New Travelling RR - Group 113 * Unesco

Last monday i've received an envelope from Estonia with 10 unesco cards but I already had all the sites. However i picked these 2 beautiful cards from Estonia and Latvia.

This Tallinn card shows the St. Olaf Church and Fat Margaret's Tower.

"Once upon a time, from 1549 to 1625 to be exact, this 13th-century church was the tallest building in the world. But its gigantic, 159-metre spire, which was probably meant to act as a signpost for approaching ships, also turned out to be a very effective lightning rod. Throughout the church's history its steeple has been hit repeatedly by lightning, completely burning down the structure three times.

Nowadays its smaller, 124-metre steeple still dwarfs most of Tallinn’s buildings and remains an important symbol of the town. From April to October, visitors can make the vigorous climb to the top of the stone portion of the tower for magnificent and dizzying views of Old Town, Toompea hill and the port.

The church itself dates back to at least 1267 when it is thought to have served a group of Scandinavian merchants who settled in the area. Various legends insist the church got its name from either the giant or the mysterious stranger who built it, however it was in fact dedicated to King Olaf II of Norway.

Standing guard at the north end of Pikk street are two of Tallinn's most impressive defensive structures, the Great Coastal Gate (Suur Rannavärav) and Fat Margaret's Tower (Paks Margareeta).

The origins of Fat Margaret's name are a mystery. Some theories insist it was named for one of its larger cannons, while others hint at a cook called Margaret who once worked here.

In any case, the tower has served a number of different functions throughout its history. It has been used a storehouse for gunpowder and weapons, and as a prison.

Now it's home to the Estonian Maritime Museum, which provides a detailed look at the nation's seafaring past. Visitors should be sure to climb up to its rooftop viewing platform to get a lovely view of Old Town and the bay." - in: http://www.tourism.tallinn.ee/fpage/explore/attractions/old_town#!p_174824

From Latvia, a card from it's capital city, Riga with the Blackheads House, the town Hall, Three Brothers, the Dome Cathedral, Latvian Union of Architects, Swedish Gate and Klostera Street.

US-756822

The last official of the week came from the US and the card is from a state capital missing in my collection.

US-756822, sent by Jenn.

"The Missouri State Capitol is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Housing the Missouri General Assmbly, it is located in the state capital of Jefferson City. The domed building was completed in 1917. It is the third capitol building in Jefferson City.

The Capitol's dome, rising 238 feet (73 m) above ground level and topped by a bronze statue of Ceres, roman goddess of agriculture, rises above the bluffs of the Missouri River and is the first view of Jefferson City for travelers arriving from the north. In addition to housing the two legislative bodies, the Capitol houses offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasure, state auditor and some administrative agencies." - in: wikipedia

Swedish Unesco whs

These are my last received unesco cards.

I bought some unesco cards in Italy hoping to make some trades for missing sites but i've been lazy to do so. Maybe in the next few days.

Anyway, Marie "vykorstfantast" was offering some unesco cards and i requested these from Sweden, Agricultural Landscape of Southern Öland and Naval Port of Karlskrona.

"The Stora Alvaret is a limestone barren plain on the island of Öland, Sweden. Because of the thin soil mantle and high pH levels, a great assortment of vegetation is found including numerous rare species. Stora Alvaret has been designated as a World Hetitage Site by Unesco due to its extraordinary biodiversity and prehistory. The area of this formation exceeds 260 km², making it the largest such expanse in Europe and comprising over one fourth of the land area of the island. Stora Alvaret is not devoid of trees, contrary to a common misconception; in fact, it holds a variety of sparse stunted trees akin to a pygmy forest. The Stora Alvaret, sometimes called the Great Alvar, is a dagger shaped expanse almost 40 kilometers long and about 10 kilometers at the widest north end." - in: wikipedia

"Karlskrona is a locality in the Blekinge County, Sweden. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Sweden's only remaining naval base and the headquarters of the Swedish Coast Guard.

The city was founded in 1680 when the Royal Swedish Navy was relocated from the mainland to the island which had up until then been used chiefly for farming and grazing. At the time Sweden was the dominant military power in the Baltic sea region. The island had a very strategic position with short sailing distances to the German and Baltic provinces. Its name means Karl's Crown in honour of King Karl XI of Sweden, the name being inspired by the name of the city Landskrona.

The city has kept its street structure since its foundation. Since the streets all follow a grid pattern the winds can blow freely from the ocean right into the heart of the city.

The naval installations there has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The old architecture together with the naval installations comprise the major tourist attractions of Karlskrona." - in: wikipedia

July Alternative RR (1) - VI

More cards from de July Alternative RR. These are from Belarus, Canada and Brazil.

I still have some cards to send, i'll try to send the rest next week.

This is a card with the Orthodox Church in Baranovichi, a city in the Brest Province of western Belarus. The card was sent by Veronika "nickey".
The town's Orthodox cathedral was built in the neoclassical style in 1924-31; it was decorated with mosaics that had survived the demolition of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Warsaw, Poland.

Rose "phuleshouse" sent this card with the Cornell Mill in Stanbridge East, Canada.
"On January 11, 2010, a new stamp was issued by Canada Post as part of its “Flag over Historic Mills” series. The stamp, a permanent stamp with no fixed denomination, features a view of the historic Cornell Mill in Stanbridge East. Originally a grist mill, the Cornell Mill was built of brick and fieldstone by Zebulon Cornell in 1830 and is the oldest surviving mill in the Eastern Townships.
The Cornell Mill operated until 1963, but was acquired by the Missisquoi Historical Society the following year. The historical society wished to preserve the building, which was by then cracked and decaying, for posterity. The mill was soon transformed into the Missiquoi Museum, which today features exhibitions on the region’s Loyalist heritage and other aspects of regional history." - in: http://www.townshipsheritage.com/Eng/Articles/News/cornell.stamp.html

This is the Carmo Basilica in Campinas, São Paulo state, Brazil and the card was sent by Sérgio "xiru".

Lugo - Spain

After the meeting in Braga, Joana "joaninha" went on a secret trip. Only those at the meeting knew where she was. Others, like me, had to wait for a postcard to discover her secret destination. The postcard arrived yesterday and the secret was revealed, she went to Lugo, Spain, an Unesco whs since 2000.

I already had 1 card from Lugo but only with the walls. This one has the walls and the cathedral.

The cathedral of Lugo is located just inside Lugo’s old Roman wall.
This cathedral really is an eclectic merging of styles and forms. If you were to look at the front and rear facades independently, you could easily be mistaken for thinking that they were from two completely different buildings. Taking the structure as a whole you have a combination of Romanesque, gothic, baroque and neoclassical styling.

The oldest parts of Lugo’s cathedral dates back to 1129 AD when the building was constructed as a Romanesque gothic temple, but many additions, alterations and repairs have modified it over the years.

Postcrossing 5th Anniversary Meeting

Last July 14th was Postcrossing 5th anniversary and on July 17th some portuguese postcrossers had a meeting in Braga. Unfortunatelly i wasn't there :( and after seeing the pictures i really regret not being there, but that wasn't possible at all.

This time the postcrossers at another posrtuguese meeting were: Paula "geminiscp"; Ana "ninocas" & family; Joana "joaninha"; Joaquim "kosta28"; Francisco "ribossoma"; Miguel "leugim"; Margarida "miajeanne" and João "diabo_cb".

Besides being the oldest portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the world, Braga is known in the postcrossing world for being Paulo and Ana hometown. It makes sense to have an anniversary meeting in this city :D

On the card there's the Sta Cruz - Holy Cross - Church, built in the 17th century.

Aveiro Salt Ponds - Portugal

This is a RAS card sent by Helena "leninha". She went to the Salt Fair in Aveiro and sent this card with the Aveiro salt ponds.

The salt ponds are located in the west and north of Aveiro, on a ground with about 1300 hectares.

In 1949 there were 253 salt ponds working, only 49 were in full activity in 1994 and, nowadays, only 20 are still operating.

The satues represent the people responsable for the salt harvest.

Poznan Imperial Castle

Rafal sent me another of my favorite cards, this time a card from Poznan, Poland.

"The monumental edifice that used to be a residence of the German emperor was built in the years 1904-1910 according to a design by Franz Schwechten, who apparently took on board many suggestions from Kaiser Wilhelm II himself. The castle was a pivotal element of "the castle district" projected as a visiting card of the city and testifying to its supposedly German origins.

The architecture of this neo - Romanesque, multipartite structure harks back to medieval castles, and its individual parts are modelled on Romanesque monuments in Germany and Italy. Most of the designs of the dressed - stone elevation and the interiors were made by Gotthold Riegelmann.

The whole structure is dominated by the tower with a clock, originally 74 metres high. Inside it a chapel was made in 1913. It was designed by August Oetken and modelled on the famous Capella Palatina in Palermo. In the east part of the edifice there was a magnificent throne chamber. Emperor Wilhelm II stayed here twice: first at the inauguration in 1910 and then in 1913.

In the years between the wars the castle was a residence of the Polish President and a part of it was used by the Poznań University. During the German occupation the edifice was rebuilt as a Hitler's official residence; it was then that the showy entrance from Święty Marcin Street was added. Also the tower chapel was closed and a small balcony built on the south wall.

The castle was so badly damaged in 1945 that some cogitated that it should be demolished. In the end it was rebuilt, but without restoring some elements of its external decorations. In addition, the tower destroyed during the wartime fighting was made some 20 metres lower.

Today the castle is run by a cultural entity, Centrum Kultury "Zamek". It also houses other institutions, such as the Animation Theatre and a cinema. In the Rose courtyard there is a fountain modelled on a 13th century lion fountain in the Alhambra Palace, Grenada." - in: http://www.poznan.pl/mim/public/turystyka/pages.html?id=37&ch=51&p=104&instance=1017&lang=en&lhs=publications&rhs=publications

New Travelling RR - Group 96 *Surprise*

This week i've received an envelope from Brazil with 10 cards and i decided to keep these 4 from Germany, England, USA and England.

"Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of MUnich. It is situated north of the Nationalpark Berchtesgaden.

Berchtesgaden is often associated with the Mount Watzmann, at 2713 m the third-highest mountain in Germany (after Zugspitze and Hochwanner), which is renowned in the rock climbing community for its Ostwand (East Face), and a deep glacial lake by the name of Könignnee (5.2 km²). Another notable peak is the Kehlstein mountain (1835 m) with its Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest), which offers spectacular views to its visitors." - in: wikipedia

Richmond is a market town on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is the most duplicated UK placename, with 55 occurances worldwide.

"Richmond Castle is dramatically sited at the top of a high cliff overlooking the River Swale. The castle uniquely contains two types of keep, Scolland's Hall, an early French style 11th century keep, and the much taller, 12th century tower keep that still dominates the castle.

The castle never saw military action and was in a fairly ruinous state by the beginning of the 16th century. It received repairs in the 19th century when it became the home of the North York Militia, and was still in use by the military during the First and Second World Wars." - in: http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/richmond/richmond.php

"New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana.
The city is named after Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orlénas, Regent of France, and is well known for its distinct French Creole architecture, as well as its cross cultural and multilingual heritage. New Orleans is also famous for its cuisine, music (particularly as the birthplace of jazz), and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras. The city is often referred to as the "most unique" city in America." - in: wikipedia
Riverwalk Marketplace is the premier retail attraction in New Orleans and is home to the city’s unique sights, tastes and sounds.

"Porto Santo Island is a portuguese island 43 km northeast of Madeira island in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is the northernmost and the easternmost island of the Madeira Archipelago.
The official discovery of Porto Santo occurred in 1418, with the trip of the knights of Prince Henry, João Golçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, in accordance with the orders of king D. John I.

Christopher Columbus married and lived there for some time." - in: wikipedia

US-742564

This impressive building is the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

US-742564, sent by Meg.

"The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books.

The Library of Congress was established by Congress in 1800, and was housed in the Unites States Capitol for most of the 19th century. After much of the original collection had been destroyed during the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson sold 6487 books, his entire personal collection, to the library in 1815. After a period of decline during the mid-19th century the Library of Congress began to grow rapidly in both size and importance after the American Civil War, culminating in the construction of a separate library building and the transference of all copyright deposit holdings to the Library. During the rapid expansion of the 20th century the Library of Congress assumed a preeminent public role, becoming a "library of last resort" and expanding its mission for the benefit of scholars and the American people.

The Library's primary mission is researching inquiries made by members of Congress through the Congressional Research Service; although it is open to the public, only legislators, Supreme Court justices and other high-ranking government officials may check out books. As the de facto national library, the Library of Congress promotes literacy and American literature through projects such as the American Folklife Center, American Memory, Center for the Book and Poet Laureate." - in: wikipedia

RU-183299

Sometimes i've a problem with russian cards.... the information is all in cyrillic and, of course, i don't understand any cyrillic. My 1st problem was to find out the name of the city where this church is located. Svetlana's handwriting wasn't that difficult to read but the name of the city wasn't that clear. After some tries, i discovered that this is a card from Irkutsk.

RU-183299, sent by Svetlana.

Irkutsk is one of the largest cities in Siberia and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, situated 5,185 kilometers (3,222 mi) by rail from Moscow.

After some tries too to identify this church, i believe this is the Ascension Church (1747-51).

DE-637693

DE-637693, sent by Martina.

"Eldena Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery near the present town of Greifswald in Germany. Only ruins survive, which are well-known as a frequent subject of Caspar David Friedrich's paintings, including the famous Abtei im Eichwald ("Abbey in the Oak Forest").
In 1199 Eldena Abbey was founded.

The monastery became wealthy from the salt trade and was very influential in the Christianisation of Western Pomerania. It also brought about the foundation at the beginning of the 13th century of the town of Greifswald, which started out as the monastery's trading settlement opposite the salt-pans, near the point where the via regia, an important trade route, crossed the river.

The abbey was dissolved in 1535, when the Reformation was introduced into Pomerania by Duke Philip I, who took over its estates. The buildings were severely damaged during the Thirty Years War. In 1634 the site was given to the University of Greifswald. The buildings fell into dereliction during the Swedish occupation of Western Pomerania (1648–1815) and the bricks were quarried for the building of fortifications.

By the beginning of the 19th century, when the Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich knew the abbey, it was a ruin, which he made the subject of several paintings. Renewed public interest led to the beginning of restoration work in 1828, and on the basis of designs by the Prussian landscape gardener Peter Joseph Lenné a park was laid out on the abbey precinct." - in: wikipedia

TW-165398 & CN-221121

Today i didn't receive any cards!! But i've got a lot of cards these week, i guess i can't complain.

Five of the cards i got were officials, these 2 are from Taiwan and China.

TW-165398, sent by Paul.

"The Luce Memorial Chapel is a Christhian chapel on the campus of Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan. It was designed by the architect and artist Chen Chi-Kwan in collaboration with the firm of noted architect I. M. Pei, and named in honor of Rev. Henry Luce, an American missionary in China in the late 19th century.

Construction took place from September 1962 until November 1963." - in: wikipedia

CN-221121

This is an ilutration representing an Apsara, "a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Frequently encountered English translations of the word "Apsara" are "nymph," "celestial nymph," and "celestial maiden."

Apsaras are beautiful, supernatural women. They are youthful and elegant, and proficient in the art of dancing. They are the wives of the Gandharvas, the court servants of Indra. They dance to the music made by their husbands, usually in the palaces of the gods, and entertain gods and fallen heroes. As caretakers of fallen heroes, they may be compared to the valkyries of Norse mythology.

Apsaras are said to be able to chnage their shapes at will, and rule over the fortunes of gaming and gambling. Apsaras are sometimes compared to the muses of ancient Greece, with each of the 26 Apsaras at Indra's court representing a distinct aspect of the performing arts. Apsaras are associated with water; thus, they may be compared to the nymphs, dryads and naiads of ancient Greece. They are associated with fertility rites." - in: wikipedia

Cologne - Germany

This card of the Hohenzollernbrücke, with Cologne Cathedral and Museum Ludwig in the background, was one of my favorite cards from Germany. It was sent by Rafal.

"The Hohenzollernbrücke is a bridge crossing the river Rhine in the german city of Cologne. It crosses the Rhine at km 688.5. Originally, the bridge was both a railway and street bridge, however after its destruction in 1945 and its subsequent reconstruction it was only accessible to rail and pedestrian traffic.

It is the most heavily used railway bridge in Germany.

The bridge was constructed between 1907 and 1911 after the old bridge, the Dombrücke, had to be demolished. The Dombrücke had been unable to handle the increasing traffic in Cologne. The Hohenzollernbrücke was one of the most important bridges in Germany during World War II, even under consistent daily airstrikes the bridge was not damaged badly. On March 6 1945 German Military engineers blew up the bridge when Allied troops started to conquer Cologne. After the war, reconstruction was quickly organized; by May 8 1948 the Hohenzollernbrücke was accessible by pedestrians again.

The Hohenzollernbrücke now regularly has over 1200 trains pass through daily. The bridge is regarded as an important part of Cologne as it is connects Cologne's central station with the major European cities on the other side of the Rhine.

The total length of the Hohenzollernbrücke is 409.19 meters." - in: wikipedia

A very american card

Yep, if i had to choose the most american card of all my US cards, this one be the one.

The Statue of Liberty and the US flag are, in my opinion, the 2 symbols that best identify the country.

I really like this card that Carol sent me from her trip to the NY state.

"The national flaf of the United Staes of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The fifty stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent the original thirteen colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and The Star-Spangled Banner." - in: wikipedia

July Alternative RR (1) - V

3 great cards from England, Estonia and Netherlands. Alicia "sassyreader" sent the Osborne House", Rita "sirelid" the Tallinn card and the one from Amsterdam was sent by Wesley.

"Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat.

Prince Albert designed the house himself in the style of an Italian Renaissance palazzo. The builder was Thomas Cubitt, the London architect and builder whose company built the main façade of Buckingham Palace for the royal couple in 1847. An earlier smaller house on the site was demolished to make way for a new and far larger house.

Following Queen Victoria's death, the house became surplus to royal requirements and was given to the state with a few rooms retained as a private royal museum dedicated to Queen Victoria. From 1903 until 1921 it was used as a junior officer training college for the Royal Navy known as the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Today it is fully open to the public." - in: wikipedia

"Toompea Castle is a castle on the limestone hill of Toompea in the central part of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, which for a time was also one of the names for the whole settlement of Tallinn during the times of Danish Estonia in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The first wooden castle it is believed to have been built on the hill in either the 10th or 11th century by residents of the ancient Estonian county of Rävala (Revalia). It was probably one of the first inhabited areas of what later became Tallinn.

In 1219, the castle was taken over by Danish crusaders - led by Valdemar II. According to a legend very popular among Danes, the very first flag of Denmark (Dannebrog) fell from the sky during a critical stage of the Batlle of Lyndanisse, fought near the castle, resulting in Danish victory over Estonians.

The much-rebuilt Toompea Castle, topped by the Pikk Hermann tower, still dominates Toompea today. It houses the Parliament of Estonia. Other sights in the vicinity of Toompea Castle include the Russian Orthodox cathedral dedicated to Alexander Nevsky, which was completed in 1900 and now partially overtops the castle." - in: wikipedia

An Amsterdam night view with River Amstel with the Magere Bridge , the Maritime Museum and the V.O.C ship.
"Housed in a 350-year-old warehouse, formerly an arsenal for the Admiralty of Amsterdam, the Scheepvaartmuseum (Maritime Museum) is truly one of the best maritime museums in the world, offering the most comprehensive look at the Netherlands’ centuries-long tie to the sea.
Inside the Netherlands Maritime Museum, you’ll find fascinating artifacts and information on

four centuries of Dutch naval history. The interior of the museum is immense; consisting of 25 rooms full of things like maps, paintings, navigational instruments, weaponry, and ship replicas." - in: http://www.aviewoncities.com/amsterdam/scheepvaartmuseum.htm

July Alternative RR (1) - IV

And before going to sleep, 3 more cards.

Erja "erjamaarit" sent the lighthouse card, PRO the Wulingyuan card and the Abu Dhabi card was sent by Lila "Hagaki".

This card was sent from Finland but i don't know if this lighthouse is located in Finland or somewhere else. There's no informations on the card, just the name of the photographer and the website of the swedish company that published the card.

Wulingyuan is a scenic and historic interest area inHunan Province, China, famous for its approximately 3,100 tall quartzite sandstone pillars, some over 800 meters in height, which are a kind of karst formation.
It was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1992.

"Abu Dhabi is the capital of, and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast.

Abu Dhabi houses important offices of the federal government, and is the seat for the UAE Government and the home for the Emirati Royal Family. Abu Dhabi has grown to be a cosmopolitan metropolis. Its rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the relatively high average income of its population, has transformed Abu Dhabi to a larger and advanced metropolis. Today the city is the country's center of political, industrial activities, and a major cultural and commercial centre due to its position as the capital.

Abu Dhabi is the third most expensive city in the region, and 26th most expensive city in the world. Fortune & CNN stated that Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world." - in: wikipedia