Ponta Delgada - Azores

Today is Azores postcards day!! I started with the map of Faial and now I've views from Ponta Delgada, São Miguel island. 

Two cards show exactly the same place, Gonçalo Velho Cabral Square,  in ponta Delgada, where the "Portas da Cidade" - City's Gates, are located. The areal views of the Square where sent by Paula, a former penpal, Zé, and Cristina sent the card with the City's gates.

 

©  Maurício de Abreu

  Where once there was the ocean now there is land: the current square and seaside avenue were built in the late 1940s.

 

Its name derives from a homage of the Town Hall of Ponta Delgada to the first Donatary Captain of the Islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria. 

The square floor is typically paved with dark basalt stones from the region and elegant bright marble brought from mainland.

The city's gates in Ponta Delgada are one of the city's architectural landmarks. 

Located nowadays in the city centre, in Gonçalo Velho Cabral Square, the gates were built in 1783 near an old dock in the east side of the city, having been transferred to this location in 1952. 

Classified in 1953 as National Trust Building, they're characterised by their three perfect round arches, boasting in the middle arch the Royal and city’s coat of arms. 

PT-796799

An official from Portugal!! Yay. The last time I got one was last year in May. 

These last days I'm only thinking about my holidays, next week, but this card brought me back some memories of my last holidays in Faial island. 

Faial Island is the 4th largest island in the Archipelago. It is 21km long and 14km wide (173.42km2), which corresponds to 7% of the total landmass of the Azores, and has the 3rd largest population, with approximately 15,000 inhabitants (2011 census).

The island is formed by a line of mountains that crosses from east to west dotted by numerous volcanic peaks. The largest of these is Caldeira, a giant crater that is 2,000m across by 400m deep, the result of intense eruptions that greatly contributed to the formation of the island as it exists today.

PT-796799, sent by Fernando.

At the western tip of the island stands the Capelinhos Volcano that began to erupt in 1957 and ended in 1958. Just a little more than 60 years ago, this eruption deeply marked the island and its effects are still visible today.

The highlands of the island are marked by hills and extensive areas of pasture and forest, which create striking landscapes with an intense palette of greens. The coast is characterized by a great variety of geographical formations, from slopes dominated by cliffs to protected bays, natural pools, and several black sand beaches.

Horta, the only city in the Triangle, is known as the “Sea City”, with a history connected to navigation, international trade, telecommunications, aviation, and whaling dating back 600 years.

Ever since it was settled, Horta has been a place where peoples and cultures from different parts of the world have met and interacted. Its marina is one of the busiest in the world, welcoming more than 1,200 vessels on their journeys across the Atlantic every year. First started centuries ago, calling into the port of Horta is still a mandatory ritual today for sailors from all over the world. 

Today, the island is still recognized for the harmonious way it combines the best of nature on land and sea with this feeling of closeness to the rest of the world––a feeling that stems from sharing, a sense of curiosity, and generosity. - in: https://www.discoverfaial.com

PT RR - Surprise Group * September 23

 Ups, it happened again!! I got the 3 cards I was supposed to received in this group but as last month, I already had one of them. Eric sent me the same card he sent me last February.

© concept by Postcardsmarket.com

If I'm not mistaken Tiago has sent me the 3 Portuguese FOTW cards, Portugal, Azores and now Madeira. 

Madeira has an area of 741 km², a population of 289.000 and its capital is Funchal. 

Unique: 

* Laurissilva - the indigenous forest of Madeira dates from the Tertiary Period; 

* Laurissilva is considered a living legacy, as, in light of the glaciations which occurred at the beginning of the Quarternary Period, which led to its almost total extenction in continental Europe;

Famous:  

* Cristiano Ronaldo - is original from Funchal, Madeira. He was born in February 5th in 1985;

* Banana - is a noteworthy fruit on Madeira island due to its quality and quantity of production; 

History: 

* Sugar cane - is one of the agricultural species with the greatest relevance in the History of Madeira, which originated the White Gold Age;

* It quickly afforded the Funchal metropolis frank economic property. This meant that in the second half of the 15th century, the city of Funchal became a mandatory port of call for European trade routes.

Fotografia: Oswaldo Santos

I didn't have this exact card but I've similar ones. It was sent by Nídia.

These are just a few of the twenty-four stone espigueiros (granaries) in the village of Soajo, northern Portugal. With architectural features dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the community used them  to store its corn, mainly maize, which is abundant in the region.
The crosses at the top represent divine protection of their contents, survival of the community, "our daily bread".

Monthy Fav. Surprise RR - August '23

Sometimes there are months when the postcards I receive in this RR have repeated themes, for example 2 postcards with churches, 2 FOTW but in August the postcards had nothing to do with each other. Four different wishes, four different themes, 3 different countries, USA, Netherlands, China. 

Photo - Konstantino Hatzisarros 2019 * www.psarisproductions.com

The Mural Kings by TATS CRU at the Houston Bowery Wall went up in late January of 2019 as an homage to NYC and the Lower East Side, including a shout out to the late Keith Haring (who, back in 1982, was the first artist to create a site-specific mural for the now legendary street canvas). Tats Cru is the first full graffiti crew to paint a mural here.
The mural also honors green activist and advocate Liz Christy (1950 – 1985), who created NYC’s first community garden, which still thrives just across the street from the mural. - in: https://worleygig.com

Card sent by Nan.

Edith checked my windmill collection and noticed I still didn't have this one. 

De Hoop is a smock mill in Dokkum, Friesland, which was built in 1849 and has been restored to working order. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, a national heritage site.

A snowy, foggy view of Tianshan Tianchi Lake, (literally: the Heaven Lake of the Tianshan Moutains), is a famous tourist destination in Xinjiang. The surface of the lake is 1,910m above sea level with its deepest part reaching 105m. Tianchi is surrounded by spruce trees while the lake surface reflects Bogda Peak, making the surrounding scenery seem like it came out of a fairytale.
The scenic area includes natural landscapes such as alpine lakes, wetland meadows, forests, gorges and other natural splendors. - in: https://www.travelchina.org.cn

Beautiful card, one of my favs from China, with nice stamps, sent by Qi.

Totally different card from China but also great. I've seen pictures of this place on IG and was impressed by the thousands of tiny red houses sprawling on the hills. 

Seda (or Sertar in Tibetan), which forms part of the Garze part of Sichuan province, is home to the largest Tibetan Buddhist institute in the world.
Founded in 1980, the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute now houses some 40,000 monks, nuns, students and pilgrims. The place is of huge spiritual importance to Buddhists, with residents hailing not just from the nearby area but also from provinces all over China and even from overseas. - in: https://www.chinahighlights.comry.htm

Card sent by Linda. 

AU-892796

 Windmills in Australia?!! Australia is big but there are only a few traditional mills in the country. This is the Old Mill in Perth.

AU-892796, sent by Ângela.

The Old Mill in South Perth is one of Perth’s best known landmarks and one of Western Australia’s oldest colonial buildings.
Built in 1835 and operating until 1859, the mill produced 680kg of flour per day at its peak. Since ceasing production, the mill has been used as a hotel, a residence, a wine saloon and a poultry farm. - in: https://visitperth.com

Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania - Romania

What did I just say about churches in Romania? After the wooden churches of Maramures and the painted churches in Moldavia, now I've fortified churches in Transylvania. These are also on the UNESCO list.

These Transylvanian villages with their fortified churches provide a vivid picture of the cultural landscape of southern Transylvania. The seven villages inscribed, founded by the Transylvanian Saxons, are characterized by a specific land-use system, settlement pattern and organization of the family farmstead that have been preserved since the late Middle Ages. They are dominated by their fortified churches, which illustrate building styles from the 13th to the 16th century. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

 

Foto: © M. Dragomir

 The village of Biertan, first mentioned in an official document in 1283, is home to one of the largest and most impressive medieval strongholds in Transylvania. 

Surrounded by quaint streets and vineyards, the 15th century fortified church at Biertan is perched high on a hill in the middle of the village. Three tiers of 35-foot-high defensive walls, connected by towers and gates, encircled the complex, making the church impossible to conquer during medieval times. Featuring late-gothic architecture with heavy doors and double exterior walls, the church boasts the largest Transylvanian multi-paneled wooden altar and a remarkable wooden door which once protected the treasures in the sacristy. 

Visitors can also admire the towers surrounding the church, namely the Clock Tower, the Bell Tower, the Gate Tower and the Bacon Tower. Within the grounds are several other interesting buildings, including the Prison Tower - which once served marital counseling purposes. - in: http://romaniatourism.com

© Photo Mioritics

Viscri village is one of the oldest in Brasov county and all of Transylvania, its beginning being lost in time, although the first mentioning appears in the 15th century. The Saxon colonists came in this area of Romania somewhere in the 12th century, settling or establishing new villages, most of them having beautiful fortified churches in the middle. This is also the case of Viscri village, dominated by the impressive rural fortification with its charming Romanic church from the 13th century. The mysterious monument rises above the gentle rolling hills and the traditional atmosphere that hasn’t changed in centuries. - in:https://romaniatourstore.com

Churches of Moldavia - Romania

There is no shortage of beautiful churches in Romania. These are found in the northeast of the country, in the Moldovia region. These are only 2 of the 8 churches that have been classified as World Heritage since 1993.

 These eight churches of northern Moldavia, built from the late 15th century to the late 16th century, their external walls covered in fresco paintings, are masterpieces inspired by Byzantine art. They are authentic and particularly well preserved. Far from being mere wall decorations, the paintings form a systematic covering on all the facades and represent complete cycles of religious themes.Their exceptional composition, the elegance of the characters, and the harmony of the colors blend perfectly with the surrounding countryside. - in: https://whc.unesco.org

 

Photo: © Marius Vasiliu

 Built in 1487 and dedicated to the Holy Cross, the monastery at Patrauti is the oldest surviving religious site founded by Stephen the Great. Mural paintings, dating from around 1550, can still be admired on the west façade. In 1775, soon after Bucovina was annexed to the Habsburg Empire, the monastery was turned into a parish church. Today, only the church and a wooden bell tower are still standing from the original monastic complex. - in: http://romaniatourism.com

Founded in 1530, Humor (Hoo mor) is rather small, physically, but it looms large among Bucovina’s treasures with a variety of frescoes dating from 1535, including one illustrating the Return of the Prodigal Son and one with a “humorous” depiction of the devil as a woman.

The church, topped by a cross-shaped shingled roof, is without a steeple, indicating that it was built by a court official rather than a prince. The predominant hues of the frescoes are reddish brown with some rich blues and green infusions. An extremely valuable collection of icons from the 16th century is displayed in the monastery. - in: https://romaniatourism.com