RU-203598

A nice view somewhere in St. Petersburg, well, the card was sent from there but there's no identification of the place on the card, not even in russian.

RU-203593, sent by Kate.

If someone recognizes these buildings, please let me know.

PL-119863

I don't receive a lot of official cards from Poland, in 4 years of postcrossing, this is my 3rd from there.

PL-119863, sent by Monika.

A round card from Warsaw with some views of the city.

Castle Square; Palace of Culture and Science; Lazienki - Palace on the Island; Wilanów Palace; City Centre and Old Town Market Square.

DE-682121

Have you ever been to Berlin? I still don't know if i'm going to travel next october. My 1st options were Brussels and Prague. Brussels is not an option anymore and Berlin took it's place. I need to talk to my friend. I've checked flight prices to both cities, Berlin and Prague, and it's almost the same.... but without my friend i can't decide and these are my options, maybe she has different ones.

I'm sure i would love Prague, i'm trying to get convinced about Berlin. Who knows.....

DE-682121, sent by Alexandra.

Some Berlin's landmarks: Brandenburg Gate; Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church; Berlin Cathedral; Dom-Aquaree; Neue Synagoge; Humboldt University and Oberbaum Bridge.

FI-885938 & FI-879598

After Claus' cards, is time for some officials. Let's start with 2 from Finland.

FI-885938, sent by Inka.

An old-grown forest somewhere in a finnish national park.

FI-879598, sent by Hilkka.

Lapland.

Jeju Island - Korea

I wasn't waiting for a Korea card, when i saw it i thought it was an official. I was wrong, it was another surprise from Claus and another new unesco site for my collection :D Claus always make me jump of joy!!!!!

This is a card from the Jeju Island with the Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. This peak "rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption over 100,000 years ago. Located on the eastern end of Jejudo Island, there is a huge crater at the top of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. The crater is about 600m in diameter and 90m high. With the 99 sharp rocks surrounding the crater, it looks like a gigantic crown. While the southeast and north sides are cliffs, the northwest side is a verdant grassy hill that is connected to the Seongsan Village. The ridge provides an ideal spot for walks and for horse riding as well.
The sunrise from the crater is magnificent." - in: http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264207

"Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes together comprise three sites that make up 18,846 ha. It includes Geomunoreum, regarded as the finest lava tube system of caves anywhere, with its multicoloured carbonate roofs and floors, and dark-coloured lava walls; the fortress-like Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone, rising out of the ocean, a dramatic landscape; and Mount Halla, the highest in Korea, with its waterfalls, multi-shaped rock formations, and lake-filled crater. The site, of outstanding aesthetic beauty, also bears testimony to the history of the planet, its features and processes." - in: www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/1264

Land of Frankincense - Oman

Las week i've received 1 envelope from Claus with our trade cards and 1 or 2 days later i've received this RAS card written and stamped from Oman. Another unesco surprise, and what a surprise, from him. The Land of Frankincense is a Unesco whs since 2000.

"The frankincense trees of Wadi Dawkah and the remains of the caravan oasis of Shisr/Wubar and the affiliated ports of Khor Rori and Al-Baleed vividly illustrate the trade in frankincense that flourished in this region for many centuries, as one of the most important trading activities of the ancient and medieval world.

The group of archaeological sites in Oman represent the production and distribution of frankincense, one of the most important luxury items of trade in the Old World in antiquity." - in: www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/1010

Indian Unesco sites + 1 tentative

These are the last cards of my trade with Claus. I only chose these indian cards and told him to surprise me with the other cards. The Red Fort and the Agra Fort are two unesco sites but the Delhi Jantar Mantar is on the unesco tentative list.

"The Red Fort Complex was built as the palace fort of Shahjahanabad – the new capital of the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan. Named for its massive enclosing walls of red sandstone, it is adjacent to an older fort, the Salimgarh, built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546, with which it forms the Red Fort Complex. The private apartments consist of a row of pavilions connected by a continuous water channel, known as the Nahr-i-Behisht (Stream of Paradise). The Red Fort is considered to represent the zenith of Mughal creativity which, under the Shah Jahan, was brought to a new level of refinement. The planning of the palace is based on Islamic prototypes, but each pavilion reveals architectural elements typical of Mughal building, reflecting a fusion of Persian, Timurid and Hindu traditions The Red Fort’s innovative planning and architectural style, including the garden design, strongly influenced later buildings and gardens in Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra and further afield." - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/231

"Near the gardens of the Taj Mahal stands the important 16th-century Mughal monument known as the Red Fort of Agra. This powerful fortress of red sandstone encompasses, within its 2.5-km-long enclosure walls, the imperial city of the Mughal rulers. It comprises many fairy-tale palaces, such as the Jahangir Palace and the Khas Mahal, built by Shah Jahan; audience halls, such as the Diwan-i-Khas; and two very beautiful mosques." - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/231

I initially picked this card thinking it was the new indian unesco site added to the list this year, but the Jantar Mantar that is now classified as unesco whs is the one in Jaipur, not this one in Delhi. Claus sent it as an extra card.

"The Jantar Mantar is located in the modern city of New Delhi, Delhi. It consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments, built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, from 1724 onwards, and is one of five built by him, as he was given by Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah the task of revising the calendar and astronomical tables. There is plaque fixed on one of the structures in the Jantar Mantar observatory in New Delhi that was placed there in 1910 mistakenly dating the construction of the complex to the year 1710. Later research, though, suggests 1724 as the actual year of construction.

The primary purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets. Some of these purposes nowadays would be classified as astrology." - in: wikipedia