Scotland - Scottish Thistle

Scottish Thistle.

Sent by Joan, a postcrosser from Scotland.

This is from Wikipedia : Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the plant against herbivorous animals, discouraging them from feeding on the plant. Typically, aninvolucre with a clasping shape of a cup or urn subtends each of a thistle's flowerheads.

The term thistle is sometimes taken to mean exactly those plants in the tribe Cynareae (synonym: Cardueae), especially the genera Carduus, Cirsium, and Onopordum. However, plants outside this tribe are sometimes called thistles, and if this is done thistles would form a polyphyletic group.

Thistle is the floral emblem of Scotland.

Finland - Lapland - Shaman Drum Animals

Shaman Drum Animals

Sent by Tanja from Finland.

Taiwan - Adult Ceremony of Amis People

The Adult Ceremony, Taiwan Amis, Hualien.

Sent by Sophia, a postcrosser from Taiwan.

This is from Wikipedia : The Amis (Chinese: 阿美族; pinyin: āměi-zú; also Ami or Pangcah) are an indigenous people of Taiwan. They speak Amis, an Austronesianlanguage, and are one of the fourteen officially recognized peoples of Taiwanese aborigines. The traditional territory of the Amis include the long, narrow valley between the Central Mountains and the Coastal Mountains, the Pacific coastal plain eastern to the Coastal Mountains, and theHengchun Peninsula.

In the year 2000 the Ami numbered 148,992. This was approximately 37.5% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the largest tribal group. The Amis are primarily fishermen due to their coastal location. They are traditionally matrilineal..Traditional Amis villages were relatively large for indigenous groups, typically between 500 and 1,000. In today's Taiwan, the Amis also comprise the majority of "urban aboriginals" and have developed many "urban tribes" all around the island. In recent decades, Amis have also married exogamously to Han as well as other indigenous.

Netherlands - Staphorst

Multiviews of Staphorst.

Sent by Dutchgreetz, a postcrosser from Netherlands.

This is from Wikipedia : Staphorst is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.
The villages of Staphorst and its southern neighbour Rouveen came into existence as in the 13th century monks started to bring thebogs and swamps into culture. All the farms were built along the long road through the bog area. Thus a lengthy row of farms was built, becoming the 7 miles long village of Staphorst-Rouveen. This phenomenon is called in Dutch: lintbebouwing (ribbon urbanization). In many parts of the Netherlands this type of village is quite common, e.g. Vriezenveen, the villages along river dykesin the Netherlands, the so-called moor-colonies in the provinces Drenthe and Groningen, as well as the German regions opposite the border. A specialty for Staphorst is, that after a farmer's death, his land was often divided between his sons. The son, who didn't inherit his father's farm, built a farm-house for his own behind the other. Therefore, many pieces of farmland are very lengthy, yet narrow (e.g. 1500 x 40 metres). Originally, each piece of land was 125 metres wide. The farms are of the traditional Low Saxon type. They have green doors and window shutters. Most farms existing now were built between 1850 and 1910.

Bicycles (25)

Sent by Helga, a postcrosser from Germany.

Brazil - Campos do Jordão

Campos do Jordão.

Sent by Antonio, a postcrosser from Taubaté, Brazil.


This is from Wikipedia : Campos do Jordão is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2003 was 47,903 and the area is 290.27 km². The elevation is 1,628 m.

The city's economy is based mainly in tourism; due to its location at high elevation (on the Mantiqueira mountains) and European-looking architecture. Buildings are mostly German, Swiss or Italian inspired. Many of the richest people from the state of São Paulo build their winter country houses there and July (the winter season vacations) sees an enormous influx of visitors (more than quadrupling the city's population), due in part to the winter festival of classical music. Its attractions throughout the year include German and Swiss food restaurants, bars and a cable car. There are many pousadas (inns) and chalets.

There are numerous outdoor activities for winter residents and tourists. These include hiking, mountain climbing, treetop cable swings (arborismo), horseback riding, ATV riding, and motorbike riding. The mountain ranges provide unique panoramic views and much of the area is still undeveloped. Also, in order to cater to the large number of visitors, several bars, lounges, discos and clubs will open up during the winter months.

The state governor also has his winter residence there, the Boa Vista Castle.

The city, due to its elevation, is relatively cold for Brazilian standards. The winter is normally the dry season and the colder weather allows for warm fireplaces and winter foods such as fondue, soups and hot chocolate. In spring and summer, one can see Hydrangea macrophylla blossoming all over the town.

Despite the high income of many visitors, the HDI (0.820 in 2004) of Campos do Jordão is not very high because the owners of the houses in the best neighbourhoods are not regular inhabitants; these houses are used only during the holidays. The city can be reached from São Paulo mainly by road through the Rodovia Floriano Rodrigues Pinheiro. There is also a picturesque railroad from Pindamonhangaba, used mostly by tourists. At the end of the main road going through Campos do Jordão, there is a state park called Horto Florestal.

Campos do Jordão features a subtropical highland climate under the Köppen climate classification. Despite its location within the tropics, due to the high elevation, temperatures here are cooler than one might expect. The resort town features “spring-like” temperatures throughout the year, with mild summers and cool winters. However, by Brazilian standards, the town is downright cold. In summer, maximum temperatures average 24°C/75°F and minimum temperatures average 13°C/55°F. In winter, maximum temperatures average 18°C/64°F and minimum temperatures average 4°C/39°F. Temperatures drop below zero sometimes in winter (lowest ever recorded: -7.3°C/19°F), but snow is very rare. Similar to many other places with this climate, Campos do Jordão sees a noticeable drying trend during its “low-sun” season. The city sees on average 1800 mm of precipitation, most of which falls from September through March.

Brazil - Carnaval de São Paulo - Sambódromo

Carnaval de São Paulo - Sambódromo.

Sent by Cinthia, a postcrosser from São Paulo, Brazil

Tulip, ca 1640

Tulip, Holland ca. 1640.

Sent by Jetske, a postcrosser from Goes, Netherlands.

Portugal - Animals Motiff On Tiles

LISBOA : Azulejos do século XVII. Museu Nacional do Azulejo.
Sent by Catia, a postcrosser from Portugal.

USA - Texas - Austin (2)

AUSTIN, TEXAS
Austin is one of the most beautiful areas in Texas. The city spreads over scenic hills and is divided by the Colorado River.

Sent by Christy, a postcrosser from Texas, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Austin (/ˈɒstɨn/ or /ˈɔːstɨn/) is the capital of the state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, Austin is the thirteenth most populous city in the United States of America and thefourth most populous city in the state of Texas. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in the nation from 2000 to 2006. Austin has a population of 820,611 (2011 U.S. Census). The city is the cultural and economic center of theAustin–Round Rock–San Marcos metropolitan area, which had an estimated population 1,783,519 (2011 U.S. Census), making it the 34th-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the fourth-largest in Texas.

In the 1830s, pioneers began to the settle the area in central Austin along the Colorado River. After Republic of Texas Vice President Mirabeau B. Lamar visited the area during a buffalo-hunting expedition between 1837 and 1838, he proposed that the republic's capital then located in Houston, Texas, be relocated to the area situated on the north bank of the Colorado River near the present-day Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. In 1839, the site was officially chosen as the republic's new capital (the republic's seventh and final location) and was incorporated under the name, Waterloo. Shortly thereafter, the name was changed to Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin, the "Father of Texas" and the republic's first secretary of state.

The city grew throughout the 19th century and became a center for government and education with the construction of the Texas State Capitol and the University of Texas at Austin. After a lull in growth from the Great Depression, Austin resumed its development into a major city in the 1980s and emerged as a center for technology and business. Many Fortune 500 companies have regional offices or headquarters in Austin including Whole Foods Market, Apple, AMD, Google, IBM, Intel, Texas Instruments, and 3M. Dell's worldwide headquarters is located in nearby Round Rock, a suburb of Austin.

Residents of Austin are known as "Austinites". They include a diverse mix of government employees (e.g., university faculty; staff, law enforcement, political staffers); foreign and domestic college students; musicians; high-tech workers; blue-collar workers and businesspeople. The city is home to development centers for many technology corporations; it adopted the "Silicon Hills" nickname in the 1990s. However, the current official slogan promotes Austin as "The Live Music Capital of the World", a reference to the many musicians and live music venues within the area, and the long-running PBS TV concert series Austin City Limits. In recent years, some Austinites have also adopted the unofficial slogan "Keep Austin Weird". This interpretation of the classic, "Texas-style" sense of independence refers to: the traditional and proudly eclectic, liberal lifestyles of many Austin residents; a desire to protect small, unique, local businesses from being overrun by large corporations; and, as a reaction to the perceived rise of conservative influences within the community. In the late 1800s, Austin also became known as the City of the "Violet Crown" for the wintertime violet glow of color across the hills just after sunset. Even today, many Austin businesses use the term "violet crown" in their name. Lastly, Austin is known as a "clean air city" for the city's stringent no-smoking ordinances that apply to all public places and buildings, and all restaurants. 

Lithuania - View of Vilnius

A view of Vilnius (engraved by Frans Hogenberg, ca. 1535 - 1590) from the book Civitates Orbis Terrarum, published in Cologne in 1581, by Georg Braun (1541 - 1622).

Sent by Loreta, a postcrosser from Vilnius, Lithuania.

United Kingdom - William & Catherine : The Royal Wedding

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Royal Wedding, 29 April 2011, at Westminster Abbey.
LONDON

Sent by Karen, a postcrosser from England.

Poland - Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski

Multiviews of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski.

Sent by Paulina, a postcrosser from Kielce, Poland.

This is from Wikipedia : Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski Polish pronunciation: [ɔsˈtrɔvʲɛt͡s ɕfʲɛntɔˈkʂɨskʲi] ( listen) is a town in south-central Poland (historic province of Lesser Poland), with 74,211 inhabitants (2006). Main industry is metallurgy. Ostrowiec is the capital city of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski County, part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (since 1999), previously it belonged to Kielce Voivodeship (1975–1998).

The oldest testimonies of human habitation date back to the Stone Age (ca 4000 BC). In that time, there were nomadic tribes belonging among others to Lengyel and Globular Amphora cultures. They came here from Danube river region.

The earliest documents about Ostrowiec village, that gave beginning to the contemporary Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, come from 14th century. The city itself, at that time part of Sandomierz Voivodeship, was built from scratch in 1597 by Jakub Gawroński ofRawa coat of arms on the left bank of the Kamienna river, situated in the Vistula river basin. It received town privileges in 1613. It became a property of Janusz Ostrogski, a statesman and one of the richest magnates of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Later it belonged to many Polish aristocratic families: Tarnowski family, Czartoryski family, Lubomirski family, Radziwiłł family,Zasławski family, Sanguszko family, Wielopolski family, Dobrzański family, Łubieński family. After the 2nd WW it was confiscated and became a property of the state.

In 19th c. metallurgical industry developed. Steel plant of Ostrowiec was second big in the whole of Congress Poland in 19th/20th centuries. During Revolution of 1905 Ostrowiec was a place of massive demonstrations and industrial action.

During the 2nd World War, Ostrowiec was a lively centre of resistance activity against the Nazi German occupation. There was an underground weapon production, independent underground press, etc. The Jewish population was forced to live in a local ghetto. About 11 thousand Jews were murdered by the Nazis in 1943-1944.

Bicycles (24)

Sent by Gerlinde, a postcrosser from Germany.

Germany - Audi 920

Audi 920 (1938 - 1940)
6 Zylinder, 3.2 Liter 75 PS

Sent by Stefan, a postcrosser from Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : The Audi 920 was a car introduced in 1938 by Audi to replace the Audi Front UW 225. It's engine was a shortened version of theeight-cylinder in-line engine used by sister company Horch. The car was planned to occupy a niche in the Auto Union range between the large Horch products and the middle market cars produced by Wanderer. Audi had no stand-alone production facilities at this time and the car was produced, like it predecessor, at the Horch plant.

The 920 featured a front-mounted six-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 3,281 cc. A maximum output of 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) at 3,000 rpm was claimed along with a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph). A floor-mounted lever controlled the four-speed gearbox: this delivered power to the rear wheels, which represented a technological retreat from the innovative front-wheel drive configuration of the 920’s predecessor. The box-section chassis featured semi-independent suspension at the front and a swing-axle arrangement at the rear.

Production of almost all passenger cars came to an end in Germany as European war intensified. By the time production of the last pre-war Audi came to an end in 1940 1,281 of the cars had been produced.

Finland - Porvoo

Multiviews of Porvoo.

Sent by Juho, a postcrosser from Porvoo, Finland.

This is from Wikipedia : Porvoo (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈporʋoː]; Swedish: Borgå [ˈbɔrɡo]) is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finlandapproximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century. Porvoo is the seat of the Swedish speaking Diocese of Borgå of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
Porvoo was first mentioned in documents in the early 14th century, and Porvoo was given city rights around 1380, even though according to some sources the city was founded in 1346. The old city of Porvoo was formally disestablished and the new city of Porvoo founded in 1997 when the city of Porvoo and the Rural municipality of Porvoo were consolidated. When Sweden lost the city of Viborg to Russia in 1721, the episcopal seat was moved to Porvoo. At this time, Porvoo was the second largest city in Finland. After the conquest of Finland by Russian armies in 1808 Sweden had to cede Finland to Russia in 1809 (the Treaty of Fredrikshamn). The Diet of Porvoo in 1809 was a landmark in the History of Finland. The Tsar Alexander I confirmed the newFinnish constitution (which was essentially the Swedish constitution from 1772), and made Finland an autonomous Grand Duchy.

The Porvoo Common Statement is a report issued at the conclusion of theological conversations by official representatives of four Anglican Churches and eight Nordic and Baltic Lutheran Churches in 1989–1992. It established the Porvoo Communion, so named after the Porvoo Cathedral where the Eucharist was celebrated on the final Sunday of the conversations leading to the Statement

The town received its name from a Swedish earth fortress near the river Porvoonjoki which flows through the town. The name Porvoois the Fennicised version of the Swedish name (Borgå) and its parts of borg meaning "castle" and å "river".