Postcards Around the World: 2013/06

2013-06-30

White marlim in Azores - Portugal

Unused, sent by Sapic12

"White marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) are large, elongated fish with a large upper jaw that forms a spear which is round in cross-section. They are dark blue to chocolate-brown in color. Although generally considered to be a rare and solitary species relative to other similar fish, white marlin occur in small groups consisting of several individuals." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-29

Rossignolet waterfall, Puy-de-Dôme - France

Unused, sent by "geminiscp"

"The Cascade du Rossignolet is a calcium formation, pouring forth the water from the Ruisseau de l'Enfer which eventually flows into the Dordogne." In: Auvergne-sancy

2013-06-28

Putorana Plateau - Russia (UNESCO WHS)

RR Portugal x World, G34, sent by "Grach", an amazing postcard of Putorana Plateau!!

"This site coincides with the area of the Putoransky State Nature Reserve, and is located in the central part of the Putorana Plateau in northern Central Siberia. It is situated about 100 km north of the Arctic Circle. The part of the plateau inscribed on the World Heritage List harbours a complete set of subarctic and arctic ecosystems in an isolated mountain range, including pristine taiga, forest tundra, tundra and arctic desert systems, as well as untouched cold-water lake and river systems. A major reindeer migration route crosses the property, which represents an exceptional, large-scale and increasingly rare natural phenomenon." In: UNESCO

2013-06-27

Millennium Bridge over Minho River, Ourense - Spain

Sent by "Blicas Blocas"

The Millenium Bridge was built between 199-2001.

2013-06-26

Thunderstorm in Geneva - Switzerland

Unused, sent by "dannyozzy"

Several views of thunderstorms in the sky of Geneva.

2013-06-25

The Weimar Chamber, Wieliczka Salt Mine - Poland (UNESCO WHS)

Sent from Wieliczka

"Bochnia Royal Salt Mines (Poland) is an extension to the Polish Wieliczka Salt Mine, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978, which is now to be known as the Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines. The Wieliczka Saltworks Castle used for the management of the property was also added to the site. The rock salt deposit in Wieliczka-Bochnia has been mined since the 13th century and is the oldest of its type in Europe. Spread over several levels, it has 300 km of galleries with underground chapels, storerooms and more. It includes altars and statues sculpted in the salt, making a fascinating pilgrimage into the past of a major industrial undertaking that developed over 700 years." In: UNESCO

2013-06-24

European Otter, Guarda - Portugal

Sent by "Martinha"

"The European otter (Lutra lutra), also known as the Eurasian otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter and Old World otter, is a European and Asian member of the Lutrinae or otter subfamily, and is typical of freshwater otters." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-23

Waterfalls in Auvergne region - France

The Auvergne region has some gorgeous waterfalls!!

From top to bottom clockwise:

- Mont-Dore Great Waterfall

- Rossignolet Waterfall

- Plat Fall

- The Jump of the trout (Le Saut de la Truite) (Cantal)

- Saillant Waterfall

- Vaucoux Waterfall

- The Great Waterfall

- Enval

- Barth

- Saillant

- Vancoup

- Dore waterfall

- Rossignolet.

Both cards nused, sent by "geminiscp"

2013-06-22

Map of the Krkonoše Mountains - Czech Republic

Unused, sent by Sapic12

"The Krkonoše Mountains (English: Giant Mountains; Polish: Karkonosze) is a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif). The Czech-Polish border, which divides the historic regions of Bohemia and Silesia, runs along the main ridge. The highest peak, Sněžka (Polish: Śnieżka), is the Czech Republic's highest point with an elevation of 1,602 metres (5,256 ft)." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-21

Poço do Inferno, Serra da Estrela - Portugal

Sent by "Blicas Blocas"

"By going through the Inferno Well Route we can see a dualism of landscape, humanized and natural, marked by different kinds of vegetation, with hardwoods and softwoods forests, where the senses arouse different emotions along the trail.

Due to the higher schistose peaks, formed by corneal rocks (phenomenon that occurs when the plastic and hot magma rises through pre-existents rocks), predominate steeps landscapes, where water lines emerge like the Poço do Inferno (Inferno Well) cascade. This natural waterfall is about 10 meters high and sometimes turns into ice during the more stringent winter.

It’s a geological monument with an extreme beauty and one of the most interesting points of this route, being one of the ex-libris of Manteigas and Serra da Estrela (Star Mountain). " In: Manteigas Trilhos Verdes

2013-06-20

Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Stratford-Upon-Avon - United Kingdom

Sent by "Kilona"

"Discover where the young William Shakespeare courted his future bride Anne Hathaway at her picturesque family home.

Enjoy beautiful gardens in Stratford. Anne Hathaway's Cottage is a thatched farmhouse with stunning grounds and gardens, which overflow with beautiful blooms, and traditional shrubs.The cottage is in Shottery, a hamlet within the parish of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is just over one mile from the town centre but can be accessed via a pleasant, well sign-posted footpath." In: Shakespeare.org

2013-06-19

Cirque de Navacelles - France (UNESCO WHS)

Sent by Paula Ribeiro

"The Cirque de Navacelles is large erosional landform, an incised meander, located towards the southern edge of the Massif Central mountain range in France. It is located near Saint-Maurice-Navacelles and Blandas between the Hérault département and the Gard département.

The cirque is isolated, with only a few small villages in the surrounding area. With the 2004 completion of the Millau Viaduct and the A75 motorway linking Clermont-Ferrand and Pézenas, tourism of the region that includes Cirque de Navacelles has increased." In: Wikipedia

"This 302,319 ha property, in the southern part of central France, is a mountain landscape interspersed by deep valleys that is representative of the relationship between agro-pastoral systems and their biophysical environment, notably through drailles or drove roads. Villages and substantial stone farmhouses on deep terraces of the Causses reflect the organization of large abbeys from the 11th century. Mont Lozère, inside the property, is one of the last places where summer transhumance is still practiced in the traditional way, using the drailles." In: UNESCO

2013-06-18

Map card of Algarve - Portugal

Sent by Vitória

I have a few maps from Algarve, but I never saw this one before.

2013-06-17

Vøringfossen, Eidfjord - Norway

Sent by "joanonha"

"Vøringfossen is the 83rd highest waterfall in Norway on the basis of total fall. It lies at the top of Måbødalen in the municipality of Eidfjord, in Hordaland, not far from Highway 7, which connects Oslo with Bergen. It has a total drop of 182 meters, and a major drop of 163 meters. It is perhaps the most famous in the country and a major tourist attraction on the way down from Hardangervidda to Hardangerfjord.

The name Vøringfossen (Old Norse Vyrðingr) is derived from the verb vyrða (English: esteem, revere). The last element fossen, the finite form of foss (waterfall), is a later addition." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-16

Château Frontenac, Québec - Canada (UNESCO WHS)

RR PortugalxWorld, G41 sent by Carole

"Québec was founded by the French explorer Champlain in the early 17th century. It is the only North American city to have preserved its ramparts, together with the numerous bastions, gates and defensive works which still surround Old Québec. The Upper Town, built on the cliff, has remained the religious and administrative centre, with its churches, convents and other monuments like the Dauphine Redoubt, the Citadel and Château Frontenac. Together with the Lower Town and its ancient districts, it forms an urban ensemble which is one of the best examples of a fortified colonial city" In: UNESCO

2013-06-15

Young and adult whales - Netherlands

Unused, sent by Sapic12

What a fantastic photo! A young and an adult whale swiminig towards the rainbow.

2013-06-14

Bernina Express - Switzerland (UNESCO WHS)

Unused, sent by dannyozzy

"Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes, brings together two historic railway lines that cross the Swiss Alps through two passes. Opened in 1904, the Albula line in the north western part of the property is 67 km long. It features an impressive set of structures including 42 tunnels and covered galleries and 144 viaducts and bridges. The 61 km Bernina pass line features 13 tunnels and galleries and 52 viaducts and bridges. The property is exemplary of the use of the railway to overcome the isolation of settlements in the Central Alps early in the 20th century, with a major and lasting socio-economic impact on life in the mountains. It constitutes an outstanding technical, architectural and environmental ensemble and embodies architectural and civil engineering achievements, in harmony with the landscapes through which they pass." In: UNESCO

2013-06-13

Lake Baikal - Russia (UNESCO WHS)

Unused, sent by Sapic12

"Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains 20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve. Known as the 'Galapagos of Russia', its age and isolation have produced one of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater faunas, which is of exceptional value to evolutionary science." In: UNESCO

2013-06-12

Leatherback sea turtle - Malaysia

Used, sent by Sapic12

"The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), sometimes called the lute turtle, is the largest of all living turtles (as well as the largest extant sea turtle) and is the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh. Dermochelys coriacea is the only extant member of the family Dermochelyidae." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-11

Eastern Switzerland (Ortschweiz) - Switzerland (Postcrossing Meeting in St. Gallen)

Sent by "azzurri" from the Postcrsossing Meeting in St. Gallen, 04/05/2013

"Eastern Switzerland (German: Ostschweiz, Romansh: Svizra orientala, Italian: Svizzera orientale) is the common name of the region situated to the north of Glarus Alps, with the cantons of Schaffhausen, Thurgau, St. Gallen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus. The north of canton Graubünden (with the city of Chur) is sometime considered to be part of Eastern Switzerland.

Eastern Switzerland is also defined as one of the NUTS-2 regions of Switzerland. In this case, it includes the cantons of Glarus, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, St. Gallen, Thurgau, and Graubünden." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-10

Castle of Sesimbra - Portugal

Unused, sent by "gracinha"

"Sesimbra Castle is built upon an ancient Moorish Castle, probably conquered by D. Afonso Henriques in 1165. The castle was increasingly abandoned, because of the Portuguese Discoveries that began in the 16th century. D. João IV was forced to renew it, following the Restoration fights. He ordered the construction of the ravelins, adapting the castle to newest artillery techniques. Part of the castle was devastated by the 1755 earthquake. In 1930, it was recovered by the Portuguese State. " In: Lifecooler

2013-06-09

Whale watching - Iceland

Unused, sent by Sapic12

An advertise postacard of Elding company, promoting whale watching.

2013-06-08

Sintra - Portugal (UNESCO WHS) (Postcrossing Meeting in Sintra)

Adrienne from New Zealand visited Portugal and met some of the Portuguese Postcrossers in Lisbon and Sintra.

The Mouros Castle, sent by "gminiscp"

Regaleira Palace, sent by "PilotOne"

Monserrate Palace, sent by ninocas

"In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand II turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in the creation of a park blending local and exotic species of trees. Other fine dwellings, built along the same lines in the surrounding serra , created a unique combination of parks and gardens which influenced the development of landscape architecture throughout Europe." In: UNESCO

2013-06-07

Harbor Seal - Netherlands

Used, sent by Sapic12

"The harbor (or harbour) seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed of pinniped (walruses, eared seals, and true seals), they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Baltic and North Seas." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-06

The Radcliffe Square, Oxford - United Kingdom (Postcrossing Meeting in Oxford)

Sent by "dollart" from the Postcrossing Meeting in Oxford, 04/05/2013

Clockwise from the bottom: The University of church of St Mary The Virgin, Brasenose College, The Sheldonian Theatre, The Bodleian Library, and All Souls.

"Radcliffe Square is a square in central Oxford, England. It is surrounded by historic Oxford University and college buildings. The square is cobbled, laid to grass surrounded by railings in the centre, and is pedestrianised except for access.

The square is named after John Radcliffe, a student of the university who became doctor to the King, made a large fortune, and left a significant legacy to the University and his college (University College), which is nearby in the High Street to the south." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-05

Disneyland, Paris - France

Sent by Mónica Castro

"Disneyland Paris, originally Euro Disney Resort, is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, a new town in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France, located 32 km (20 mi) from the center of Paris and mostly lying within the commune of Chessy, Seine-et-Marne. It is operated by Euro Disney S.C.A., a publicly traded company in which The Walt Disney Company owns a minority stake. The resort's senior leader is chairman and chief executive officer Philippe Gas.

Home to two theme parks, seven hotels, and a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, the resort is the second Disney resort to open outside the United States, following Tokyo Disney Resort, and the first to be owned and operated by Disney.A further setback followed the opening of the resort as park attendance, hotel occupancy and revenues fell below projections. In July 1995, the company saw its first quarterly profit.

The resort opened on 12 April 1992 with the Disneyland theme park, and has since added Walt Disney Studios Park. With 15,405,000 combined visitors to the parks in the fiscal year of 2009, it is France's and Europe's most visited themed attraction." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-04

La Boqueria, Barcelona - Spain

Unused, bought in Barcelona, Spain

"The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, often simply referred to as La Boqueria, is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks, with an entrance from La Rambla, not far from the Liceu, Barcelona's opera house. The market has a very diverse selection of goods." In: Wikipedia

2013-06-03

Kizhi Pogost - Russia (UNESCO WHS)

Sent by "porunovs"

"The pogost of Kizhi (i.e. the Kizhi enclosure) is located on one of the many islands in Lake Onega, in Karelia. Two 18th-century wooden churches, and an octagonal clock tower, also in wood and built in 1862, can be seen there. These unusual constructions, in which carpenters created a bold visionary architecture, perpetuate an ancient model of parish space and are in harmony with the surrounding landscape." In: UNESCO

2013-06-02

Boat travel in the Seine, Paris - France

Unused.

The famous boat travel in the Seine river.

2013-06-01

Dominican Churche, L'viv - Ukraine (UNESCO WHS)

Unused, sent by "geminiscp"

"The Dominican church and monastery (Ukrainian: Домініканський костел і монастир, Dominikanskyi kostel i monastyr) in Lviv, Ukraine is located in the city's Old Town, east of the market square. It was originally built as the Roman Catholic church of Corpus Christi, and today serves as the Greek Catholic church of the Holy Eucharist." In: Wikipedia

"The city of L''viv, founded in the late Middle Ages, was a flourishing administrative, religious and commercial centre for several centuries. The medieval urban topography has been preserved virtually intact (in particular, there is evidence of the different ethnic communities who lived there), along with many fine Baroque and later buildings." In: UNESCO