Unesco RR "ORC" - Group 112

Today i've received 4 cards, and 1 of them was this Upper Middle Rhine Valley, an Unesco whs in Germany. I've already received the Kinderdijk, from Netherlands a few months ago. It was worth waiting because is a great card and a new site in my collection.

The card was sent by Sabine "TG250607" and it shows the "Marksburg Castle above the town of Braubach in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the only medieval castle of the Middle Rhine that has never been destroyed. It is one of the principal sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. The castle was built to protect the town of Braubach and to reinforce the customs facilities. It was built about 1117 and explicitly first mentioned in 1231.
The Upper Middle Rhine Valley, is a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen in Germany. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in June 2002 for a unique combination of geological, historical, cultural and industrial reasons." - in: wikipedia

This Kinderdijk card was sent by Carolien "carolien25". Somewhere in older posts, there's information about this site, i guess i don't need to repeat it again.

Vila Nova de Milfontes - Portugal

3 cards sent by Américo "valdagua".

"Vila Nova de Milfontes is a parish in the Odemira municipality of Portugal. It is cornered between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mira River, in the Sudoeste Alentejano and Costa Vicentina Natural Park.

The village dates from the year 1468, founded by the King D. João II. The first inhabitants were prisoners sentenced by minor delicts and fifty years after the village establishment the population was no more than ten families.

Vila Nova de Milfontes means New Village of the Thousand springs. This is why it is known as "the three lies village", as it is not new, it was already know as "village" before being in fact a village, and it has no springs.
Vila Nova de Milfontes has a beautiful estuary that gives shelter to several species of birds and marine life. Moreover, wild boars and foxes can be found in the surrounding woods." - in: wikipedia

Abrantes - Portugal

These cards were sent by Helena "leninha". On my wishlist for some portuguese places i had the Abrantes Castle, she said she was going to send me 1 card but she sent 3 cards. Obrigada Helena :)

This is an aerial view of Abrantes, the city where Helena was born. I've only been to this city once.

"Located on a hillside overlooking the River Tagus, Abrantes had once a great strategic importance, namely during the Christian Reconquest (12th century) and the Peninsular War.

 The castle and fortress is a reminder of this historical role: built by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, it was used for military purposes until the 20th century." - in: http://viajar.clix.pt/geo.php?c=197&lg=es

Another view of the walls and some houses.

How do you store your cards??

This is how i store my precious cards.

For the normal size cards i've these albuns and these plastic sheets with pockets. Each one of them has 8 pockets. I've 2 of these albuns for the portuguese cards and 2 for the foreign cards but soon i'll need more. I separate the portuguese cards by districts and the foreign ones by countries.

For the bigger cards i've some photo albuns. These albuns are great to keep them in good conditions but i can't separate them as i wish.

A few days ago i've started to try a new method for the big cards. I used a bit of stationary tape to glue the cards into a piece of paper and then just put them in a normal plastic sheet. This way i can put them in the album for the normal size cards and separate them by districts or countries.

Finally, this is my beautiful card box where i keep them when i don't have plastic sheets or photo albuns. Right now i need to buy more plastic sheets.

Pictures vs Postcards II

This is the second round of pictures vs postcards. The 1st was dedicated to castles, this is dedicated to city halls.

This is the City Hall of Vila Real. Vila Real is a town, seat of the district of Vila Real, in the north of the country.I can't find any information about the building. On the right side there's a pillory from 1515.

I took this picture 2 weeks ago. This was the 3rd time i've visited the city. The 1st time i went there was on Princess Diana's funeral day.
As you can see, the pillory isn't there. They've changed it to a different place.

This is the City Hall of Mirandela, also in the north of the country, located in the district of Bragança. The building is a palace from the 17th century.

A picture also taken 2 weeks ago. Usually i take the picture and later i found out a similar card, but on this case i've bought the card 1st and wanted to take a picture like the card. This was the best i could do.

Yosemite National Park - USA

1 of the 6 cards i've received today, a new unesco whs sent by Sergio "sfcalvo".

On the back of the card: Reminding early travelers of an avalanche of snow, elegant Nevada Fall tumbles 594 feet over the top step of the Giant Stairway. The rock formation in the center is Liberty Cap. Visitors reach the top of Nevada fall by hiking from Yosemite Valley beyond Vernal Fall, or by the Panorama Trail from Glacier Point. The trail to Half Dome continues from this point at the top of Nevada Fall.

"Yosemite National Park lies in the heart of California. With its 'hanging' valleys, many waterfalls, cirque lakes, polished domes, moraines and U-shaped valleys, it provides an excellent overview of all kinds of granite relief fashioned by glaciation. At 600–4,000 m, a great variety of flora and fauna can also be found here." - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/308

Ninocas' cards

Ana "ninocas" sent me these beautiful cards as a prize of her lottery in the portuguese community.

© Michael Howard photography www.mikehowardphoto.com

This is a card from Albufeira, south of the country. Is my 1st card with this shape.

And a card from Porto with a panoramic view of the Douro River with the rabelo boats and Dom Luís I Bridge. The Rabelo Boat, it is a typical boat from Porto. This kind of boat is not used anymore , except to tourism trips along the river. In old times those were the boats used to transport, from the mountains up the river, the Port Wine in big pipes to the cellars in Porto and Gaia.

This is also a card from Porto, a building with portuguese tiles.
"Tiles (called azulejos) are everywhere in Portugal. They decorate everything from walls of churches and monasteries, to palaces, ordinary houses, park seats, fountains, shops, and railway stations. They often portray scenes from the history of the country, show its most ravishing sights, or simply serve as street signs, nameplates, or house numbers.
Although they are not a Portuguese invention (the use of glazed tiles began in Egypt), they have been used more imaginatively and consistently in Portugal than in any other nation. They became an art form, and by the 18th century no other European country was producing as many tiles for such a variety of purposes and in so many different designs. Today, they still remain a very important part of the country's architecture." - in: http://www.golisbon.com/culture/azulejos.html

Are you hungry?? These are some portuguese food specialities. I don't know what some of the things are but everything looks delicious.

"Zambujeira do Mar is small fishing village on the Portuguese coast in the Alentejo region.
The popular event Festival Sudoeste, one of the biggest summer music festivals in Portugal, takes place in the Zambujeira do Mar. During the four days of the festival a whole host of national and international bands take to the stage playing through the day and evening. After hours, world-renowned DJs keep the party going well into the next morning. Past performers have included some big names from the world of indie and rock music including Marilyn Manson, Oasis, Ben Harper, Muse, Fatboy Slim, Doves, Basement Jaxx, and Black Uhuru." - in: wikipedia