DE-8080489

There are 44 UNESCO sites in Germany, too many to fit all on a single card, so Paper Sisters came up with 3 different cards. This is card nº I and I definetely would like to get the other 2. 

www.papersisters.de

DE-8080489, sent by Melissa.
The sites on the map card are:
- Hanseatic City of Lübeck - 1987;
- Bremen Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace - 2004;
- Berlin Modernism Housing Estates - 2008;
- St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Michael's Church at Hildesheim - 1985;
- Cologne Cathedral - 1996;
- Wartburg Castle - 1999;
- Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar, Dessau and Bernau - 1996;
- Muskauer Park - 2004;
- Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch - 1991;
- Völklingen Ironworks - 1994;
- Maulbronn Monastery - 1993;
- Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof - 2006;
- Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps - 2011.

BE-628643 & BE-628286

These cards are both officials from Belgium but the one with the chapel is a spanish card. 

Edit. Lander - Eupen

BE-628643, sent by Gilbert. 

The 17th century Bempt Castle is located in the village Moresnet. 

The castle consists of a rectangular main building between two wings built in right angles.  The castle is surrounded by moats and accessible via a stone bridge.

BE-628286, sent by Laurence.

A chapel in La Carihuela, a traditional fishing quarter in Torremolinos, a municipality in Andalusia, southern Spain. 

Levada das 25 Fontes - Madeira

Two weeks ago I was on Madeira island. It was my 2nd visit to the island and certainly not the last one. My 1st visit was in 2010 and since then I really wanted to return and do a levada walk. Levadas are small irrigation canals created from the 15th century onwards and aimed to carry and distribute water from the rainier areas on the north side of the south side of the island. Nowadays, they still carry water and are also hiking trails and one of the most propular activities on the island. 

There are more than 200 levadas and I decided to do the Levada of the 25 Fontes (fountains). I ended up doing this and also Levada do Risco, whose rails start on the regional road (E.R.110). In fact it was not possible to complete the Levada das 25 Fontes due to the heavy rain .... we did not reach the 25 Fontes lagoon. Still, despite the heavy rain, it was a beautiful and great experience and one day I'll go back to see the 25 fountains.

With this walk I visited another Portuguese UNESCO site, the Laurissilva Forest.

Dima * Fotografia: Ángel Hernández

The Levada das 25 Fontes is one of the most famous on the entire island of Madeira. The origin of the name is due to the fact that 25 springs can be counted on the spot.

The trail of about 11 kilometers, lasts 3 hours, and it reveals amazing landscapes with an immense variety of local species of flora and fauna. 

The 25 Fontes levada, which is also known as Levada Nova do Rabaçal, began to be built in 1835. On 16 September 1855 water ran through the levada for the first time, running from North to South and making it possible to make use of lots of land which had so far lain fallow in the Calheta municipal area.

This area includes the Madeiran laurisilva forest which has classified as a Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO, since December 1999 and is part of the European network of important community sites - Natura 2000. - in: http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/explore/detalhe/pr6--pr6-1-levada-das-25-fontes-levada-do-risco

Jemaa el-Fnaa - Morocco

I'd like to visit Morocco and Marrakech is definitely on my must visit, I'm just not sure if I'd like this square as I usually dislike crowed places. 

The card was sent by Damien. 

The Jemaa el-Fnaa is Marrakech’s main square and the most important part of the medina. Here, inhabitants and tourists gather both during the day and night to have something to eat, shop or observe the various shows taking place.

© CEOLAK s.a.r.l. - Marrakech-Maroc

During the day the square is full of surprising sights, from monkey trainers who have trained the apes to climb all over tourists to snake charmers, as well as dentists that expose the teeth they have recently extracted.

In Jemaa el-Fnaa, you will also find numerous stands selling orange juice, spices, mint leaves and snails.

At dusk, Marrakech’s main square transforms and the morning stalls disappear to give room to food stands where visitors can have dinner surrounded by Moroccan musicians playing traditional music and various other shows. - in: https://www.introducingmarrakech.com/jemaa-el-fnaa

PT RR - Group 132 * Surprise March

Last month I was late sending my postcards of this group and only one reached its destination so far. However, the ones I was supposed to receive arrived on time and here are they. 

© F. Rigaud

Tiago sent me this card a few days before my recent trip to Madeira island. The cards shows some examples of the craft of the island: wine, embroidery, wicker and traditional boots.

© Foto: Paulo Ferreira (2017)

A lighthouse sent by Paulo.

Inaugurated in 1927, the Leça da Palmeira Lighthouse (Boa-Nova) still remains functional, although a monument of industrial archeology. It was the first electric lighthouse in the north of the country  and in the past it was an air-sea lighthouse and headquarters of a lighthouse school.

To enjoy some nice views, one need to climb 225 steps but for those who are not in shape there is an elevator. 

Editions D'Art Jos, Le Doare, Chateaulin

Even though Liliana sent this postcard sent from Coimbra, Portugal, the card is actually from from Brittany, France.

This lighthouse is the symbol of Port-Haliguen in Quiberon. It dates from 1850 and was used for over 110 years, until 1972.

Joana sent a postcard with three views of Biarritz, the Grande Plage and the lighthouse; the Rock of the Virgin and Belza Villa.

Biarritz is a town in the administrative region of New Aquitaine in the department of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques. It is located in the southwest of France, near the Spanish border and along the Basque Coast.

Monthly Fav. Surprise RR - March 19

March I was another great month when it comes to this RR. I really like all the cards and two of them were from my favorites. Many thanks to Katia, Radana, Yolanda and Michèle. 

 Artwork & design © 2017 Robert B. Decker

On the back of the card: Established in 1899, Mount Rainier rises 14.410 feet above sea level and stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous United States, spawning six major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks its lower slopes. Wildlife abounds througout the peak's many ecosystems. 

Foto © Petr Toman

Radana not only sent one of my favorites but also used the czech Postcrossing stamp to send it. 

Landštejn Castle is a 13th-century castle in the Jindřichův Hradec District of South Bohemia. 

The structure was firstly mentioned in 1231. At the time, it was the biggest Romanesque castle in the Czech lands. 

The two massive towers are connected with a wall defining the upper castle and its courtyard. The six storey southern tower is the main and it is still fully preserved, including a gate in the western wall. Romanesque style used to be quite stern and did not allow many embellishments. They can be found only in the chapel in the northern tower. Afterwards the castle was rebuilt in the late Gothic style and a new Gothic palace was erected. The stronghold character of the castle was strengthened at the turn of the 15th and the 16th centuries when the outer battlements were added. In Renaissance, new living quarters concluded the major reconstructions. After the fire in 1771 the castle became a ruin. - in: http://www.discoverczech.com/landstejn/index.php4

© Editorial Fisa Escudo de Oro, S. A.

The castle of La Suda or Sant Joan stands on the hill in the centre of the old town, overlooking and dominating all its historic buildings. Of enormous strategic importance, the fortifications and the views they offer of the town and its surrounding area are stunning. It is an unparalleled vantage point and a marvellous viewpoint over Tortosa. - in: https://www.tortosaturisme.cat/en/lugar/el-castell-de-la-suda-o-de-sant-joan/

© Schöning GmbH & Co, KG

With its multiple towers and hilltop site overlooking a river, the Limburger Dom looks like a Romantic castle. Located at the top of the attractive city of Limburg an der Lahn in the Rhineland, the painted church was built in the 13th century and only became a cathedral in 1827. It is well preserved in its original form and contains a multitude of murals and early medieval sculpture. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/limburg-cathedral

Chinese New Year Meeting - Brazil

In February some São Paulo postcrossers got together to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Valéria and Luzia don't miss a meeting and once again they sent me cards signed by them and the other 11 postcrossers who attended this meeting. 

Chinese New Year generally referred to as Lunar New Year, is the Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar.

The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February. In 2019, the first day of the Chinese New Year was on Tuesday, 5 February, initiating the Year of the Pig. - in: wikipedia

In São Paulo the festival is held in Liberdade, home to the largest Sino-Japanese community in Brazil. The celebration takes place in late January or early February. A very joyful and beautiful festival that attracts more than 100 thousand people from Brazil and from various parts of the world who visit the city of São Paulo.

Pacaembu Avenue is the main road of the Pacaembu Neighborhood located in the West and Central Zones of the city of São Paulo.