Gracinha's cards

Graça likes to surprise her postcrossers friends, any excuse is good to send us postcards. In the last weeks i've received these 2 from her.


Sunsets and fishermen in Algarve.

A cute sagitarius card. I'm sagitarius!
Sagittarius (♐) is the ninth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 240th and 269th degree of celestial longitude. According to the tropical zodiac, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between November 22 and December 21 each year (sometimes the dates vary slightly). - in: wikipedia

Sagittarians are positive people; they have a bright outlook on life, are enterprising, full of energy and vitality. Versatile, adventurous and eager to expand their range beyond the comfortable and familiar. They enjoy travel and exploring, and their minds are continually searching for new experiences. They are ambitious, optimistic folk, and nothing seems to get them down. They are idealists, and this seems to keep them going even when life disappointments crop up and smash their plans. "To keep on, keepin' on" is a Sagittarian way of life. They have a tendency to get over zealous when they are interested in something. They are believers, and what they believe in, they are willing to fight for. They are paradoxically loyal and independent at the same time, natively adept at balancing both traits. - in: http://elore.com/Astrology/Study/sagittarius.htm

Galapagos Islands - Ecuador

My quest for new unesco cards continues. Yesterday i was organizing my spanish cards and found a Siega Verde card i didn't know i had :o Cards from this site are not that easy to find! It was a very good surprise.

Today i've received another great card, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, send by Steffi. I've 3 of the 4 sites from there, i'm only missing Cuenca. The birds on the card are blue-footed boobies.

Situated in the Pacific Ocean some 1,000 km from the South American continent, these 19 islands and the surrounding marine reserve have been called a unique ‘living museum and showcase of evolution’. Located at the confluence of three ocean currents, the Galápagos are a ‘melting pot’ of marine species. Ongoing seismic and volcanic activity reflects the processes that formed the islands. These processes, together with the extreme isolation of the islands, led to the development of unusual animal life – such as the land iguana, the giant tortoise and the many types of finch – that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection following his visit in 1835. - in: www.whc.unesco.org/en/lis/1

Buenos Aires - Argentina

Julio contacted me via FB because he wanted to trade cards with me. So far i've received these two from Buenos Aires.

The Teatro Colón (Spanish) (Columbus Theatre) is the main opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, acousticly considered to be amongst the five best concert venues in the world.

The present Colón replaced an original theatre which opened in 1857. Towards the end of the century it became clear that a new theatre was needed and, after a 20-year process, the present theatre opened on May 25, 1908, with Giuseppe Verdi's Aïda.

The Teatro Colón was visited by the foremost singers and opera companies of the time, who would sometimes go on to other cities including Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

After this period of huge international success, the theatre's decline became clear and plans were made for massive renovations. After an initial start of works to restore the landmark in 2005, the theatre was closed for refurbishment from October 2006 to May 2010. It re-opened on May 24, 2010, with a program for the 2010 season. - in: wikipedia

Up to the year 1821, the Cabildo - opposite Mayo Square - was the seat of the city's government and law courts. The original building was demolished in the 18th century, the new one being finished in 1751 following the design of the Juesuit Father Andrés Blanqui. Between the years 1812 and 1931 the building underwent numerous transformations. Finally, in 1940, the architect Mario Buschiazzo did some refurbishings that returned the Cabildo to its original colonial appearence, the one that the building shows now.

The 1st Argentine government (Primera Junta) held its sessions there. Nowadays the cabildo building hosts the National Museums and Monuments Board and the May Revolution Museum.

Moraine Lake - Canada

Wow, this is what i call a breathtaking scenery. I love, love this card, it makes me want to fly immediately to Canada and explore the canadian parks. It was sent from Germany by Michaela "michaela0705".

Moraine Lake is a glacially-fed lake in Banff National Park, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) outside the Village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, at an elevation of approximately 6,183 feet (1,885 m). The lake has a surface area of .5 square kilometres (0.19 sq mi).

The lake, being glacially fed, does not reach its crest until mid to late June. When it is full, it reflects a distinct shade of blue. The color is due to the refraction of light off the rock flour deposited in the lake on a continual basis. - in: wikipedia

Wet Tropics of Queensland - Australia

Wet Tropics of Queensland in Australia is the last Unesco WHS i got from Australia. The card, sent by Heather "hmassese", shows the Millaa Millaa Falls, buttress roots, Mossman River, a fig tree and Ulysses butterfly.

The Wet Tropics of Queensland is a region of spectacular scenery and rugged topography with rivers, gorges, waterfalls, and mountains. One of the largest rainforest wilderness areas in Australia is located in the Daintree River valley, and the combination of fringe coral reefs and rainforest coastline in the Cape Tribulation region is rare in the world. The Wet Tropics rainforests contain an almost complete record of the major stages in the evolution of plant life on earth. Many species within the World Heritage area originated when Australia was still part of Gondwana.

The Wet Tropics of Queensland was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988. - in: http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/wet-tropics/index.html

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Sofia

I thought these were two different churches but i was wrong, these are two different views of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria. The 1st card was sent by Christina "dj_christina" and the 2nd by Lilia "childish". Both were favorite cards.

The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, as well as one of Sofia's symbols and primary tourist attractions. The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia occupies an area of 3,170 square metres (34,100 sq ft) and can hold 10,000 people inside. It is the biggest cathedral located on the Balkan Peninsula.

The construction of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral started in 1882, when the foundation stone was laid, but most of it was built between 1904 and 1912. Saint Alexander Nevsky was a Russian prince. The cathedral was created in honour to the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, as a result of which Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule. - in: wikipedia

Ohrid - Macedonia

Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia.

In 1979 and in 1980, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid were accepted as a Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. In fact, Ohrid is one of only 28 sites that are part of UNESCO's World Heritage that are both Cultural and Natural sites. - in: wikipedia

On this card, sent by Ana "anagahan", there's the Saint Panteleimon monastery. Ana always sends me great cards and this time she tagged on a favorites tag with this one.

The monastery is believed to have been built when Saint Clement arrived in Ohrid, at the request of Boris I of Bulgaria and restored an old church. Sources say that Saint Clement was not satisfied with the size of the church and therefore built a new one over it and assigned Saint Panteleimon as its patron saint.

Saint Clement used his newly created monastery as a liturgical building and a place for teaching his disciples his variation of the Glagolitic alphabet, known as the Cyrillic alphabet. Clement personally built a crypt inside the monastery in which he was buried after his death in 916, his tomb still exists today.

In the 15th century, Ottoman Turks converted the monastery into a mosque but during the beginning of the 16th century allowed ruined churches and monasteries to be restored, therefore, so was Saint Clement's monastery. The monastery was again ruined during the end of the 16th century or the beginning of the 17th century and yet another mosque, called Imaret Mosque, was erected by the Ottomans, this mosque still exists to this day.

As the monastery is the most sacred of all the churches in the Republic of Macedonia, thousands of Macedonian Orthodox Christians gather at Plaošnik during large religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas to celebrate and take part in the liturgies. - in: wikipedia