Cruise Meetup in Jyväskylä - Finland

I've been on a cruise as an extra activity during a meeting but I've never been to a cruise that was also a meeting. That's what Heidi and a few other Finnish postcrossers did last month.

Photo: Noora Joensuu - Layout: Silpa Forsman

In the Jyväskylä region, the wonderfully lush nature surrounding the bodies of water is always close by. The largest of the lakes in the Jyväskylä region is Päijänne, which is also the longest lake in Finland. You can boat along the canal routes in the Päijänne all the way up to Pielavesi in the north and to Lahti in the south. On Lake Päijänne, you can also comfortably reach Jyväsjärvi and Jyväskylä harbour, known as the Lutakko harbour, along the Äijälänsalmi Strait. in: https://visitjyvaskyla.fi

Albert Dock - Liverpool

It was supposed to be already known which new sites would be classified as World Heritage Sites, but the committee meeting, scheduled for June, was postponed and there is still no new date. In these meetings it is decided which sites receive world heritage status but it is also decided which sites are inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger and which sites are deslisted. That's exactly what happened to Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City last year. 

Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004 and on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2012 following concerns about the proposed development of Liverpool Waters. The project has since gone ahead along with other developments both inside the site and in its buffer zone.  
The Committee decided to delete the property “Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City” (UK) from the World Heritage List, due to the irreversible loss of attributes conveying the outstanding universal value of the property. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

Albert Dock was one of the locations classified and the card was sent by Adam.

Top photopgraph: Anita Smith

The Albert Dock is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses located to the south of the Pier Head. Designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick and opened in 1846, the Albert Dock warehouses were the first in the world to be entirely fireproof, due to their construction from only iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. The dock was home to many advances in docking technology including being the first to have hydraulic cranes.

 During World War II the buildings suffered significant damage and general docking decline in the city after the end of the war saw them fall rapidly into disrepair. In the 1980s the area underwent massive regeneration after the creation of the Merseyside Development Corporation and the complex was reopened to the public in 1984, as part of the tall ships festival. 

Today they form a focal point for tourism in the city, being home to Tate Liverpool, Merseyside Maritime Museum and The Beatles Story. They also constitute the largest single collection of Grade I listed buildings anywhere in the UK. - in: wikipedia

Düsseldorf - Germany

I've hundreds of cards from Germany but I believe this is my 1st card from Düsseldorf, which is a surprise considering that the city is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state and the seventh-largest city in Germany. I bet many postcrossers live there but this isn't a Postcrossing card. It was sent by my coworker and friend Natália, who has recently been to Düsseldorf to visit her son and meet her newborn granddaugther. 

 

Foto: OutdoorPhoto - fotolia.com, Heinz Waldukat - fotolia.com; D. Laubner, T. Krüger

Modern art and style meet centuries-old structures and historic sites in this vibrant city full of unique attractions.

Düsseldorf’s worldly appeal is nothing new. Napoleon himself fell for the charms of this city on the Rhine, dubbing it 'Little Paris'. Founded 730 years ago, the capital of the North-Rhine Westphalia state is certainly steeped in history, most evident in the narrow, cobbled streets of the picturesque medieval Old Town. But the city has a sophisticated modern edge, too. Gleaming new architecture has transformed the skyline, and the ever-expanding arts scene – 26 museums and 100-plus galleries – rivals that of much larger cities. Add to that stylish shopping, vibrant nightlife and great restaurants, and there are more than enough attractions in Düsseldorf to keep any visitor busy. - in: https://www.timeout.com

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral - Spain

Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, is internationally known as one of the most famous pilgrimage destinations in the world.

Since the ninth century, pilgrims from around the world, travel through kilometers on foot to venerate the relics of the Apostle James the Greater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, whose alleged tomb is in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

In 1985 the city's Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This city was on the top of my spanish must visit list for quite some time but this month I finally got to visit Santiago. 

I already had a few cards from there but I've sent one to myself, the one with the Acibecharía façade.

A small church was first built over the tomb of St. James shortly after it was discovered in 819 AD. This was destroyed by al-Mansur's Moorish army in 997, though Almansor left the relics of the Apostle undisturbed. He did, however, force Santiago's citizens to carry the bells of the tower to the mosque in Cordoba (they have since been returned).

Despite its Baroque facade, the present cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is predominantly Romanesque; in fact, one of the finest Romanesque churches in Spain. Construction began in 1060 in the reign of Alfonso VI and was completed in 1211.

Various elements were added in later centuries, culminating in the dramatic Baroque transformation of the exterior in the 16th-18th centuries. The interior of the cathedral, however, retains its pure Early Romanesque style.

www.lafabricadenikis.com

 The remains of St. James, the raison d'être of the cathedral, were lost in 1700 after being hidden before an English invasion. Fortunately, they were rediscovered during building work in 1879.

Actually, three skeletons were found, presumed to be James and two of his disciples. The one belonging to the Apostle was identified thanks to a church in Tuscany, which possessed a piece of his skull that exactly fitted a gap in one of the discovered skulls. The identity was confirmed in 1884 by Pope Leo XIII and reinforced by John Paul II's visit in 1982.

The spectacular Baroque facade of the cathedral, known as the Obradoiro facade, was added between 1738 and 1750 by an obscure local architect, Fernando de Casas. Made of granite, it is flanked by huge bell towers and adorned everywhere with statues of St. James as the pilgrim, with staff, broad hat and scallop-shell badge.

The ground rises to the cathedral, which is reached by a magnificent quadruple flight of steps, flanked by statues of David and Solomon. Access to the staircase is through fine wrought-iron gates marked with a seashell. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/santiago-cathedral

 

Fotografia: D. Leiva

The façade "da Acibecharía" is in the Praza da Inmaculada or Acibecharía, draining the last section of urban roads: French, Primitive, Northern and English through the old gate Franxígena or Paradise door. The Romanesque portal was built in 1122 by Bernardo, treasurer of the temple. This portal was demolished after suffering a fire in 1758. The new façade was designed in Baroque style by Lucas Ferro Caaveiro and finished by Domingo Lois Monteagudo and Clemente Fernández Sarela in the neoclassical style in 1769, although it retained some traces of the baroque. - in: wikipedia

Monthly Fav. Surprise RR * February '22

I didn't forget about these cards, I was actually waiting for one of them and now that I've got them all, I can finally post them.

 

 www.postkaardid.ee

It seems that Ella took some time to send her cards but it was worth the wait. She sent me this card from my favs from beautiful Tallinn, one of my favorite cities in Europe. 

This pair of picturesque, ivy-covered towers at the entrance to Viru Street is often the first glimpse visitors get of Old Town. 

The towers are actually only the foregates of what was a much more complex gate system built in the 14th century. It included a large, square tower that stood father back along the street, close to where the city wall can be seen.

Most of the gate was pulled down in the 1880s to make room for traffic, but these two towers remained and have since become a symbol of the town. - in: https://visittallinn.ee

Getting cards from new castles is something that makes me quite happy. Thank you Veronica. 

The history of this legendary castle goes back 800 years. For a long time, Kalmar Castle was an important fortification and known as the key to the kingdom because of its strategical location.
 Kalmar Castle was given its current design during the 16th century, when the Vasa kings Gustav, Erik XIV and Johan III rebuilt the medieval castle and made it into a Renaissance palace, furnished and decorated in continental fashion.

Even before then the castle had played an important role in Nordic politics, for example as the location for the signing of the Kalmar Union in 1397. This event was celebrated during the whole year of 1997, the union's 600th anniversary. - in: https://www.kalmarslott.se

© WERBVERLAG R.

I already have a few Herrenchiemsee Palace cards and if I'm not mistaken, this is not the 1st card Marei sent me to it.

Herrenchiemsee stands as a monument to Ludwig's admiration of King Louis XIV of France.
The palace was shaped in a 'W' with wings flanking the central edifice. Only 16 of the 70 rooms were on the ground floor. Though it was to have been an equivalent to the Palace of Versailles, only the central portion was built before the king died and construction was discontinued with 50 of the 70 rooms still incomplete. It was never intended to be a perfectly exact replica of the French royal palace. Like Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors has 17 arches, the Hall of Peace and the Hall of War on either side have six windows each. The window niches at Herrenchiemsee are slightly wider than those at Versailles, making its central façade a few metres wider. The dining room features an elevator table and the world's largest Meissen porcelain chandelier. Technologically, the building also benefits from nearly two centuries of progress. The original Versailles palace lacked toilets, water, and central heating, while the New Palace has all of these, including a large heated bathtub. - in: wikipedia

Karina sent me this street art card. Not much information about the art but I've learnt about ACTA and why was it important to stop it. 

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a multilateral treaty for the purpose of establishing international standards for intellectual property rights enforcement that did not enter into force. The agreement aims to establish an international legal framework for targeting counterfeit goods, generic medicines and copyright infringement on the Internet. Industrial groups with interests in copyright, trademarks and other types of intellectual property said that ACTA was a response to "the increase in global trade of counterfeit goods and pirated copyright protected works"

Organisations representing citizens and non-governmental interests argued that ACTA could infringe fundamental rights including freedom of expression and privacy. ACTA has also been criticised by Doctors Without Borders for endangering access to medicines in developing countries. The nature of negotiations was criticized as secretive and has excluded non-governmental organizations, developing countries and the general public from the agreement's negotiation process and it has been described as policy laundering by critics including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Entertainment Consumers Association.
The signature of the EU and many of its member states resulted in widespread protests across Europe.
On 4 July 2012, the European Parliament declined its consent, effectively rejecting it. - in: wikipedia

Portugal x World RR * Religious Buildings

Some time ago I've decided to join this RR hosted by Tiago. There are different groups that we can join and I chose the group of religious buildings.

 

 Editions VALOIRE - BLOIS

When I think of French religious buildings, impressive gothic cathedrals immediately come to mind and that's exactly what Nadia sent me.

 Cathédrale Saint-Gatien de Tours, is dedicated to the first bishop of the city and is a 'must-see' when visiting the Loire Valley. The current cathedral sits on the site of a number of predecessors all of which were damaged by fires.
Construction proper on the existing cathedral began in 1270 but progress was slow and it was not completed until 1547, so what we have is a building made up of styles spanning a number of centuries, though the predominate 'style' is obviously 'Gothic'. - in: https://www.experienceloire.com

 

 

Chinami sent this view of the Great Buddha's Hall of Todaiji Temple, one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of Nara.

Until recently, Todaiji's main hall, the Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall), held the record as the world's largest wooden building, despite the fact that the present reconstruction of 1692 is only two thirds of the original temple hall's size. The massive building houses one of Japan's largest bronze statues of Buddha (Daibutsu). - in: https://www.japan-guide.com

Temple Street is a street located in the areas of Jordan and Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is known for its night market and as one of the busiest flea markets at night in the territory. The night market lies in the Yau Ma Tei, Jordan part of the street. Popular with tourists and locals alike in the evening, it is also common to see the place crowded at dusk. It sells cheap merchandise and food items.
The road was built during the Qing Dynasty and was named after the Tin Hau temple which was built on the site. - in: wikipedia

Card sent by Sunny.

Salt Lake Temple - USA

Three officials from Salt Lake City, all depicting Salt Lake Temple, a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, popularly known as the Mormon Church.

US-1125639, sent by Linda.

Salt Lake Temple is the largest and most recognizableof all Latter-day Saint temples and is an international symbol of the church.

US-1196175, sent by Mark "youngini".

The massive granite, six-spire edifice was constructed in a neo-gothic style over the course of an astounding 40-year period between 1853 and 1893; the pioneers who settled the valley sacrificed both time and material goods to the building of the temple, which stands as a testament to their faith and devotion." - in: http://www.utah.com/mormon/salt_lake_temple.htm

 

US-8468312, sent by Jeannette.

Althought it is popular tourist attraction, like other Latter-day Saint temples, the church and its members consider it sacred and a temple recommend is required to enter, so there are no public tours inside the temple.