Independence Hall - USA

This is another new unesco whs from the USA. It was sent by Kelly "mysonictruth".

"The Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Constitution of the United States (1787) were both signed in this building in Philadelphia. The universal principles of freedom and democracy set forth in these documents are of fundamental importance to American history and have also had a profound impact on law-makers around the world.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776 in this fine 18th century building in Philadelphia, to be followed in 1787 by the framing of the Constitution of the United States of America. Although conceived in a national framework and hence of fundamental importance to American history, the universal principles of freedom and democracy set forth in these documents were to have a profound impact on lawmakers and political thinkers around the world. They became the models for similar charters of other nations, and may justly be considered to have heralded the modern era of government." - in: www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/78

Travelling RR - Group 60 - Unesco

Today i've received an envelope from Sweden in 10 unesco cards from different countries. I took these 2 cards and the 1st card is from a new unesco site from Sweden.

"The Varberg Radio Station at Grimeton in southern Sweden (built 1922–24) is an exceptionally well-preserved monument to early wireless transatlantic communication. It consists of the transmitter equipment, including the aerial system of six 127-m high steel towers. Although no longer in regular use, the equipment has been maintained in operating condition. The 109.9-ha site comprises buildings housing the original Alexanderson transmitter, including the towers with their antennae, short-wave transmitters with their antennae, and a residential area with staff housing. The architect Carl Åkerblad designed the main buildings in the neoclassical style and the structural engineer Henrik Kreüger was responsible for the antenna towers, the tallest built structures in Sweden at that time. The site is an outstanding example of the development of telecommunications and is the only surviving example of a major transmitting station based on pre-electronic technology." - in: www.whc.org/en/list/1134

I also had a card from Quedlinburg but i really liked this one.

It shows the Nikolai Church.

"The parish church of the New Town at the Mathilde Fountain is the largest church in Quedlinburg and, with its 72 meter high towers, dominates over all other churches in the town (with the exception of Saint Servatius on the Castle-Hill). According to accounts of its construction, it was built up on pillars of erle-tree trunks that were driven into the swampy underground of the original river bed of the Bode. There are but sparce remnants of the initial Romanesque structure to be found in the church today. In the course of numerous reconstructions and changes in building design, there emerged the present day Gothic hall church. The interior is for the most part Baroque. The organ, like the organ in the market church, was built by the organ firm Rover. The Nikolai Church is an evangelical parish church." - in: http://www.quedlinburg.de/

2nd Ontario/Toronto PC Meeting

Another PC meeting card arrived this week. This one is from the 2nd Ontario/Toronto meeting, that took place last January 16th. The card was signed by Marie "renegade_cavalcade"; Carole "Taxingwoman"; Craig "cawindt" and Karen "blind_melonette".

Thank you girls and Craig ;)

"Dundurn Castle is an historic Neoclassical architecture chateau on York Boulevard in Hamilton, Ontario. This 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m²) mansion took three years and $175,000.00 to build, and was completed in 1835. The seventy-two room castle featured the latest conveniences of gas lighting and running water. It is currently owned by the City of Hamilton who purchased it in 1900 for $50,000. The City has spent nearly $3 million renovating the site to make 42 of the original 72 rooms open to the public. The rooms have been restored to the year 1855 when MacNab was at the height of his career. Costumed interpreters guide visitors through the home, illustrating daily life from the 1850s." - in: wikipedia

Struve Geodetic Arc in Finland

This is my last unesco place from Finland :) I got it from Merja "kotona".

The chain of survey triangulations crosses ten countries, making a total of 34 protected stations points, six of these being located in Finland. One of those points, measured in 1842, is located in the church tower of Alatornio (Tornea). Carved markings made in connection with the measurements are still visible on the walls of the bell chamber of the church, which was built in 1797. The top of the bell tower is 40 metres above sea level, which made it an ideal location for triangulation. It is still part of the station-point network of the City of Tornio.

Hohenzollern Castle - Germany

Today i've only received one card but it was one of my favorites. I really like it. German castles are so beautiful, this one is great. Viel Danke "usch".

"Hohenzollern Castle is a castle, about 50 kilometers (30 mi) south of Stuttgart, Germany, considered home to the Hohenzollern family that came to power during the Middle Ages and ruled Prussia and Brandenburg until the end of World War I.

The castle is located on top of Mount Hohenzollern at an elevation of 855 meters (2,805 ft), above Hechingen and nearby Bisingen, both located at the foothills of the Swabian Alb. It was originally constructed in the first part of the 11th century. It was completely destroyed after a 10-month siege in 1423 by the imperial cities of Swabia.

A second, larger and sturdier castle was constructed from 1454 to 1461 and served as a refuge for the Swabian Hohenzollern family during wartime, including during the Thirty Years' War. By the end of the 18th century, however, the castle was thought to have lost its strategic importance and gradually fell into disrepair, leading to the demolition of several dilapidated buildings. Today, only the chapel remains from the medieval castle.

The third version of the castle, which stands today, was constructed by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV between 1846 and 1867, under the direction of Oberhofbaurat Stühler, who based his design on English Neo-Gothic style as well as the castles in Loire. Because the castle was built to be merely a family memorial, no member of the Hohenzollern family took residence in this third castle until 1945, when it became home to the last Prussian Crown Prince Wilhelm. Prince Wilhelm and his wife Crown Princess Cecilie are buried there.

Among the historical artifacts of Prussian history contained in the castle today are the Crown of Wilhelm II and some of the personal effects of Frederick the Great and a letter from US President George Washington thanking Baron von Steuben, a scion of the House of Hohenzollern, for his service in the American Revolutionary War. The castle is today a popular tourist destination." - in: wikipedia

Vladimir - Russia

This is a new unesco card from Russia. It was sent by Olga "kaurry".

The Golden Gate and the Assumption Cathedral, together with other monuments of the city and also other monuments in Suzdal, are in the unesco list since 1992 under the name of "White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal".

The Golden Gate of Vladimir was built between 1158 and 1164, are the only (albeit partially) preserved instance of the ancient Russian city gates. A museum inside focuses on the history of the Mongol invasion of Russia in the 13th century.

The Assumption Cathedral used to be a mother church of medieval Russia in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The cathedral was commissioned by Andrew the Pious in his capital Vladimir and dedicated to the Virgin Mary whom he promoted as the patron saint of his lands. Originally erected in 1158-1160, the 6-pillared 5-domed cathedral was expanded in 1185-1189 to reflect the augmented prestige of Vladimir. Embracing the area of 1178 sq. meters, it remained the largest of Russian churches for the following 300 or 400 years.

Other Languages RR - Group 132

This group of the Other Languages RR was dedicated to the colors. So, let's learn how to say a few colors in polish and dutch.

A card from Poznan sent by Joanna "redka".
red: czerwony; green: zielony; blue: niebieski; orange: pomaranczowy; yellow: zólty; pink: rózowy; brown; brazowy; white: bialy; black: czarny.

A beautiful card from Amsterdam sent by Sandra "mya".

yellow: geel; green: groen; purple: paars; black: zwart; white: wit; brown: bruin; blue blauw; red rood, grey: grijs.

Loulé Castle - Portugal

Celina sent me another card of her hometown, this time with the local castle.

"The Loulé Castle was built after the Christian reconquest, probably in the 13th century, however some years after started to get degraded due to the strategically lack of importance of the region.
With the big earthquake of 1755 the Castle suffered a rude strike and got more and more degraded, and also the areas close to the Walls started to be occupied domestically, changing the Castle’s military appearance.
The Loulé Castle is classified as a Portuguese National Monument and has had restoration works to preserve its history in all possible ways.
Currently function in the interior of the castle an Archaeological Museum and a municipal Library." - in: www.guiadacidade.pt

Officials

First officials of the year.

FI-722443, sent by Paula "xpaula".

Vaasa Church was planned by the architect C. A. Setterberg and consecrated in 1869. The church, built in an English neo-gothic style, has a capacity of almost 900 people.

PT-107823, sent by Nuno.
A card from one my favorites places in Portugal with my favorite bridge, D. Luís Bridge.

GB-114895, sent by Anu "ichabodhides".

No, this isn't a snowy landscape from Finland. Anu took this picture somewhere close to her home in England.

The short cut i usually take to get home looked like this last sunday!

November RR - XI

I thought i was not going to receive more cards related with this RR but yesterday arrived this card from the Philippines. It was sent by Marian "upto6only".

"The Chocolate Hills are an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines. According to the latest accurate survey done, there are 1,776 hills spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi). They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, hence the name.

The Chocolate Hills are a famous tourist attraction of Bohol. They are featured in the provincial flag and seal to symbolize the abundance of natural attractions in the province. They are in the Philippine Tourism Authority's list of tourist destinations in the Philippines; they have been declared the country's 3rd National Geological Monument and proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list." - in: wikipedia

Unesco cards from France

This week started with snow and new unesco cards from France. All the cards were sent by Nancy "ASA".

"This outstanding mountain landscape, which spans the contemporary national borders of France and Spain, is centred around the peak of Mount Perdu, a calcareous massif that rises to 3,352 m. The site, with a total area of 30,639 ha, includes two of Europe's largest and deepest canyons on the Spanish side and three major cirque walls on the more abrupt northern slopes with France, classic presentations of these geological landforms. The site is also a pastoral landscape reflecting an agricultural way of life that was once widespread in the upland regions of Europe but now survives only in this part of the Pyrénées. Thus it provides exceptional insights into past European society through its landscape of villages, farms, fields, upland pastures and mountain roads." - in: www.unesco.org/en/list/773

"This 360-km network of navigable waterways linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic through 328 structures (locks, aqueducts, bridges, tunnels, etc.) is one of the most remarkable feats of civil engineering in modern times. Built between 1667 and 1694, it paved the way for the Industrial Revolution. The care that its creator, Pierre-Paul Riquet, took in the design and the way it blends with its surroundings turned a technical achievement into a work of art." - in: www.unesco.org/en/list/770

New Year's Meeting

That's true, the portuguese postcrossers had another meeting, this one to celebrate the new year. This time i couldn't join them at Joana´s place in Lisbon.

The card was signed by geminiscp, joana122, susana_portugal and diego_portucale. Ninocas was also there with her family.

London

A few weeks ago Joana "joana122" visited London and because of that she skiped the portuguese Christmas Meeting in my city. Sending this card was a nice way to apologize.

The portuguese postcrossers are crazy about meetings, we'll have more oportunities to be together. Next time will be in a few weeks in..... Switzerland :D

Thanks Joana.

Amiens Cathedral - France

After the 1st card of the year, the 1st portuguese card of the year, now it's time for the 1st unesco card of the year :D

It's a french card and it was sent by Laure.

"The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral and seat of the Bishop of Amiens, Jean-Luc Marie Maurice Louis Bouilleret. The cathedral is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 m³). The vaults of the nave are 42.30 m high, the tallest nave vaults in any completed French cathedral, and surpassed only by the incomplete Beauvais Cathedral. This monumental cathedral is located in Amiens, the chief city of Picardy, in the Somme River valley a little over 100 kilometers north of Paris.

Notre-Dame d'Amiens has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981." - in: wikipedia

RU-62270 & RU-66268

Finally a post in 2010 :) the 1st one and with the last cards i got in 2009.

They're both from Russia, from St. Petersburg and have been sent by the same user. She has 2 official accounts.

RU-66270, sent by Daryana.

Tsarskoye Selo is a former Russian residence of the imperial family and visiting nobility, located 26 kilometres (16 mi) south from the center of St. Petersburg. It is now part of the town of Pushkin and of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.

The building on the card is the Cameron Gallery, built between 1782-1786. It combines natural stone Roman ground floor with a lightweight, snow-white upper floor gallery marked with unusually wide spacing between columns. The gallery, adorned with statues of foreign poets and philosophers, became Catherine I favorite promenade for years. It was flanked with a formal garden on one side and an English landscape park on the other.

RU-62268, also sent by Daryana.

"The Monument to Nicholas I is a bronze equestrian monument of Nicholas I of Russia on St Isaac's Square (in front of Saint Isaac's Cathedral) in Saint Petersburg. Unveiled on July, 7th 1859, the statue was a technical wonder of its time; it spans six meters and was the first equestrian statue in the world with merely two support points (the rear hoofs of the horse)." - in: wikipedia