Postcards Around the World

2012-10-20

Grand-Place with flower carpet in Brussels - Belgium (UNESCO)

unused, offered by "martinha"

"La Grand-Place in Brussels is a remarkably homogeneous body of public and private buildings, dating mainly from the late 17th century. The architecture provides a vivid illustration of the level of social and cultural life of the period in this important political and commercial centre." In: UNESCO

2012-10-19

Yuyuan Shopping Center in Shangai - China

unused, bought in Lisboa (Portugal)

"Yuyuan Shopping City is located in the Nanshi district of Shanghai. The Yuyuan Shopping City is popularly known as the “Kingdom of Shanghai Arts and Crafts and small articles”. If you are looking to purchase various artifacts and art and craft items, the Yuyuan Shopping City is definitely the place for you to go. The types of articles that are sold here include antiques, jadeware, items made of gold and silver, jewelry, bottle caps and silk threads. The items are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and are definitely worth buying." In: Asia Rooms

2012-10-18

Lourdes Sanctuary - France

unused

"The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes or the Domain (as it is most commonly known) is an area of ground surrounding the Catholic shrine (Grotto) to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, France. The Sanctuary is a destination for pilgrimage; sick pilgrims are reputed to be miraculously healed by Lourdes water. This ground is owned and administrated by the Roman Catholic Church, and has several functions, including devotional activities, offices, and accommodation for sick pilgrims and their helpers. The Domain includes the Grotto itself, the nearby taps which dispense the Lourdes water, and the offices of the Lourdes Medical Bureau, as well as several churches and basilicas. It comprises an area of 51 hectares, and includes 22 separate places of worship. There are six official languages of the Sanctuary: French, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and German.

Grottos intended as replicas of the one at Our Lady of Lourdes, and other grottos in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes, are often described as "Lourdes grottos"." In: Wikipedia

2012-10-17

1349998 - "It must be Easter" (1994) by Kike Hollist

NL-1349998 sent by "Alex1972", a work by Mike Hollist named "It must be Easter" (1994)

2012-10-16

Santo Adrião in Braga - Portugal

Edição Centro C.D.R. Santo Adrião

Sent by Graça.

2012-10-15

JP-236050 - Three Stairs Fall at Sandankyo Valley

JP-236050 sent by "yukari"

"At the Sandan-no-taki Falls, or Three-Step Falls, three stages of 30-meter-high waterfalls plunge into the 120-meter long passage with a thunderous roar. It is the best scenic spot in the Sandan Valley. While there is a well-maintained 12-kilometer-long promenade, with just a few ups and downs, leading to the Sandan-no-taki Falls, it is also convenient to take a regular bus (from April to November), running from Sandan-kyo Shomen-guchi (in front of the Sandan Valley) to Deai-bashi Bridge, close to Saruiwa. A riverboat also runs through this ravine. It is utterly thrilling to pass through the Nidan-no-taki Falls and the Sarutobi where the precipices on both sides are just two meters apart!" In: Japan National Tourism Organization

2012-10-14

DE-1499539 - Humboldt Penguin

DE-1499539 sent by "elfie-luna"

"The Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) (also termed Peruvian Penguin, or Patranca) is a South American penguin, that breeds in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin. The penguin is named after the cold water current it swims in, which is itself named after Alexander von Humboldt, an explorer.

Humboldt Penguins are medium-sized penguins, growing to 56–70 cm (22–28 in) long and a weight of 3.6-5.9 kg (8-13 lbs). They have a black head with a white border that runs from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, and joins at the throat. They have blackish-grey upperparts and whitish underparts, with a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breast-band. They have spines on their tongue which they use to hold their prey." In: Wikipedia

2012-10-13

Florence Historic Center - Italy (UNESCO)

Used, sent from Firenze (Italy) to Lisboa (Portugal), with postmark of 29/03/1980, bought in Braga (Portugal)

Firenze is one of my favorite Italian cities! I've been there twice and I'm sure I'll be there again!

"Built on the site of an Etruscan settlement, Florence, the symbol of the Renaissance, rose to economic and cultural pre-eminence under the Medici in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its 600 years of extraordinary artistic activity can be seen above all in the 13th-century cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), the Church of Santa Croce, the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace, the work of great masters such as Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli and Michelangelo." In: UNESCO

2012-10-12

Douro River in Porto - Portugal

Sent from Finland by Heidi.

I'm not sure where this photo was taken... The publisher only says that was taken in Porto, at Douro riverbank.

2012-10-11

Lahore Fort - Pakistan (UNESCO)

Sent by Rita Simões, a view of the Lahore Fort, my first UNESCO postcard from Pakistan!

"The Lahore Fort, situated in the north-west corner of the Walled City of Lahore, occupies a site which has been occupied for several millenia. Assuming its present configuration during the 11th century, the Fort was destroyed and rebuilt several times by the early Mughals during the 13th to the 15th centuries. The 21 monuments which survive within its boundaries comprise an outstanding repertory of the forms of Mughal architecture from the reign of Akbar (1542-1605), characterized by standardized masonry of baked brick and red sandstone courses relieved by Hindu motifs including zooomorphic corbels, through that of Shah Jahan (1627-58), characterized by the use of luxurious marbles, inlays of precious materials and mosaics, set within exuberant decorative motifs of Persian origins." In: UNESCO