DE-6649589

The ID of this card is german but the castle is swiss. Leuk is a town in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. 

Foto: Roland Gerth

DE-6649589, sent by Klaus.

Until the 19th century Leuk was one of the ecclesiastical and cultural centres of the Valais. Defiant towers, castles and fine patrician houses bear witness to the former strength, self-confidence and determination of the Leuker community. The emblematic Bishop’s castle (built 1254), town hall, late-gothic St. Stephen’s Church (with its Romanesque tower and Roman fire place) and baroque Ringacker Chapel can be seen for miles around. - in: https://www.valais.ch/en/destinations/other-destinations/leuk-susten/activities/bishop-s-castle

Bayeux Cathedral - France

Zé Pombal's 1st grandson was born a few weeks ago and to celebrate his birth Zé held a lottery. All the participants won and got the choose a postcard. I chose this one with Bayeaux Cathedral.

Editions Normandes LE GOUBEY - CAEN

Bayeux Cathedral, also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux, is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Bayeux in Normandy, France. A national monument, it is the seat of the Bishop of Bayeux and Lisieux and was the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry. It is in the Norman-Romanesque architectural tradition.

The site is an ancient one and was once occupied by Roman sanctuaries. The present cathedral was consecrated on 14 July 1077 in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy and King of England. It was here that William forced Harold Godwinson to take the oath, the breaking of which led to the Norman conquest of England. - in: wikipedia

RU-5968421

A spanish card sent as an official from Russia. 

Summer view of mountain resort, sanctuary and reservoir in Vall de Nuria. Vall de Nuria is a valley coming down from the crest of the Pyrenees within the municipality of Queralbs, province of Girona, community of Catalonia.

RU-5968421, sent by Lina.

The valley lies about 2,000 metres above sea level and is accessible from the south via a rack railway (the Vall de Núria Rack Railway) or by foot, and from France to the north by footpaths. There are no roads to access the valley.

The place is historically notable for the 1931 drafting of the first Catalan Statute of Autonomy, in the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Núria. - in: wikipedia

Monte do Trigo - Portugal

This postcard was sent from the north of the country by Inês but it is from the south. Monte do Trigo is a parish in the municipality of Portel, in Alentejo region. 

The Church of St. Julian dates from the 20th century. It was built on the same place of a 16th century church that disappeared in 1946/47.

Meeting with Miguel in Lisbon

In September Miguel was in Portugal for a few days, travelled a bit and met a few postcrossing friends. We met here in my city and visited three Historical Villages nearby. A few days later he was in Lisbon and met Vitória, Gracinha, Paula, Joaninha, Zé Guedes aka Zé Piloto, Inês Brito and Phoebe, a postcrosser from Hong Kong, if I'm not mistaken. Gracinha and him sent me these postcards.

Centro de Caridade de Nossa Srº do Perpétuo Socorro - Porto

Arriving in Lisbon on a cruise ship must be a great way to get to our capital. Last year 522,000 tourists  arrived at the port of Lisbon. Speaking of which, last September the port of Lisbon was voted 'Best Cruise Port of Europe' at the World Travel Awards Europe of 2017.

Foto: Sérgio Duarte * © 2014 - Ed. 19 de Abril: 135

A tram ride is a must do in Lisbon. Yellow or red (I prefer the red ones), trams have been in service since 1901 and all of them, except those of the 15E route, maintain the original wooden interiors.

Lisbon has an extensive network of trams that cross vast areas of the portuguese capital, which are not served by metro or buses. There are, in total, five distinct tram routes and, in general, go to east (towards Alfama and Graça) or west (towards Belém and Campo de Ourique).

PT RR - Group 90 * Surprise

As the name of the group says, these cards were supposed to be a surprise and they really were. Thanks Ana, Joana, Luzia and Tiago. 

Photos: © Gérard Gsell & Pierre Péron

This card was THE surprise. I wasn't expecting to get a card from a missing UNESCO site. It really made my day. Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin was added to the WHS list in 2012.

Remarkable as a landscape shaped over three centuries of coal extraction from the 1700s to the 1900s, the site consists of 109 separate components over 120,000 ha. It features mining pits (the oldest of which dates from 1850) and lift infrastructure, slag heaps (some of which cover 90 ha and exceed 140 m in height), coal transport infrastructure, railway stations, workers’ estates and mining villages including social habitat, schools, religious buildings, health and community facilities, company premises, owners and managers’ houses, town halls and more. The site bears testimony to the quest to create model workers’ cities from the mid 19th century to the 1960s and further illustrates a significant period in the history of industrial Europe. It documents the living conditions of workers and the solidarity to which it gave rise. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/fr/list/1360

How cute is this card? I really like it. I've no idea who designed it but he/she did a great work. This is Postcrossing, uniting the world through postcards. 

This white bearded old man is Francisco Brennand, a Brazilian sculptor best known for his work in ceramic sculptures. 

Another old man, working as a carpenter. He reminds me of my grandpa's brother, uncle Eduardo, he was a carpenter too. 

PT RR - Group 78 * Churches

Tiago and Ninocas had no idea when they wrote these cards, but both sent me church cards from Algarve, and both cards are new to my collection. 

© al-garbdistri

Tiago sent a card from Quarteira with the Church of Our Lady of Conception. 

The original church of “Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception” was built after the earthquake of 1755. According to local tradition the statue of Our Lady was found in the nets of local fishermen. - in: https://turismo.diocese-algarve.pt/faro/item/209-paroquia-de-quarteira

Foto © Art & Concept: Gustav A. Wittich

I'm not sure but I think this is my 1st card from Vila Real de Stº António. It depicts the Main Church. 

This sumptuous temple has one sole nave, five altars and it’s located on the main square. It was built on the 18th Century, having endured several fires and as many reconstructions. The inside features altarscreens on the “rocaille” style and a set of images from the 18th Century, from the sculptor Machado de Castro.

The cut-glass from the main chapel and baptistery were installed in the 1940’s, from the algarvian painter JoaquimRebocho. Through the sacristy is possible to access the tower, with its two bells and the clock and from there, see the city’s landscape. - in: http://www.cm-vrsa.pt/pt/menu/673/mother-church-of-n-senhora-da-encarnacao.aspx

US-4893687 & US-4966808

I've been getting a lot of lighthouse cards as officials. These two are from the USA. 

Photo by Ellen Penrod

US-4893687, sent by Joanne.

The Holland Harbor Light, known as Big Red, is located in Ottawa County, Michigan at the entrance of a channel connecting Lake Michigan with Lake Macatawa, and which gives access to the city of Holland, Michigan.

The lighthouse is on the south side of the channel.

The first lighthouse built at this location was a small, square wooden structure erected in 1872. In 1880 the lighthouse service installed a new light atop a metal pole in a protective cage. The oil lantern was lowered by pulleys for service. At the turn of the century, a steel tower was built for the light and in 1907 the present structure was erected. Named the Holland Harbor South Pierhead Lighthouse, it has a gabled roof that reflects the Dutch influence in the area. The lighthouse, popularly referred to as "Big Red," was automated in 1932. When the U. S. Coast Guard recommended that it be abandoned in 1970, citizens circulated petitions to rescue it. The Holland Harbor Lighthouse Historical Commission was then organized to preserve and restore this landmark. - in: wikipedia

US-4866808, sent by Sean.

The Point Reyes Headlands just 10 miles (16 km) out to sea and pose a threat to ships traveling between San Francisco Bay and locations to the north. The historic Point Reyes Lighthouse was built in 1870 to warn mariners of this navigational hazard and served for 105 years. The Point Reyes Lighthouse was retired from service in 1975 when the U.S. Coast Guard installed an automated light adjacent and below the historic tower. The Coast Guard then transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the National Park Service, which has taken on the job of preserving this fine specimen of our maritime heritage. - in: https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/lighthouse.htm

Cultural Center of São Paulo

Postcrossers in São Paulo really enjoy meetings, last month they had another one. Who sent this postcard? Luzia, of course. It was also signed by 11 other postcrossers.

I've been to São Paulo last year and I've been to this building, an historical post office now a cultural center. 

Foto: Sérgio Sakall

This historical building occupies a large terrain in Vale do Anhangabaú, heart of the city old center. Its construction has begun in 1919 and the inauguration took place three years later. 

During the 80s, the building could not hold all regional mail services. The solution found was the construction of a new seat to the Regional Direction, in Vila Leopoldina. At the time, in the historical building, some administrative, operational and public service sectors were operating. In the beginning of 21st century, Correios have begun the building restoration process. Now, the building holds São Paulo Central Agency – the largest in Brazil – and  Philatelic Agency Dom Pedro II, besides Centro Cultural Correios.

Perino Moreno Glacier - Argentina

In January of 2013 Jusseli visited Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, and she sent one of these Perito Moreno Glacier cards from there. The other card was sent by the same person who sent me one of the Iguazu Falls cards in the previous post. 

® www.180sur.com

The Perito Moreno Glacier is a glacier located in the Los Glaciares National Park in southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentinian Patagonia. 

The 250 km2 (97 sq mi) ice formation, and 30 km (19 mi) in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile. This ice field is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.

The Perito Moreno Glacier, located 78 kilometres (48 mi) from El Calafate, was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile. - in: wikipedia

Iguazu Falls - Argentina

Last month Luzia went to Argentina to talk about Postcrossing. He talked about Postcrossing and met two local postcrossers with whom he had the 1st Postcrossing meeting in Argentina. What do you do in a meeting of these besides talking about postcards ?? Send postcards. So did Luzia. Shee sent the postcard with Devil's Throat where you can also see an image of the ruins of the Jesuit Mission of San Ignacio, one of Argentina's UNESCO sites.

I can not remember who sent the first postcard.

The Iguazu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. They are the largest waterfalls system in the world. 

The Iguazu River rises near the city of Curitiba, in Brazil. For most of its course, the river flows through Brazil; however, most of the falls are on the Argentine side. 

The falls are shared by the Iguazú National Park (Argentina) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil). The two parks were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1987, respectively.

Foto: Alberto Patrian © 2007 Argentina

The border between Brazil and Argentina runs through the Devil's Throat (spanish: Garganta del Diablo). On the right bank is the Brazilian territory, which has just over 20% of the jumps of these falls, and the left side jumps are Argentine, which make up almost 80% of the falls. - in: wikipedia

Sinharaja Forest Reserve - Sri Lanka

Here it is the second card from Sri Lanka sent by Nimasha. 

These are some of the waterfalls in Sinharaja Forest Reserve. This forest reserve is on the UNESCO WHS list since 1988. 

Concept & photographer: Pradeep Pathmaperuma

Located in south-west Sri Lanka, Sinharaja is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare. There is much endemic wildlife, especially birds, but the reserve is also home to over 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic species of mammals and butterflies, as well as many kinds of insects, reptiles and rare amphibians. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/405

Horton Plains - Sri Lanka

I finally can say that I've all the UNESCO sites from Sri Lanka. Thanks to Nimasha, I've got cards from the last 2 sites I was still missing. 

Horton Plains is one of the three protected areas classified as World Heritage Site in 2010, under the name of Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. 

Horton Plains in Sri Lanka, is the coldest and windiest location in the country. It consists of ecosystems such as Montane evergreen forests, grasslands, marshy lands and aquatic ecosystem. At an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level, Horton Plains spreads across over 3,169 hectares of the highest tableland of the island.

Photo: Rohitha Gunawardena

Horton Plains, its surroundings, forests and the adjoining Peak Wilderness constitute Sri Lanka’s most important catchment area of almost all major rivers. The plains are also of outstanding scenic beauty and conservation importance, containing most of the habitats and endemic plants and animals representative of the country’s wet and Montane zones. The western slopes support the most extensive area of Montane cloud forest surviving in the island. Horton Plains is not merely a destination for nature tourists. Since the rich biodiversity of Horton Plains is still grossly underexplored, it affords invaluable opportunities to those engaged on educational and research activities. - in: https://lanka.com/about/attractions/horton-plains/

Preah Vihear Temple - Cambodia

Another temple and another UNESCO site, a new one is this case. Preah Vihear Temple in Cambodia was added to the WHS list in 2008. 

The card was sent from the Philippines by Harry. 

Situated on the edge of a plateau that dominates the plain of Cambodia, the Temple of Preah Vihear is dedicated to Shiva. The Temple is composed of a series of sanctuaries linked by a system of pavements and staircases over an 800 metre long axis and dates back to the first half of the 11th century AD. Nevertheless, its complex history can be traced to the 9th century, when the hermitage was founded. This site is particularly well preserved, mainly due to its remote location. The site is exceptional for the quality of its architecture, which is adapted to the natural environment and the religious function of the temple, as well as for the exceptional quality of its carved stone ornamentation. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1224

Seiganto-ji Temple - Japan

I've been tagging quite often on favorites tags and in the last weeks I've received some wonderful cards. One of my favs has to be this one from Japan sent by Yukiko. I love it ❤ 

Seiganto-ji (青岸渡寺), Temple of the Blue Waves, is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. In 2004, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with other locations, under the name "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range". 

According to a legend, it was founded by the priest Ragyō Shōnin, a monk from India. The temple was purposely built near Nachi Falls, where it may have previously been a site of nature worship. Seiganto-ji is part of the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex, and as such can be considered one of the few jingū-ji (shrine temples) still in existence after the forcible separation of Shinto and Buddhism operated by the Japanese government during the Meiji restoration. - in: wikipedia

Kizkalesi Castle - Turkey

I absolutely love this card. It was in my favorites for so long, I'm glad I finally got it. Teşekkür ederim Helen.

Kizkalesi means Maiden’s Castle which is a romantic name for the crusader Castle situated on a small island in Mersin Province of Turkey. The total area of the island is about 15,000 square metres (160,000 sq ft) and the castle covers most of this area. 

The fortress on the sea was built in 1104 by the Byzantine admiral Eustathious. It is about 200 yards away from the shore and was initially connected to the mainland by a land bridge. Here, you can find watch towers on its walls, a reservoir and in the courtyard you will see a Byzantine basilica. The castle of Kizkalesi has an interesting tale just like most of the castles here in Turkey. 

The tale of the castle started when a fortune teller told the king of Korykos that his only and most loved daughter would be killed through a bite of a snake. The king decided to built his castle in the sea and let his daughter live in the castle in order to prevent the dreadful fate of his daughter. But unfortunately even the king can’t change what is destined to happen. A snake was brought into the island through a basket filled with fruits bit his daughter and died. - in: http://www.bigloveturkey.com/pages/kizkalesi.asp

St. Mark's Church, Zagreb

I've been to Zagreb but I didn't get to see this church ☹ I'm pretty sure I'll visit Zagreb again and then, I'll definitely see St. Mark's Church. The card was sent by Antonella.

This 13th-century church is one of Zagreb’s most emblematic buildings. Its colourful tiled roof, constructed in 1880, has the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia on the left side, and the emblem of Zagreb on the right. - https://www.lonelyplanet.com/croatia/zagreb/attractions/st-marks-church/a/poi-sig/425175/358800

From the Romanesque period, in the 13th century, when it was originally built, only a window in the south wall and the bell-tower foundation are preserved. Gothic arches and the shrine were built in the second half of the 14th century, when the church got its most valuable part - luxurious Gorhic south portal. In terms of figures it contains, that Gothic portal is one of the most beautiful one in Croatia. It was made in the Parler workshop, one of the most famous medieval sculpting workshops. The north - western wall contains the oldest known coat - of - arms of Zagreb from 1499.

The church was thoroughly reconstructed in the second half of the 19th century, based on the designs of Viennese architects Friedrich Schmidt and Hermann Bolle. It underwent another reconstruction in the first half of the 20th century. At that time, renowned painter Jozo Kljakovic (1888 - 1969) painted its walls, while the altar was decorated with works of famous sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. - in: http://www.infozagreb.hr/explore-zagreb/attractions/architectural-monuments/st-marks-church

Brown Bear

The Fauna of Belarus collection is so beautiful. This week I've got this brown bear card sent by Tanya. 

The awe-inspiring brown bear lives in the forests and mountains of northern North America, Europe, and Asia. It is the most widely distributed bear in the world.

These omnivorous giants tend to be solitary animals, except for females and their cubs, but at times they do congregate. Dramatic gatherings can be seen at prime Alaskan fishing spots when the salmon swim upstream for summer spawning. In this season dozens of bears may gather to feast on the fish, craving fats that will sustain them through the long winter ahead. In fall a brown bear may eat as much as 90 pounds of food each day, and it may weigh twice as much before hibernation as it will in spring.

Brown bears dig dens for winter hibernation, often holing up in a suitable hillside. Females, or she-bears, den while pregnant and give birth during this winter rest, usually to a pair of cubs. Brown bear cubs nurse on their mother's milk until spring and stay with her for some two and a half years—so females only reproduce once every three years.

Adult brown bears are powerful, top-of-the-food chain predators, but much of their diet consists of nuts, berries, fruit, leaves, and roots. Bears also eat other animals, from rodents to moose.

Despite their enormous size, brown bears are extremely fast, having been clocked at speeds of 30 miles per hour. They can be dangerous to humans, particularly if surprised or if a person gets between a mother bear and her cubs. - in: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/b/brown-bear/

LT-580238

When I first saw this card I thought it was from Kaunas but it actually is from Jonava. 

LT-580238, sent by Ieva. 

Jonava is the ninth largest city in Lithuania with a population of ca 30,000. It is located in Kaunas County in central Lithuania, 30 km (19 mi) north east of Kaunas. 

The bridge on the card crosses river Neris.