Monthly Fav. Surprise RR - August '26

 Lets move on to August.  These cards are from India, Belarus, Finland and Italy.

 

Photo: Sreekanth Sekar

What a beautiful animal.

The Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), once widely distributed across the Indian subcontinent, has in recent years come under threat. Due to a variety of factors such as habitat encroachment, rapid urbanization, and man-animal conflict, they are becoming increasingly rare outside the bounds of designated nature preserves and protected areas. - in: https://wildlifesos.org

In India, the leopard population is believed to be 12,000 to 14,000 individuals.  

I didn't need to look up information about these mills because Kate told me everything I needed to know about them.

The cards features de only operating windmill in Belarus. It was built in 1905 and it is located in a museum complex.

The watermill, in the village of Krasnikovo, Kursk Oblast, Russia, it is the only functioning watermill in Russia that has been preserved in its original form. Built in 1861, without a single nail, it operated continuously for agricultural purposes until 2006. Currently, it serves as an important historical monument and tourist site, holding regular demonstrations of traditional flour milling for visitors.

Photo: Esko Pärssinen

I visited Turku in 2019 and Leena lived there a few years ago when she was studying. 

Turku is the oldest town of Finland. The earliest records of the city date back to the 13th century.
Turku is unique for several reasons. The city is most famous for its old city charm and historical sites, such as Turku Castle. Turku also has a thriving urban scene with exquisite restaurants and cafés. The charming River Aura, that runs through the city centre, adds to the city's charm with riverboats moored along the riverbank. Turku is also famous for its old port, and the proximity to sea and the archipelago. - in: https://www.visitfinland.com

 

 

Foto: Luigino Visconti

 We don't know exactly where Christopher Columbus was born but it is known that he lived part of his life in Genova and this is his house. 

 This small house was identified in the nineteenth century as the home of the Colombo family in the period from 1455 and 1470, when Cristopher was growing up from the age of 4 till he was 9. It was certainly not a luxurious home: on the ground floor there are small spaces dedicated to a shop and kitchen, with a basin to collect water and a rudimentary latrine; upstairs, two small rooms, perhaps for eating and for the night.
The building was damaged during the bombing to which the “Sun King” subjected the city in 1684. It was the only one to be rebuilt, due to the importance of those who had lived there and subsequently surviving the widespread demolition that affected the area in the 1930s.
It is a small memorial to the great navigator, inside which displays and objects tell his story and, above all, recount his daily life. - in: https://www.museidigenova.it

The card was sent by Daniela.