Chile & Mexico

After 2 days without cards, today i've found these in my mailbox. The card from Chile was sent by Giulia "giulia93", a brazilian postcrosser that spend some days there and i won the mexican card in a lottery and it was sent by Iván "ivanmexdf".

"Valparaíso is a major city in Chile and one of that country's most important seaports and an increasingly vital cultural center in the hemisphere's Pacific Southwest. The city is located in central Chile, where it is capital of the Region of Valparaíso. Although Santiago is Chile's official capital, Valparaiso houses the National Congress. Built upon dozens of steep hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Valparaíso boasts a labyrinth of streets and cobblestone alleyways, embodying a rich architectural and cultural legacy. Valparaíso is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is often considered to be one of Latin America’s most intriguing urban areas." - in: wikipedia

"Palacio de Bellas Artes ("Palace of Fine Arts"), located in the Historic Centre of Mexico City, classified by Unesco as a World Heritage Site, is the premier opera house of Mexico City. The building is famous for both its extravagant Beaux Arts exterior in imported Italian white marble.

The theatre is used for classical music, opera and dance, notably the "Baile Folklórico". A distinctive feature of the theatre is its stained glass curtain depicting a volcano and the valley of Mexico. It is the home of Mexico's National Symphony Orchestra, the Bellas Artes Orchestra, the Bellas Artes Chamber Orchestra, the National Dance Company, and the Bellas Artes Opera." - in: wikipedia.

Croatian Palaces

Some croatian palaces. Unfortunately i didn't get to visit any of them when i was in Croatia.

Jamaican cards

Yesterday when my mom got home from work, she called me: "Marta, come here!!" - and i thought "did i something wrong??!".... There was nothing wrong, she had these 3 beautiful jamaican cards to give me! A friend of my family went to Jamaica and he got the cards for me :)

I guess this was the hotel he stayed. 5 stars... not bad humm :D

I quiet view of Negril.
"For years, Negril's has been rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world by many travel magazines. South of downtown Negril is West End Road, known as the cliff area, which is lined with resorts that offer more privacy. These areas offer easy access to waters good for snorkeling and diving, with jumping points reaching more than 40 feet high." - in: wikipedia.

And now a view of Ocho Rios Pier.

"Ocho Ríos (also known by the nickname Ochie) is a town on the northern coast of Jamaica. It is a popular tourist destination, well known for scuba diving and other water sports.
Ocho Rios is one of the fastest growing towns in the Caribbean with a population of about 96,000 people.
Ocho Rios was once a fishing village until it was discovered and is now a popular tourist destination in the Caribbean as well as a famous stop for cruise ships going into the Caribbean. It is only second in importance to the tourism industry of Jamaica." - in: wikipedia.

More 2 Unesco cards

These are the cards i've received today, 2 new unesco cards from New Zealand and Hungary. They've been sent by Jane "enajpostcards".

"Milford Sound (Piopiotahi in Māori) is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top travel destination in an international survey, and is acclaimed as New Zealand's own most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling had previously called it the eighth Wonder of the World." - in: wikipedia.

"Puszta is a concept often associated with the Hungarian traditional landscape. It means "steppe", a full vegetation and bushy land, wilderness, a grassy kind of semi-desert. With a capital letter and a definite article, it refers to flat parts of the Alföld (the Great Hungarian Plain). It is originally inhabited by cowherds, shepherds, and horseherds. From 1999, The Puszta (or Hortobágy National Park) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hungary." - in: wikipedia.

Costa Rica

Besides Ana's cards i've also received a beautiful card from Costa Rica, my 1st card from there and it was sent by Kris "krislan". Thank you Kris.

On the card we can see the Samara and and Carrillo Beaches.

"Costa Rica is a republic in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army.
The first European to reach what is now Costa Rica was Christopher Columbus in 1502." - in: wikipedia.

Portuguese cards

4 wonderful cards i've received today sent by Ana "ninocas" from diferent portuguese places.

Some portuguese lighthouses and lighthouses stamps. 

 "Cascais is a coastal town 30 kilometres west of Lisbon, with about 35,000 residents in the town. It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital and one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal's royal family in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Nowadays it is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and foreign tourists." "The Palácio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace) is a historical building in Porto, Portugal. The Palace was built in the 19th century by the city's Commercial Association (Associação Comercial) in Neoclassical style. It is located in the Infante D. Henrique Square in the historical centre of Oporto, designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The highlight of the Palace is, however, the Arab Room (shown on the card), built between 1862 and 1880 by Gonçalves e Sousa. The room is magnificently decorated in the exotic Moorish Revival style, fashionable in the 19th century, and is used as reception hall for personalities and heads of state visiting Porto." - in: wikipedia.

Fountains of Madrid

I've been to Madrid 3 or 4 times and i've a lot of cards from there. It's a nice city. Actually i'm as far from Madrid as i'am from Lisbon, i'm exactly in the middle! I'm just 30 minutes away from the spanish border but i spend several months without crossing it.

This is Cibeles Fountain - "Fuente de Cibeles" - located at the center of the Cibeles Square.
"This fountain, named after Cibele (or Ceres), roman goddess of nature, is seen as one of Madrid's most important symbols. The Cibeles fountain depicts the goddess in a chariot pulled by two lions. The fountain was built between 1777 and 1782 by Ventura Rodriguez. Whenever Real Madrid wins a cup, fans flock around the fountain to celebrate." - in http://www.aviewoncities.com/madrid/plazadecibeles.htm

"Neptune's Fountain stands in green and peaceful Plaza Cánovas del Castillo, a totally different atmosphere from the hurly-burly surrounding its sister fountain up the road, Cibeles. Carlos III had it built by Ventura Rodríguez in 1780 as part of his continuous quest to beautify the city. You'll find two upmarket hotels in the same square - Ritz and Palace - as well as the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Atlético de Madrid football fans meet here to celebrate their team's victories with rowdy high spirits." - in: http://www.wcities.com/en/record/,23493/11/record.html