Thursday, June 26, 2014

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

TUNISIA - Sidi Bou Said and Bizerte

This postcard shows the Sidi Bou Said town in Tunisia. Sent by Bechem.


While this card show Bizerte town.


"Tunisia, officially the Tunisian Republic (though often referred to in English as the Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa and, at almost 165,000 square kilometres (64,000 sq mi) in area, the smallest country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. As of 2013, its population is estimated at just under 10.8 million. Its name is derived from its capital city, Tunis, located on the country's northeast coast."


ALGERIA - Algeria View



"Algeria, officially People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa on the Mediterranean coast. Its capital and most populous city is Algiers. With a total area of 2,381,741 square kilometres (919,595 sq mi), 90% of which is desert, Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world, and the largest in Africa and on the Mediterranean. The country is bordered in the northeast by Tunisia, in the east by Libya, in the west by Morocco, in the southwest by Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Mali, in the southeast by Niger, and in the north by the Mediterranean Sea."


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

BELARUS - Belarus Folk Celebration

Belarus Folk Holidays and Celebration, Kupala Night.



GERMANY - Market Place, Bonn



"Bonn, officially the Federal City of Bonn, is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia."


Friday, June 20, 2014

BRUNEI - Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque



"Built in 1992 to celebrate the 25th year of the current sultan's reign, Brunei's largest mosque and its four terrazzo-tiled minarets dominate the 'suburbs' of BSB. It's certainly a...noticeable building; because the sultan is his dynasty's 29th ruler, the complex is adorned with 29 golden domes. At night the mosque is lit up like a gold flame." Source here


AUSTRIA - Tirol


"Tirol (Italian: Tirolo) is a comune (municipality) in the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of the city of Bolzano."




Thursday, June 19, 2014

TRINIDAD & TABAGO - Knowlsey House, Port of Spain, Trinidad



"Knowsley Building is a beautifully constructed building that could easily belong to the mansions of the Magnificent 7. Originally built in 1904 by Taylor Gillies for William Gordon, the restoration and adaptive use of the external and internal structures of the Knowsley Building was handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as its headquarters on May 5th 2011. The restored two storey building and basement features a reception area, administrative offices and tailored landscaping that includes a water feature. "


MADAGASCAR - Mahajanga



"Mahajanga is a city and a district on the northwest coast of Madagascar. Mahajanga is a favorite tourist destination for Malagasy tourists and international travelers, with beautiful beaches, a coconut-lined boardwalk.
The City of Mahajanga (Mahajanga I) is the capital of the Boeny region. Population: 135,660 (2001 estimate. Mahajanga is a seaport, the second most important one in Madagascar after Toamasina."


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

BELGIUM - Typical House from the Belgium coast



"Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal monarchy in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters as well as those of several other major international organisations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres  and has a population of about 11 million people."


Tuesday, June 17, 2014

BAHAMAS



"The Bahamas officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country consisting of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean; north of Cuba and Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti); northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands; southeast of the U.S. state of Florida and east of the Florida Keys. Its capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence."


Monday, June 16, 2014

MEXICO - Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral


Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral

"The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary of Mexico City (Spanish: Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de María) is the largest cathedral in the Americas, and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. It is situated atop the former Aztec sacred precinct near the Templo Mayor on the northern side of the Plaza de la Constitución in Downtown Mexico City. The cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813 around the original church that was constructed soon after the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlan, eventually replacing it entirely. Spanish architect Claudio de Arciniega planned the construction, drawing inspiration from Gothic cathedrals in Spain."


GUATEMALA - Antigua


"Antigua Guatemala (commonly referred to as just Antigua or la Antigua) is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala famous for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque influenced architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches. It served as the capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site."

GUATEMALA - Ruinas de la Compania de Jesus, Antigua



"La Iglesia Compania de Jesus (Compania de Jesus Church) is a church in ruins located within the Cooperativa Espanola (Spanish Cooperative) in Antigua Guatemala. The complex was planned for educational purposes, and its initial function was as a school. It is home to the Cooperativa Espanola (Spaniard International Cooperation Agency) but a few years ago (late 1990's) its Atreus was occupied by a craft market. It is a must visit in Antigua Guatemala.

The church was founded in 1561. The administration was in charge of the Jesuit Order, whom were expelled in 1767. Then the complex suffered damages from the earthquake of 1773. Like several of the temples in La Antigua Guatemala, it was left in ruins because of the different earthquakes that affected the colonial city, and has been restored as a historical center."


GUATEMALA - Tikal Temple

Tikal temple (Maya civilization) is the ruins of an ancient city found in a rainforest in Guatemala.


"Tikal  is the ruins of an ancient city found in a rainforest in Guatemala. Ambrosio Tut, a gum-sapper, reported the ruins to a La Gaceta, a Guatemalan newspaper, which named the site Tikal. The Berlin Academy of Sciences’ Magazine then republished the report in 1853. Archeologists and treasure hunters then began visiting the forest. Today tourism to the site may help protect the rainforest.[3] It is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala. Situated in the department of El Petén, the site is part of Guatemala's Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site."



MALDIVES - Beautiful Maldives



"Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean–Arabian Sea area, consisting of a double chain of twenty-six atolls, oriented north-south, that lie between Minicoy Island (the southernmost part of Lakshadweep, India) and the Chagos Archipelago. The chains stand in the Laccadive Sea, and the capital, Malé is about 600 kilometres (370 mi) south-west of India and 750 kilometres (470 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka."


MYANMAR - Yangon



"Yangon is a former capital of Burma (Myanmar) and the capital of Yangon Region. Yangon is the country's largest city with a population of over five million, and is the most important commercial centre, although the military government officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw in March 2006. Although Yangon's infrastructure is undeveloped compared to those of other major cities in Southeast Asia, it has the largest number of colonial buildings in the region today."


UKRAINE - Lviv



"Lviv is a city in western Ukraine that was once a major population centre of the Halych-Volyn Principality, the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, the Habsburg Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, and later the capital of Lwów Voivodeship during the Second Polish Republic."


Thursday, June 12, 2014

VIETNAM - Sa Pa, Vietnam



"Sa Pa, or Sapa, is a frontier town and capital of Sa Pa District in Lào Cai Province in northwest Vietnam. It is one of the main market towns in the area, where several ethnic minority groups such as Hmong, Dao, Giáy, Pho Lu, and Tay live."


Tuesday, June 10, 2014

NEW YORK - Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor



"The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in the middle of New York Harbor, in Manhattan, New York City. The statue, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor and dedicated on October 28, 1886, was a gift to the United States from the people of France. The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States: a welcoming signal to immigrants arriving from abroad.

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World" was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. It was designated as a National Monument in 1924. Employees of the National Park Service have been caring for the colossal copper statue since 1933."


Monday, June 9, 2014

FLORIDA - West florida Beaches



"Florida is a state in the southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd most extensive, the 4th most populous, and the 8th most densely populated of the 50 United States.
The state capital is Tallahassee, the largest city is Jacksonville, and the largest metropolitan area is the Miami metropolitan area. Much of Florida is a peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Straits of Florida. Its geography is notable for a coastline, omnipresent water and the threat of hurricanes.
Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, encompassing approximately 1,350 miles (2,170 km), and is the only state that borders both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean."


BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - Coconut Palm & Calm seas



"The Virgin Islands, commonly referred to as the British Virgin Islands, is a British overseas territory located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago; the remaining islands constitute the US Virgin Islands and the Spanish Virgin Islands.

The official name of the Territory is still simply the "Virgin Islands", but the prefix "British" is often used to distinguish it from the neighbouring American territory which changed its name from the "Danish West Indies" to "Virgin Islands of the United States" in 1917. British Virgin Islands government publications continue to begin with the name "The Territory of the Virgin Islands", and the Territory's passports simply refer to the "Virgin Islands", and all laws begin with the words "Virgin Islands".

The British Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty other smaller islands and cays. About 15 of the islands are inhabited. The capital, Road Town, is situated on Tortola, the largest island, which is approximately 20 km (12 mi) long and 5 km (3 mi) wide. The islands have a population of about 28,000, of whom approximately 23,500 live on Tortola. British Virgin Islanders are classed as British Overseas Territories citizens and since 2002 have had an entitlement to take up full UK citizenship. Although the territory is not part of the European Union and not directly subject to EU law, its citizens are deemed to be citizens of the EU as well."


Thursday, June 5, 2014

GERMANY - Dresden


"Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border."


Wednesday, June 4, 2014

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Cathedral Primade de America


 Cathedral Primade de America, Dominican Republic

"The first stone of this cathedral, the oldest in operation in the western hemisphere, was set in 1514 by Diego Columbus, son of the great explorer (the ashes of both father and son are said to have once resided in the chapel's crypt). Construction however didn’t begin in earnest until the arrival of the first bishop, Alejandro Geraldini, in 1521. From then until 1540, numerous architects worked on the church and adjoining buildings, which is why the vault is Gothic, the arches Romanesque and the ornamentation baroque. It’s anyone’s guess what the planned bell tower would have looked like: a shortage of funds curtailed construction, and the steeple, which undoubtedly would have offered a commanding view of the city, was never built." Source here