France - Lorraine - 57 Moselle - Metz

METZ (Moselle)
Moyen Bridge - The Protestant Church - St. Etienne's Cathedral.

Sent by Micheline from Metz, France.

Metz (French pronunciation: [mɛs]; German pronunciation: [mɛts]) is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the capital and the prefecture of both the Lorraine region and the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, the city forms a central place of the European Greater Region and the SaarLorLux euroregion.

Metz has a rich 3,000-year-history, having variously been a Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of the Austrasia kingdom, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of the Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics of the common era in Europe. The city has been steeped in Romance culture, but has been strongly influenced by Germanic culture due to its location and history. (read further)

France - Rhône-Alpes - 38 Isère - Grenoble (2)

Panorama of Grenoble.

Sent by Valérie from Grenoble, France.

France - Rhône-Alpes - 38 Isère - Grenoble (1)

GRENOBLE
38 Isère - France

Sent by Valérie from Grenoble, France.

Grenoble (French pronunciation: ​[ɡʁə.nɔbl]; Arpitan: Grenoblo) is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère. The proximity of the mountains, as well as its size, has led to the city being known in France as the "Capital of the Alps".

Grenoble's history goes back more than 2,000 years, at a time when it was a small Gallic village. While it gained in stature by becoming the capital of the Dauphiné in the 11th century, Grenoble remained for most of its history a modest parliamentary and garrison city on the borders of the kingdom of France.

Grenoble grew in importance through its industrial development, the city having experienced several periods of economic expansion in the last centuries. It started with its booming glove industry in the 18th and 19th centuries, continued with the development of a strong hydropower industry in the late 19th to early 20th centuries and ended with its post-World War II economic boom symbolized by the holding of the X Olympic Winter Games in 1968. The city is now a significant scientific centre in Europe.

The population of the city (commune) of Grenoble at the 2008 census was 156,659. The population of the Grenoble metropolitan area (French: aire urbaine de Grenoble) at the 2008 census was 664,832. The residents of the city are called "Grenoblois".

Among the numerous communes that make up Grenoble are the city's largest suburbs, Saint-Martin-d'Hères, Échirolles, and Fontaine, each with a population exceeding 20,000. (Source)

France - Pays-de-la-Loire - 72 Sarthe - Le Mans

Le Mans (Sarthe)
Saint Julien Cathedral

Sent by Svitlana from Le Mans, France.

Le Mans (pronounced: [lə mɑ̃]) is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.

Its inhabitants are called Manceaux and Mancelles. It has been host to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race since 1923. (read further)

U.S.A. - New Mexico - State Capitol

NEW MEXICO STATE CAPITOL
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
The New Mexico State Capitol, known as the Roundhouse, is the only round capitol building in the country.  The building was designed to resemblethe Zia Sun Symbol when viewed from above, with four entrance wings that protrude from the main cylindrical volume.

Sent by Jennifer from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

U.S.A. - New Mexico - Santa Fe

SANTA FE
NEW MEXICO
"Oldest Capital City in the United States" is Santa Fe's claim.  The second oldest city in the U.S.,Santa Fe was settled in 1607 by the Spanish (13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock!).  Home to the Palace of the Governors, built in 1610, it is said to be the oldest continously occupied building in the United States. Santa Fe is the Southwest at its best.  From authentic Southwestern pottery to adobe buildings, to spicy chili peppers, this town has something for every one.

Sent by Jennifer from Santa Fe, USA.

Santa Fe (/ˌsæntəˈfeɪ/; (Tewa: Ogha Po'oge, Navajo: Yootó)) is the capital of the United States state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of Santa Fe County. Santa Fe is also the oldest capital city in the United States. Santa Fe (meaning “holy faith” in Spanish) had a population of 69,204 in 2012. It is the principal city of a Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Santa Fe County and is part of the larger Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas Combined Statistical Area. The city’s full name when founded was La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís (“The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi”). (read further)

Afghanistan - Herat Grand Mosque

Herat Grand Mosque

Thanks to Tian Zi Yi of China for arranging this postcard sent from Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Jama Masjid of Herat (مسجد جمعه هرات), also known as the Masjid-i Jami' of Herat, and the Great Mosque of Herat is a mosque in the city of Herat, in the Herat Province of north-western Afghanistan. It was built by Ghurids, the famous Sultan Ghayas-ud-Din Ghori, who laid its foundation in 1200 AD, and later extended by several rulers as Herat changed rulers down the centuries from the Timurids, to the Safavids, to the Mughals and the Uzbeks, all of whom supported the mosque. Though many of the glazed tiles have been replaced during subsequent periods, the Great Mosque in Herat was given its present form during the closing years of the fifteenth century.

Apart from numerous small neighborhood mosques for daily prayer, most communities in the Islamic world have a larger mosque, a congregational mosque for Friday services with a sermon. The Jama Masjid was not always the largest mosque in Herat; a much larger complex the Mosque and Madressa of Gawharshad, also built by the Timurids, was located in the northern part of the city. However, those architectural monuments were dynamited by officers of the British Indian Army in 1885, to prevent its use as a fortress if a Russian army tried to invade India. (read further)

France - Burgundy - 89 Yonne - Auxerre

AUXERRE

Sent by David from Auxerre, France.

Auxerre (French pronunciation: ​[oˈsɛʁ]) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth largest city in Burgundy. The city of Auxerre is located 1h30 southeast of Paris.

Auxerre's population today is about 39,000. Residents of Auxerre are referred to as Auxerrois. Auxerre's metropolitan area comprises roughly 92,000 inhabitants.

It is a commercial and industrial centre, with industries including food production, woodworking and batteries.

Auxerre is also world famous for its production of Burgundy wine, including Chablis.

In 1995 Auxerre was named "Town of Art and History". (read further)

Canada - Northwest Territories - Yellowknife

Aurora Paradise, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Sent by NFVC from Yellowknife, Canada.

Yellowknife /ˈjɛloʊnaɪf/ (2011 population: 19,234) is the capital city and largest community of the Northwest Territories (NT or NWT), Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately 400 km (250 mi) south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River. Yellowknife and its surrounding water bodies were named after a local Dene tribe once known as the 'Copper Indians' or 'Yellowknife Indians' (now referred to locally as the Yellowknives Dene (First Nation)) who traded tools made from copper deposits near the Arctic Coast. The current population is ethnically mixed. Of the eleven official languages of the Northwest Territories, five are spoken in significant numbers in Yellowknife: Dene Suline, Dogrib, South and North Slavey, English, and French. In the Dogrib language, the city is known as Somba K’e (Som-ba Kay) ("where the money is"). (read further)

Finland - Nokia

NOKIA
Tapsa's Tacts (annual music happening in Nokia)
Museum of home district (Hinttalan)
Market place (Pirkkalaistori)

Sent by Riitta from Nokia, Finland.

Nokia, Finland (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈnokiɑ]) is a town and a municipality on the banks of the Nokianvirta River (Kokemäenjoki) in the region of Pirkanmaa, some 15 kilometres (9 mi) west of Tampere. As of 31 January 2014 it has a population of 32,402.  (read further)

Georgia - Atlanta

For over 120 years, Coca Cola has been selling their product. Now, they've put it's complete history, all in one place,the NEW World of Coca Cola.

Sent by Dana from Atlanta, USA.

Atlanta (/ætˈlæntə/, locally /ætˈlænə/) is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia, with an estimated 2011 population of 432,427. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,457,831 people and the ninth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County.

Atlanta was established in 1837 at the intersection of two railroad lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the Civil War to become a national center of commerce. In the decades following the Civil Rights Movement, during which the city earned a reputation as "too busy to hate" for the progressive views of its citizens and leaders, Atlanta attained international prominence. Atlanta is the primary transportation hub of the Southeastern United States, via highway, railroad, and air, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being the world's busiest airport since 1998. (read further)

Norway - Tromsø

Norway - Tromsø
Northern Light 

Sent by Sissel from Tromsø, Norway.

Tromsø (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈtrʊmsø]); Northern Sami: Romsa; Kven: Tromssa) is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.

Tromsø city is the ninth-largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population. It is the largest city and the largest urban area in Northern Norway, and the second largest city and urban area north of the Arctic Circle in Sápmi (following Murmansk). Most of Tromsø, including the city centre, is located on the small island of Tromsøya in the county of Troms, 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. Substantial parts of the urban area are also situated on the mainland to the east, and on parts of Kvaløya—a large island to the west. Tromsøya is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel, and to the island of Kvaløya by the Sandnessund Bridge. The city is warmer than most other places located on the same latitude, due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. (read further)

United Kingdom - Scotland

SCOTLAND
Queen's View, Loch Tummel Perthshire Pipe Band 
Eilean Donan Castle, Loch Duich, Ross-shire
Statue of Robert The Bruce, Bannockburn highland cow
Kelso Abbey, Borders

Sent by Pip from Glasgow, Scotland.

Scotland (/ˈskɒt.lənd/; Scots: [ˈskɔt.lənd]; Scottish Gaelic: Alba [ˈal̪ˠapə]) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, Scotland shares a border with England to the south, and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean; with the North Sea to the east, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south-west. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. (read further)

France - Île-de-France - 78 Yvelines - Palace and Park of Versailles

VERSAILLES (Yvelines).

Sent by Laetitia from Versailles, France.

The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. Embellished by several generations of architects, sculptors, decorators and landscape architects, it provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century. (Source)

Sweden - Luleå

Ice road - Snowblower - Crane at South Harbor

Sent by Anna from Luleå, Sweden.

Luleå (Swedish: [ˈlʉːlɛo], Lule Sami Luleju, Finnish Luulaja) is a city on the coast of northern Sweden with 46,607 inhabitants and is the capital of Norrbotten County. (read further)

Sweden - Church Village of Gammelstad, Luleå

Midwinter Lule Gammelstad.

Sent by Anna from Luleå, Sweden.

Luleå Gammelstad is a remarkable example of the traditional church town of northern Scandinavia, and illustrates the adaptation of conventional urban design to the special geographical and climatic conditions of a hostile natural environment. It is a type of milieu that has been shaped by people's religious and social needs rather than economic and geographical forces, being intended for use only during weekends and church festivals (read further)

Tonga - Vava'u

Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
Humpback Whale Tail, Aerial of Neiafu, Pink Frangapani, Crusing Yacht.

Sent by Mandy from Vava'u, Tonga.

Vavaʻu is the island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition the Maui god fished up both Tongatapu and Vavaʻu but put a little more effort into the former. Vavaʻu rises 204 m above sea level at Mt. Talau. The capital is Neiafu, which is the second largest city in Tonga, situated at one of the best harbours of the world, the Port of Refuge (Puatalefusi or Lolo-ʻa-Halaevalu).

Vavaʻu is a prime fishing destination with its beautiful harbour and untouched seas. (read further)

U.S.A. - Wyoming - State Capitol

State Capitol, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Sent by Camellia from Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA.

The Wyoming State Capitol is the state capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Wyoming. Built between 1886 and 1890, the capitol is located in Cheyenne and contains the chambers of the Wyoming State Legislature and well as the office of the Governor of Wyoming. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark during 1987.

The construction of the capitol began prior to Wyoming gaining statehood. Born in 1867 in the path of the transcontinental railroad, the Union Pacific crews arrived as they laid the tracks westward. Cheyenne soon laid claim to a higher status than older Wyoming settlements such as those at Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger, and the mining town of South Pass City, changing Cheyenne from a village to a city in a matter of months. The seat of the new Territorial government was established in Cheyenne in 1869. (read further)