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