RU-433359

I still have a few more officials to upload but i'm done for today. I'm getting sleepy, i'll need to sleep soon. That means this russian official is the last card today. To be continue... tomorrow!!

RU-433359, sent by Liza.

The Moscow's Triumphal Arch is located near the Victory Park Metro Station in Moscow and is
decorated with the coats of arms from the 48 Russian provinces. It was originally built in 1834 to celebrate the victory over France in the war of 1812, but has only been on this site since 1968.

It is a little ironic that this arch resembles the Paris Arc de Triomphe, which Napoleon built between 1806 and 1836 to celebrate his French victories.

IT-133646

Lately i've been receiving quite a lot of unesco cards as officials. Even if they aren't from missing sites, it's nice to get different cards because some of the site have more than 1 monument or location on the list. That's what happen with this card. Reggia di Venaria Reale is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in Turin and its province, Piedmont. I already had the Palazzo Madama in Turin.

IT-133646, sent by Renato.

"The Palace of Venaria is a former royal residence located in Venaria Reale, near Turin, in Piedmont, northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, included in the Unesco Heritage List in 1997, and one of the largest royal residences in the world, comparable in size and structures to those of Versailles and Caserta (though the latter's park is far larger).

The Palace was designed and built from 1675 by Amedeo di Castellamonte, commissioned by duke Charles Emmanuel II, who needed a base for his hunting expeditions in the healthy hill country north of Turin. The name itself derives from Latin, Venatio Regia meaning "Royal Hunt"." - in: wikipedia

NL-657056

I said i had a bunch of officials to show. I didn't managed to show all of the yesterday and i think i can't do it today either.

NL-657056, sent by Wilma.

"Zeeland is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands (hence its name, meaning "sea-land") and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about 2930 km², of which almost 1140 km² is water. Large parts of Zeeland are below sea level. Tourism is an important economic activity. Its beaches make it a popular holiday destination in the summer. Most tourists are Germans. In some areas, the population can be two to four times higher during high summer season. The Pacific nation of New Zealand is named after Zeeland." - in: wikipedia

FI-1092494

I've a bunch of official cards to show now. The 1st is this one from Finland with an ilustration of the Church of the Holy Cross in Rauma.

FI-1092494, sent by Eija-Inkeri. "The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built in the late 15th century. The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features mediaeval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers." - in: http://www.rauma.fi/English/immigrants/sights/the_church_of_the_holy_cross.htm

International London Meeting

This cute card is also a meeting card. The meeting was in London and it took place a few weeks ago on May 7th.

The card was sent by Tjitske and it was also signed by MariannejS, Missmaple, Astrid1978, delicards, duplevista, giorgis, ichabodhides, JC65, maggiebee, nodders, i_ride_a_suzuki, violanie59, messfiwi, Jo, mojiwa and some else but i can't read the username.

Finnish Meetings cards

Postcrossing meetings are an important part of postcrossing and postcrossers life. The finns really love meetings and this month i've received 2 meetings cards, one sent by Kati "kilona" from the 6th May Meeting in Helsinki and the 2nd card was sent by Heidi "dollart" from a meeting in Jyväskylä at 14th May.

This Struve Geodetic Arc postmarked card. This a view from the observation tower on Oravivuori, which is one of the six Struve Geodetic Arc measuring points in Finland.

This round stamp has a Finland formed stamp within - when it is taken off, there stays an other stamp left, with the hole in the middle. On the sheet there is information of the six points which are situated in Finland.

Like i said, this card was sent by "kilona" and it was also signed by "huppu68", "monna", "kherya" and "msmoney".

A few days after the "First Day" meeting in Helsinki, there was another one in Jyväskylä. Heidi sent me this Dalai Lama card signed by her and "Lapinlintu", "​ManMe", "Auringonku​kka", "MiiaM", "suzie", "talas", "annet10" and "Liisa".

Chatyr Kul Lake - Kyrgyzstan

This beautiful card is my 1st card from Kyrgyzstan :D It was sent from Taiwan by "mooncastle". The card shows a yurt camp at Chatyr Kul Lake.

Kyrgyzstan is located in Central Asia and is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek.

Chatyr-Kul is an endorheic alpine lake in the Tian Shan mountains in At-Bashi District of Naryn Province; it lies in the lower part of Chatyr-Kul Depression near the Torugart Pass border crossing into China. The name of the lake means “Celestial Lake” in Kyrgyz.

Cape Overberg - South Africa

These are the last cards sent by Emerich on our last trade.

The Cape Overberg is situated in the southernmost region of South Africa. It is beautiful region that attracts thousands of visitors a year to its orchards, forests, grain fields and vistas surrounded by rolling mountain ranges.

Sheep grazing on the fertile plains near Swellendam.

Patchwork design formed by wheat and barley fields and pastures in the Cape Overberg.

Qasr Amra - Jordan

With this card from Jordan, i've now 545 unesco sites. That's not bad!! Next week i supposed to receive 2 from Austria and 2 from China.

Lilia "childish" tagged me 2 or 3 months ago with this card but it never reached me. She tagged me again a few weeks ago and she sent me the card related to that card and resent this unesco card. I really appreciate when people resend cards, especially unesco cards.

And this card is an hunting scene fresco, inside the Qasr Amra castle.

"Qasr Amra is the best-known of the desert castles located in present-day eastern Jordan. It was built early in the 8th century (probably between 711 and 715) by the Umayyad caliph Walid I whose dominance of the region was rising at the time. It is considered one of the most important examples of early Islamic art and architecture.
It is most notable for the frescoes that remain on the ceilings inside, which depict hunting, naked women and, above one bath chamber, an accurate representation of the zodic. These have led to its designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site, one of three in the country." - in: wikipedia

South Korean Unesco Sites

I never thought it would be possible for me to have so many unesco sites from South Korea. The country has 10 sites inscribed on the list and, with these 2 new cards sent by Adam, i already have 7. These cards are from Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites and Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks.

This card shows the Gochang Dolmen Sites, the largest and most varied group of these dolmens. "The Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites are the location of hundreds of stone dolmen which were used as grave markers and for ritual purposes during the first millennium BCE when the Megalithic Culture was prominent on the Korean Pensinsula. The sites were designated as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2000. Korea is said to contain more than 40% of the worlds dolmen, which are mostly concentrated in these three sites.

The megalithic stones are invaluable because they mark the graves of the ruling elite. Pottery, comma-shaped jewels, bronzes, and other funerary artifacts have been excavated from these dolmen. The culture of the people during this time can be gleaned from the evidence left by the dolmen. Additionally, the stones show how stone was quarried, transported, and used to build dolmen.

Dolmen in Korea have been dated to the seventh century BCE in locations such as Gochang and the practice ended around the third century BCE. The dolmen culture is linked with the Neolithic and bronze cultures of Korea." - in: wikipedia

"Located deep in the mountains of Hapcheon County in southeast Korea — emphasis on the word deep — Haeinsa Temple is one of Korea’s three largest Buddhist monasteries, one of the “Three Jewels,” as Korean Buddhists prefer to call them. A UNSECO World Heritage Site, the compound is home to the Tripitaka Koreana — a 13th century collection of woodblock carvings of the Buddhist scriptures and the oldest and most complete edition of the Buddhist canon in Chinese characters. For centuries, the monastery has been the scholastic center of Korean Buddhism, preserving the traditional of scriptural studies through the generations." - in: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=559527

Quito - Ecuador

This is my 2nd card from Ecuador and like the 1st one, is also from an Unesco site, in this case, the city of Quito, the capital city. Quito, along with Krakow, were the first World Heritage Sites declared by Unesco in 1978.

The card was sent from Croatia by "ddonkey".

"Quito has the largest Historic Centre, least-altered and best-preserved in the Americas. The Historic Centre of Quito is located in the center south of the capital on an area of ​​three hundred twenty hectares, and is considered one of the most important historic areas in Latin America. Has about 130 monumental constructions (which hosts a variety of pictorial art and sculpture, mostly of religious inspired in a multi-faceted range of schools and styles) and five thousand properties registered in the municipal inventory of heritage properties. Unfortunately for several years has been somewhat neglected, which contributed to the deterioration of many of its buildings and surrounding streets to see invaded by informal trade. This not only played down beauty but also contributed to the sector has become unsafe. But now everything has changed thanks to the program that the Corporation of Development of the Historic Center is pushing to return to this place its glory of past years.

Walking through the historic centre of Quito today, now that it has been almost completely recovered, it has again become a pleasant experience. The Corporation of Development of the Historic Center, is responsible for the restoration and conservation of churches, streets and plazas of this place. It have implemented several tourist sites that invite to visit the Historic Center on a trip to the past, which is not only tourism but also educational. To this end, members of the Municipal Police have been trained to serve as guides in those tours. At night, when the lights turn on the city it can stroll through downtown in a horse-drawn carriage to the colonial style." - in: wikipedia

Valcamonica - Italy

I've received this card today, it was sent by Marie "vykortsfantast", and this is also a card from a new italian unesco site, Rock Drawings in Valcamonica!!

The card shows the rock #50, the biggest.

"Valcamonica, situated in the Lombardy plain, has one of the world's greatest collections of prehistoric petroglyphs – more than 140,000 symbols and figures carved in the rock over a period of 8,000 years and depicting themes connected with agriculture, navigation, war and magic.

Valcamonica's rock art, which consists of over 140,000 engravings on about 2,400 rocks distributed on both sides of an entire valley, constitutes an exceptional example of this kind of manifestation of human thought.

The number, duration and variety of the engravings, representing for example navigation, dance, war and ploughing and their relationship with contemporary archaeological sites, contribute to the exceptional value of this assemblage. Furthermore, the apparent continuation of the practice of engraving for a period of more than 8,000 years, from the Epipaleolithic until the Roman and Mediaeval periods, and in some cases until modern times, links this extraordinary expression of human creativity to present day communities.

The rock drawings of Valcamonica stretch back over the 8 thousand years which precede our present era. It is unnecessary to accent the conspicuously invaluable nature of human renderings which are of so great an antiquity.

The rock drawings of Valcamonica constitute an extraordinary figurative documentation of prehistoric customs and mentality. The systematic interpretation, typological classification, and the chronological study of these configurations in stone have brought about a considerable contribution to the fields of prehistory, sociology and ethnology." - in: www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/94

Villa d'Este & Villa Adriana

These two italian villas in Tivoli, are both Unesco sites, Villa d'Este on the list since 2001 and Villa Adriana since 1999. The cards were sent by Anne "aj-person".

The Villa d'Este is a villa situated at Tivoli, near Rome, Italy. Is a fine example of Renaissance architecture and the Italian Renaissance garden. On the card there's the Neptune and Organ fountains.

"Its innovative design along with the architectural components in the garden (fountains, ornamental basins, etc.) make this a unique example of an Italian 16th-century garden. The Villa d'Este, one of the first giardini delle meraviglie , was an early model for the development of European gardens." - in: www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/1025

The Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana in Italian) is a large Roman archaeological complex. "It is an exceptional complex of classical buildings created in the 2nd century A.D. by the Roman emperor Hadrian. It combines the best elements of the architectural heritage of Egypt, Greece and Rome in the form of an 'ideal city'.

Study of the monuments that make up the Villa Adriana played a crucial role in the rediscovery of the elements of classical architecture by the architects of the Renaissance and the Baroque period. It also profoundly influenced many 19th and 20th century architects and designers." - in: www.whc.unesco.org/en/list/907

Cádiz - Spain

Joana was on holidays a few days ago and she went to Spain. Cádiz was one of the places she visited. I've lots of spanish cards but this is my 1st one from Cádiz. It shows the cathedral.

"Cádiz Cathedral was built in 1722-1838. It sits on the site of an older cathedral, completed in 1260, which burned down in 1596. The reconstruction, which was not started until 1776, was supervised by the architect Vicente Acero, who had also built the Granada Cathedral. Acero left the project and was succeeded by several other architects. As a result, this largely baroque-style cathedral was built over a period of 116 years, and, due to this drawn-out period of construction, the cathedral underwent several major changes to its original design. Though the cathedral was originally intended to be a baroque edifice, it contains rococo elements, and was finally completed in the neoclassical style. Its chapels have many paintings and relics from the old cathedral and monasteries from throughout Spain." - in: wikipedia

Flash

This is Flash, Leninha's dog. He's almost 7 years old and has been with Leninha and her family, since he was 1 month old.

Some time ago, Leninha sent me a card with another of her dogs, Fiona. Unfortunately Fiona died in an accident and that's why she wanted to make those cards.

She liked the experience of making cards with the pictures of her pets and she decided to order a few more, this time with Flash.

Guimarães - Portugal

As a result of a trade with Manú "sapic12" i've received these 5 Guimarães cards.

"Guimarães is a Portuguese city located in Braga District, in the North of Portugal, with a population of 52 181 inhabitants.

It is an historical city that had an important role in the formation of Portugal and it was settled in the 9th century.

The city is often referred to as the "birthplace of the Portuguese nationality" or "the cradle city" (Cidade Berço in Portuguese). This might be because the administrative seat of the County of Portugal was established there by Henry of Burgundy, or that it might also been the birthplace of Afonso I of Portugal, the first Portuguese king or because of the historical role of the city in the Battle of São Mamede (June 24th, 1128), which had a tremendous importance in the formation of Portugal and was fought in the vicinity of the city.

Its historical center is a Unesco World Heritage Site, making it one of the largest tourist centers in the region.

Guimarães, jointly with Maribor, is going to be European capital of Culture in 2012. Guimarães was elected by the New York times one of the 41 places to go in 2011 and NYT called it one of the Iberian Peninsula's emerging cultural spots." - in: wikipedia

Moscow Kremlin

The last card was a favorite and this one is another favorite. It was sent from Moscow by Dmitry "LD7". The card shows the Moscow Kremlin as viewed from the Beklemishevskaya Tower.

"The Beklemishevskaya Tower is one of the few towers in the Kremlin whose appearance has remained unchanged throughout the ages, and which has not undergone any serious reconstruction. The tower was always the first to come under enemy attack, as it was situated at the junction of the Moskva River and the moat. In this respect it served a very important defensive function.

During the storming of the Kremlin by the Bolsheviks in 1917, the top of the tower was destroyed, but was later restored. The tower is 46.2 metres tall." - in: http://www.moscow.info/kremlin/towers/beklemishevskaya-tower.aspx

Hohensalzburg Castle - Austria

I still have a lot of cards to post here and i already have a few other to scan. Fortunatelly, tomorrow after 3.30 pm is my day off and i'll have some time to make serious updates. But for now, one more with a card from Salzburg. It was sent by Gudrun "Maeusefan" and it shows the Hohensalzburg.

"Initially built in 1077, and later enlarged between 1495 and1519, it became one of the largest fortresses in Europe. Since then the castle’s exterior has remained substantially the same. The extension of the castle was commanded by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach, as a response to the Hungarian Wars. During that time, above the main entrance a lion holding a beetroot in its paws was added to the castle, and today this lion remains the Castle's symbol. Throughout the long history of Hohensalzburg, the castle was never conquered and remains one of the few castles with this status in Austria.

Today the Hohensalzburg castle houses the Fortress Museum. Also the medieval prince apartments are well worth a visit." - in: http://www.hohensalzburgcastle.com/History.html

Cochem an der Mosel - Germany

The stamps on this card are from Belgium because it was sent by Raquel "ferro" but this is a german card.

"In the most romantic part of the Moselle Valley, where the river curves between two hiking paradises - Eifel and Hunsrück - lies the old town of Cochem. Even the Romans sang the praises of this remarkable landscape. It is true - a few things have changed since then, but the attraction has remained because the past centuries - above all the Middle Ages - have left their marks here.

The town of Cochem itself is a sight worth seeing, not only because of its narrow streets and twisty alleys, the lovingly restored half timbered houses with the typical slate roofs, the historical market-place, but also because of its medieval town gates, churches and walls. The wine-growers and restaurant owners would also like to take the time to introduce you to the variety of their excellent Riesling wines.
You can enjoy another facet of the town walking along the Mosel promenade which is decorated with flowers and where many benches invite you to a quiet break. A further attraction is a river tour on one of the Moselle boats, either during the day or at night with music and dancing, when the lights of the castle and the town are reflected in the water. Have fun and relax in the only indoor swimming pool with artificial waves in this area. It is a wonderfully situated leisure centre between meadows and vine-yards and offers all the luxury of a modern swimming pool in fine and bad weather." - in: http://www.cochem.de/tourismus/en/introduction.php

UA-98082

This is my 2nd official card from Ukraine. The card shows the Church of Resurrection and the monument to the three bags in Sumy, a city of Northern Ukraine, situated on the beautiful banks of the rivers Psel and its tributary Sumka.

UA-98082, sent by Ann.

Resurrection Church was started by the city's founder Gerasim Kondratiev and was finished by his son Andrew in 1702. It served both as a place of worship and a defensive structure.

"The threes bags monuments is associated to an old legend. According to it "migrants from Stavyshche that is situated in Kyiv region, led by ataman Herasym Kondratyev in summer of 1655 found three hunter bags with coins on the place where little river Sumka merged with calm and spellbound-like river Psel.

This event found its reflection in the name of the city and the emblem of Sumy. ("Sumy" can be translated as "Bags").

This legend is still alive in hearts and souls of Sumy citizens. These bags are a fascinating attraction for all guests of our city that desire to touch them in order to entice happiness and wealth to their homes." - in: http://meria.sumy.ua/en/sumy/culture/culture_general

FI-1078084 & FI-1085016

I've been received a lot of officials in the last days. These two are from Finland.


FI-1078084, sent by Maikki.
This is a card from Lapland, as we can read on the card, the land of the midnight sun.

"The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in summer months at latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle, and south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Given fair weather, the sun is visible for a continuous 24 hours, mostly north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle. The number of days per year with potential midnight sun increases the farther poleward one goes.

There are no permanent human settlements south of the Antarctic Circle, so the countries and territories whose populations experience it are limited to the ones crossed by the Arctic Circle, e.g.. Canada (yukon, Northwest Territorries and extremities of Iceland. A quarter of Finland's territory lies north of the Arctic Circle and at the country's northernmost point the sun does not set for 73 days during summer.

Since the Earth's axis is tilted with respect to the ecliptic by approximately 23 degrees 27 minutes, the sun does not set at high latitudes in (local) summer. The duration of the midnight sun increases from one day during the summer solstice at the polar circle to approximately six months at the poles. At extreme latitudes, it is usually referred to as polar day. The length of the time the sun is above the horizon varies from couple of days at the Arctic Circle and Antarctic Circle to 186 days at the poles." - in: wikipedia

FI-1085016, sent by Siv.

Jakobstad is a town in Ostrobothnia, west coast of Finland.
The town was founded in 1652. Since the town was founded, the refining of wood runs like a red thread: there are the sawmills, the shipbuilding with its associated shipping industry, the export of tar, pitch and products from the sawmills. At the end of the 19th century, the town rapidly became an industrial town. In the 20th century there was also the pulp industry and the plastic industry.

In 1835 a devastating fire destroyed approximately half of the city.
Today, Jakobstad is the centre of an economic region that has about 50,000 inhabitans and the town has an industry that is still focussed on wood, pulp, boat building, food products and metal products.