PT RR - Group 110 * Surprise July

Once again, I got only nice cards in this portuguese RR. The RR might be portuguese but the cards are from different locations, in this case, China, Portugal and France. 

© René Burri / Magnum Photos

Last month Paulo sent me a Magnum Photos card and this month he did it again. René Burri is the photographer of this picture of dead lotus leaves taken in 1964 on Kunming Lake in the grounds of the Summer Palace near Beijing. 

Kunming Lake is a most attractive water feature a short distance from downtown Beijing, where it covers three quarters of the total area of the Summer Palace grounds.

© Edição Vistal - Foto ©, Art & Concept: Gustav A. Wittich

If you're in southern Portugal and want to go to southern Spain, you'll cross this bridge. I've only crossed it once but I bet Tiago has crossed many times. 

The Guadiana International Bridge is a bridge that crosses the Guadiana River connecting southern Spain (town of Ayamonte) and Portugal (town of Castro Marim). It is the southernmost land crossing on the Portugal–Spain border. It is not split evenly between the two countries, a greater share of it situated in Portugal. Completed in 1991, its structural type is a cable-stayed bridge, with a deck of prestressed concrete. (...) The bridge is open to vehicles only. It is the third longest bridge in Portugal and one of the longest in Spain. - in: wikipedia

The Château de Villandraut is a ruined castle in the commune of Villandraut in the Gironde département of France.

The castle of Villandraut is known as the castle of Pope Clement. Villandraut is the birthplace of Bertrand de Goth, who became the first pope in Avignon under the name of Clement V in 1305. 

From the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Clement V decided to build a castle in Villandraut, which should be the symbol of the increased power of the Goth’s family.

The work began in 1305 and was completed in 1312. The castle was built in just seven years, a particularly short time to the Middle Ages, because normally twenty years have been reasonably necessary for the realization of such a work. This rapidness is due to the richness and the power of the sponsor, Pope Clement V. - in: https://www.chateaudevillandraut.fr/castle-history/

Card sent by Joana.

Editions d'Art

A nice french castle and now a church. Sent by Michele.

The city of Malestroit is a small town located in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.

St. Gilles Church was built in the 12th century and rebuilt partly in the 16th and 18th centuries. Its southern 12th century cross, its double nave, its special statues, its stained glass windows, as well as its exceptional 13th century paintings, discovered on the vault at the end of 2011 during a restoration, make it a special building. 

Europe RR - Group 137 * Happy Mix

Two very different cards from Montenegro and Belarus. 

Annamaria is from Serbia and traveled to Montenegro by train some time ago and that was when she had the opportunity to see Skadar Lake. 

The lake is located in Zeta – Skadar valley and is surrounded by mountains, and it’s 7 km away from Adriatic Sea. Two Thirds of Skadar Lake is in Montenegro and the rest is in Albania. The size of the lake varies from 530 to 370 km2 it is 44 km long and 14 km wide. Coast line is very sharp, especially in the north – west side.

Skadar Lake is the largest lake at the Balkan Peninsula, with fresh water and one of the largest national parks in Montenegro. It’s extremely famous for its diversity of flora and fauna. - in: https://www.visit-montenegro.com/tourism/national-parks/lake-skadar/

Yuliya sent me a new church from Belarus. 

The catholic church of Exalatation of the Holy Cross in Vileika was built between 1906-1913. Its architecture combines features of neo-romanesque and neo.gothic styles. 

The church is included in the state list of Historical and Cultural Values of Belarus. 

CA-823391

Greetings from snowy Saskatchewan, a province in western Canada. 

Saskatchewan is a landlocked province with large distances to moderating bodies of waters. As a result, its climate is extremely continental, rendering severe winters throughout the province. In winter, temperatures below −45 °C (−49 °F) are possible even in the south during extreme cold snaps. - in: wikipedia

Photo by Douglas E. Walker

CA-823391, sent by Joyce.

Yes, it’s cold in Saskatchewan in wintertime. But locals know how to have fun and enjoy the snow and ice. One of the best outdoor activities in wintertime is dogsledding. 

Before cars, snowmobiles, and even horses, dog sledding was one of the primary ways for getting around Canada during the winter months. It was an especially important mode of transportation for the people of the northern territories, who continue to respect huskie dogs deeply.

Today, dog sledding is mostly a recreational activity rather than necessary transportation, but it’s an amazing and fun way to experience Canada’s stunning landscape and part of its past.

Dog-sledding tours are available in many provinces and territories, and tours run from a couple of hours to a few days.

Many of the dogs are treated very well, but be sure to do your own research when selecting a tour to ensure that you are using one that treats their animals ethically and humanely. - in: https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/canada/articles/how-and-where-to-go-dog-sledding-in-canada/

Kiyomizudera Temple - Japan

Kiyomizu-dera Temple is one of Kyoto’s must-see attractions. If you're planning to travel to Kyoto  and want to visit this temple hoping to take some nice pictures, you'd better think twice. Kiyomizudera's main hall has covered up since last year and it will continue like that till March 2020 for the renovation of its roof. It won't be possible to take pictures like the postcard Noriko sent me in 2008. However visitors will be able to enter the main hall during the renovations. 

 Kiyomizudera (清水寺, literally "Pure Water Temple") is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills east of Kyoto, and derives its name from the fall's pure waters. The temple was originally associated with the Hosso sect, one of the oldest schools within Japanese Buddhism, but formed its own Kita Hosso sect in 1965. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

JP-1129607, sent by Chizuko.

Kiyomizudera is best known for its wooden stage that juts out from its main hall, 13 meters above the hillside below. The stage affords visitors a nice view of the numerous cherry and maple trees below that erupt in a sea of color in spring and fall, as well as of the city of Kyoto in the distance. The main hall, which together with the stage was built without the use of nails, houses the temple's primary object of worship, a small statue of the eleven faced, thousand armed Kannon. - in: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3901.html

IN-305664

How cute is this tiger hug?

Tadoba National Park is a popular tiger reserve that’s affably known as ‘The Land of Tigers’ as large number of tigers (approx.43) are found here.

IN-305664, sent by Himanshu.

Situated in the core of a reserved forest and spread in the area of 1727 sq. km, Tadoba National Park lies in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra (India). One of the largest and oldest national park,  which has endless treasure trove of large number of species of trees & plants and wildlife like panthers, tigers, hyenas, sloth bears, wild dogs, jackals, barking deer, bison, sambar, herd of deer to name a few. - in: https://www.tourmyindia.com/wildlife_sancturies/tadoba-national-park.html

Western Tien-Shan - Uzbekistan

Most of my card swaps are via postcrossing, both the official site and the forum but every now and then, if I see a nice offer on FB I might give it a shot. Igor was offering a few cards and the UNESCO symbol caught my attention. Western Tien-Shien was the last WHS I was still mising from Uzbekistan, so I contacted Igor. In return of a church card from Malta, I got this nice card from a new UNESCO site to my collection.

Western Tien-Shan is a transnational site located in the Tien-Shan mountain system, one of the largest mountain ranges in the world. It spans over three countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

On 17 July 2016, (...) Western Tien-Shan was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List to protect its biodiversity.

The nominated property includes (...) Chatkal Biosphere Reserve, located in the Republic of Uzbekistan. - in: https://www.birdlife.org/europe-and-central-asia/news/western-tien-shan-declared-world-heritage-site

Photo by Pavel Fedorovich

Ugam-Chatkal is the state national wild nature park, created in 1992 by reorganization of Chatkal biosphere reserve. It is located at Chatkal ridges of Western Tien-Shan, encompassing Akhangaran, Brichmulla and Chirchik lumber reserves, and has a total area of 668350 hectares, which makes it the largest nature protection complex in Uzbekistan. The National park was created to protect Tien-Shan highland woods and unique ecosystem, inhabited by multiple rare and endangered species of animals and plants. - in: http://www.centralasia-adventures.com/en/sights/ugam_chatkal_national_park.html

Moscow Metro - Russia

Moscow’s underground transit system is now more than 80 years old, and carries up to 9 million passengers through more than 200 stations every day. It was built under Soviet rule and opened in 1935. Most of the architecture and decor meant to be a showcase for Soviet artists, ideals, and icons. 

These are Krasnopresnenskaya and Arbatskaya stations.

RU-6600221, sent by Tanya.

Krasnopresnenskaya was opened on 14 March 1954. The station has red granite pylons with white marble cornices and 14 bas-reliefs. As the Presnya area of Moscow was the site of the Moscow Uprising of 1905 during the 1905 Russian Revolution, the station is decorated with artwork commemorating the events of the period. Eight of the bas-reliefs depict the events of the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the other six show scenes from the Russian Revolution of 1917. Statues of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin originally stood at the end of the platform, though these had been removed by the early 1960s. - in: wikipedia

Arbatskaya is a station of the Moscow metro. It was built in 1953 to replace an older station damaged in a German bomb attack in 1941. Since it was meant to serve as a bomb shelter as well as a Metro station, Arbatskaya is both large (the 250-m platform is the second-longest in Moscow) and deep (41 m underground).

 The station represents an example of Stalinist baroque style, its opera clothes include white arched ceilings, bronze chandeliers, ceramic bouquets of flowers, red marble decorations, and glazed tiles.