US-10804668

 Of all the cards I could post tonight, this is the one that make the most sense to post on a Halloween night.

Have you ever wonder why pumpkins are so popular in USA? 

Before becoming a major cultural symbol in America, pumpkin was used as a marketing tool by people who discovered that they had plenty of it. Initially, in colonial America, people fed on bread and beer, something they acquired a taste for from their colonisers. As food shortages hit when world wars took place, people started hoarding pumpkins since they were plentiful and could be used on the bread as a filling/dressing.

 

US-10804668, sent by Gianina.

It then struck them that pumpkin was theirs to make use of, since they always had enough of them and could easily become a part of mainstream food. From there, pumpkin became an accessory, a decoration item, a US symbol.
Once Thanksgiving became an official holiday in 1844, there was no going back for pumpkins. It now offers the “authentic and wholesome American” feel and is synonymous with everything festive. 

Almost every US TV show or Hollywood film that has an Autumn/Fall theme has pumpkins feature in a prominent manner. Atleast one episode of every US show that airs during the festive time has pumpkin being marketed as an American thing to eat/play with. Every iconic successful US show has had atleast one dedicated Halloween/pumpkin-themed episode including 'Friends', 'Brooklyn 99', 'The Simpsons', 'Modern Family', 'The Office' and the list is endless. Popular culture has reinforced the idea of a pumpkin being quintessially American and rightfully so since the fruit is indigenous to the region. It’s been a long walk for pumpkins, from being native to the Americas and still being ignored to now finding a space at the top shelf. What adds is that the humble fruit is a rich source of antioxidants, fiber, potassium and vitamin C and makes a great dessert item. It’s also kids’ favourite thing to play with during Halloween with almost every house in the US and Canada doing their own version of Jack - o lanterns. - in: https://www.wionews.com

Baracay Island - Philippines

Over the years I've received many cards sent by Marie, most of them from Canada, where she lives, but this one is from her home country, the Philippines. 

Boracay is the most iconic island in the Philippines.
The tranquil waters and famous white sands of Boracay are the main reasons why this tiny island in the Philippines’ Western Visayas region is a paradise getaway for both tourists and locals.

 by Carlos Jurew

A traditional Paraw ride is a unique way to explore Boracay’s waters. These double outrigger sailboats offer a serene experience, especially at sunset. 

The Paraw (also known as parao) is a traditional outrigger sailing boat from the Philippines. Locals believed the first boats were adopted from Borneo and Malay traders who frequently visited the Philippines.
Paraws are made with wood and bamboo. They come in different sizes and shapes, but the most common form is the double outrigger. It is a configuration that gives more stability and increased seating capacity.
Traditionally, paraw sailboats are mainly used for fishing and inter-island travel. However, today, paraws are commonly used for recreational trips such as island hopping and sunset tours. - in: https://happinessontheway.com

Shirakawa-go - Japan

All of these cards are from the lovely Shirakawa-go village. Shirakawa-go together with Gokayama in Toyama, was registred as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. 

Back in 2009 Adriana sent me my 1st card from there and that was when I fell in love with this place.

 Located in a mountainous region that was cut off from the rest of the world for a long period of time, these villages with their Gassho-style houses subsisted on the cultivation of mulberry trees and the rearing of silkworms. 

 

JP-1792846, sent by Misa.

The large houses with their steeply pitched thatched roofs are the only examples of their kind in Japan. Despite economic upheavals, the villages of Ogimachi, Ainokura and Suganuma are outstanding examples of a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to the environment and people's social and economic circumstances. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/734

© Hiroyuki Yamaguchi

JP-329605, sent by Momoko. 

The village is located in the Shogawa river valley stretching across the border of Gifu and Toyama Prefectures in central Japan. Both villages, Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama, are famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old. 

Gassho-zukuri means "constructed like hands in prayer", as the farmhouses' steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer. 

 

JP-2133180, sent by Miho.

The architectural style developed over many generations and is designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in the region during winter. The roofs, made without nails, provided a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms. - in: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html

BY-3207973

 I've a few cards of Belarusian churches in my wall of favorites and this card could have been there if I'd seen it before. Beautiful church. 

Luzhki - is a village of Sharkaŭshchyna district, Vitebsk region of Belarus. The main attraction of the village Luzhki is St. Michael the Archangel Catholic church, which was built from 1744 to 1756.

 

 

BY-3207973, sent by Ira.

Originally, the church in the village of Luzhki was part of the monastery, which was founded here in 1741. After the uprising of 1830, this monastery, like many other Catholic monasteries in the territory of modern Belarus, was closed. And in 1843 the church in the village of Luzhki was transferred to the Orthodox Church, a little rebuilt and converted. After the First World War, when the village of Luzhki was part of Poland, the church again moved to Catholics. In 1949 the church in the village of Luzhki was closed by the Soviet authorities. Later, the building of the temple was refurbished and used as a warehouse for mineral fertilizers. In the late 1980s, the church was returned to the Catholic Church and restored. 

The church in the village of Luzhki is a very vivid embodiment of the architecture of the so-called "Vilna" baroque. This ancient and very unusual church stands out among other churches of Belarus in that its main facade gives the impression that it is bent inside. This effect is achieved due to the fact that the two high towers of the main facade are not in the same plane with it, but are rotated at an angle. - in: https://vedaj.by

RU-10177946

 A nice card from Totma, a town and the administrative center of Totemsky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia.

 

RU-10177946, sent by Karina.

Totma is a historical town which preserved, along with other heritage, several churches which have all similar structure not related to any other region of Russia. A Totma church is a building on which the church proper is based on one side and the bell-tower on the other side so that the construction reminds a ship. This style is sometimes referred to as Totma Baroque. - in: wikipedia

On the card we can see a bit of the Nativity Church (1746–1748) and the Church of the Entry into Jerusalem (1738–1740). 

Eise Eisinga Planetarium - Netherlands

 In my whole life I've only visited one planetarium and that was long time ago, don't remember much. I must confess that I'm not that interrested in astronomy, space and planets, but after getting this card and reading about this planetarium, I just felt like visiting it. 

Eise Eisinga Planetarium in Franeker was classified as UNESCO WHS list last year and this was the only site I was still missing from the Netherlands. Got it thanks to Jarina, who also used stamps depicting other Dutch UNESCO sites to mail the card.

 

Built between 1774 and 1781, this property is a moving mechanical scale model of the solar system as it was known at the time. Conceived and built by an ordinary citizen – the wool manufacturer Eise Eisinga – the model is built into the ceiling and south wall of the former living room/bedroom of its creator. Powered by one single pendulum clock, it provides a realistic image of the positions of the Sun, the Moon, the Earth and five other planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn). The planets revolve around the Sun in real time and the distance between the planets is at scale. The model fills the entire ceiling of the room, making it one of the earliest predecessors of the ceiling and projection planetariums of the 20th and 21st centuries. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

DE-14695313

 The Ellinger Tor is the most famous City gate of Weißenburg, a town in the west of Bavaria.

 

Huber Inages / Schmid

DE-14695313, sent by Elke.

This gate, from the 14th century, is one of the most beautiful city gates in southern Germany and is therefor mentioned in the Bavarian Monuments List. 

The city gate, which was located in the north of Weissenburg's old town, was originally part of the city wall that was built around 1200.
The Ellinger Tor now houses the city's historic council library.

DE-14411069

Some facts about Germany.

Germany shares borders with nine countries – France, Luxembourg, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Poland.

 

DE-14411069, sent by Katrin.

* One-third of Germany is still covered in forests and woodlands;
* Germany is the seventh largest European country, covering an area of 357,168 square kilometers;
* Berlin is nine times bigger than Paris;
* Germany has 20,000-25,000 castles;

* The Cologne Cathedral is the second largest religious building in Germany and took 632 years to build;
* The first printed book was printed in Germany, a Latin language Bible by Johann Gutenberg;
* Germans celebrate the start of school by giving their children sweet-filled cardboard cones known as “Schultüte,” containing sweets, toys, school supplies, etc;
* Germany is the birthplace of figures such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Albert Einstein;
* German is the fifth most taught language worldwide;
* German is an official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and  Liechtenstein;
* Many public German universities have high-quality education with low or no tuition fees, aside from administrative costs;
* About 1,300 breweries in Germany produce over 5,000 brands of beer;
* Oktoberfest is Germany’s most famous festival and the world’s largest beer festival;
* Germany is one of the top countries that consume the most beer;
* Germany has over 1,500 different kinds of sausage;
* In Bavaria, beer is called “liquid food” due to its nutrition and importance in the local culture. - in: https://www.studying-in-germany.org

Herrnhut - Germany

 This year Germany added 2 sites to the UNESCO WHS list. I already had a card of the Schwerin Castle and, thanks to Marcel, I got this card of Herrnhut, now part of a transnational site, which also includes Moravian settlements in the US, Denmark and Northern Ireland.

The Moravian Church, also known as Unitas Fratrum, is one of the earliest Protestant denominations and was founded in Herrnhut in 1722 by Protestant refugees from Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and Scandinavia. It is now known worldwide for its missionary work, simple way of life and “Daily Watchword”, an annual publication containing a selection of short bible verses for each day of the year.

 

Fotos: Berthold, Dresden

Herrnhut, a small town in Upper Lusatia, approx. 62 miles east of Dresden, is not only the place where the Moravian Church was founded, but also an outstanding example of this religious community’s way of life. Today’s visitors can still trace Herrnhut’s unique and strictly symmetrical layout, with spacious squares and communal facilities. With the Moravian Church’s missionary activities, more than 30 settlements worldwide have been built according to the principles established in the Moravian mother community in Saxony.
Herrnhut is also known for the iconic “Herrnhut Star”, or “Moravian Star” in English, which is recognised worldwide as a symbol of this religious community. It originated over 180 years ago in Saxony and today, this unique 25-point star is considered the origin of all Christmas stars and has become a popular festive decoration around the world. - in: https://visitsaxony.com

Speyer Cathedral - Germany

The Speyer Cathedral was  added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981 as "a major monument of Romanesque art in the German Empire". 

 

DE-14619031, sent by Irmi.

 The imperial cathedral in Speyer, officially known as the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Stephen, is the town's most prominent landmark. Laid out in the form of a Latin cross, it is one of Germany's largest and most important Romanesque buildings, and was intended to be no less than the largest church in the western world when building work began in 1030.

Photo: Bavaria Luftbild Verlags GmbH

DE-2002357, sent by Uwe.

Speyer Cathedral in the Rhineland-Palatinate region has long since ceased to be the largest church in the western world. However, it is still the world's largest surviving Romanesque church. Construction began under Salian Emperor Konrad II, and the church was consecrated in 1061 under his grandson Heinrich IV. 

  Verlag Johannes Oefner

DE-2173601, sent by Sabine.

Its huge triple-naved vaulted basilica is the central element of a design that is thought to have greatly influenced Romanesque architecture in the 11th and 12th century. The mighty but eminently well-proportioned main building, consisting of the nave and transept with four towers in a symmetrical design, inspired many other important churches. A central attraction that strongly reflects the spirit of the time is the fully preserved crypt, which is the largest Romanesque columned hall in Europe. 

As the burial site for Salian, Hohenstaufen and Habsburg rulers and their wives, the crypt – and the cathedral itself – represent the ultimate symbol of medieval imperial power. The huge 'cathedral bowl' outside the main door is certainly worth a visit. With a capacity of 1,560 litres, it had to be filled with wine by every new bishop to keep the people happy. Perhaps these are the origins of the Cathedral Wine Fair in spring at which Palatinate vineyards present their wines against the stunning backdrop of the cathedral. - in: https://www.germany.travel

Penedo da Saudade Lighthouse - Portugal

 It's been 3 months since I received this postcard sent by Oscar. In July, he had been to São Pedro de Moel and traveled around exploring the region. I've also been to the region but never visited São Pedro de Moel nor the lighthouse.

 

This lighthouse, also known as Farol do Penedo da Saudade, is located 800 m north of S. Pedro de Moel and at an altitude of 55 m. Its 32 meter high tower has a spiral staircase inside with 136 stone steps. 

It went into operation on February 15, 1912.