Postcards Around the World

2012-05-31

Most viewed in May of 2012

The top 3 of the most viewed posts in May of 2012 are:

1 - Braga's Municipal Stadium - Portugal, posted in 29-12-2011

2 - RU-737192 - Animal Kisses, posted in 22-02-2012

3 - International Youth Dance Festival - Macau, posted in 24-04-2012

Map of the French Polynesia

Sent by "9teen87"

Brenda and her husband made a cruise and stopped at the French Polynese.The card has the postmark from Papetoai , archipelago of Iles du Vent (former La Societé).

2012-05-30

Postcrossing Meeting in São Paulo - Brazil

Sent by "andreaeiko" from the 11th Postcrossing Meeting in São Paulo on 15/01/2012.

"Liberdade (Portuguese for "Liberty", "Freedom") is the name of a district in the subprefecture of Sé, in São Paulo, Brazil. It is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan in the world and has been growing since the 1950s.

Liberdade is São Paulo's own equivalent of Japantown in the USA. Significant populations of Chinese and Koreans also live in the district of Liberdade. It is served by the São Paulo Metro.

The entrance to Liberdade is marked by a nine-meter tall red torii (a Japanese arch that marks the entrance to Shinto temples) since 1974. This towering structure, situated on Rua Galvão Bueno, is a distinctive representation of the neighborhood. Liberdade was successfully connected to the São Paulo subway network in the 1970s, opening up this area to commerce like never before. Today, thousands of paulistanos (citizens of São Paulo) flock to the public square in Liberdade every Sunday to purchase craft goods at the weekly fair. In January 2008, in order to celebrate 100 years of Japanese immigration to Brazil, a project to revitalize the quarter was approved by the mayor Gilberto Kassab. 40% of the restoration were for the visit of the prince Naruhito to São Paulo in June 2008." In: Wikipedia

2012-05-29

CN-384695 - "On the Back of a Lion" by Zhang Fenglan

CN-384695 sent by "titili"

The line drawing is a popular art in China. The above one is called "On the Back of a Lion" by Zhang Fenglan.

2012-05-28

Postcrossing Meeting in Berlin - Germany

Sent by Anja from the Postcrossing Meeting in Berlin on 10/03/2012.

The card shows an aerial view of the Potsdamer Platz (Potsdam Square) in Berlin.

"Potsdamer Platz is an important public square and traffic intersection in the centre of Berlin, Germany, lying about one kilometre south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German Parliament Building), and close to the southeast corner of the Tiergarten park. It is named after the city of Potsdam, some 25 km to the south west, and marks the point where the old road from Potsdam passed through the city wall of Berlin at the Potsdam Gate. After developing within the space of little over a century from an intersection of rural thoroughfares into the most bustling traffic intersection in Europe, it was totally laid waste during World War II and then left desolate during the Cold War era when the Berlin Wall bisected its former location. Since German reunification, Potsdamer Platz has been the site of major redevelopment projects." In: Wikipedia

2012-05-27

Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah - USA

Lottery prize, sent by David

Info on the card:

"#14871 Horsecollar Ruin, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
Horsecollar Ruin is one of the most accessible of the Ancestral Puebloan sites at the Monument. The site contains two dwelling ruins as well as two large, almost identical granaries and two-preserved kivas. The site is thought to have been used approximately 800 years ago."

2012-05-26

FI-1336701 - "Extremely Soundly" by Kaj Stenvall

FI-1336701 sent by "LauraKT"

A new addition to my collection of Kaj Stenvall works.

2012-05-25

Maia World in Yucatan - Mexico

unused, offered by Ana Gaspar

Last year, Ana was in vacations in Mexico! She bought a few cards for me, and they are finnaly here!

Info on the card:

"Uxmal (Pyramid of the Diviner) , Chichen Itza (Kukulcan Piramid): a New 7 Wonder of The World and Dzibilchaltun"

The first two sites are both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO: Uxmal (Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal) and Chichen Itza (Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza).

2012-05-24

Church of the Holy Family in Barcelona - Spain

unused, offered by Andreia

This is one of the places I want to see! It looks amazing!

"The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (English: Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family; Spanish: Basílica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia), commonly known as the Sagrada Família is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 was consecrated and proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI.

Though construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882, Gaudí became involved in 1883, taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style—combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms." In: Wikipedia

2012-05-23

CN-397376 - The Imperial Palace in Shenyang

CN-397376 sent by "ggdw", a view of The Imperial Palace in Shenyang

"Built in 1625 AD, otherwise known as "the Shengjing Palace", the Shenyang Imperial Palace was the initial royal palace of the Qing Dynasty established by the Manchu nobles. In 1644, the Qing Dynasty relocated its capital city to Beijing and the Shenyang Imperial Palace underwent renovations and became the emperor's traveling palace on his inspection tours to the northeast. After a number of large-scale renovations, the Shenyang Imperial Palace has been developed into the Shenyang Palace Museum. The two imperial palaces in Beijing and Shenyang jointly form the only two existing intact palace building complexes of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China." In: Cultural-China