Blarney Castle - Ireland

One day will go back to Ireland just to visit castles. Who wants to join me? 

If you google on the most famous and most visited castles in Ireland, Blarney Castle will definitely be one of them.

These cards were sent by Claudia and Anne-Sophie.

Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. The castle originally dates from before 1200. It was destroyed in 1446, but subsequently rebuilt by Cormac MacCarthy, the King of Munster.

The castle is now a partial ruin with some accessible rooms and battlements. At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. 

Tourists visiting Blarney Castle may hang upside-down over a sheer drop to kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of eloquence. There are many versions of the origin of the stone, including a claim that it was the Lia Fáil — a numinous stone upon which Irish kings were crowned. 

 

Photography reproduced from the original artistic work © Liam Blake

Surrounding the castle are extensive gardens. There are paths touring the grounds with signs pointing out the various attractions such as several natural rock formations with fanciful names such as Druid's Circle, Witch's Cave and the Wishing Steps. The grounds include a poison garden with numerous poisonous plants, including wolfsbane, mandrake, ricin and opium, as well as cannabis.  - in: wikipedia

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Do you like Harenberg's calendars postcards? Some time ago I read a discussion about them and one of things people pointed out was the thickness of the paper, which is thinner than most postcards. That's true but when the quality of the pictures is this great, for me, that is more important than the paper. I absolutely love this picture.

 

The card was sent from Germany but the lovely windmill can be seen in Cley next the Sea, in Norfolk, England. 

 

awl-images/Alan Copson

DE-11515693, sent by Lena.

Cley Windmill dates from the early 19th century and is a well-known landmark on the North Norfolk Coast. What visitors to the area may not have realised is that, these days, the windmill offers boutique-style bed and breakfast accommodation, enabling guests to stay in a truly unique and memorable setting with breathtaking views of the sea, the surrounding salt marshes and across to Blakeney Point.

Cley Windmill stands on the north side of the village and is within walking distance of the many independently-owned shops, pubs and eateries in the village (...). . in: https://boutiqueandbreakfast.com

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Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of four constituent countries, Netherlands in Europe and Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. I've never been to the Caribbean countries but I've been to the Netherlands twice.

 

www.postzegelerop.com

NL-5144476, sent by Geeske.

The Netherlands is divided in twelve provinces but I've only been to Sout-Holland, North-Holland and Utrecht. The others are: Drenthe; Gelderland; Limburg; Overijssel; Flevoland; North-Barbant; Zeeland; Friesland and Groningen. 

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Bad Bentheim is a town in the southwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. The castle Burg Bentheim, is the town's emblem.

 

DE-11401400, sent by Martin.

The town's most prominent emblem, the castle – Burg Bentheim – stands in the town's centre where it simply cannot be overlooked. The popular tourist site can be visited nowadays as a museum, with or without a guide. The high keep, known as the Pulverturm, or “Powder Tower”, affords visitors a good view over Bad Bentheim. - in: wikipedia

Pena National Palace - Portugal

We've many beautiful palaces in Portugal but the Pena Palace in Sintra is probably the most beautiful and famous of them all. We like it so much that on 7 July 2007, it was selected as one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

Did you know that the first picture made in Portugal was a picture of the Pena Palace?! It was taken by a gentleman named Wenceslau Cifka. By the way, the pictures on these cards are great and the cards were sent by Nídia, Vitória, Joana, Ninocas and another Joana. 

 

Fotos: Izhar Perlman, Manuel Pinturache, Nuno Perestelo * Edições 19 de Abril

Pena National Palace, in the historical town of Sintra and part of the Pena park, represents one of the best expressions in the world of 19th-century architectural Romanticism.

© Sergiy Scheblykin 2016

It was the first Romantic palace in Europe, having been built about 30 years before the charismatic Schloss Neuschwanstein, in Bavaria.

The palace and park were designed and constructed as a single entity. From the palace, visitors look out on a mantle of greenery that covers over 200 hectares – Pena Park. - in: http://www.sintraromantica.net/en/monuments/national-palace-of-pena

The forested park lands that surround the palace continue the Romanticism design ideals of the palace, with hidden pathways, ornate features and stunning view points.

Rufino & Rufino Lda

The palace is a hedonistic mix of vividly painted terraces, decorative battlements and mythological statues, all of which stand at stark contrast to the lush greens of the forests that encircle Pena.

The interior of the palace is equally as fascinating, being restored to reflect the decor of 1910, when the Portuguese nobility fled to Brazil to escape the revolution. 

Vistal Gráfica, Lda * Photo: Boris Stroujko - folotia.com

The Palácio da Pena is a wonderful flamboyant complex that is a highlight of any visit to Sintra but this popularity does mean that it can get very crowded, especially during the summer months. - in: http://www.sintra-portugal.com/Attractions/palacio-pena-palace-sintra.html

Emperor's Gardens - Madeira

This little yellow house is one of the buildings that is part of Quinta dos Jardins do Imperador - Emperor's Gardens, located in Sítio do Pico, in Funchal. I've been thinking about traveling to Madeira and this could be a place to visit in Funchal but due to the beginning of the works of the future Museum of Romanticism, the gardens are closed.

 The postcard was sent by Paulo.

 

Quinta do Monte is currently known as Quinta dos Jardins do Imperador in reference to Emperor Charles of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria-Hungary who lived there with his family, exiled between 1921 and 1922, eventually dying there. 

Besides having served as a residence for the Emperor of Austria, other illustrious figures are part of its history: in 1901, the kings of Portugal, D. Carlos and D. Amélia, were there, as well as, in October 1922, the aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral.

PT RR - Surprise Group February 22

In a RR written in Portuguese, postcards can come from anywhere in the world and written in different accents. In this group there's a postcard sent by an English who has lived in Brazil, a postcard sent by a Dutch who lives in Portugal and finally a postcard sent by a Portuguese who lives in Algarve.

 Illustration by Dave Thompson

I haven't been to Lindisfarne yet but I'd love to visit it, in fact it's at the top of the list of places I want to visit in England and is one of Adam's favorite places in the country. 

Lindisfarne is an island, accessible at low tide, off the north east coast of England. The ruins of Lindisfarne Priory dominate the south side of the island village. Construction of the priory church at Lindisfarne, which forms the core of the priory whose ruins we can still see today, began around the 1120s.

Fotografia: Osvaldo Santos

Eric reminded me of my vacation in June last year when I went to Vila Nova de Cerveira and hiked the Cervo Trail. It was always going up but it was worth the effort. 

Trilho do Cervo is a circular hiking trail of about eight kilometers. It begins and ends at the Casa do Turismo de Cerveira, passes by the Fort of Lovelhe and continues towards the hill, passing by the Ermida da Senhora da Encarnação. Shortly after is Alto do Castro, where you can see the Cervo. In addition to the Cervo sculpture, there is a very intragrammble swing that delights children and adults.... in this case, I think it will be more for the adults.

 

I didn't care much for urban art when I visited Brussels and it's quite possible that this mural hadn't been painted yet when I visited the city. I didn't find out when it was painted but I did find out that this mural was painted by Nean for a Red Cross campaign. Samuel and his mother, are just two faces of many people of non-Western roots who have difficulty finding a stem cell donor. The appeal is that people of non-Western roots can donate cells. 

Thanks to Tiago for this nice postcard.