Friday, July 11, 2014

RUSSIA - lighthouse on the Kotlin island, Russia



"Kotlin  is a Russian island, located near the head of the Gulf of Finland, 20 mi (32 km) west of Saint Petersburg in the Baltic Sea. Kotlin separates the Neva Bay from the rest of the gulf. The fortified town of Kronstadt is located on the island. The island serves as a gateway to Saint Petersburg and as such has been the site of several military engagements."


INDONESIA -



"Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east."


Thursday, July 10, 2014

EGYPT - Pyramids



This card shows types of pyramid in Egypt, this is what I could gather from the net:

"The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt. There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008. Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.

The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis. The earliest among these is the Pyramid of Djoser (constructed 2630 BC–2611 BC) which was built during the third dynasty. This pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Imhotep, and are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry. The estimate of the number of workers to build the pyramids range from a few thousand, twenty thousand, and up to 100,000.

The most famous Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Several of the Giza pyramids are counted among the largest structures ever built.[9] The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. 

Maydūm, also spelled Medum, ancient Egyptian site near Memphis on the west bank of the Nile River in Banī Suwayf muḥāfaẓah (governorate). It is the location of the earliest-known pyramid complex with all the parts of a normal Old Kingdom (c. 2575–c. 2130 bc) funerary monument. These parts included the pyramid itself, a mortuary temple, and a sloping causeway leading to a valley temple built near the Nile."


The card used a very beautiful Akhenaten stamps.  Thank you very much for the wonderful card.

ESTONIA - Greetings from Estonia!



Estonia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia (343 km), and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia (338.6 km). Across the Baltic Sea lies Sweden in the west and Finland in the north. The territory of Estonia covers 45,227 km2 (17,462 sq mi), and is influenced by a humid continental climate."


SINGAPORE - Johore Causeway

Johore Causeway opened on 1 October 1923 for passenger traffic was officially declare open on 28 June 1924.  This view was taken just a few months after the Japanese Surrender Ceremony.


"Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign city-state and island country in Southeast Asia.  The islands were settled in the second century AD and subsequently belonged to a series of local empires.
Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles as a trading post of the East India Company with permission from the Johor Sultanate. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824, and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826."


Friday, July 4, 2014

UNITED KINGDOM



BELARUS - Pinsk



"Pinsk (Belarusian: Пінск, Russian: Пинск, Polish: Pińsk, Yiddish/Hebrew: פינסק, Pinsk), a town in Belarus, in the Polesia region, traversed by the river Pripyat, at the confluence of the Strumen and Pina rivers. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk. It is a fertile agricultural center. It lies south-west of Minsk. The population is about 130,000. The city is a small industrial center producing ships sailing the local rivers.

The historic city has a beautifully restored downtown full of two-story buildings dating from the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century."


GERMANY - Thuringen



"The Free State of Thuringia is a federal state of Germany, located in the central part of the country."


ICELAND - Sunset



"Iceland is a Nordic island nation between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. It has a population of 325,671 and an area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi), making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Reykjavík; the surrounding areas in the southwest of the country are home to two-thirds of the population.

Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The interior consists mainly of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle."


Thursday, July 3, 2014

LITHUANIA - Trakai Island Castle

Trakai Island Castle, Gothic style castle was constructed by the Lithuanian Grand Duke-Kestutis and Vytautas at the end of XIV century and the first decade of 15th century.


"Trakai Island Castle (Lithuanian: Trakų salos pilis) is an island castle located in Trakai, Lithuania on an island in Lake Galvė. The castle is sometimes referred to as "Little Marienburg". The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kęstutis, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas the Great, who died in this castle in 1430. Trakai was one of the main centres of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the castle held great strategic importance."


LITHUANIA - Mapcard



Lithuania, is a country in Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and Denmark. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) to the southwest. Lithuania has an estimated population of 3 million as of 2013, and its capital and largest city is Vilnius."


Wednesday, July 2, 2014

CHINA




GERMANY - Duisburg



"Duisburg is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an independent metropolitan borough within Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf. With the world's biggest inland harbor Duisburg is located in the Lowland Rhine area at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr and near the outskirts of the Bergisches Land.

The city spreads along both sides of these rivers."


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."