Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, Flores Island - Portugal

A Jurassik Park like landscape!! No dinossaurs here though, only the beauty of nature. 

Ribeira do Ferreiro Lagoon, also known as Alagoinha, is located in the parish of Fajã Grande. 

It is one of the most beautiful places of the Island of Flores, and therefore the visit is mandatory. In this small paradise where vegetation will surround you, there is a small lagoon fed by 20 breathtaking waterfalls falling from the cliffs. 

© Fotografia: www.aerografica.pt

Trully amazing and definitely on my must visit list. Lurdes also sent me this 2nd card and I bought the 1st on São Miguel island. 

Flores Island - Portugal

Flores Island  is an island of the Western group of the portuguese archilepago of the Azores. Although Lurdes lives now on Terceira island, she was born on Flores, the most beautiful of the Azores islands, she says. 

© Fotografia: www.aerografica.pt

 Fajã Grande, occupying an area of approximately 12.55 square kilometers, is one of the most populated parishes of the municipality of Lajes das Flores. 

About 2 kilometres north of Fajã Grande you’ll find the small village of Ponta da Fajã, its origin to be traced back until 16th century. 

© Fotografia: www.aerografica.pt

 Alagoa Bay, located near an uninhabited settlement, it is a natural extension of the Ribeira da Alagoa, the ravine and valley that divides the coast.

Natural Reserve of the Islets of Alagoa Bay and Baixa do Moinho is a site of communitarian interest, that includes an area of 100 meters around the islets of Alagoa, for the protection of marine flora and fauna, and especially for population of Roseate and Common terns. - in: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC32C28_baia-da-alagoa-flores-acores

© Fotografia: www.aerografica.pt

 The Monchique Islet is a small islet, west of the village of Fajã Grande, off the coast of the island of Flores, in the western part of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. It is the westernmost point of Portugal and if considered part of Europe (although it sits on the North American Plate) it would be its westernmost point as well.

Historically, it functioned as an astronomical (celestial) navigational guide and reference mark for mariners, who calibrated their navigational equipment by referencing the islet on long Atlantic crossings. - in: wikipedia

© Fotografia: www.aerografica.pt

The Ribeira das Casas stream is located in the municipality of Santa Cruz das Flores. It's spring is located in an altitude of about 800 meters, in the foothills of  Burrinha Peak It empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the Ponta do Baixio, from the top of a cliff with about 500 meters high.

© Fotografia: www.aerografica.pt

These lagoons, White, Black, Long and Dry, are 4 of the 7 lagoons located in the Flores Caldera.

Europe RR - Group 53 * Castles

This was the 1st time I joined this RR and decided to take part in 2 groups, castles and churches. The churches group is still not complete.

The castles group was a group with 5 persons from 5 different countries, each one of us was supposed to get 4 cards but only 3 arrived to our mailboxes.

Susi from Austria sent this card with a water castle in Kottingbrunn. Couldn't find much information about the castle. 

© MS AGENCY

From Slovakia a card with Bratislava castle sent by Laco. 

Bratislava Castle, the landmark overlooking the Capital, was built in the 9th century. As an agelong symbol of the city, it proudly stands on the hill above Danube river. Eleven kings and eight queens were crowned in Bratislava in the past. - in: http://www.slovakia.com/castles/bratislava-castle/

© Schöning GmbH & Co. KG

I believe this is my 1st card from Hanau, a town located 25 km east of Frankfurt. 

One of the most beautiful places in Hanau is the Baroque palace of the XVIII century Philippsruhe Palace off the coast of the Main river. The castle, the construction of which began in 1700, served as the summer residence for Count Philipp Reinhard of Hanau. Over time an extensive park was created around the palace with an orangery and a tea house and the building was significantly expanded. Today Philippsruhe houses the history museum. - in: https://tourism.restaurantsworld.com/germany/place/philippsruhe-palace/

The card was sent by Svea. 

Kilauea - USA

Volcanoes are dangerous but beautiful at the same time. Well, is easy to say this because there's no active volcanoes nearby!!

Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It is a shield-type volcano that makes up the southeastern side of the Big Island of Hawaii.

 The volcano rises 4,190 feet (1,227 meters) above sea level and is about 14 percent of the land area of the Big Island. The summit caldera contains a lava lake known as Halema`uma`u that is said to be the home of the Hawaiian volcano goddess, Pele.

To the casual observer, Kilauea appears to be part of the larger volcano Mauna Loa, but geological data indicates that it is a separate volcano with its own vent and conduit system. Kilauea has had 61 recorded eruptions in the current cycle, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and has been erupting on a continuous basis since 1983.

 © mauritius images / Photo resource

DE-3961332, sent by Lisa.

The long-lasting eruption has destroyed more than 200 structures, including the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park visitor center, the Royal Gardens subdivision and many homes and buildings in the town of Kalapana. For the last few years, lava from Pu`O O`O crater mostly streamed south toward the ocean. But on June 27, 2014, flow erupted from a vent on the northeast flank of the crater. - in: http://www.livescience.com/27622-kilauea.html

US-4966804

When I first saw this card, I thought this was Brooklyn Bridge but I was wrong, this is Manhattan Bridge. 

Manhattan Bridge, suspension bridge over the East River connecting southeastern Manhattan with western Brooklyn in New York City. The bridge first opened to traffic in 1909, eight years after construction started.

manhattanpostcards.com

US-4966804, sent by Elizabeth.

The bridge is newer than the Brooklyn Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge, the other two suspension bridges that span the East River, and often acts as an alternate route due to its proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge. The Manhattan Bridge, which is 6,855 feet (2,089 metres) long, consists of a double-deck motorway with four lanes on top and three lanes on the bottom that are designed to change direction when necessary to assist traffic flow. In addition to cars, the bridge carries four subway lines, a pedestrian lane, and a separate bikeway. Nearly 80,000 vehicles and more than 320,000 people use it (via public transportation) each day. - in: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Manhattan-Bridge

PH-121817

If I counted correctly, in 2017 I've sent 96 official cards and received 92. One of the received was this one from the Philippines, only my 3rd official from there. 

St. Paul's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Vigan. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site  Historic Town of Vigan, added to the WHS list in 1999.

Photographer: Roland Weiss

PH-121817, sent by Susan.

The St. Paul’s Cathedral, also known as the metropolitan Cathedral, is considered a major religious landmark not only of northern Luzon but the country as well. Visitors must include a visit to the cathedral when in Vigan as it has been a center of Roman Catholic devotion for centuries. The church as it stands now was completed in 1800. The original structure was built in 1574 upon the command of the Spanish founder of Vigan, Juan de Salcedo. It was a mere chapel then, made of wood and thatch. In 1641, the chapel was replaced by a church.

When the seat of the Nueva Segovia Diocese was transferred to Villa Fernandina de Vigan from Cagayan’s Lal-lo in 1758, the church was elevated to the status of a cathedral and became the center of Catholic faith in the north. Another structure was ordered by then Governor Jose de Basco to be built to replace the existing church in 1786. With the Augustinians, the cornerstone of the new church was laid in the beginning of 1790.

Overall, the cathedral follows a Baroque architectural design that has been modified by Ilocanos to strengthen the structure against earthquakes. This is now known as earthquake Baroque. Testament to the style’s effectivity is the fact that the structure’s original interior walls have remained complete.

Other influences can be observed from the architecture of St. Paul Cathedral, that of neo-Gothic, pseudo-Romanesque and Chinese craftsmanship. Facing the cathedral, visitors are greeted by the statue of St. Paul above the main opening. - in: https://www.vigan.ph/heritage/st-pauls-cathedral.html

TW-2385264

A new year brings new travel plans and possibilities. I definitely would like to visit Cambodia and I really hope I can make it some day but that won't happen this year. 

Lily, from Taiwan, also loves to travel and she has been to Cambodia in 2016. 

Unlike most of the temples of Angkor, Ta Prohm has been largely left to the clutches of the living jungle. With its dynamic interaction between nature and man-made art, this atmospheric temple is a favorite for many - who can't help but feel a little like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft (which was filmed here) as they pick through the rubble.

TW-2385264, sent by Lily.

Construction on Ta Prohm began in 1186 AD. Originally known as Rajavihara (Monastery of the King), Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of King Jayavarman VII.

A rare inscription at Ta Prohm provides statistics on the temple's workers. Allowing for some exaggeration to honor the king, the inscription's report of around 80,000 workers, including 2700 officials and 615 dancers, is still astounding.

Sadly, Ta Prohm was looted quite heavily in recent years due to its relative isolation, and many of its ancient stone reliquaries have been lost.

Ta Prohm is extensively ruined, but you can still explore numerous towers, close courtyards and narrow corridors, discovering hidden gems of stone reliefs beneath the encroaching foliage. Many of the corridors are impassible, thanks to the jumbled piles of carved stone blocks that clog their interiors.

There are 39 towers at Ta Prohm, which are connected by numerous galleries. Visitors are no longer permitted to climb onto the crumbling galleries, due to the potential damage to both temple and visitor. - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/cambodia/angkor-ta-prohm