Kutná Hora - Czech Republic

Yesterday someone posted a game about travels on FB and one of the questions was about a favorite trip. I started to think about which one would be mine but I honestly can't thing of a favorite because I have 3 or 4 or 5 that I really liked. One of them was Czech Republic in 2014. I loved it! One of the places visited was Kutná Hora, well worth the day trip from Prague.

www.unesco-czech.cz

CZ-389831, sent by Guliver.

Kutná Hora is, as its name suggests, associated with the mining (kutání in Czech) of silver. In 1142 the first Cistercian monastery in the Czech lands was established in the nearby village of Sedlec and at the end of the 13th century the original mining settlement of Cuthna antiqua – Old Kutna - soon became a wealthy royal city. In 1300 King Václav II issued the mining legislation „Ius regale montanorum“ and in the same year he initiated a coinage reform. One century later another king, Václav IV, issued the Kutná Hora Decree, which amended the proportion of votes at Prague University in favour of the Czechs. Kutná Hora is therefore rightly considered to be the treasure-house of the land whose wealth gave strength to the expansion of the Kingdom of Bohemia. Its history and uniqueness were recognised in 1995 when the city was inscribed in the UNESCO World Cultural and Heritage List. 

Ever since the end of the 13th century the history of Kutná Hora has been inseparably linked to the mining of silver ore. The historical centre is an architectural jewel of European importance, and the late gothic Church of St. Barbora and the Cathedral of Our Lady in Sedlec, rebuilt in the baroque gothic style, create a notional entrance gateway to the royal mining city. - in: http://en.czech-unesco.org/kutna-hora/introduction/

"St. Barbara's Church is one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe and it is a UNESCO world heritage site. St Barbara is the patron saint of miners (among others), which was highly appropriate for a town whose wealth was based entirely upon its silver mines.

Construction began in 1388, but because work on the church was interrupted several times, it was not completed until 1905." - in: wikipedia

DE-9116448

After 2 weeks without mail, I finally got cards last wednesday. With all the mail restrictions due to corona virus, it's totally understandable that our mailboxes are empty most of the days. I understand and accept but don't like it :( No mail is what isolation means to me.

Ok, back to cards. 

Gerd and Petra live in eastern Germany, close to Czech Republic, where this card is from.

DE-9116448, sent by Gerd and Petra.

The Neo-Gothic Temple, in the park of Krásný Dvůr, is the oldest lookout tower in the Czech Republic. 

The construction started in 1793 and from the very beginning, the temple was used as a lookout tower and later also as a memorial to the successful general Karl of Schwarzenberg, a winner over Napoleon at Leipzig in 1813. - in: https://www.zamek-krasnydvur.cz

Geiranger Fjord - Norway

One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about Norway are the fjords and this one in Geiranger is the most famous and most visited in the country. Geiranger is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Located in Sunnmøre in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, in the western part of Norway, this small tourist village lies at the head of the Geirangerfjord.

The iconic Geirangerfjord is considered one of the most beautiful fjords in the world, and is included on the UNESCO World Heritage list together with the Nærøyfjord.

The Geirangerfjord is one of Norway’s most popular natural attractions. The fjord is 260 metres deep while the surrounding mountains are 1600-1700 metres high. The fjord is also known for its spectacular waterfalls and deserted fjord farms high up on the steep cliffsides. 

NO-47157, sent by "calendula".

The idyllic nature and the dramatic mountains will impress any visitor in the area. 

The now deserted fjord farms tell the tales of a different time and way of life. You can visit some of the farms, such as Skageflå, Knivsflå, Blomberg, Matvik, Syltevik and Westerås. - in: https://www.fjordnorway.com

Bergen - Norway

Back in 2012 Heidi "dollart" travelled to Norway, the expensive south Norway, she said. Norway is on my must visit list but at the bottom of it. This country is way too expensive for a poor portuguese. In 2009 Valérie also visited the country. These are the cards they sent me. 

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and the most popular gateway to the fjords of West Norway. The city still has relics of its Hanseatic heyday, most notably the old harbor of Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bergen has been ravaged by several fires; the most recent major fire took place in 1917, a fire which destroyed most of the buildings in what is today the central parts of the city center.

 © Aune Forlag AS

 Between 1350 and 1750 Bryggen used to be a Hansa dock, trading and processing area. The wooden houses at Bryggen today were built after the devastating city fire of 1702, but are probably very similar to the buildings that were there before. Despite neglect and fires (Norwegian cities had a habit of burning down because everything is made of wood), a considerable number of buildings have survived and are now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 If you enter some of the alleyways between the storefronts, you really get a feel of what Bergen must have been like in the middle ages. There are a few museums on the history of Bergen and of Bryggen, but the most interesting aspect is probably that almost all of the buildings are still in use. One example is the restaurant Bryggen tracteursted, serving food and drinks in a building first opened for this purpose in 1708. - in: wikitravel

Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum - Norway

Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site and the last Norwegian site added to the UNESCO WHS list. Last month Doris got to visit the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum in Rjukan. 

Rjukanfossen (the Rjukan Waterfall) lay the foundation for the Vemork Power Plant, which became the largest of its kind in the world when completed in 1911. The Vemork Power Plant now houses the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum and the World Heritage Centre. Visitors can learn about the industrial adventure that began in the early 1900s and about the dramatic events that took place in Rjukan during World War II. - in: https://nia.no/en/vemork/

Photo: I. Karvand / NIA

During Word War II, Vemork in Rjukan was one of the few places in Europe that made heavy water, an important ingredient in the first nuclear bombs. The facility was sabotaged by Norwegian resistance fighters, which prevented Germany from developing the atom bomb. This operation made Vemork the centre of one of the most important and daring sabotage missions during the war. - in: https://www.visitnorway.com

Florence - Italy

In the last days of February, Anne traveled to Italy. The situation was still pretty much under control and limited to the north of the country but it all changed and a few days later the Italian central government decided to extend restrictions on the movement of people across the entire country to limit the spread of coronavirus. It was a trip in strange circunstances but even with all the restrictions, such as closed museums, she fell in love in Florence... again. I know I'd fall in love with this view. Grazie. 

© Photo Luciano Mugnaini

Florence is renowned as one of the most cultural and historical cities in the world and is packed full of amazing architecture and places of significance. As the capital of the Tuscany region of Italy, Florence has a population of 383,000 and a wider metropolitan population of 1.5 million. This wonderful city lies in the central region of Italy and has a well developed rail network with connections to Pisa, and Bologna.

During ancient history, Florence was once a Roman city and then developed into a thriving medieval commune. It is hailed as the birthplace of the Renaissance movement, and throughout the 12th, 15th and 16th centuries, was one of the most important cities of the world. Notable residents of Florence included Machiavelli, Lorenzo Medici, Dante, Michelangelo, Donatello, Galileo and Raphael.

Today, tourism is undoubtedly a major part of the economy of Florence and an average of 13 million people visit the city each year. - in: https://www.thecrazytourist.com/20-best-things-florence-italy/

PT RR - Group 148 * Surprise March

In these quarantine days, I believe that for many postcrossers, is it really hard not to outside and send cards. I've to work everyday, my post office is not far from work but  due to restrictions on postal services in several countries, I stopped sending mail almost 2 weeks ago. I'm sot sending and I'm not getting any mail either.  These two must have been the last I received.

Both arrived on the same days and I really enjoyed both. Thanks to Mafalda and Tiago.

Because of the virus, Mafalda gave up her trip to Georgia and went to Spain. When she diced to go she still hadn't realized how the situation was there. He returned to a place that she knows well and luckily did not bring any bad memories.

The Collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor is a medieval church in Toro, province of Zamora, Spain.

One of the most characteristic examples of transitional Romanesque architecture in Spain, the church of Santa María la Mayor is inspired by the Cathedral of Zamora, in turn, inspired by the Old Cathedral of Salamanca. The tower-dome is usually listed as one of the four most typical in León together with those in the cathedrals of Salamanca, Plasencia and Zamora.

It was begun around 1170 and was finished in the mid-13th century. Two different directors of the work have been identified, according to the different types of stone used (limestone in the old sections, sandstone in the most recent ones), and by the barrel vaults in the transept. The church is on the basilica plan, with a nave and two aisles, with a transept over whose crossing is the hendecagonal dome. The transept ends with three semicircular apses. - in: wikipedia

© Edição Vistal * Foto: Wildman - fotolia.com - Design: G. A. Wittich

When a new year starts I immediately start to think of my next trips. This year because of the virus everything is on hold and plans had to be changed and I decided that I'll spend my holidays in Portugal. This will be my small contribution to help the national economy. Thinking of possible destinations, Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast can be a good option, this is actually the only area of the country that I've never been to.

Classified as one of the 7 Wonders - Beaches of Portugal, the beach of Odeceixe, located at the northern end of the county of Aljezur, has the particularity to contain a river beach as it is limited to the east and north by the Ribeira de Seixe. Has so baths of sea and river. The stream, which includes the largest watershed of this county, affects the dynamics of that beach, not only by the amount of sediments but also by the power of the floods, which in very rainy periods may affect the shape and dimension of this beach.The Odeceixe Beach insert is thus on the edge of a valley dominated by this stream, resulting lofty cliffs sandwiched between shale and grauvaques characteristic of this region. The beach features a high quality landscape and biodiversity and can enjoy is a rare landscape of great beauty and the top of the cliffs. These are prime habitat for birds, providing excellent conditions for bird watching, as the white stork, the peregrine or red-billed chough. It is indeed in this Natural Park, the only place in the world where it is possible to observe the storks nesting in maritime cliffs. - in: https://cm-aljezur.pt