Monthly Fav. Surprise RR - October '18

I used to take part in this RR but then I decided to stop for some reason. Last September I noticed that the RR had a new host, gave it a shot again and joined in October and November. I skiped December and this month the RR changed hands again. I've already joined February's group and next week I'll get 4 addresses to send cards to. 

In October I've received cards from Malaysia, Germany, Switzerland and China. 

Mary sent me this beautiful chinese temple in Malacca. 

The Cheng Hoon Teng temple is considered Malaysia’s oldest Chinese temple. The temple ranks among the most significant in Southeast Asia, being central to the spiritual aspirations of the Chinese community in historic Malacca. The temple continues to serve the spiritual needs of the Chinese community in Malacca. It is a center for the propagation of San Chiao or the Three Doctrinal Systems of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. 

Historically speaking, Cheng Hoon Teng was founded in the 1600s by the Chinese Kapitan Tay Kie Ki alias Tay Hong Yong. - in: http://www.wonderfulmalaysia.com/attractions/cheng-hoon-teng-temple-malacca.htm

Wishing for snowy landscapes like this in Bavaria. Card sent by Marei. 

The mountain church of St. Margarethen in Wildalpjoch mountain, was first documented in 1445 and that's all I could find about this church. 

Foto: D. Bärtschi

The last cards I received from Grace were all sent through these monthly favorite RR's. 

The Moléson (2,002 metres) is a mountain of the Swiss Prealps, overlooking the region of Gruyères in the canton of Fribourg. It lies at the northern end of the chain between Lake Geneva and the valley of the Sarine. - in: wikipedia

I really thought that this 4th card got lost in the mail but surprise, surprise, after a long journey all the way from China, it arrived in December. It was sent by Annie Liu. 

Zhangjiajie is located in central China, northwest Hunan Province, over 1,000 kilometers from both Shanghai and Beijing. Zhangjiajie is famous for its precarious peaks, limpid streams, dense forests, and large karst caves. - in: https://www.chinahighlights.com/zhangjiajie/

CA-873612

Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Ontario, Canada, close to the U.S.-Canada border.

To the south, across the river, is the United States and the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. These two communities were one city until a new treaty after the War of 1812 established the border between Canada and the United States in this area at the St. Mary's River.

CA-873612, sent by Julie.

 In the 21st century, the two cities are joined by the International Bridge, which connects Interstate 75 on the Michigan side, and Huron Street (and former Ontario Secondary Highway 550B) on the Ontario side. 

The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge is the tenth-busiest passenger crossing on the Canada–United States border, and the only land crossing for almost 700 miles (1125 km).

The bridge began construction in 1960 and officially opened to traffic on October 31, 1962. - in: wikipedia

Wood Islands Lighthouse - Canada

Yes, one more lighthouse but this one is from Canada. The card is the last one of Theresa's cards that I'm posting here. 

The Wood Islands Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse situated on the southeastern shore of Prince Edward Island, located in the community of Wood Islands. 

Photo by E. Otto/Milserv

During its session of 1874, the Canadian Parliament appropriated $6,000 for the construction of a lighthouse at Wood Island, on a site purchased from Thomas McMahon in June 1875, being finished in the autumn of 1876, it was put into operation on 1 November 1876.

 The lighthouse is a well-preserved three storey tower with an adjoining ​1 1⁄2-storey keeper's residence. The white shingled tower is topped by a red iron lantern, which is enclosed by a white railing on the observation deck.

It was one of the last three lights on Prince Edward Island to be fully automated, and the last where the keeper and his family lived. The lighthouse and residence are now open as a museum, with exhibits about the history of lighthouses, ferry service and fishing on the island, and includes a 1950s period kitchen and keeper's quarters. - in: wikipedia

Montauk Point Lighthouse - USA

The american lighthouses cards tour ends in Long Island to get to know a bit more about Montauk Point Lighthouse. 

 Montauk Point Lighthouse is located at the most easterly tip of Long Island on the South Fork. The tower stands 108 feet and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Its construction was authorized in1795 by President George Washington. The lighthouse was completed in 1797 at a cost of $22.300.00. 

The Montauk Historical Society currently maintains the lighthouse. 

Photo copyright © 2003 Ralph Pugliese Jr.

US-5684656, sent by Ann Marie

The lighthouse was the first to be built within the state of New York, and was the first public works project of the new United States. It is the fourth oldest active lighthouse in the United States. Long listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in 2012, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark for its significance to New York and international shipping in the early Federal period. - in: wikipedia

Lighthouses of Connecticut - USA

More lighthouses from USA. These are from Connecticut, where 13 of the 21 state's surviving lights, are still active. 

The cards were sent by Theresa, that generous lady who sent me an envelope full of cards back in November. 

Saybrook Breakwater Light, also known as the Outer Light, was first lighted on June 15, 1886; 

Five Mile Point Light, also known as Five Mile Point Lighthouse or Old New Haven Harbor Lighthouse, is a U.S. lighthouse in Long Island Sound on the coast of New Haven. The 80-foot (24 m) octagonal tower was constructed in 1847 and was illuminated by 12 lamps with reflectors which were positioned 97 feet (30 m) above sea level. 

Currently, the lighthouse is contained within Lighthouse Point Park and, along with the keeper's house, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990;

Sheffield Island Light is a historic lighthouse located at the southern end of the Norwalk Islands in Norwalk. It was completed in 1828.

The original 30 feet (9.1 m) tower was replaced by a Victorian style limestone (masonry) dwelling, with a 44 feet (13 m) high light tower in the gable, in 1868. The Fresnel lens from 1857 was moved into the new structure and with a focal plane 51 feet (16 m) above water it was visible for more than 12 miles (19 km).

Sheffield Island Light was then deactivated in 1902. In 1987 the 118-year-old structure was purchased by the Norwalk Seaport Association for renovation and restoration. In 1989 the lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

New London Ledge Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Groton, Connecticut on the Thames River at the mouth of New London harbor. It is currently owned and maintained by the New London Maritime Society as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program.

New London Ledge Lighthouse was built in 1909. The light was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. 

The lighthouse is locally famous for the ghost of an early keeper named Ernie who allegedly haunts the lighthouse. 

The Stonington Harbor Light is a historic lighthouse built in 1840 and located on the east side of Stonington Harbor in the Borough of Stonington, Connecticut. It is a well-preserved example of a mid-19th century stone lighthouse. The light was taken out of service in 1889 and now serves as a local history museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. - in: wikipedia

The 49-foot cast-iron Saybrook Breakwater Light, on a cylindrical foundation is very similar to Connecticut's Stamford Harbor Light. It has a basement, four main floors, a watchroom and a lantern room. It was fitted with a fifth-order Fresnel lens exhibiting a fixed white light with a red sector. A more powerful fourth-order lens was installed in 1890. - in: http://www.newenglandlighthouses.net/saybrook-breakwater-light-history.html

US-5684751

I've got a bunch of cards with lighthouses these last months, most of them from USA. This one is from Wisconsin.

US-5684751, sent by J. Tills.

 The Fond du Lac Light is a lighthouse located at the entrance to the harbor and Yacht Club, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. It is located on the southern end of Lake Winnebago. It is currently incorporated in the Fond du Lac City Seal. Construction of the lighthouse started in May 1933 and was completed shortly after October. It replaced an ordinary red light that previously marked the harbor entrance.

After years of neglect it was saved from demolition in 1967 and restored in 1993 with help from local community organizations. - in: wikipedia

Monticello - USA

We all know that Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was a president of the United States, the third one. Some of us might know that he was the principal author of the American Declaration of Independence but probably only a few know that he was also a talented architect of neoclassical buildings. I definitely didn't know that, not before getting these cards. He designed Monticello (1769–1809), his plantation home and his ideal 'academical village' (1817–26), which is still the heart of the University of Virginia. 

In 1987 Monticello and the nearby University of Virginia, also designed by Jefferson, were together designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Monticello was largely finished when Jefferson left for France in 1784 as the American minister to that country. During his five years there his ideas about architecture changed drastically, as he was influenced by the work of contemporary Neoclassical architects and by ancient Roman buildings.

Jefferson began drawing up plans for altering and enlarging Monticello in 1793, and work began in 1796. Much of the original house was torn down. The final structure, completed in 1809, is a three-story brick and frame building with 35 rooms, 12 of them in the basement; each room is a different shape. - in: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Monticello-building-Virginia

Photographer: R. Lautman

US-5697011, sent by Rick.

On the back of the card: Dining Room with dumbwaiter.

The Dining Room received family members and guests for two meals each day, breakfast and dinner. While waiting for his family to gather, Jefferson often sat reading in one a pair of small french armchairs. Two dumbwaiters, installed on either side of the fireplace, carried bottles of wine from the wine cellar below. 

São Paulo Meetup - Brazil

The date on this card stamp is december 13 and I got it this week. 

It was sent by Valéria, also signed by Luzia and the other brazilian postcrossers who attended the last postrcrossing meet up of 2018 in São Paulo. 

Photo by Sandra Tiemu Konishi * Designed by Paloma Miranda * Postcrossing logo is a registered trademark

This cute angel can be found in one of the ruined buildings of Vila Maria Zélia, a residential complex for textile workers, many of them immigrants of european origin. It was inaugurated in 1907. 

Currently, the remains of the complex are listed as historical patrimony. 

Aparecida - Brazil

The town of Aparecida lies in the state of São Paulo. It is known as the most important religious city in the country, the point onto which pilgrims from all over the country converge. It is seat of the Basilica de Aparecida, dedicated to the Official Patron Saint of Brazil, Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Our Lady Aparecida).

In Portuguese, the word Aparecida means "appeared". It's a reference to the fact that a statue of Our Lady "appeared" in the river, without nobody dropping it there.
It all began in the 18th century, when some fishermen hauled up a headless statue with their catch. When they re-cast their nets, they brought up the head of the statue: it then appeared to be a Black Virgin.

Walter sent me the first 2 cards and Luzia the last one.

Photo by Erasmo Ballot

The old basilica is a modest church in the colonial style built between 1834 to 1888. The Basilica is known to the pilgrims as the former home of Our Lady of Aparecida.
This basilica is connected to the new basilica by a pedestrian bridge.

Estúdio Casal Fotografia

The construction of this new basilica started in 1955. With its 100 metre high tower, its 70 meter dome, its nave, 173 meters long and 168 meters wide in the shape of a Greek Cross, covering a surface area of around 18,000 m², this romanesque basilica is huge. 

It can hold up to 45,000 worshippers! In size, Our Lady of Aparecida is the second largest Basilica in the world, after St. Peter’s in Rome. John Paul II gave it the name of “Minor Basilica” in 1980.

TW-2650426 & TW-2650428

Officials from Taiwan. 

TW-2650426, sent by Peilin.

The Baishajia Lighthouse is located in Taoyuan City. The lighthouse was established in 1901 as the third lighthouse built in Taiwan under Japanese rule with an original height of 38 meters. However, the upper portion was destroyed during World War II. After the war, the tower was repaired to its current height, 37 meters.

After more than a hundred years, it was selected as one of the "One Hundred Historical sites in Taiwan" by the Ministry of Culture in 2001. 

TW-2650428, sent by Charlotte.

 Beimen Crystal Church, an open air church which is floating on water in Tainan, opened in 2014. 

RU-6920400

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a city in Sakhalin island, and the administrative center of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is located in the Far East part of Russia, situated north of Japan.

RU-6920400, sent by Irina.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Military Museum is dedicated to the regional military history since 1905. The primary focus lies in the battle for the island in 1945.

Kizhi Pogost - Russia

Russia has a lot of UNESCO sites, most of them are great and worth to visit but if I had the chance to visit just one, Kizhi Pogost would probably be my choice. 

Two of these cards are officials and the others were sent by "poncha", (don't remember her name), and Lydia. 

RU-5816372, sent by Irene.

The architectural ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost is located on a narrow spit in the southern part of Kizhi Island, a small island of the Kizhi Archipelago in Lake Onega. The architectural ensemble includes two 18th-century wooden churches: the Church of the Transfiguration and the Church of the Intercession and an octagonal wooden bell tower built in 1862 and considerably reconstructed in 1874.

The churches on Kizhi Island were mentioned for the first time in chronicles of the 16th century. They burned down after being struck by lightning in 1693 and the currently existing churches were built on the very site of the former ones.

The ensemble bears evidence of the highly developed carpentry skills of the Russian people. Nowadays it is the only ensemble with two multi-domed wooden churches preserved in Russia. 

The Church of the Transfiguration is a monument with exceptional architectural and structural features. It has no parallel in either Russian or global wooden architecture. Considered by locals as the true wonder of the world, it gave birth to the legend about Master Nestor, who built the 37m high nail-less church using nothing but an axe. 

RU-6925772, sent by Julia.

The Church of the Transfiguration was used during the summer, when the faithful journeyed from the outermost regions of the parish to attend services. A dendrochronogical study of the materials sets its construction date after 1713-14. The octagon, which defines the composition of the cruciform church, is extended by oblong bays facing the four cardinal points. 

 The nave, flanked with side aisles, is preceded on the west by a projecting narthex reached via two staircases. The height of the Church of the Transfiguration, whose central cupola culminates at 37m, is a masterpiece of a multi-storey, multi-cupola, and single-block structure. Here, over a central volume covered with three octagonal frames, the architect placed bochkas (roofs whose peak is shaped like a horizontal cylinder with the upper surface extended into a pointed ridge) topped with 22 bulbous cupolas. Inside, under the so-called 'heaven' - a superb vault shaped like a truncated pyramid - there is a gilded wood iconostasis holding 102 icons from the 17th and 18th centuries. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/544

BY-2417108 & BY-2416851

New year, new cards, new posts. 

It has been awhile since I last received officials cards from Belarus, actually, last year I didn't receive any officials from there. 2019 only has 1 week and I already received 2 cards, both from Minsk. 

BY-2417108, sent by Kate.

One of the most visible churches in Minsk, with its central location overlooking the Svisloch river in the historic Upper Town, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is the most important Russian Orthodox church in the city. Its origins date back to the 17th century when the building served as a Catholic Bernardine monastery. After several devastating fires and a conversion to Orthodoxy, the church was expanded and renovated, though the monastery was closed in 1922. The church's holiest icon is the image of the Mother of God, which is said to have been found by Minsk residents in 1500. 

BY-2416851, sent by Yulia.

Saints Peter & Paul Cathedral, a baroque Russian Orthodox church, is officially the oldest in Minsk and the only Renaissance building in the city, dating back to 1612. The cathedral is officially listed on the Republic of Belarus' Architectural Monuments of National Importance. Throughout its history the church has been closed several times, including in 1933 when members of the church's clergy were arrested and shot on the spot. After the war the church was also closed for a prolonged period, and was used as an archive of scientific and technical documents. - in: https://www.local-life.com/minsk/articles/churches