Africa - Big Five

AFRICA
Elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino became known as the big five by hunters in the early 19 hundreds due to their reputation of being the 5 most dangerous African animals to hunt.

One of the five postcards sent by Whardah from Cape Town, South Africa.

South Africa - Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (3)

CAPE TOWN
Table Mountain experience. Top right clockwise : King Proteas, Dassies, Table Mountain from Rotair and Lion's Head.

One of the five postcards sent by Whardah from Cape Town, South Africa.

South Africa - Stellenbosch

STELLENBOSCH
The university town of Stellenbosch, famous for its wines and specctacular mountain scenery, has many fine examples of architecture dating back to the early 1800'2.

One of the five postcards sent by Whardah from Cape Town, South Africa.

This is from Wikipedia : Stellenbosch ( /ˈstɛlənbɒs/) is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, situated about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Cape Town, along the banks of the Eerste Rivier. It is the second oldest European settlement in the province, after Cape Town. The town became known as the City of Oaks or Eikestad in Afrikaans and Dutch due to the large number of oak trees that were planted by its founder, Simon van der Stel, to grace the streets and homesteads.

Stellenbosch has its own municipality (incorporating the neighbouring towns of Pniel and Franschhoek), adjoining the greater/metro area of the city of Cape Town. The town is home to Stellenbosch University. Technopark is a modern science park situated on the southern side of the town near the Stellenbosch Golf Course.

The town was founded in 1679 by the Governor of the Cape Colony, Simon van der Stel, who named it after himself — Stellenbosch means "(van der) Stel's forest". It is situated on the banks of the Eerste Rivier ("First River"), so named as it was the first new river he reached and followed when he went on an expedition over the Cape Flats to explore the territory towards what is now known as Stellenbosch. The town grew so quickly that it became an independent local authority in 1682 and the seat of a magistrate with jurisdiction over 25,000 square kilometers (9,700 sq mi) in 1685.

The Dutch were skilled in hydraulic engineering and they devised a system of furrows to direct water from the Eerste Rivier in the vicinity of Thibault Street through the town along van Riebeeck Street to Mill Street where a mill was erected. Early visitors commented on the oak trees and gardens.

During 1690 some Huguenot refugees settled in Stellenbosch, grapes were planted in the fertile valleys around Stellenbosch and soon it became the centre of the South African wine industry.

In 1710 a fire destroyed most of the town and including all the Company property and twelve houses. Only two or three houses were left standing.

The first school had been opened in 1683 but education in the town began in earnest in 1859 with the opening of a seminary for the Dutch Reformed Church. Rhenish Girls' High School, established in 1860, is the oldest school for girls in South Africa. A gymnasium which was known as het Stellenbossche Gymnasium was established in 1866. In 1874 some higher classes became Victoria College and then in 1918 University of Stellenbosch. The first men's hostel to be established in Stellenbosch was Wilgenhof, in 1903. In 1909 an old boy of the school, Paul Roos, captain of the first national rugby team to be called the Springboks, was invited to become the sixth rector of the school. He remained rector till 1940. On his retirement the school's name was changed to Paul Roos Gymnasium.

In the early days of the Second Boer War (1899–1902) Stellenbosch was one of the British military bases, and was used as a 'remount' camp; and in consequence of officers who had not distinguished themselves at the front being sent back to it, the expression 'to be Stellenbosched' came into use; so much so, that in similar cases officers were spoken of as 'Stellenbosched' even if they were sent to some other place.

South Africa - Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (2)

CAPE TOWN
Chapman's Peak Drive is a spectacular mountain pass which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean between Hout Bay and Noordhoek.

One of the five postcards sent by Whardah from Cape Town, South Africa.

South Africa - Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (1)

CAPE TOWN
The wonder world of beauty, history and splendour. The Republic's legislative capital beneath Table Mountain with the magnificent V&A Waterfront in the foreground.

One of the five postcards sent by Whardah from Cape Town, South Africa.

The Cape Floral Region is located in the south-west corner of South Africa in the Cape Province. The site's eight clusters form a representative sample of the eight phytogeographical centres of the region. Elevations range from 2,077 m in the Groot Winterhoek to sea level in the De Hoop Nature Reserve. A great part of the area is characterized by rugged mountain passes, rivers, rapids, cascades and pools.

The area has been called the world's 'hottest hot-spot' for plant diversity and endemism and has been designated as one of the World Centres of Plant Diversity. It has some 44% of the subcontinental flora of 20,367 species (vascular plant species), including endemic and subendemic families and threatened species. The Cape Peninsula contains almost half of these species, with 25% of the flora of the whole region. The richness is due to the wide variety of macrohabitats and microhabitat mosaics resulting from the range of elevations, soils and climatic conditions, including the co-existence of winter-rainfall species with summer-rainfall species from further east. The flora is also characterized by concentrations of relict endemics and massive ongoing speciation due to its isolation in an area of very long established climatic stability. The flora of each area is sufficiently distinct to justify representation of the region by several sites, each of which is large enough to preserve the genetic viability of its types of diversity and to accommodate large-scale natural processes such as fire and drought. Eight phytogeographical centres of endemism have been distinguished in the Cape Floral Region.

The distinctive flora of the region, comprising 80% of its richness, is the fynbos (fine bush), fine-leaved vegetation adapted to both the Mediterranean type of climate and to periodic fires, and defined by the location or dominant species. Plant variety is based on soil types which vary from predominantly coarse, sandy, acidic nutrient-poor soils, to alkaline marine sands and slightly richer alluvials. There are pockets of evergreen forest in fire-protected gorges and on deeper soils; in the east are valley thickets and succulent thickets, which are less fire-dependent, and in the drier north, low succulent Karoo shrubland.

Four other characteristics of the Cape Floral Region of global scientific interest are:

• the responses of the plants to fire;
• seed dispersal by ants and termites;
• the high level (83%) of plant pollination by insects, mainly beetles and flies;
• its linkages to Gondwanaland allowing reconstruction of the flora's ancient connections.

Adaptation to fire include geophytes that sprout from underground and seed storage both underground and in the canopy, some species requiring fire for germination. Ants take the seeds to eat the lipid deposits; about 28% of the region's flora, including over half of the Proteaceae, is dispersed by them. Most of the shrubs so dispersed are both endemic and threatened species but the latter lack a way of regenerating after fire. Pollination and nutrient-cycling by termites, and termite-mound communities are notable and the region has very high levels of bird- and mammal-pollinated plants. (Source)

Hong Kong - HK Island Waterfront

A day view of Hong Kong Island waterfront.

Sent by Sky, a postcrosser from Hong Kong.

This is from Wikipedia : The Waterfront (Chinese: 漾日居) is a private housing estate in Phase I of Union Square, located right above Kowloon Station, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was developed by the consortium led by Wing Tai Asia, including Temasek Holdings, Singapore Land, Keppel Land, Lai Sun Development, World-wide Investment and USI Holdings. It consists of 1,288 apartments in 6 residential towers. It was completed in 2000, together with Dickson Cyber Express, a 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) cyber shopping mall of Dickson Concepts. But Dickson Cyber Express was closed after Internet bubble burst.

Slovenia - Water Tower of Maribor

MARIBOR
Water Tower, 1555
From the book "Maribor - Along the Routes of Old Art".

Sent by Daniela, a postcrosser from Slovenia.

This is from Wikipedia : The Water Tower (Slovene: Vodni stolp ) is a medieval fortified tower in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. The tower directly abuts the river Drava, and dates from 1555. A late-renaissance fortification, it consists of massive stone blocks interspersed with embrasures. It was built to secure the southeast part of the city walls from the direction of the river.

Before the mid-16th century, the southern part of the Maribor city walls was guarded by two round defensive towers, the predecessor of the current Jewish Tower and the predecessor of the Water Tower, known as the Gunpowder Tower (Slovene: Smodniški stolp), mentioned as of 1529. Around 1555, a decision was made to extend the city's defensive fortifications against Turkish raids to include the municipal port. Italian master builders erected two bastions on the Drava, a tower that came to be known as Mariborske Benetke ("Mariborian Venice") to the west and the Water Tower to the east. The city gates once stood between Benetke Tower and the Judgement Tower.

A site called Pristan ("quay") or Lent had earlier developed outside the walls, serving as the mercantile center of old Maribor. Until the construction of the Carinthian railway between Maribor and Klagenfurt in 1863, the Benetke port building saw annual eastward-bound traffic of up to 800 šajke (characteristic local barges) and 1200 rafts.

During the 1960s, the Drava was dammed at Melje for the Zlatoličje hydroelectric plant, causing the water levels to rise. Much of the old urban core of Maribor was due to be submerged in the resultant accumulation lake, including the Water Tower, which was originally slated for demolition so as not to pose a hazard to navigation.

Between 1966 - 1967, the Benetke Tower and many medieval houses on the riverbanks were torn down, but the position of the Water Tower made it a better prospect for salvageability. The tower was saved by the efforts of builder Jože Požauk (1908–1995), who directed a project to raise the 1500 t mass by 2.6 metres over seven months in 1967 and 1968.

At present, the Water Tower houses a wine shop which specializes in top-quality Slovenian wines. It is Slovenia's oldest wine cellar, and is situated in what is now the center of Maribor. The shop is on the ground floor. The top floor of the tower contains a large, round hall with a high ceiling, reminiscent of a medieval banquet hall, which is dedicated entirely to wine tasting. The world's oldest grapevine is located on the side of a building a few hundred m away.

Poland - Stargard

The Mill Gate (The Harbour Gate), in the middle of 15th century - the only gate by the river in Poland.

Sent by my friend Patrycja from Poland.

This is from Wikipedia : Stargard Szczeciński [ˈstarɡart ʂt​͡ʂɛˈt​͡ɕiɲski] (German: Stargard in Pommern; Kashubian: Stôrgard) is a city in northwestern Poland, with a population of 71,017 (2005). Situated on the Ina River it is the capital of Stargard County and since 1999 has been in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship; prior to that it was in the Szczecin Voivodeship (1975–1998). Stargard is a major railroad junction, where the southwards connection from Szczecin splits into two directions - one towards Poznań and the other towards Gdańsk. There is also another minor line to Pyrzyce from the town.

Stargard, which was first mentioned in around 1140, received Magdeburg city rights in 1243 from the Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania.

In 1363 the city joined the Hanseatic League and was then strongly fortified. During the 15th century the Pomeranian dukes chose it as their residence.

During the Thirty Years' War the city burnt down and in the 1648 Peace of Westphalia it was incorporated, together with the rest of Further Pomerania, into Brandenburg-Prussia. In 1701 Stargard became part of the Kingdom of Prussia and in 1818, after the Napoleonic Wars, Stargard became part of the new district Saatzig within the Province of Pomerania.

As a result of the unification of Germany in 1871 the city became part of the German Empire. On 1 April 1901 it became an independent city, separate from the Saatzig District.

During World War II the large prisoner-of-war camp Stalag II-D was located near Stargard. There were Kashubians and later thousands of Canadians captured at Dieppe imprisoned there, one of whom was Gerald MacIntosh Johnston, a Canadian actor, who was killed trying to escape.

In 1945 the city was placed under Polish administration, according to the postwar Potsdam Agreement, and since then has remained part of Poland. The German population was expelled and replaced by Poles, mainly from the eastern Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union.

In 2004 a north-western part of the town was made into an industrial park - Stargardzki Park Przemysłowy.

Wood Anemone

Wood Anemone or Anemone Nemorosa.

Sent by Chloe, a postcrosser from Canada.

This is from Wikipedia : Anemone nemorosa is an early-spring flowering plant in the genus Anemone in the family Ranunculaceae. Common names include wood anemone, windflower, thimbleweed and smell fox, an allusion to the musky smell of the leaves. It is a perennial herbaceous plant, growing in early spring from 5 to 15 cm tall.

The plants start blooming soon after the foliage emerges from the ground. The leaves are divided into three segments and the flowers, produced on short stems, are held above the foliage with one flower per stem. They grow from underground root-like stems called rhizomes and the foliage dies back down by mid summer (summer dormant). The rhizomes spread just below the soil surface, forming long spreading clumps that grow quickly, contributing to its rapid spread in woodland conditions, where they often carpet large areas.

The flower is 2 cm diameter, with six or seven (and in rare occasions eight, nine or ten) petal-like segments (actually tepals) with many stamens. In the wild the flowers are usually white, but may be pinkish, lilac, blue or yellow and often have a darker tint to the back of the 'petals'. The flowers lack both fragrance and nectar and it has been suggested by some authors that they are primarily self-pollinated, but it has also been demonstrated that they are pollinated by bees and other insects that visit the flowers to collect pollen (Shirreffs 1985).

Yellow wood anemone, Anemone ranunculoides, also known as the buttercup anemone, is a similar plant with slightly smaller flowers of rich yellow colouring.

The plant contains poisonous chemicals that are toxic to animals including humans, but it has also been used as a medicine. All parts of the plant contain protoanemonin, which can cause severe skin and gastrointestinal irritation, burning mouth sensation, burning throat sensation, mouth ulcers, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bitter taste in mouth, blood in vomit

Philippines - Mount Makiling

Mount Makiling, also rarely Mount Maquiling, is located in the province of Laguna on the island of Luzon, Philippines. It is an inactive volcano, which rises to 1,090 m above sea level.

Sent by Ruby, a WiP partner from the Philippines.

This is from Wikipedia : Mount Makiling, also rarely Mount Maquiling, is a potentially active volcano in Laguna province on the island of Luzon, Philippines. It rises to 1,090 m above mean sea level.

Legends surround the mountain, many of which relate to Maria Makiling, said to be the 'guardian fairy' of the mountain. The contour of the mountain is said to be that of her in a reclining position.

The University of the Philippines, Los Baños is designated as the official caretaker of the mountain.

* Makiling National Scout Reservation, a campsite at the foot of Mount Makiling adjacent to U.P. Los Baños, which is being managed by the Boy Scouts of the Philippines this is the site of the 10th World Scout Jamboree in 1959 and 26th Asia-Pacific Regional Jamboree in 2009 and 2010.
* Mud Springs, widely accepted albeit erroneously as the volcanic crater of Mount Makiling
* National Arts Center, a patch of land at the foot of Mount Makiling adjacent to U.P. Los Baños, which is being managed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the site of the Philippine High School for the Arts, a special school for young artist scholars
* Pook ni Maria Makiling, an eco-tourism site adjacent to the Jamboree Site, National Arts Center and U.P. Los Baños
* University of the Philippines, Los Baños

New Zealand - Tongariro National Park (2)

Mount Ruapehu 2797m: Mount Ruapehu erupting in September 1995 just at sunset, viewed from the National Park township.

Sent by Stephanie, a postcrosser from Auckland, New Zealand.

Finland - Inari

FINLAND
Inari.

Sent by Heli, a postcrosser from Finland.

This is from Wikipedia : Inari (Inari Sami: Aanaar, Northern Sami: Anár, Skolt Sami: Aanar, Swedish: Enare) is Finland's largest, sparsely populated municipality with four official languages, more than any other in the country. Its major sources of income are lumber industry and nature maintenance. With the museum Siida in the village of Inari, it is a center of Sami culture. The airport in Ivalo and the country's key north-south European Route E75 (Finland's National Road 4) bring summer and winter vacationers who look for resorts with access to well-preserved, uncrowded outdoors.

The municipality of Inari has a population of 6,779 (31 January 2011).[2] The population density is 0.45 inhabitants per square kilometre (1.2 /sq mi).

Its two largest villages are Ivalo and Inari. Other villages are Törmänen, Keväjärvi, Koppelo, Sevettijärvi–Näätämö, Saariselkä, Nellim, Angeli, Kaamanen, Kuttura, Lisma, Partakko, and Riutula.

The municipality has four official languages: Finnish, Inari Sami (ca. 400 estimated speakers), Skolt Sami (ca. 400 speakers), and Northern Sami (ca. 700 speakers). The estimates of how many people have some command of each of the Sami languages differ from the number of people who list them as their mother tongues. Of the total population of 6,863 in 2010, 6,366 people registered Finnish as their mother tongue and 400 one of the Sami languages. 97 inhabitants were native speakers of other languages.

Only about 1%, 78 persons, were citizens of countries other than Finland in 2010.

United Kingdom - England - The Elgar Country

BROADHEATH / EDWARD ELGAR / WORCESTER CATHEDRAL / GREAT MALVERN / THE MALVERN HILLS
Edward Elgar was born at Lower Broadheath near Worcester in 1857. The composer's birthplace is now a museum containing photographs, scores and other items associated with him. The Malvern Hills were a constant inspiration to Elgar whose music is frequently performed at the Three Choirs Festival which alternates between Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford. Elgar died in 1934 and is buried at Little Malvern.

Sent by David, a postcrosser from England.

This is from Wikipedia : Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet OM, GCVO (2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. He also composed choral works, including The Dream of Gerontius, chamber music and songs. He was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924.

Although Elgar is often regarded as a typically English composer, most of his musical influences were not from England but from continental Europe. He felt himself to be an outsider, not only musically, but socially. In musical circles dominated by academics, he was a self-taught composer; in Protestant Britain, his Roman Catholicism was regarded with suspicion in some quarters; and in the class-conscious society of Victorian and Edwardian Britain, he was acutely sensitive about his humble origins even after he achieved recognition. He nevertheless married the daughter of a senior British army officer. She inspired him both musically and socially, but he struggled to achieve success until his forties, when after a series of moderately successful works his Enigma Variations (1899) became immediately popular in Britain and overseas. He followed the Variations with a choral work, The Dream of Gerontius (1900), based on a Roman Catholic text that caused some disquiet in the Anglican establishment in Britain, but it became, and has remained, a core repertory work in Britain and elsewhere. His later full-length religious choral works were well received but have not entered the regular repertory. The first of his Pomp and Circumstance Marches (1901) is well known in the English-speaking world.

In his fifties, Elgar composed a symphony and a violin concerto that were immensely successful. His second symphony and his cello concerto did not gain immediate public popularity and took many years to achieve a regular place in the concert repertory of British orchestras. Elgar's music came, in his later years, to be seen as appealing chiefly to British audiences. His stock remained low for a generation after his death. It began to revive significantly in the 1960s, helped by new recordings of his works. Some of his works have, in recent years, been taken up again internationally, but the music remains more played in Britain than elsewhere.

Elgar has been described as the first composer to take the gramophone seriously. Between 1914 and 1925, he conducted a series of recordings of his works. The introduction of the microphone in 1925 made far more accurate sound reproduction possible, and Elgar made new recordings of most of his major orchestral works and excerpts from The Dream of Gerontius. These recordings were reissued on LP record in the 1970s and on CD in the 1990s.

Senegal - Island of Gorée

Views of places in the Island of Gorée.

Sent by Sidibé from Senegal.

The Island of Gorée is a memorial to the African diaspora. It continues to serve as a reminder of human exploitation and as a sanctuary for reconciliation.

Gorée is a small (18 ha) land mass located off the coast of Senegal, opposite Dakar. From the 15th to the 19th centuries, it was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast. An estimated 20 million Africans passed through the Island between the mid-1500s and the mid-1800s. Ruled in succession by the Portuguese, Dutch, English and French, its architecture is characterized by the contrast between the grim slave-quarters and the elegant houses of the slave traders.

The House of Slaves was built in 1776 by the Dutch, the last surviving slave house in Gorée; the earliest date back to 1536 and were built by Portuguese, the first Europeans to set foot on the Island in 1444. Cells, each 2.60 m by 2.60 m, were reserved for men and contained up to 15 to 20 people, seated with their backs against the wall, chained around the neck and arms. In the middle of the chain, there was a big iron ball which the slave had to carry between his two hands and two legs. They were released only once a day to satisfy their needs, generally within this house. The hygienic conditions were so revolting that the first pest epidemic which ravaged the island in 1779 originated here.

A small house contained between 150 and 200 slaves, who had to wait for very long periods - up to three months - before being carried away on board ship. Their departure to the Americas also depended on the buyers, and family separation was total. There were special cells where children were stored and in these the mortality rate was obviously the highest in the house.

The young girls were separated from the women because they were more expensive. All the houses situated on the edge of Gorée - even the actual presbytery - were former slave houses. Some slave traders had sexual relations with the young slave girls and when they got pregnant they were released in Gorée or in Saint-Louis. It was thus in the young girls' interest to give themselves to the slave traders in order to gain freedom. It was for these young girls the only way to salvation. The mixed-race girls in Gorée, commonly called 'Signare', a deformation of the Portuguese word senhoras, formed the aristocracy in Gorée, like the Creoles in the French West Indies.

There was a cell where they kept the temporarily unfit, because a man's value was based on his weight: the minimum weight for men was fixed at 60 kg. If they weighed less than this these men were placed in cells to be fattened with locally grown beans, very starchy, known in Senegal as niebe.

This sloping corridor is today known as the gate of 'the trip from which no one returned', because once the slaves left through this gate leading into the sea, it was their farewell to Africa. Just outside this gate, there was a wharf of palm wood, which served as a loading dock, and some of the slaves obviously awaited the loading to try to escape by plunging into the sea. They could not go far as they were either shot by the guards or devoured by the sharks, attracted because the sick and injured were thrown into the sea.

Leaning over the balcony on this staircase, the buyers and the European slave traders were able to observe the slaves and to discuss the muscular value of each, because each African ethnic group had its quoted value and specialization. The upper part of the building served as a residence for European traders.

The conservation of the Island of Gorée has as its objective the rehabilitation of the heritage and socio-economic revitalization. The preservation of the architectural heritage is linked to the protection of the natural environment (coastal areas) and the improvement of the infrastructure (water, sewers, refuse disposal, etc.). (Source)

USA - Alaska - Denali National Park (1)

Mt. McKinley, Alaska
Rising 20,320 feet (6,194 m) from sea level, Mt. McKinley has a greater mystical rise the Mt. Everest.

Sent by The Lowe Family, postcrosser from Washington, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Mount McKinley or Denali (Koyukon Athabaskan for "The High One", Dghelaayce’e in Ahtna) in Alaska, United States is the highest mountain peak in North America and the United States, with a summit elevation of 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level. The CIA World Factbook lists its summit elevation as 6,198 metres (20,335 ft). It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.

Mount McKinley is a granitic pluton. It has been uplifted by tectonic pressure while at the same time, erosion has stripped away the (somewhat softer) sedimentary rock above and around the mountain.

The forces that lifted Mount McKinley—the subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the North American plate—also raised great ranges across southern Alaska. As that huge sheet of ocean-floor rock plunges downward into the mantle, it shoves and crumples the continent into soaring mountains which include some of the most active volcanoes on the continent. Mount McKinley in particular is uplifted relative to the rocks around it because it is at the intersection of major active strike-slip faults (faults that move rocks laterally across the Earth's surface) which allow the deep buried rocks to be unroofed more rapidly compared to those around them.

Mount McKinley has two significant summits: the South Summit is the higher one, while the North Summit has an elevation of 19,470 feet (5,934 m) and a prominence of approximately 1,320 feet (402 m). The North Summit is sometimes counted as a separate peak (see e.g., the List of United States fourteeners) and sometimes not; it is rarely climbed, except by those doing routes on the north side of the massif.

Five large glaciers flow off the slopes of the mountain. The Peters Glacier lies on the northwest side of the massif, while the Muldrow Glacier falls from its northeast slopes. Just to the east of the Muldrow, and abutting the eastern side of the massif, is the Traleika Glacier. The Ruth Glacier lies to the southeast of the mountain, and the Kahiltna Glacier leads up to the southwest side of the mountain.

The Koyukon Athabaskan people who inhabit the area around the mountain referred to the peak as Dinale or Denali ("the high one" or "the great one"). In the late 1890s, a gold prospector named it "McKinley" as political support for then-president William McKinley. The Alaska Board of Geographic Names changed the name of the mountain to Denali, which is how it is referred to locally. However, a 1975 request by the Alaska state legislature to the United States Board on Geographic Names to do the same was blocked by Ohio congressman Ralph Regula, whose district includes McKinley's hometown. Members of the Ohio congressional delegation continue to protect the McKinley name, blocking attempts by the Alaska congressional delegation to get the Board of Geographic Names to change it to Denali. Thus, "Denali" is correct according to the Alaska state board, while "McKinley" is correct according to the national board.

Germany - Stuttgart (Mapcard)

A mapcard of Stuttgart.

Sent by Stefanie, a postcrosser from Stuttgart, Germany.

Estonia - Mapcard (2)

ESTONIA

Sent by Lika, a postcrosser from Talinn, Estonia.

Qatar - Old Souk in Doha

The old souq as in 1990, Doha, Qatar.

Sent from Qatar by Hary who's in transit in Doha.

Russia - Kul Shariff Mosque (1)

The opening of Kul Sharif mosque (24/06/2005).

Sent by Irina, a postcrosser from Russia.

This is from Wikipedia : The Qolşärif mosque (pronounced [kɔlʃæˈriːf], also spelled Qol Sharif, Kol Sharif, Qol Sherif via Tatar: Колшәриф мәчете and Kul Sharif via Russian: мечеть Кул-Шариф) located in Kazan Kremlin, was reputed to be -at the time of its construction- the largest mosque in Russia, and in Europe outside of Istanbul (read further).

Estonia - Traditional Costumes

Two girls in traditional costumes.

Sent by Piret, a postcrosser from Talinn, Estonia.

Finland - Ancient Costume of Perniö

Ancient costume of Perniö in West Finland. It's dated back to year 1150.

Sent by DotDot, a postcrosser from Helsinki, Finland.

Netherlands - Familie Hofmann

Traditional costumes of the Netherlands.

Sent by Nanda, a postcrosser from Sas van Gent, the Netherlands.

Finland - Tradition of Pole Decorating

Finnish tradition of pole decorating, mainly by Swedish-speaking folk. The tradition takes place in mid-summer.

Sent by Vuokko, a postcrosser from Finland.

Czech Republic - Rudolfinum

Rudolfinum, a music music auditorium in Prague, Czech Republic.

Sent by Jana, a postcrosser from Czech Republic.

This is from Wikipedia : The Rudolfinum is a music auditorium in Prague, Czech Republic. It is one of the most important neo-renaissance buildings in the city and is situated at Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river Vltava.

Since 1946 the Rudolfinum has been the home-stage of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and one of the main venues performed in the Dvořák Hall for the Prague Spring International Music Festival held each year in May and June. The building was designed by architect Josef Zítek and his student Josef Schulz, and was opened February 8, 1885. It is named in honour of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, who presided over the opening.

Dvořák Hall in the Rudolfinum, one of the oldest concert halls in Europe, is famous for its acoustics. On 4 January 1896 the Czech Philharmonic’s very first concert took place here conducted by the famous Czech composer Antonín Dvořák.

The building also contains the Galerie Rudolfinum, an important Art Gallery that focuses mainly on contemporary art. Major exhibitions have included: František Drtikol - Photographer, Painter, Mystic, (1998), Cindy Sherman: Retrospective, (1998), Jürgen Klauke: Side Effect, (1998), Czech Photography 1840-1950, (2004), Annelies Štrba, (2005), Neo Rauch: Neue Rollen, (2007), Uncertain States of America, (2007-2008), Gottfried Helnwein: Angels Sleeping, (2008).

Latvia

LATVIA
The Baltic Sea at the background.

Sent by Laura, a postcrosser from Riga, Latvia.