Norway - Bunad

A girl wearing bunad, the traditional costume of Fusa in Norway.

Sent by Kari, a postcrosser from Norway.

This is from Wikipedia : Bunad is an umbrella term encompassing, in its broadest sense, a range of both traditional rural garments (mostly dating to the 19th and 18th centuries) as well modern 20th century folk costumes. In its narrow sense the word Bunad does only refer to garments constructed in the early 20th century very loosely based on tradition. The word Bunad in itself is a 20th century invention.

The Bunad movement has its root in 19th century national romanticism, which included an interest for traditional folk garments not only in Norway, but also in neighbouring countries such as Denmark and notably Germany. However, in Norway national romanticist ideas had a more lasting impact, as seen in the use of folk inspired costumes.

The designs are typically elaborate, with embroidery, scarves, shawls and hand-made silver or gold jewelry known as sølje. There are bunads both for men and women, although women's bunads are more diverse and popular. However, according to daily manager Turid Liss Agersborg at Husfliden Oslo, they now produce and sell more men’s bunads than women’s for the first time in history. The male customers are often characterized as urban and modern, and range between the ages of 20 and 40 years old.

A number of books on the history of bunads recount the story of how once when on holiday in Hardanger with her Danish husband the British Princess Maud of Wales thought that the Hardanger bunads worn by the women in Hardanger were so beautiful that she had one made for her. At that time she could have had no inkling that a decade and a half later she would return to Norway as its queen, the matriarch of a new dynasty of Norwegian kings. She later wore this Hardanger bunad at numerous public appearances in Norway, a tradition maintained by the present Queen Sonja, the Crown Princess Mette Marit and Princess Martha Louise, although Queen Sonya and her daughter wear the East Telemark bunads, Telemark being the ancestral county of the Queen's own family.

Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus).

Sent by Ulla, a postcrosser from Finland.

This is from Wikipedia : The Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) is a member of the thrush family Turdidae.

It is found in open woods and cultivated land over all of Europe and much of Asia. Many northern birds move south during the winter, with migrating birds sometimes forming small flocks.

The Mistle Thrush averages about 27 cm long, larger than the similar Song Thrush. The sexes are similar, with plain greyish brown backs and neatly round-spotted underparts. The breast has much less buff than the Song Thrush.

It is omnivorous, eating insects, worms and berries. A Mistle Thrush will defend a berry-bearing tree against other thrushes in winter. Mistletoe berries are amongst its diet.

This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 under its current scientific name. The English name refers to its mistletoe eating, as does the scientific name, which is derived from the Latin words Turdus, "thrush", and viscivorus meaning "mistletoe eater".

A recent molecular study places the Mistle Thrush's closest relatives as the similarly plumaged Song Thrush (T. philomelos) and the Chinese Thrush (T. mupinensis), all three species early offshoots from the main Turdus radiation around the world, and hence only distantly related to other European species such as the Common Blackbird (T. merula).

They nest in trees, laying several eggs in a neat cup-shaped nest lined with grass.

The male sings its loud melodious song from a tree, rooftop or other elevated perch, often during bad weather or at night, and starting relatively early in the spring — hence the Mistle Thrush's old name of "Stormcock". The song is like a harder and simpler version of the Blackbird's. The alarm call is said to sound like a football rattle (a form of musical ratchet) or machine gun.

Norway - West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord (1)

NORWAY
The Nærøyfjord is on Unesco's world heritage list as an example of one of the world's most beautiful, classical fjord landscapes.

Sent by Kristin, a postcrosser from Norway.

Situated in south-western Norway, north-east of Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, set 120 km from one another, are part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape that stretches from Stavanger in the south to Andalsnes, 500 km to the north-east.

The two fjords, among the world's longest and deepest, are considered as archetypical fjord landscapes and among the most scenically outstanding anywhere. Their exceptional natural beauty is derived from their narrow and steep-sided crystalline rock walls that rise up to 1,400 m from the Norwegian Sea and extend 500 m below sea level. The sheer walls of the fjords have numerous waterfalls, while free-flowing rivers cross their deciduous and coniferous forests to glacial lakes, glaciers and rugged mountains. The landscape features a range of supporting natural phenomena, both terrestrial and marine such as submarine moraines and marine mammals.

Remnants of old and now mostly abandoned transhumant farms add a cultural aspect to the dramatic natural landscape that complements and adds human interest to the area.

USA - Wyoming - Yellowstone National Park (2) - The Grand Prismatic Spring

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, USA.

Sent by Elvira, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, next to those in New Zealand. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin.

The first records of the spring are from early European explorers and surveyors. In 1839, a group of fur trappers from the American Fur Company crossed the Midway Geyser Basin and made note of a "boiling lake", most likely the Grand Prismatic Spring, with a diameter of 300 feet (90 m). In 1870 the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition visited the spring, noting a 50-foot (15 m) geyser nearby (later named Excelsior).

The vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The bacteria produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature of the water which favors one bacterium over another. In the summer, the mats tend to be orange and red, whereas in the winter the mats are usually dark green. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.

The deep blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from the intrinsic blue color of water, itself the result of water's selective absorption of red wavelengths of visible light. Though this effect is responsible for making all large bodies of water blue, it is particularly intense in Grand Prismatic Spring because of the high purity and depth of the water in the middle of the spring.

USA - Montana - Mapcard

MONTANA
"Treasure State"
Capital : Helena
Area : 145,388 sq. mi.
Population : 878,810
Motto : Oro y plata, Gold and Silver
Flower : Bitterroot
Bird : Western Meadowlark
Tree : Pondersoa Pine
41st State admitted to the Union.

Sent by Kori & Lisa, WiP partner from Montana.

France - Eiffel Tower

PARIS
Eiffel Tower.

Sent by Alexandra, a postcrosser from France.

This is from Wikipedia : The Eiffel Tower (French: La Tour Eiffel, [tuʁ ɛfɛl], nickname La dame de fer, the iron lady) is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest building in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.

The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. Upon its completion, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930. However, due to the addition, in 1957, of the antenna atop the Eiffel Tower, is now taller than the Chrysler Building. Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.

The tower has three levels for visitors. Tickets can be purchased to ascend, by stairs or lift, to the first and second levels. The walk from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. The third and highest level is accessible only by elevator. Both the first and second levels feature restaurants.

The tower has become the most prominent symbol of both Paris and France, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.

Netherlands - Mapcard

A mapcard of Holland.

Sent by Céline, a postcrosser from the Netherlands.

Thailand - Songkran Festival

Songkran Festival in Thailand.

Sent by Thippawan, a postcrosser from Nonthaburi in Thailand.

This is from Wikipedia : The Songkran festival (Thai: สงกรานต์, from Sanskrit saṃkrānti,[1] "astrological passage") is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia.

The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed. If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off are taken on the weekdays immediately following. If they fall in the middle of the week, many Thai take off from the previous Friday until the following Monday. Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. Until 1888 the Thai New Year was the beginning of the year in Thailand; thereafter 1 April was used until 1940. 1 January is now the beginning of the year. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since then.

Songkran has traditionally been celebrated as the New Year for many centuries, and is believed to have been adapted from an Indian festival. It is now observed nationwide, even in the far south. However, the most famous Songkran celebrations are still in the northern city of Chiang Mai, where it continues for six days and even longer. It has also become a party for foreigners and an additional reason for many to visit Thailand for immersion in another culture.

Vietnam - Champa Tower

Champa Tower Ninh Thuan - Phan Rang.

Sent by Lyra, a postcrosser from Vietnam.

Taiwan - Taipei City

A view of Taipei City.

Sent by Leo, a postcrosser from Taiwan.

This is from Wikipedia : Taipei City (traditional Chinese: 臺北市; pinyin: Táiběi Shì) is the capital of the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as "Taiwan") and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Danshui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean. Another coastal city, Danshui, is about 20 km northwest at the river's mouth on the Taiwan Strait. It lies in the two relatively narrow valleys of the Keelung (基隆河) and Xindian (新店溪) rivers, which join to form the Danshui River along the city's western border. The city proper (Taipei City) is home to an estimated 2,618,772 people. Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung together form the Taipei metropolitan area with a population of 6,900,273. However, they are administered under different local governing bodies. "Taipei" sometimes refers to the whole metropolitan area, while "Taipei City" refers to the city proper. Taipei City proper is surrounded on all sides by New Taipei.

Taipei is the political, economic, and cultural center of Taiwan. The National Taiwan University is located in Taipei, as well as the National Palace Museum, which has one of the largest collections of Chinese artifacts and artworks in the world. Considered to be a global city, Taipei is part of a major industrial area. Railways, high speed rail, highways, airports, and bus lines connect Taipei with all parts of the island. The city is served by two airports - Taipei Songshan and Taiwan Taoyuan.

Taipei was founded in the early 18th century and became an important center for overseas trade in the 19th century. The Qing Dynasty in China made Taipei the provincial capital of Taiwan in 1886. When the Japanese acquired Taiwan in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War, they retained Taipei as the capital of the island, and also advanced an extensive urban planning in Taipei. The Republic of China took over the island in 1945 following Japanese surrender. After losing Mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War, the ruling Kuomintang resettled the ROC government to Taiwan and declared Taipei the provisional capital of the Republic of China in December 1949.

Canada - Flowerpot Rock

Flowerpot Rock and the clear waters of Georgian Bay at Flowerpot Island. Flowerpot Island is located in Fantom Five National Marine Park at the mouth of Georgian Bay in Ontario.

Sent by zoomzter, a postcrosser from Canada.

This is from Wikipedia : Flowerpot Island is an island in Georgian Bay, in the Canadian province of Ontario and is a part of Fathom Five National Marine Park. The island spans 2.1 km from east to west, and 1.5 km from north to south, and has a total area of 2 km² (500 acres). The name of the island comes from two rock pillars on its eastern shore, which look like flower pots.

Flowerpot Island is a popular tourist destination, with camping facilities and hiking trails. The island is accessible by cruises and rigid inflatable boats from Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula.

Netherlands - Shape of Gelderland

A shape of Gelderland, one of provinces in the Netherlands.

Sent by Elsbeth, a postcrosser from the Netherlands.

This is from Wikipedia : Gelderland, also Guelders German: Geldern) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen, Wageningen, Zevenaar and Epe. The city Geldern, after which the province is called, is today part of Germany.

The current province of Gelderland covers about the area of three of the quarters of the historical Duchy of Guelders. Guelders was a county in the late 11th century and then a duchy in the Holy Roman Empire, including also parts of the province of present-day Limburg and the German District of Kleve (Cleves) with the city of Geldern, the city that was the original seat of the dukes. It became part of the Habsburg Netherlands in 1543, one of the Seventeen Provinces, though not one of the richer or more densely-populated. During World War II it was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting in the war between Allied Paratroopers, British XXX Corps and the German II SS Panzer Corps, also known as the Battle of Arnhem.

Germany - A Partial Map of Brandenburg

A partial map of a region called Brandenburg.

Sent by Heike, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Brandenburg, Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam. Brandenburg surrounds but does not include the national capital and city-state of Berlin.

Originating in the medieval Northern March, the Margraviate of Brandenburg grew to become the core of the kingdom, later Free State of Prussia. The eastern third of historic Brandenburg (Ostbrandenburg/Neumark) was ceded to Poland in 1945.

Mapcard of Finland

A mapcard of Finland.

Sent by Jussi, a postcrosser from Kemi in Finland.

Greece - Mapcard of Corfu

A mapcard of Corfu.

Sent by Shireya from Corfu, Greece.

Indonesia - Wisma Kuwera

Wisma Kuwera in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. 1986 - 1999.

Sent by Maya from Kalimantan in Indonesia.

Czech Republic - Kingdom of Wallachia

Greetings from Wallachian Kingdom. Only in the Wallachian Kingdom everything is possible :)

Sent by Martina, a postcrosser from Czech Republic.

This is from Wikipedia : "Kingdom of Wallachia" (Czech: Valašské Kralovství), named after the region of Moravian Wallachia, is a tongue-in-cheek micronation that was founded in 1997 by the photographer Tomáš Harabiš as an "elaborate practical joke". The location is in the northeast corner of the Czech Republic, 230 miles from Prague. It has since become one of the Czech Republic's biggest tourist attractions. Since foundation a reported 80,000 Czech citizens have acquired "Wallachian Passports".

After the official proclamation of the Wallachian kingdom in 1997, Bolek Polívka was enthroned as King Boleslav I the Gracious with his coronation occurring at a lavish ceremony in 2000. The "Government" led by Tomáš Harabiš established state institutions and issued passports to around 80,000 officially Czech Citizens. A new currency, the Jurovalsar, was launched which was pegged to the euro at a rate of 1:1. Enthusiastic attempts to forge official ties with other countries have so far proved disappointing and the Kingdom of Wallachia enjoys no formal diplomatic recognition.

Map of Indian Ocean

Map of Indian Ocean by Pieter Goos and Johannes van Kuelen, 18th century.

Sent by Paulien, a postcrosser from Netherlands.

Chile - Mapuche Woman

Mapuche woman.

Sent by my best pal Hernán from Santiago de Chile.

Uruguay - Peninsula De San Gregorio De Polanco

Peninsula De San Gregorio De Polanco, a town in the Tacuarembó Department of northern-central Uruguay.

Sent by Daniela from Uruguay.

Finland - A Karesuvanto Woman

A Lapland woman in Karesuvanto.

Sent by Ana, a postcrosser from Finland.

This is from Wikipedia : Karesuvanto, also Kaaresuvanto, is a village in the Enontekiö municipality of the Lapland region in northern Finland, located on the Muonio River which forms the border with Sweden.

On the Swedish side of the river the village of Karesuando, part of the Kiruna municipality, is located. According to Finnish tradition they are considered one and the same locality (with pop. about 470) and both called Karesuvanto, though officially a national border is in between. Both sides are linked by a road bridge built in 1980. The area is traditionally Finnish and Sami speaking. After the Finnish War in 1809, the border was drawn for political reasons, not because of any cultural or linguistic reasons existing at that time. Later a cultural and language difference has grown because of school and church influence.

The village got its first buildings in 1670, when Måns Mårtensson Karesuando, called "Hyvä Maunu Martinpoika" in Finnish and "Good Maunu, Son of Martin" in English, bought land from Sami Henrik Nilsson Nikkas. The vicar and botanist Lars Levi Læstadius worked in Karesuando where he founded laestadianism movement named after him. In 1944 the area was burnt down by German troops during the Lapland War and had to be rebuilt afterwards.

Karesuando/Karesuvanto is the northernmost point on the major European route E45 to Gela and a stop on the European route E8 from Tromsø to Turku.

United Kingdom - England - Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church (2)

Canterbury, Kent
Built on the site on an earlier structure, Canterbury Cathedral attracts pilgrims from across the world. The earliest parts of the building date from 1070, but many additions were made over the next 500 years, including the magnificent central Bell Harry Tower.

Sent by Margaret, a postcrosser from England.

Taiwan - Garden Of Lin Ben-yuan

Garden Of Lin Ben-yuan, Banqiao
Located at the Shimen St. of Banquiao City, this garden was built in 1893. There are a variety of elegant landscapes (e.g. pavilions, towers, attics and bridges) in the garden, where has become the valuable cultural heritage of Taiwanese architecture and landscape.

Sent by Chang, a postcrosser from Taiwan.

Portugal - Historic Centre of Oporto (2)

PORTO
Rabelos Boats
Batalha Square
Port Wine Cellars
Church

Sent by Maria, a postcrosser near Lisbon, Portugal.

Germany - Berlin - Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin

Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin.

Sent by Heidi, a postcrosser from Germany.

The art museum is a social phenomenon that owes its origins to the Age of Enlightenment and its extension to all people to the French Revolution. The Museumsinsel is the most outstanding example of this concept given material form and a symbolic central urban setting, and one that illustrates the evolution of modern museum design over more than a century.

The present importance of the Museumsinsel began when the Altes Museum was built to the designs of Karl Friedrich Schinkel in 1824-28. A plan to develop the part of the island behind this museum was drawn up in 1841 by the court architect, Friedrich August Stüler, on the orders of Friedrich Wilhelm IV. The first element of this plan to be built was the Neues Museum (1843-47). The next step did not take place until 1866, when the Nationalgalerie, the work of Johann Heinrich Strack, was built. Another two decades passed before the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum (now the Bodemuseum) was built in 1897-1904 to the designs of Ernst von Ihne, and Stüler's plan was completed in 1909-30 with the construction of Alfred Messel's Pergamonmuseum.

The complex of the Museumsinsel consists of five museum buildings:

The Altes Museum is a two-storey structure with a rectangular ground plan on a high base with its exhibition rooms ranged round two inner courts and a central two-storey domed rotunda with skylight. The side and rear elevations are relatively plain, but that facing the site of the former Schloss is a high portico supported on eighteen sandstone Ionic columns and two corner pilasters. Access is by means of a seven-bay wide stairway with broad stringers.

The layout of the Neues Museum is comparable with that of the Altes Museum, but the rotunda of the latter is replaced by the monumental main staircase. Unlike the Altes Museum, to which it was originally linked by a passageway, it is a relatively plain structure, more in the style of the Schinkel School. The richly decorated interior contrasts with the plain exterior. There is an interesting innovative structural feature. The traditional low-vaulted ceilings of timber beams and masonry are replaced on the third floor by an arch-chord construction using cast-iron arches and pairs of wrought-iron chords. This lightweight form of construction was necessitated by the poor foundation parameters.

The Nationalgalerie, a high ashlar block-like base with rectangular windows, is surmounted by a Corinthian pseudo-dipteral temple of in antis type with an open portico. There are also high rectangular windows in the exterior wall set back behind the columns. The rear is in the form of a semi-circular conch. A double-winged open staircase with five flights of steps leads up to the pedimented portico with its Corinthian columns. The building is clad throughout with Nebra sandstone. The four-storey building has a rectangular ground plan with apse-like terminal features. There is a cellar and an exhibition floor in the basement section and two exhibition halls in the superstructure. It is lavishly decorated with symbolic imagery in the form of sculptures, reliefs, and paintings. The upper exhibition floor was originally laid out as a vast banqueting hall, but is now converted for displays.

The Bodemuseum is a neo-Baroque structure in a commanding position on the north-western tip of the island. Clad in sandstone and with a low stone base, it rises to two storeys, linked by Corinthian pilasters and crowned with a balustrade. The rounded entrance frontage is decorated with the same columns and with rounded open arches. The entrance with its impressive staircase is beneath the smaller of the two domes. It gives on to two lateral wings and a centre section which are linked by transverse sections so as to form five inner courtyards.

The three-winged Pergamonmuseum was built to exhibit the greatly expanded collections of antiquities resulting from German excavations at Pergamon and other Greek sites in Asia Minor as well as those from Mesopotamia formerly housed in the Vorderasiatisches Museum. It rises directly from the Spree, like the Bodemuseum, with which it is harmonized in scale and proportions. The centre block and the side wings are windowless, given structure by flat giant pilasters and steep pediments. (Source)