Fraueninsel - Germany

 My penpal Tanja, from Germany, spent a few of her summer holidays in Bavaria, before heading to Croatia. In Bavaria she has been to Chiemsee lake and explored it's islands. 

With 80 km² and 64 km of shoreline, Chiemsee is the largest Bavarian lake, popularly known as the “Bavarian Sea” and is considered the most beautiful lake for swimming in Germany.

 

Huber GmbH & Co

Fraueninsel island, together with Herreninsel, forms the smallest municipality in Bavaria with approx. 230 inhabitants. With a total of 256.8 ha. it is also Bavaria’s second smallest municipality in size. Fraueninsel is a car-free area and the second largest of the three islands. It takes about 20 minutes to walk its circumference. It is densely populated, with the “islanders” predominantly living from fishing, gastronomy, crafts and holiday room rentals. The center of Fraueninsel is the 1200 years old abbey, Frauenwörth, the pilgrimage site for Irmengard, the patron saint of Chiemgau, with her convent church and the Carolingian wall-painted gatehouse, which is the oldest building in Southern Germany. - in: https://www.gstadt.de

Brno - Czech Republic

 Heidi has also been to Czech Republic, again, and she stayed in Brno 4 days. She said it was a long stay in a boring city. I kind of agree with her. I've also been to the city and I've to say that of all the places I visited in the country, Brno was the city I liked the least. At I liked the most was it's location, perfect to visit a few places nearby. 

 

Foto: Lucie Vilímovská

Kraví hora is large park with an amazing view of Brno. 

It offers quite a lot of options for relaxing not far from the city centre. A major part of this hill is covered by private gardens that you can walk among via narrow paths. The Brno Observatory and Planetarium is located on the top of the hill and features an interesting science trail with freely accessible attractions, such as a 3D scanner, telescopes, and planetary scales. The slope under the observatory is often occupied by people who come to relax, have picnics, and enjoy sports. If there’s snow, it’s a perfect place to go sledging; when the wind is blowing, a lot of locals come kite flying with their kids. There is a public barbecue set nearby and a biotope pond under the slope, not far from the functionalist Church of St Augustine. - in: https://www.gotobrno.cz

Holidays in Czech Republic

 This summer Óscar and I have both been to Czech Republic on holidays, not together though. I traveled with my friend Susana in June and one month later, Óscar traveled there with his family. When visiting the country, Prague is obviously a mandatory visit and is no surprise that we both sent each other cards of this beautiful city.

 

Photo: Milan Kincl

 

This was my 2nd visit to the country and to the city. During my 1st visit I got to visit Prague Castle but I didn't see the Golden Lane, which can only be visited with the castle ticket that also included access to the Old Royal Palace, St. Vitus Church and St. George's Basilica. 

The rain on the day of my visit delayed my plans and when we finally got to the castle, it was way too crowded and I didn't fully enjoy it, especially in the Golden Lane, which was the place I wanted to see the most and the reason why I bought the ticket. My advice, go as early as you can to avoid the crowds.

This tiny street (...) is lined with colourful houses resembling something out of a fairy tale. These houses were built into the castle's fortifications around the end of the 16th century and were occupied until the Second World War. The current appearance of the Golden Lane dates to the year 1955, and after a recent extensive renovation, the houses now contain exhibitions about life in the lane over the past 500 years. Franz Kafka lived and worked in house number 22 from 1916 to 1917. - in: https://prague.eu

 

I mentioned rain but it was a bit more than just rain, it was a thunderstrom. We were in the middle of the Charles Brigde when it started to rain heavily and we had to run for shelter under the Old Town Bridge Tower. Fortunately the rain didn't last too long and when it stopped, we climbed the tower and enjoyed the nice views from the top. 

Right next to the bridge, there's the St. Francis Seraph/Assisi Church. 

The current early Baroque appearance of this church of the Order of the Knights of the Cross with a Red Star dates back to 1679-1685. Its magnificent interior decoration, including a fresco of the Last Judgment by V. V. Reiner in the monumental, nearly 41 m high dome, can be admired during one of the many regular concerts of religious music that are held here. Concertgoers will especially appreciate the sound of the second oldest organ in Prague – a unique Baroque one dating from 1702. - in: https://prague.eu

Utrecht - Netherlands

I've been to the Netherlands for the second time in 2018. The first time I visited the country I stayed in Rotterdam and that second time I chose Utrecht, where I had a guided tour of the city with my friend Tessa. 

Last month Tessa was also a guide to our friend Anne and they sent me a card of their meeting.

 

Fotografie: Merijn van der Vliet

NL-5415046, sent by Patricia.

One of the things we did was to visit the cathedral and its tower. As suggested in the last postcard, we went up the tower but did even more, we went down under the tower. We did the Dom Under visit, which presents us with 2000 years of Utrecht history. With the help of interactive flashlights, we discovered the archaeological finds, which date back to the Roman Castellum 'Trajectum', the Roman fortress that protected the northern border of the Roman Empire. I had already climbed many church towers, but it was the first time I walked through a cathedral foundations.

NL-284990.

Utrecht is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, and many regard it as the cozier alternative to Amsterdam. The city boasts beautiful canals and parks, lively restaurants and cafés, fascinating museums and remarkable historical buildings. Its city center alone is absolutely worth a visit. 

The Dom Tower of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, at 112.5 metres (368 feet) in height,and the Gothic-style tower is the symbol of the city.

 The tower was part of the Cathdreal of Saint Martin, also known as Dom Church, and was built between 1321 and 1382 to a design by John of Hainaut. The cathedral was never fully completed due to lack of money. Since the unfinished nave collapsed in 1674 the Dom tower became a free standing tower." - in: wikipedia

 © Donker Utrecht

NL-2234352, sent by Maryn.

This is an unsual view of the Dom Tower in Utrecht. 

Climbing the Dom Tower is a wonderful opportunity to explore the city of Utrecht in an entirely different way! Via 465 steps (there is no lift), a guide will take you to the top of the highest church tower in the Netherlands. Halfway there, you will get a view of the historic bells with a total weight of no less than 32,000 kg. One floor higher is the magnificent 17th-century Hemony carillon. The tower galleries at 70 and 95 metres provide a spectacular view of the city and province of Utrecht. - in: www.domtoren.nl/en

Postcrossing 20th Anniversary Meetups

 Last month Postcrossing turned 20 and the date didn't go unnoticed. There were many ways to celebrate this special anniversary but the one that postcrossers like the most, are probably meetings. Hundreds of postcrossers met in many place around the globe, in a total of 179 meetings!! Unfortunately I didn't attend any of them but got cards from 2.

 

Photo by Clementina postcardshop

The Postcrossing logo is a registered trademark

Leiria was the city that hosted the Portuguese meeting and this card was sent by Miguel.

 

The Postcrossing logo is a registered trademark

I'm sure that besides Jyväskylä, other Finnish cities may have also hosted meetings  This card was sent by Heidi. 

The Postcrossing logo is a registered trademark

Photo by Luzia

The city of São Paulo in Brazil also hosted a meeting.

The picture on the card was taken by Luzia and the card was also sent by her.

US-1155645

 This is only my 2nd or 3rd card from Arkansas and I don't know much about the state but apparently, fishing is more than a past time over there, it is a time-honored tradition and a passion to many.

 

US-1155645, sent by Mia.

 Arkansas is home to over 300 public fishing areas.

Anglers in Arkansas know that there are no “best” times to fish–go whenever you feel like it. Four distinct fishing seasons, yet mild temperatures add to the pleasures of wetting a line in some of the best fishing lakes, rivers and streams in the South. There are no closed fishing seasons. 

You can reel in a variety of fish species, from largemouth and smallmouth bass,to crappie, catfish, bluegill and trout. But anglers can enjoy the challenge of many often-overlooked species as well, such as the bowfin, gar, carp, paddlefish and pickerel.

North Cascades - USA

 This has to be one of my favorite cards from the USA in these last months. How beautiful is this?? I just love it. It was sent by Helen.

Photo by: Jamie & Judy

Established in 1968, the rugged wilderness sanctuary within the North Cascades National Park Service Complex boasts over 300 glaciers, making it the most heavily glaciated area in the United States outside of Alaska. - in: https://wnpf.org

This beautiful lake is Lake Lewis and in the background there's Black Peak.