Monthly Fav. Surprise RR - July '23

Lets continue with this marathon of monthly surprise cards. In July they were from the Netherlands, Italy, Russia and Cuba but most of them were sent from somewhere else. The Dutch card was sent from Germany, the Italian from Finland and the Cuban also from Germany.

If you ever visited Amsterdam you probably noticed that the houses along the canals are narrow, tall and a bit skewed. Why is that? Back in the 15th century the the land planning laws were strict. Planning required that facades be built of lightweight materials with large windows to reduce weight.  Most of the older buildings have been built on wooden poles, which over time have become less sturdy. Combined with the wet conditions of the soil, the houses are simply sinking over time. Most of the houses are attached to each other, so it looks like they sort of lean on each other and keep their balance together. 

Taxes were charged according to the width of the frontage which explains why most Amsterdam houses are narrow. So the wider facade, the more tax you pay. Despite that the houses are actually rather deep.

Card sent by Helen.

Mina found me a volcano card. 

Even though Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, it is considered to be a safe volcano - most eruptions do not endanger those visiting or living in the area. Often, the biggest inconvenience is the ash that carpets surrounding towns during eruptions. 

If you’re thinking of booking a holiday to Catania and eastern Sicily, you can visit the volcano even during an eruption. There are plenty of hiking routes that steer well clear of the summit and craters where explosions take place. Visiting during an eruption is a thrilling experience and some guides organise tours at night especially to marvel at the fiery light show. - in: https://www.euronews.com

 

Nadezhda sent me autumn on a card. When I saw it I thought it was from Manteigas, a town in my region where there's a beautiful beech forest that at this time of the year looks pretty much like this. But no, this card is from Russia, don't know exactly where from though.

Cuba Imagen

A Cuban card sent from Germany by Grace, an Italian lady living in Switzerland!! 

Grace has never been to Cuba but her Cuban sister-in-law is her supplier of Cuban cards. 

The Museo de la Revolución (Revolution Museum) of Havana is hosted in the old Presidential Palace, built between 1913 and 1920, and used by several presidents of Cuba, the last of them Fulgencio Batista. 

This monumental construction in Centro Habana houses one of the most interesting museums in all Cuba. The museum exhibits several collections of photographs, flags, documents, weapons, and other objects related to the revolutionary fighting against Batista, and the history of Cuba, in chronological order, from the pre-Columbian culture in Cuba (on the top floor), to the current society. In here stand out the exhibitions about the assault of Moncada in 1953, and about the life of Che Guevara, in the bottom rooms.
In the entrance of the museum there is a fragment of the former wall of the city, as well as a SAU-100 tank used by Castro during the invasion of Cochinos Bay in 1961. - in: https://www.tripcuba.org