PT RR - Suprise Group * July '24

 Cards written in Portuguese, all from different countries.

 

© concept by Postcardsmarket.com

Atalí is a regular visitor of the Portuguese speaking corner of the PC forum. Even though she speaks Spanish, she tries to communicate with us in Portuguese. 

Uruguay has an area of 176.215 km², a population of 3.444.006 and its capital is Monteviedo.
Unique:
* Cows outnumber people 4 to 1 - Uruguay is a nation of 12 million cattle but just 3 million people;  
* Renamed many of its catholic holidays - Christmas is called Family Day and Holy Week is called Tourism Week;  
Famous:  
* Outside of the tropics - the only country in Latin America which is entirely outside of the tropics;
* One of the world's highest literacy rates - with 98.1% for adults, it is largely thanks to the Uruguayans' access to free and compulsory education;
History: 

* Name origin - the name Uruguay comes from the Uruguay river which means "river of the painted birds" in the Guaranini language:

* Free laptop & Wifi access - in 2009 Uruguay became the 1st country in the world to provide them to every schoolchild.

 

Editado por Danieli Dagnoni - Valdenio Vieira

This isn't my 1st card of the Brazilian Serra da Capivara National Park but it is the 1st I'm posting here. It was sent by Maria Eliza.

Serra da Capivara National Park, a treasure trove of prehistoric art and natural beauty, is located in the northeastern state of Piauí, Brazil. Spanning over 129,000 hectares (319,000 acres), the park is a remarkable blend of geological wonders, archaeological significance, and unique biodiversity. Established in 1979, the park's primary goal is to protect its prehistoric artifacts and rock paintings, some dating back tens of thousands of years. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, Serra da Capivara is a testament to ancient human ingenuity and a vital sanctuary for the diverse flora and fauna of the Caatinga biome.

Serra da Capivara is renowned for its extensive collection of prehistoric rock art. Over 300 archaeological sites have been discovered within the park, featuring rock and wall paintings dating from 50,000 to 30,000 years ago. These paintings offer a window into the lives of ancient hunter-gatherer communities and later ceramic-farming societies. - in: https://lacgeo.com

Fotos: Matos Simões

A shepherd and his sheep in the Portuguese South West Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park.

Card sent by Tiago.

Monthly Fav. Surprise RR * July '24

 One card from June is still missing but July's cards have safely arrived to my mailbox. These are from Belarus, Russia, Aland Islands and Madagascar.

 

A unique monument of neo-gothic architecture of the 19th century is situated in the Belarusian town of Kossovo. The Palace of the Puslovskys, or Kossovo Castle, consists of the central two-storied building and two wings. Because of the rectangular merlons at the top of the towers the palace is often called a mini-castle. Each tower symbolizes one month of the year, with four highest towers in the center standing for May, June, July and August when harvest is reaped. It's construction started in 1838.

The palace boasts over 100 rooms with no walk-through rooms. Thanks to a system of corridors and a special location of the windows every year one of the palace’s rooms was flooded with sunlight for two and a half days. This was the time when the owners of the palace celebrated the Day of the Room adorning it and spending there most of the time.
During the Second World War the palace suffered the worst damage. For many days a fire blazed through its rooms in 1944 and destroyed the decoration of the chambers and left only the magnificent walls.
Despite the destruction, Kossovo Palace still impresses and attracts tourists. It had been restored to it's former glory and beauty and it is now a social, cultural and tourism center. 

Card sent by Kate.

Trinity-Sergius Lavra is probably one of the places / monuments in Russia that I've the most cards from. 

The card was sent by Nadezhda.

An Åland card, with an Åland flag stamp, sent from the Åland by Zaara. 

The Jan Karlsgården open-air museum shows the visitors how life may have been at a farm on Åland in the late 1800s – how people lived and worked there. Various activities are also arranged here all the year round.
The museum was founded in the 1930s and got its name from the farm Jan Karls in Finström, from where the main building was also moved. All buildings at Jan Karlsgården have been brought here from various parts of the Åland islands. Jan Karlsgården provides the visitor with a comprehensive view of the life and building traditions that once existed here. - in: https://book.visitaland.com

 

I've tagged and swapped with Nancy in the past and in July I "met" her again on this RR. We always sent UNESCO cards to each other and this time was no different. She sent me this UNESCO card from Madagascar, still missing in my collection.Tsingy de Bemaraha is one Madagascar’s Andrefana Dry Forests classified as UNESCO WHS in 1990.

Tsingy de Bemaraha Reserve is located in the drier eastern side of Madagascar and supports a quite distinct fauna and flora in a dramatic karst landscape.  The limestone plateau has been carved into an impressive forest of pinnacles (tsingys) and caves, with deep gorges filled with forest. The undisturbed forests are the habitat of many rare and endangered species with highly restricted ranges including lemurs, chamealeons, and other taxa. - in: https://www.africanworldheritagesites.org

Monthly Fav. Surprise RR * May '24

Lets go back to May with these cards. I must say I'm quite happy with all of them.

 

www.papersisters.de

 Edith is a chocolate lover but as strange as it might be, I don't like chocolate that much. I don't totally dislike it but I'm not really crazy about it. I only eat milk chocolate with nuts and that's it.

NPS Photo / Tom Engberg

This card was a wonderful surprise and also a mistery. I realized immediately that this was a card from a missing UNESCO site but had no idea who sent it. Julia forgot to write her username and to mention that this was a MFS RR card. 

Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks was the only site I was still missing from USA!! This is Ohio’s first World Heritage Site and the 25th World Heritage Listing in the United States.  

This property is a series of eight monumental earthen enclosure complexes built between 2,000 and 1,600 years ago along the central tributaries of the Ohio River. They are the most representative surviving expressions of the Indigenous tradition now referred to as the Hopewell culture. Their scale and complexity are evidenced in precise geometric figures as well as hilltops sculpted to enclose vast, level plazas. There are alignments with the cycles of the Sun and the far more complex cycles of the Moon. These earthworks served as ceremonial centres and the sites have yielded finely crafted ritual objects fashioned from exotic raw materials obtained from distant places. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

Look how beautiful these stamps are!! Joli Lin sent this card from China but this stupa is located in Sri Lanka. 

Thuparamaya stupa, in ancient city of Anuradhapura, is the first Buddhist temple to be built in the country, after the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka.  It dates back to the 247-207 BC.

Church Ensemble at Korovniki, located in the part of Yaroslavl historically known as Korovnitskaya Sloboda, comprises two red-brick churches with green domes similar in style.  It is considered one of the best examples of the Yaroslavl-style of architecture. 

The larger of the two churches is St John Chrysostom’s Church which was built between 1649 and 1654. Attached to each side of the church are two side-altars which are topped with tent-domes. Its window frames are decorated with small ceramic tiles. 

The neighbouring Our Lady of Vladimir Church is smaller in size and serves as a winter church meaning that it is heated and therefore open in winter. It was completed in 1669 and in style it is very similar to St John Chrysostom’s Church but without the two side-altars. In between the two churches is a tent-dome bell tower which was erected in the 1680s. - in: https://rusmania.com

Card sent by Nataliya.

US-10569599

 The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, Missouri, is a major landmark and the oldest building in the entire city.

US-10569599, sent by Hillary.

 Architectural drawings were originally drawn up at the turn of the 20th century by George Barnett. In 1907, construction of the building began, and the basic structure was completed in 1914. Construction of certain parts of the interior continued until 1988. The cathedral is dedicated to St. Louis, King of France and was designated a basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
The temple is known for it's beautiful mosaics, which cover most of the high-up surfaces of the cathedral walls. In fact, this is one of the largest collections of mosaics in the world.

Las Vegas Strip - USA

 Las Vegas is one of the most famous cities in USA but I only have these 2 cards from there. It seems that postcards are not sold in the city's casinos and hotels.These 2 are both located on the Strip, a 6.8 km long stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos.

 Many of the largest hotel, casino, and resort properties in the world are on the Strip, known for its contemporary architecture, lights, and wide variety of attractions. Its hotels, casinos, restaurants, residential high-rises, entertainment offerings, and skyline have established the Strip as one of the most popular and iconic tourist destinations in the world and is one of the driving forces for Las Vegas's economy. - in: wikipedia

 

Design & Photography: Gunnar Kullenberg / Eurostyle Graphics

US-10575326, sent by Patrick.

The Venetian Las Vegas is a luxury hotel and casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Apollo Global Management.
The Venetian is themed after Venice during the 1400s and 1500s and it features numerous landmarks from the city. The exterior entrance along the Las Vegas Strip is modeled on the Doge's Palace and includes a recreation of the Rialto Bridge. It also features a 315-foot-high replica of St Mark's Campanile, topped by a statue depicting Gabriel. The Venetian includes a replica of Venice's Grand Canal that goes through the resort's interior and exterior.
The Venetian includes a 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2) casino and opened with 3,036 suites in a 35-story tower. A 12-story tower, the Venezia, was completed in 2003, bringing the room count to 4,049.

The resort includes its own meeting space, as well as the adjoining Venetian Expo. The property also includes the Grand Canal Shoppes, and was home to the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum from 2001 to 2008. The Venetian has several performance venues, which have hosted entertainment such as the Blue Man Group (2005–2012), Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular (2006–2012), and Human Nature (2013–2020). A sphere-shaped venue and arena, known as simply Sphere, opened in September 2023. - in: wikipedia

 

 © RTSI

 

US-5185955, sent by Juan.
Excalibur Hotel and Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.
It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.
Excalibur, named for the mythical sword of King Arthur, uses the Medieval theme in several ways. Its facade is a stylized image of a castle.
The 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) gaming area at Excalibur consists of both table games and over 1,200 slot machines. In addition to casino space, the Excalibur resort includes a renovated pool area, a 13,000-square-foot (1,200 m2) spa and fitness center, eight restaurants and a food court, the Chapel at Excalibur, and the Octane Lounge & The Lounge with live music on the weekends.
Excalibur is home to three permanent shows: the all-male revue Thunder From Down Under, The Australian Bee Gees Show, a tribute to the Bee Gees and the medieval themed dinner show Tournament of Kings. - in: wikipedia

Niah Caves - Malaysia

A few weeks ago UNESCO added new sites to the World Heritage List. I was lucky to already have 4 of these newly classified sites and over these last weeks, I've received more cards. This one was sent by SL.

With the classification of The Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex, Malaysia has now 5 sites on the WHS list. 

This complex of colossal, interconnected caverns is located near the west coast of Borneo Island at the centre of Niah National Park.  It contains the longest known records of human interaction with rainforest, spanning at least 50,000 years, from the Pleistocene to the Mid-Holocene periods. The rich archaeological deposits, prehistoric rock paintings and boat-shaped burials found at the northern edge of the massif illustrate biological and human life during this time, and contribute greatly to the knowledge of human development, adaptation and migration in southeast Asia, as well as in a global context. Local communities still observe an ancient tradition of molong – ‘take only what you need’— when harvesting guano and valuable edible bird’s nests from the caves. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

 

The Great Cave at Niah is truly spectacular both in terms of its enormous size and historical significance. The mouth of the Great Cave is 60 metres high and 250 wide and its floor area covers 10.5 hectares. The cave is accessed from the park HQ by a 3.1 km jungle trail and plankwalk. Archaeological excavations can be see on the left of cave mouth.
From the cave mouth a passage leads to a large chamber at the back known as the Padang. Here rock formations are illuminated by shafts of light that the shine though holes in the cave roof. Beyond the Padang is a dark passage called Moon Cave (Gan Kira).

The Great Cave has a long history of human settlement. In 1950s and 1960s Niah was the focus of intense archaeological research with excavations led by Tom Harrisson, the curator of the Sarawak Museum, and his wife Barbara. The Harrissons and their team found evidence of long term human occupation and burial. Earthenware, ornaments, bone tools and food remains were found in the caves. Their most notable find was a human skull. 

The skull was found in 1958 in the West Mouth of the Great Cave. The skull belonged to an adult female. Radiocarbon dating of the charcoal found at the same level of the dig, suggested the skull was 40,000 years old. This made it the oldest modern human fossil known at that time. - in: https://borneoadventure.com

Koguryo Tombs - North Korea

The Complex of Koguryo Tombs was the 1st North Korean site to be classified as World Heritage Site. 

 

The property includes several group and individual tombs - totalling about 30 individual tombs - from the later period of the Koguryo Kingdom, one of the strongest kingdoms in nowadays northeast China and half of the Korean peninsula between the 3rd century BC to 7th century AD. The tombs, many with beautiful wall paintings, are almost the only remains of this culture. Only about 90 out of more than 10,000 Koguryo tombs discovered in China and Korea so far, have wall paintings. Almost half of these tombs are located on this site and they are thought to have been made for the burial of kings, members of the royal family and the aristocracy. These paintings offer a unique testimony to daily life of this period. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

 

Anak Tomb No. 3 is a chamber tomb of Goguryeo located in Anak, South Hwanghae.
This is one of few Goguryeo tombs that have epitaphs so that their dates can be determined. Its seven-lined epitaph contains the date 357, the personal name Dong Shou (冬壽), his title, his birthplace and his age at death.
The Anak Tomb No. 3 is the host to multiple famous mural paintings, each giving a greater insight to the life and hierarchy of the Goguryeo people. It contains two portraits, one on the front wall of the west side chamber and one on the southern wall, portraying a man and a woman, respectively. Scholars have disputed the owner of this tomb and thus the identity of people portrayed in these murals; because of the epitaph, many believe that the images depict Dong Shou, a refugee from Former Yan, and his wife, while others believe that the person depicted was the Goguryeo king, King Gogukwon. - in: wikipedia