typical urban components such as the citadel, mosques, khans and baths. The remains of the Crusader town, dating from 1104 to 1291, lie almost intact, both above and below today's street level, providing an exceptional picture of the layout and structures of the capital of the medieval Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem." - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1042

"The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangle-shaped peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea (to the north) and Red Sea (to the south), forming a land bridge to Southwest Asia." - in: wikipedia.

"Petra is an archaeological site in southwestern Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was discovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."In 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site. It is one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World"." . in: wikipedia.

Jerusalem

"Jerusalem is the capital and largest city of Israel. Located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern tip of the Dead Sea, the city has a history that goes back as far as the 4th millennium BCE, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism and the spiritual center of the Jewish people since the 10th century BCE. The city contains a number of significant ancient Christian sites and is widely considered the third-holiest city in Islam." - in: wikipedia.

Card sent by "alleycat".

Jerusalem - Israel

I received my first cards from Israel thanks to Leeba. These are just 2 of the 4 cards she sent me.

"The Church of All Nations, also known as the Church of the Agony or the Basilica of the Agony, is a Roman Catholic church located on Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, next to the Garden of Gethsemane. It enshrines a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before the night of his arrest. The chapel was built from 1919 to 1924 using funds from many different countries (hence the title). The symbols of each country are incorporated into the glass of the ceiling, each in a separate, small dome. The front of the church is a facade supported by a row of pillars. Above is a modern mosaic depicting Jesus Christ symbolically as the link between God and humanity." - in wikipedia.

Montefiore Windmill - "In 1860, the British philanthropist Moses Montefiore built new housing on a hill overlooking the Old City to help relieve the congestion and poverty in the Jewish Quarter. This area is called Yemin Moshe. The windmill was originally built to serve the milling needs of the residents of Montefiore's new developments, but it never became operational because of the lack of wind where it was situated." - in http://www.davidpride.com/Israel/IL_Jer_01.htm