Gerlache Strait, Antarctica/Chile

Just one more! As its still a bit chilly ;) The card is showing Antarctica but is sent from Chile, one of the two countries closest to Antarctica. This is a view from the Gerlache Strait which separates the Palmer Archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula (the Danco Coast). The Belgian Antarctic Expedition, under Lt. Adrien de Gerlache, explored the strait in January and February 1898, hence the name.

Another great card from Alvaro, with Copa America stamp, thank you! :))

Flowery Bicycle

Another lovely reminder of the time spent in Amsterdam...as the cold has crept into our homes again, as to say 'did you think you'll get rid of me that easily? tut tut' - these flowers may bring a touch of spring again :) Its also symbolic of my ride home tomorrow which will cause a small break in updating. Well whats a few days comparing to months..!

Bourbon Balls Recipe

Anyone up for some Kentucky bourbon balls? :D I sure would love to try some, if I was able to host some fellow bourbon enthusiasts. Though I think they'd also be appreciated by anyone with a 'sweet tooth' :) I have recently found another bourbon recipe, for a full-on creamy cake; this card reminded me to print it and try it this week when I get home. And the stamps? Must I even say how fantastic they are? Bryon spoiling me yet again...thank you thank you thank you :))

UNESCO - Tipasa, Algeria

On the shores of the Mediterranean, Tipasa was an ancient Punic trading-post conquered by Rome and turned into a strategic base for the conquest of the kingdoms of Mauritania. It comprises a unique group of Phoenician, Roman, palaeochristian and Byzantine ruins alongside indigenous monuments such as the Kbor er Roumia, the great royal mausoleum of Mauretania.

This site encompasses so much more than any single view card could represent, you really should google it, it looks fantastic! But so is this card, thanks a lot Ledmia :))

UNESCO - Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal, The Netherlands

The Wouda Pumping Station at Lemmer in the province of Friesland opened in 1920. It is the largest steam-pumping station ever built and is still in operation. It represents the high point of the contribution made by Netherlands engineers and architects in protecting their people and land against the natural forces of water - it is a steam-driven installation to prevent flooding of the low-lying areas of Friesland.

The biggest of its kind! Thank you Amy, and the wintery stamp is one of my Dutch favourites :)

 

UNESCO - Rock Art Of Alta, Norway

This group of petroglyphs in the Alta Fjord, near the Arctic Circle, bears the traces of a settlement dating from c. 4200 to 500 B.C. The thousands of paintings and engravings add to our understanding of the environment and human activities on the fringes of the Far North in prehistoric times.The development of carvings in Alta through thousands of years can be related to the post-glacial land upheaval. The oldest carvings are found at the highest points of the landscape. Moreover, the Rock Art provides a unique testimony to the interaction of hunter-gatherers with the landscape. The panels show hunting, fishing and boat journeys, and are thought to represent micro-landscapes.

A view of these rocks combined with the northern lights, splendid! Thanks a lot Tone :))

 

UNESCO - Rock Shelters Of Bhimbetka, India

Now to some ancient humans...And first signs of their artistic expressions. The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka are in the foothills of the Vindhyan Mountains on the southern edge of the central Indian plateau. Within massive sandstone outcrops, above comparatively dense forest, are five clusters of natural rock shelters, displaying paintings that appear to date from the Mesolithic Period right through to the historical period. The cultural traditions of the inhabitants of the twenty-one villages adjacent to the site bear a strong resemblance to those represented in the rock paintings.

Many thanks to Raghavendra :)

Emperor Penguins At Atka Bay

Atka Bay is an iceport about 16 km long and wide, marking a more-or-less permanent indentation in the front of the Ekstrom Ice Shelf on the coast of Queen Maud Land (a dependent territory of Norway). Why does it feature on New Zealand postcards I have no idea, but I love penguins and its a great photo, thank you Susan!

Here Comes A Tiger

Nothing to add but...what a fantastic photo! It illustrates the strength and mysteriousness of this powerful predator. Thank you Eileen :))

UNESCO - Central Highlands Of Sri Lanka

I have swapped for this postcard because there are cute little lizards on it - only later I've realised that it is part on an UNESCO site, double score..! Because the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka comprise three protected areas, one of which is pictured Horton Plains National Park. This plateau at an altitude of 2,100–2,300 metres is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest with rich biodiversity; many species found here are endemic to the region.

The vertebrate fauna of the region includes 24 species of mammals, 87 species of birds, nine species of reptiles and eight species of amphibians. The birdie top right could be the Sri Lanka white-eye, a small passerine bird. The top left lizzie is possibly the Black-lipped Lizard (Calotes nigrilabris), while the bottom left one remains unknown. 

What else is unknown is the name of the sender, I have looked into my fb correspondence but to no avail...I must be more thorough and come back to say the proper thanks, esp considering the biggest amount of stamps I have ever seen on a Sri Lankan postcard :)

 

UNESCO - The Primeval Beech Forests Of The Carpathians, Ukraine

Subtitle: When you have such great postcrossing friends who fill the card with stamps :)) Thank you Darya!

The primeval beech forests whs is shared between Ukraine and Slovakia, but there are also ancient beech forests of Germany comprising one site, as they all represent an outstanding example of undisturbed, complex temperate forests and exhibit the most complete and comprehensive ecological patterns and processes of pure stands of European beech across a variety of environmental conditions. They contain an invaluable genetic reservoir of beech and many species associated and dependent on these forest habitats.

Forests, something we miss here in Dalmatia, sniff

Patagonia Chileana

When it comes to amazing nature views, Patagonia must be on everyone's top-list...Another one of those desired trips...Muchas gracias Alvaro, for such a soothing sight of the Torres del Paine national park.

Tuatara

Have posted about one of these cool guys already, but whats the harm in reminding oneself of just how interesting they are? :) Because, as much as tuatara looks like a lizard, it is not - its close, but still. Tuatara are reptiles endemic to New Zealand, and are part of a distinct lineage, the order Rhynchocephalia (which, in fact, includes only two living species of tuatara). Their name derives from the Māori language and means "peaks on the back". Like many of New Zealand's native animals, they are threatened by habitat loss and introduced predators, such as the Polynesian rat. They were extinct on the mainland, with the remaining populations confined to 32 offshore islands; until the first mainland release into the heavily fenced and monitored Karori Sanctuary in 2005.

A success story for the survival of this unique species, relatively so but some help is better than none..! Many thanks to Amy, also for the Year of the Monkey stamp :)

 

The Cirque De Mafate, Réunion

This is an UNESCO card, showing one of the cirques of Réunion. However I have already posted two cards in that section so I'll dedicate this more to the fact that it is Earth Day today, and this is a wonderful example of how stunning our Earth can be! On that note I will post today only the wonders of nature, with no humas in site :)

Thanks goes to Virginie for sending this card, and a stamp showing the Réunion's capital Saint-Denis. What an exotic place to live :)

White Storks (And A Local Story)

Another one in the series of Fauna of Belarus, showing White Storks. As they are migratory birds, they would have arrived from the Sub-Saharan Africa by now, nesting and having chicks. Thank you Liudmila for this card and lovely stamp :)

This has reminded me of a popular story in my country, about a pair of storks called Klepetan and Malena. Malena is a madame stork who (for 24 years now) hasn't been able to fly south because of a broken wing. Beginning of a sad story? One may think... But she has found true love in Klepetan, who comes back to her every year to the same spot! With a great help from a kind Sir Stjepan Vokić (who happens to live in the same village in the north of Croatia where my mum comes from :)) Malena is able to survive the winter and take care of the young ones. Each year (for 14 years now) the whole country is waiting for Klepetan to return to his Malena - it is usually on the same date, but this year he was 6 days late. Everyone was worried..! But in the end he made it, tired but happy :) 

UNESCO - Kaiping Diaolou, China

Again I've shortened the full title of the whs by omitting 'and the Villages', at least until I somehow manage to get by a postcard that shows the actual villages...This card travelled a long time, three months in total - and when you look closer at the cancellation on the left. you can see why: it was missent to Georgia, so it took a month and a half to get there, and equal amount of time to get from there to here. All's well that ends well! Thank you Kira for this lovely view :)

The Kaiping Diaolou are fortified multi-storey towers, generally made of reinforced concrete. They display a complex and flamboyant fusion of Chinese and Western structural and decorative forms.

The building of defensive towers was a local tradition in the Kaiping area since Ming times in response to local banditry. The nominated Diaolou represent the final flourishing of this tradition, in which the conspicuous wealth of the retuning Chinese contributed to the spread of banditry and their towers were an extreme response.

UNESCO - Roman Theatre In Orange, France

This whs goes by the full name of Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the Triumphal Arch of Orange, but in whole honesty, if it took me this long to get the theatre, how much longer would I have to wait for the Triumphal Arch? So I'll show it off now :)

Situated in the Rhone valley, the ancient theatre of Orange (or Théâtre antique d'Orange), with its 103-m-long facade, is one of the best preserved of all the great Roman theatres. Playing a major role in the life of the citizens, who spent a large part of their free time there, the theatre was seen by the Roman authorities not only as a means of spreading Roman culture to the colonies, but also as a way of distracting them from all political activities. As the Western Roman Empire declined during the 4th century, by which time Christianity had become the official religion, the theatre was closed by official edict in AD 391, since the Church opposed what it regarded as uncivilized spectacles. After that, the theatre was abandoned completely.

During the 19th century the theatre slowly began to recover its original splendour; restoration work began in 1825 and in 1869 the theatre became the home of a Roman Festival, which in 1902 was renamed to Chorégies and was planned as an annual summer festival. In 1969 it became solely an opera festival.

Great addition to my collection from dear Veronique, merci beaucoup!

When I see and hear Orange I get a warm feeling, perhaps because I love the fruit and the colour, but also it sounds so lovely in French :) There is this trip idea to visit the area because it is brimming with whs but also other lovely places: from Marseille as the main airport hub, one doesn't need much time to go to Arles, Avignon, Pont du Gard, or indeed Orange! Then there are Aix-en-Provence, Nîmes, even Montpellier...gosh what a journey that would be xD

UNESCO - Old Town Lunenburg, Canada

An official card from Canada, one of the prepaid UNESCO cards issued in 2015. Thank you Betty :)

Lunenburg is the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America. Established in 1753, it has retained its original layout and overall appearance, based on a rectangular grid pattern drawn up in the home country. The inhabitants have managed to safeguard the city's identity throughout the centuries by preserving the wooden architecture of the houses, some of which date from the 18th century.

Good Morning From Gut Aiderbichl!

Not only is it a cute donkey, but there is also a wonderful story behind this card - Gut Aiderbichl is a 'paradise for saved animals', and their web-page tells it like this: 

Michael Aufhauser and Irene Florence were searching for a place to house Michael’s horses and for animal shelters to keep rescued animals. When they started out, there were only 25 animals. Their friendship with a bank manager helped them purchase the beautiful estate above Lake Wallersee by the town of Henndorf. Today Gut Aiderbichl is an international name. And that’s no surprise! The happy stories about our animals, initiatives and caring attitude towards those less powerful and the passionate plea on behalf of humanity at all life-stages coincides with mankind’s deepest instinct to pursue dreams.

Now there are 25 sanctuaries giving home to over 5600 animals. I have nothing but respect and admiration for people who dedicate their lives to saving animals. You can become a patron here! http://www.gut-aiderbichl.com/page.ph.php

I wish it could be so well-organised here in Croatia...I am sure there are enough kind-hearted people, but the paperwork to make anything functioning is dreadful, and to be honest we as a nation are still miles away from proactive thinking when it comes to animal rights...

It is an official card, yay :) Vielen Dank Lexi für diese wunderschöne Karte!

And the stamp with the kittens is supercute :))

Birds In Brittany

These are the lovely birds you are likely to see on the European Atlantic coast - Northern gannet, Atlantic puffin and (this was hidden by a stamp but I hope I am right) common guillemot. Thank you Sylvie :)

UNESCO - City Of Safranbolu, Turkey

From the 13th century to the advent of the railway in the early 20th century, Safranbolu was an important caravan station on the main East–West trade route. During its apogee in the 17th century, Safranbolu's architecture influenced urban development throughout much of the Ottoman Empire. It has preserved its original appearance and buildings to a remarkable extent.

As you may guess, the name of the town derives from saffron, since this was a trading place and a center for growing this most valuable spice. Today saffron is still grown at the village of Davutobası which is 22 km east of Safranbolu and probably one of the best quality saffrons in the world.

No name on the card to say my thanks...for this beautiful view of the snow-covered traditional houses.

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UNESCO - Stevns Klint, Denmark

Continuing the nordic whs trail, another very interesting site...one of the more recent ones, inscribed in 2014. And again from the forum's tag section, and with interesting stamps, thank you Rebekka :)

Stevns Klint is a globally exceptional testimony of meteorite impact on the history of life on Earth. The property provides evidence of the Chixulub meteorite impact that took place at the end of the Cretaceous Period, c.67 million years ago, and is widely believed to have caused the end of the Age of the Dinosaurs - the most recent of the major mass extinctions in Earth’s history. An exceptional fossil record is visible at the site, showing the complete succession of fauna and micro-fauna charting the recovery after the mass extinction.

UNESCO - Skogskyrkogården, Sweden

I guess it is normally not expected to find a cemetery on the whs list...but here it is, and quite a serene sunset view at that :) Again a lucky catch in the forum tag, thank you Merja!

Skogskyrkogården is the Stockholm cemetery created between 1917 and 1920 by two young architects, Asplund and Lewerentz, on the site of former gravel pits overgrown with pine trees. The design blends vegetation and architectural elements, taking advantage of irregularities in the site to create a landscape that is finely adapted to its function. What can't be seen here are the headstones situated among the trees...I must say, a great place for eternal rest..!

UNESCO - Poblet Monastery, Spain

Poblet Monastery is located in the south of Catalonia, in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in the municipality of Vimbodí. It is one of the largest and most complete Cistercian abbeys in the world. It was built in the 12th to 15th centuries around a church that dates to the 13th century. It is impressive for the majesty of its architecture and includes a fortified royal residence as well as the pantheon of the kings and queens of Catalonia and Aragon.

This amazing view I was lucky to acquire through the forum's unesco tag, thanks to Jordi :)

Black Highlander

I have received about a dozen officials in the last few weeks, and this is one of my favourites - I didn't realise highland cattle were called 'black cattle' before as it was their predominant colour, now I mainly see the orangy ones and actually this is the first black one I have seen, or at least noticed. Such cool creatures! Thank you Morag :))

UNESCO - Citadel, Ancient City And Fortress Buildings Of Derbent, Russia

The Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent were part of the northern lines of the Sasanian Persian Empire, which extended east and west of the Caspian Sea. The fortification was built in stone. It consisted of two parallel walls that formed a barrier from the seashore up to the mountain. The town of Derbent was built between these two walls, and has retained part of its medieval fabric. The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century.

This looks like a great place to visit, thank you Elvira for introducing it to me, and using this fantastic mini-sheet celebrating 2000 years of the foundation of the city!