Castle of Penela - Portugal

© Guia Turístico do Norte

Sent by "Martinha"

"Castle of Penela (Portuguese: Castelo de Penela) is located in a Penela town in Penela Municipality in Coimbra District, Portugal. The castle was built on a hill dominating the area and used to be a stronghold protecting Coimbra in times of Reconquista. Castle of Penela and the neighboring castle Montemor-o-Velho are both fine examples of defensive structures of that period.

The origins of the name are controversial and are attributed by some authors to ancient Celtic tribes. According to a local legend, King Afonso I (Afonso Henriques) exclaimed to incite his troops storming the stronghold: Coragem! Já estamos com o pé nela! (Courage! We have already set a foot in it!). A more plausible hypothesis is, however, that penela is a diminutive of penha, a place selected to build a fortress on." In: Wikipedia

Waterfall in Wulai - Taiwan

© www.jjp.com.tw

Unsed, sent by "Sapic12"

"Wulai District is a rural district in southern New Taipei City in northern Republic of China (Taiwan). It sits near the border with Taipei and is famous for its hot springs. It is the largest district in New Taipei as well as the most mountainous. The name of the town derives from the Atayal phrase qilux ulay meaning "hot and poisonous"." In: Wikipedia

Multiview from Seychelles

© Seychelles Tourism Board

Unused, sent by "PilotOne"

"Seychelles, officially the Republic of Seychelles (French: République des Seychelles; Creole: Repiblik Sesel), is a 115-island country spanning an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar.

Other nearby island countries and territories include Zanzibar to the west, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agaléga and Réunion to the south, and Comoros and Mayotte to the southwest. Seychelles, with an estimated population of 86,525, has the smallest population of any African state. It has the highest Human Development Index in Africa and the highest income inequality in the world, as measured by the Gini index. Seychelles is a member of the African Union." In: Wikipedia

Chinese Lunar New Year - Macau

© ?

Unused, sent by "Blicas Blocas"

Information on the back side of the card: "Chinese celebrate devotedly this colorful festivity that stands for the beginning of Spring or rebirth after the end of Winter. Religious rites, courtesy visits, fireworks displays and gambling make this event very popular."

"Alminha" of Donfins, Guarda - Portugal

© Rui Cunha (photo)

Unused

"Alminha" are small altars constructed in the nature to take a moment to leave a prayer and make offers, mostly candles and flowers. These shrines are erected at crossroads of paths, often on rural roads, in forests or near watercourses, but also can find shrines along the roads. The shrines can also be embedded in old walls or in front of houses and can be constructed in various materials. (Adapted from the portuguese Wikipedia)

Booksellers in Notre-Dame, Paris - France

© Photo: P. Fagot - PIX

Unused

Sellers of books and watercolors in Notre-Dame.

Waterfall and water channel ("levada") of Caldeirão Verde, Madeira - Portugal (UNESCO WHS)

© Ana Sé (photo) / Governo Regional da Madeira

Unused, sent by "ninocas"

"The property also contains an important testimony of human use. The settlers of Madeira constructed water channels, known as levadas, which run through the forest following the contours of the landscape, and clinging to the cliffs and steep-sided valleys. Typically 80-150 cm wide and constructed of stone or more recently concrete, they carry water from the forest to hydropower stations and to the towns of the south, where they provide essential drinking water and irrigation supplies. Along the levadas there are paths typically 1-2m wide, which allow access to the otherwise almost impenetrable forest. The impact of these features on the property is limited, and also has some benefit for conservation, since they allow access to the forest on relatively flat paths and cover only an infinitesimal area of land. None has been built for 70 years, but the present ones are carefully maintained. Apart from the levadas, and the occasional tiny hut used by those that maintain them, human development within the property is very limited and there is no habitation, no buildings, except the occasional tiny hut for those who maintain the levadas, and no cultivated land. There are limited impacts from two roads, with plans to replace one by a tunnel." In: UNESCO

Waterfall in Pas de Cère - France

© Pierre Riom (photo)

Unused, sent by "geminiscp"

A small waterfall located between Thiézac and Vic-sur-Cère

Architectural Ensemble of the Trinity Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad - Russia (UNESCO WHS)

UNESCO #657; © ?

RR Portugal x World G37 sent by "Atlantidochka"

"This is a fine example of a working Orthodox monastery, with military features that are typical of the 15th to the 18th century, the period during which it developed. The main church of the Lavra, the Cathedral of the Assumption (echoing the Kremlin Cathedral of the same name), contains the tomb of Boris Godunov. Among the treasures of the Lavra is the famous icon, The Trinity , by Andrei Rublev." In: UNESCO

Farm in Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island, Azores - Portugal

© Ver Açor

Unused

A typical view of a farm in Angra do Heroísmo.