Cuernavaca - Mexico

This isn't my 1st mexican card but it's my 1st written and stamped from there. It was sent by Elsa "els".

Photo by A & P Giberstein

Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago. It is also a municipality located about 85 km (53 mi) south of Mexico City on the D-95 freeway.

The city was nicknamed the "City of Eternal Spring" by Alexander von Humboldt in the nineteenth century. It has long been a favorite escape for Mexico City and foreign visitors because of this warm, stable climate and abundant vegetation. Aztec emperors had summer residences there, and even today, many famous people as well as Mexico City residents maintain homes there. Cuernavaca is also host to a large foreign resident population, including large numbers of students who come to study the Spanish language. - in: wikipedia

RU-764345

My limit of official postcards traveling is of 16 cards. A few days ago i've decided to request all the official addresses i had left and now i've all the 16 cards travelling, well, actually, i haven't sent all of them yet. In the next days i should received quite a few officials.

The last one i've got was this one from Russia.

RU-764345, sent by Rita

The card shows a wooden chapel in Pritykino, a village in Kostroma Oblast. The chapel was built in the late 19th century - early 20th century.

Helsinki Valentine's Day Meeting

If it is a meeting card from Finland, it had to be sent by Heidi :D She, "kherya", "Yomyohan" and "Delenna" had a meeting last Valentines Day in Helsinki.

The card shows Helsinki's cathedral.

Photo by Paul Williams

Finnish Valentine’s Day is considered as the ’friendship day’. The bond of friendship is celebrated with sheer enthusiasm on this day. It’s believed that Finnish people have begun to celebrate the Valentine’s Day only from the end of the 1980’s. People usually enjoy the day with exchange of gifts. While other countries celebrate the event with the spirit of romance, finish people replace it with friendship. In Finland, Valentine’s Day is not considered as a lover’s day. On Valentine’s Day, Finland postal service delivers special cards and stamps. Their terrific campaigns on Friendships Day are widely appreciated and are popular among the Finnish people. Greeting card is also a main attraction of Valentine’s Day in Finland. - in: http://www.best-country.com/article/26-valentines-day-in-finland

PT RR - Group 70 * Churches

Churches from Portugal and France.

Edic

Manú "sapic12" sent me another Guimarães card, this one showing the St. Peter Church at the Toural Square. The construction of this church started in 1737 and ended in the 20th century.

Photo by Jo Labbé

Gracinha sent be a card from Nantes, France, showing the cathedral, the Louis XVI column, Saint-Pierre Gate and Montaudouin House. Nantes Cathedral or the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral. The construction of the cathedral began in 1434, on the site of a Romanesque cathedral, and took 457 years to finish, finally reaching completion in 1891. - in: wikipedia

PT RR - Group 67 * I wish

For these I wish groups, i usually wish churches or any religious temples, castles and Unesco sites. In this group i've received a castle, another castles plus a Unesco site and a convent.

Francisco Mas, Lda

This isn't my 1st Silves card but its my 1st card of it's castle. The card was sent by Leninha.

Built by the Almoravid Arabs in the 11^th Century, the Silves Castle is a reflection of the splendour attained by the Moors in the Algarve.Declared a national monument in 1910, it is today the finest monument, and more importantly, the best preserved castle in the Algarve. This impressive castle – built out of the red sandstone of the region and lath and plaster – is situated at the top of the hill, surrounded by a curtain of outer walls and eleven turrets. - in: http://www.visitalgarve.pt/

This card shows one of my favorite portuguese monuments, the Convent of Christ in Tomar, a Unesco whs since 1983. The card, sent by Gracinha, also shows Tomar's castle, built around 1160 on a strategic location, over a hill and near river Nabão. It has an outer defensive wall and a citadel with a keep inside. The Keep, a central tower of residential and defensive functions, was introduced in Portugal by the Templars, and the one in Tomar is one of the oldest in the country.

Casa das Recordações

Finally, a card from Guimarães sent by Manú "sapic12".

The St. António dos Capuchos Convent was built in 1663. It became an hospital in 1844.

PT RR - Group 64 * Castles

After the Arraiolos castles, i've more portuguese castles do show.

Photo by Andrés Murillo

Tanea sent me this view of the Moorish Castle in Sintra.

The Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle) is located in the astonishing Sintra, on a high hill overlooking the village, also being one of its most important tourist attractions. It is part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Moorish Castle dates back to the early days of the Moorish occupation of the Peninsula - the 8th Century, and its purpose was the vigilance of the Lisbon area.
However its strategic importance starts to decay and in the late 18th century it was already abandoned. The Castle was later rebuilt in the 19th century with a strong Romantic influence, as it is common throughout Sintra’s region.
The views from its walls and towers are breathtaking. - in: http://guides.getportugal.com/lisbon/see/4923/11/moorish-castle-sintra

Casa das Recordações

An aerial view of the Guimarães Castle sent by Manú "sapic12".

And Vitória sent a castle missing in my collection. The card shows a castle, Arnóia Castle and the garden of the Gandarela Manor House in Celorico de Basto.

I went camping once in Celorico de Basto. I didn't see much of the city but visited de Arnóia Castle, located in a village nearby.

The origins of this castle are prior to the country foundation (1143), so that it underwent remodelling works in the 11th century. From the mountain top, the view is unforgettable.

Arraiolos Castle - Portugal

Vitória's birthday was a few days ago and to celebrate another year, she decided to send some cards to her postcrossing friends. I've received the card with the Arraiolos castle.

© Michael Howard Photography www.mikehowardphoto.com

Arraiolos Castle is an attractive medieval castle, located in the central southern part of Portugal, near Evora. The castle stands on the bare lofty hill called Monte de San Pedro, which dominates the north of the small town of the same name - Arraiolos.

The town itself is a successor of an ancient settlement built in the Portuguese region around 300 BC and the medieval fort on the hill was erected in the early 13th century. Castle Arraiolos is an oval fort, including the structure and its clock tower, massive firewalls and occupies the southern end of the former fortification wall of the village.

The medieval fortress was built between 1279 and 1325 by order of King D. Dinis and the Prince chooses where to build the castle strategically. From the highest hill there is always a good view of the entire surrounding area, which is supporting the primary function of Arraiolos which was namely to defend this world territory.

After 14th century the village Arraiolos began to grow and gradually exported beyond the fortifications of the castle down the hill to the valley. Under the old fortifications remain only fences to the church of Igreja do Salvador. In those ancient times the castle Arraiolos passes into the hands of Nunos Alvares Pereira, who received the title of Earl of Arraiolos. The Earl used the castle as a base for fighting attacks and defense in fighting the Spanish troops.

The only building that now remaines beyond the old retaining walls of the castle Arraiolos is the church which was built in the 16th century. In the 17th century the fortress was experiencing hard times and was totally neglected. In the early 20th century the castle receives the status of national monument. - in: http://travelinos.com/castles/n22-15980-Arraiolos_Castle

US-1518324

I've been getting a lot of lighthouses these last days. This one is the Cape Blanco Light, located on Cape Blanco, Oregon.

Photo by Jean Carter

US-1518324, sent by Audrey

Cape Blanco is the southernmost of Oregon's lights. It is also the oldest original tower in Oregon. The light was proposed in 1864, and a first-order lens was ordered from Henri LaPaute, of Paris. The light was finally lit for the first time on December 20, 1870. Today, the 59 foot tower stands on restricted Coast Guard grounds near Cape Blanco State Park. In 1936 the original lens was replaced with a Second Order rotating fresnel. In 1992, vandals broke into the lantern room and smashed several sections of the lens, including one of the eight bull's-eyes. Two years later, after nearly $20,000 in repairs, Cape Blanco's fresnel shone again. - in: http://lighthousegetaway.com/lights/blanco.html

Australian Unesco WHS

Is getting harder and harder to receive cards from new Unesco sites. In two weeks i've only received these 2 from Australia. Lord Howe Island Group is on the World Heritage List since 1982 and Macquarie Island since 1997.

Both cards were sent by Castor.

Photo by John Butler

Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, 600 kilometres (370 mi) directly east of mainland Port Macquarie. The island is about 10 km long and between 2.0 km and 0.3 km wide with an area of 14.55 km2, "of which only 398 hectares is in the lowland settled area". Along the west coast there is a sandy semi-enclosed sheltered coral reef lagoon. Most of the population lives in the north, while the south is dominated by forested hills rising to the highest point on the island, Mount Gower (875 m or 2,871 ft).

The Lord Howe Island Group of islands comprises 28 islands, islets and rocks.

The first reported sighting of Lord Howe Island was on 17 February 1788 when Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball, commander of the Armed Tender HMS Supply was on its way from Botany Bay to found a penal settlement on Norfolk Island. On the return journey Ball sent a party ashore on Lord Howe Island to claim it as a British possession. It subsequently became a provisioning port for the whaling industry, and was permanently settled in June 1834. When whaling declined, the worldwide export of the endemic kentia palms began in the 1880s, which remains a key component of the Island's economy. The other continuing industry, tourism, began after World War II.

The Lord Howe Island Group is recorded by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site of global natural significance. Most of the island is virtually untouched forest with many of the plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Other natural attractions include the diversity of its landscapes, the variety of upper mantle and oceanic basalts, the world's southernmost barrier coral reef, nesting seabirds, and its rich historical and cultural heritage. - in: wikipedia

Photo by Graeme Beech

Macquarie Island (34 km long x 5 km wide) is an oceanic island in the Southern Ocean, lying 1,500 km south-east of Tasmania and approximately halfway between Australia and the Antarctic continent. The island is the exposed crest of the undersea Macquarie Ridge, raised to its present position where the Indo-Australian tectonic plate meets the Pacific plate. It is a site of major geoconservation significance, being the only place on earth where rocks from the earth’s mantle (6 km below the ocean floor) are being actively exposed above sea-level. These unique exposures include excellent examples of pillow basalts and other extrusive rocks. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/629

CN-510169

I had to research a bit to discover the name of this chapel in Macau. This the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha, first built in 1622t on top Colina da Penha or Penha Hill, also known as Bishop Hill because of the bishop Residence.

CN-510169, sent by Danbo.

The first chapel was erected by the crew and passengers of a ship which had a narrow escape from the Dutch.

Later the chapel served as shrine for sailors embarking on often hazardous voyages.

The chapel today dates back to 1837 when it was completely rebuilt along with the Bishop's Palace.

The bell tower of the Church is very distinctive and can be seen anywhere from the harbor.

On one side of the large open courtyard fronting the church is a marble image of the Blessed Virgin Mary facing the border of China. - in: http://www.olamacauguide.com/penhachurch.html

Favorites from Ukraine

Some time ago i tagged on the "fast favorites tag" and in a short period of time i was tagged twice by ukrainian postcrossers. The cards arrived in the same day. The 1st was sent by Anna "Annabel_Lee" and the 2nd by Kate "darkboom".

The Sviatohirsk Lavra or the Sviatohirsk Cave Monastery is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery (a lavra) near the city of Sviatohirsk in Donetsk Oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. The lavra is located on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River. The name comes from the hill on which it sits—Sviatohirsk or Holy Hill.

The first monks to settle the area were in the 14th-15th centuries. The first written mention of the monastery was in 1526. In 1624, the monastery was officially recognized as the Sviatohirsk Uspensky Monastery. During times of the Crimean Khanate, the monastery was invaded a couple of times.

In 1787, the government of Catherine II had paid for the restoration of the monastery. In 1844, it was once again restored, paid for by monetary donations from Aleksander Mikhailovich Potemkin and his wife Tatiana Borisovna. During the next seventy years until 1914, the monastery was one of the most important monasteries of the Russian Empire. In 1922, the monastery was rebuilt and converted into a residence.

Before its destruction, the Sviatohirsk Lavra complex consisted of: a worker's shop, windmills, various kinds of repair shops, and trading buildings. The lavra's main Dormition Cathedral was designed by Alexey Gornostaev, who included a traditional Byzantine tower.

Before World War I, the monastery was inhabited by approx. 600 monks. During the 1930s, the monastery was destroyed by the Soviets, along with other numerous religious attractions throughout the Soviet Union.

After the fall of the Soviet Union and the regaining of Ukrainian independence in 1991, the monastery was restored a year later. In 2004, the monastery was officially granted the status of a Ukrainian Orthodox Church lavra. Today, the monastery community consists of more than 100 people, which increases each year. - in: wikipedia

Saint Vladimir Cathedral is one of the most beautiful temples in Kiev. It was built in the 19th century to commemorate the 900th anniversary of Russian baptizing. Russian Emperor Nicolas I himself approved the project of the cathedral and ordered to collect money all over Russia. By 1859 more than 100,000 rubles were donated by people of different regions of the country. Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra donated one million bricks for the cathedral construction.
Original design of the cathedral was elaborated by Saint Petersburg architect Strom and Kiev eparchy architect Sparro. Later the project was completed by architect Beretti.
The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Prince Vladimir, who baptized Russia and made Christianity official state religion. Interiors and exteriors of the cathedral are designed in Old Byzantine style, which makes the cathedral similar to temples of Old Russia in the times of Saint Prince Vladimir. The cathedral topped with seven domes is 49 meters high. The door of the cathedral decorated with relieves is a masterpiece. Relieves depict Princess Olga, who was the first one in Russia to adopt Christianity, and her grandson prince Vladimir, who baptized Russia.
Saint Vladimir Cathedral was put up in 1862-1896. In 1896 it was solemnly consecrated at presence of Emperor Nicolas II and his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna.
Saint Vladimir Cathedral is world famous for its unique frescos and mosaics. Outstanding Russian artists, such as Vasnetsov, Vrubel, Nesterov and others, as well as Venetian masters, participated in the cathedral decoration. Salvation and symbolic history of Russian Orthodox Christianity is the main subject that unifies all the frescos and mosaics of the cathedral, including those treating the Gospel subjects, depicting martyrs, apostles and saints. - in: http://www.kiev.info/culture/vladimir_cathedral.htm

FI-1322352

The last card of the day is an official from Finland. It arrived yesterday and it shows a church in Rantsila.

Photo by: Hannu Konola

FI-1322352, sent by Pirjo.
Rantsila is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region.

The wooden cruciform church of Rantsila was completed in 1785 according the design of Simon Silvén-Jynkkä. The belfry originates from the previous church. The interior is covered with paintings of Mikael Toppelius. He has also painted the altarpiece triptych. - in: http://www.spottinghistory.com/view/684/Rantsila+Church/

NL-977260

An official from the Netherlands sent by a 4 year old boy :D

NL-977260, sent by Finn.

Oostburg is a town in the south-western Netherlands. It is the largest town in the municipality of Sluis, in the province of Zeeland.

As of 1 January 2005, its population is 5,008. It received city rights in 1237. - in: wikipedia

Rotterdam old view

A few days ago i tagged on the Portuguese Speaking Countries tag. Veerle tagged me back and sent me this card.

This a reprint of an old view of Rotterdam.

Hangman

Leninha is a teacher and the 1st school where she taught is located in Castelo de Vide. That was in 94/95 and that was when she bought this card.

She sent it was a prize for guessing her sentence on the hangmans game.

CA-215806

The last time i've received an official from Canada was in May of 2010 :o It was about time to get a new one from there. This one shows the Saint Joseph's Oratory, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine on the west slope of Mount Royal in Montreal, Quebec.

Photo by Tibor Bognar

CA-215806, sent by Zack.

In 1904, Saint André Bessette, C.S.C., began the construction of St. Joseph, a small chapel on the slopes of Mont Royal near Notre Dame College. Soon the growing number of visitors made it too small. Even though it was enlarged, a larger church was needed and in 1917 one was completed - it is called the Crypt, and has a seating capacity of 1,000. In 1924, the construction of the basilica of Saint Joseph's Oratory was inaugurated; it was finally completed in 1967.

Father Paul Bellot, an architect, completed the dome of Saint Joseph's Oratory (1937-39). The Oratory's dome is the third-largest of its kind in the world after the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro in the Ivory Coast and Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the church is the largest in Canada.

The basilica is dedicated to Saint Joseph, to whom Brother André credited all his reported miracles. These were mostly related to some kind of healing power, and many pilgrims (handicapped, blind, ill, etc.) poured into his Basilica, including numerous Protestants. On display in the basilica is a wall covered with thousands of crutches from those who came to the basilica and were allegedly healed. Pope John Paul II deemed the miracles to be authentic and beatified Brother André in 1982. In October 2010 Pope Benedict XVI canonized the saint. - in: wikipedia

US-1441234

This is my 1st official with the Statue of Liberty.

US-1441234, sent by Emily

The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi.

The statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue has become an icon of freedom and of the United States. - in: wikipedia

The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate "Isere" which transported the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October 28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift ten years late. - in: http://www.statueofliberty.org/Statue_History.html

Postcrossing Meetings in São Paulo - Brazil

In less than a month, a few brazilian postcrossers had two meeting in São Paulo. The 1st took place on December 11th and the 2nd on January 15th. Both cards have been sent by Déa and also signed by (1st meeting): Adriana, Daniel, Heloísa and Renato; (2nd meeting): Adriana, Heloísa, Karla, Daniel and Fernanda.

Photo by: Cândido Mariano

The Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in São Paulo, Brazil over the Pinheiros River, opened in May 2008. The bridge is 138 metres (453 ft) tall, and connects Marginal Pinheiros to Jornalista Roberto Marinho Avenue in the south area of the city.

The bridge deck is unusual due to its form, which is similar to an "X", crossing at the tower. The "X" is 76 meters wide at its base and 35.4 meters wide at the top.

It is the only bridge in the world that has two curved tracks supported by a single concrete mast. The two curved tracks, one at an elevation of 12 meters and the other at an elevation of 24 meters, have approximate lengths of 900 meters each.

At the end of December lights are put up on the cables and illuminated to create color effects like those on a Christmas tree. The bridge is also lit up on special occasions during the year and is often used for automobile advertisements on television. - in: wikipedia

Photo by: Roberlandes O. Coelho

Liberdade, (Portuguese for "Liberty", "Freedom") is the name of a district in the subprefecture of Sé, in São Paulo, Brazil. It is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan in the world and has been growing since the 1950s.
The entrance to Liberdade is marked by a nine-meter tall red torii (a Japanese arch that marks the entrance to Shinto temples) since 1974. This towering structure, situated on Rua Galvão Bueno, is a distinctive representation of the neighborhood.

The Japanese presence in the neighborhood began in 1912.

Liberdade is a meeting spot for many groups, especially among young people who are interested in Japanese culture. - in: wikipedia

PT RR - Group 66 * Churches

This RR was probably the last i joined last year but one of the cards only arrived this year. The 1st is from Brazil and the other two from Portugal.

Photo by: Sérgio Ricardo de Freitas

This time Giselly sent by a card from Ouro Preto. The city contains numerous churches, many famous for their religious art and baroque architecture. The card shows an interior view of the Our Lady of Pilar Church.

This is the richest and more exquisite church in the state of Minas Gerais. It was built between 1711 and 1733! To decorate the interior it were used more than 400 kg (880 pounds) of gold and silver powder.

Photo by: Fernando Guerra

Although i already have many cards from the Fátima Sanctuary, i didn't have this view yet, sent by Gracinha.

The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary is a Roman Catholic Marian basilica in Fátima, Portugal. Its construction began in 1928 and it was consecrated in October 1953.

The basilica is built at the site of the Marian apparitions reported by three Portuguese children in 1917 and known as Our Lady of Fátima. The tombs of Blessed Francisco Marto, Blessed Jacinta Marto and Sister Lúcia, the three children, are in the Basilica. - in: wikipedia

Gráfica Bastos LDA

Vitória sent me my very 1st card from Mangualde, a town 54 km's from my city.
This is the Our Lady of the Castle Church.