China - Speed Train "Harmony"

A high-speed train from China's railway system, specifically a CRH (China Railway High-speed) train, also known as a "Harmony" (和谐号) train.

Sent by Fei Mo from Beijing, China.

Hexie (Chinese: 和谐号; pinyin: Héxié hào; lit. 'Harmony'), also known as the CRH series EMU, is an umbrella term for the multiple unit high-speed and higher-speed trains operated by China Railway under the China Railway High-speed brand. All series of Hexie are based on foreign-developed technology and later manufactured locally in China through technology transfer licenses, with the ultimate goal of China acquiring the know-how and capability to produce high-speed rail trains.

The Harmony series does not belong to any single platform, instead encompassing all high-speed trains in China with roots in foreign technology, specifically CRH1, CRH2, CRH3 and CRH5. Although later variants of Hexie such as CRH380A were designed by Chinese companies, they are still classified as CRH due to incorporation of foreign technology.

In 2007, China's Ministry of Railways drafted a plan for China's future high-speed network. Bombardier Transportation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Alstom and later Siemens joined the high-speed train manufacturing project that later became known as Harmony. Forming joint-ventures with Chinese company CNR and CSR, these four foreign companies signed agreements with China to manufacture high-speed trains for China as well as provide assistance for Chinese companies to manufacture train cars locally in the future (read more).

Netherlands - Gelderland - Saint Stephen's Church (Stevenskerk)

The prominent Saint Stephen's Church (Stevenskerk) in the city of Nijmegen, Netherlands.

Sent by Juliet from Nijmegen, Netherlands.

The Great Church or St. Stephen's Church colloquially called Steven's Church, is the oldest and largest church in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The church is built on a small hill, the Hundisburg.

The history of St. Stephen's dates back to the seventh century. The foundation of the church may be connected with the Christianization campaign of bishop Kunibert of Cologne in the seventh century. In 1247 Nijmegen came under the control of Count Otto II of Gelre. For strategic reasons, St. Stephen's was moved from the Kelfkensbos to its current location on the Hundisburg. The present church was consecrated in 1273 by Albertus Magnus. Administratively, St. Stephen's fell under the authority of the chapter of the Basilica of the Holy Apostles, Cologne. The church has long been the only parish in the city. The building was expanded several times in the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, including an impressive ambulatory. Pope Sixtus IV authorized the establishment of its own chapter, in 1475, making St. Stephen's independent of Cologne. In 1591 Saint Stephen's was converted to a Protestant church after the city was captured from the Spanish (during which the steeple was severely damaged), which it has remained since except for a Catholic interlude around 1670.

Catherine of Bourbon was buried in the St. Stephen's Church, in 1469. Her son, Charles of Gelre, paid to have a monument to her placed in the church, which remains to this day (read more).

Nepal - Nepal Flag

Flag of Nepal.

Sent by Yun Kai of Singapore from Nepal.

The flag of Nepal (Nepali: नेपालको झन्डा, romanized: Nepālko Jhanḍā) is a non-rectangular flag of red, white, and blue colour. It is used as both the state and civil flag of Nepal. It is one of three national flags that are non-rectangular, the others being Switzerland and the Vatican City. The symbol is a simplified combination of two single pennants, known as a double-pennon. Its crimson red is the symbol of bravery and it also represents the colour of the rhododendron, Nepal's national flower, while the blue border is the colour of peace. Until 1962, the flag's emblems, both the sun and the crescent moon, had human faces, but they were removed to modernise the flag.

The current flag was adopted on 16 December 1962, along with the formation of a new constitutional government. Shankar Nath Rimal, a civil engineer, standardised the flag on the request of King Mahendra. It borrows from the original, traditional design, used throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and is a combination of the two individual pennons used by rival branches of the ruling dynasty. It is the only current national flag that is not a quadrilateral (read more).

USA - California - Yosemite National Park (5)

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, a prominent granite dome located in Yosemite Valley, California.

Sent by Liz from San Diego in California, USA.

This is my fifth postcard of Yosemite National Park. The other four are here, here, here, and here.

Half Dome is a quartz monzonite batholith at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half. It stands at over 8,800 feet above sea level and is composed of quartz monzonite, an igneous rock that solidified several thousand feet within the Earth. At its core are the remains of a magma chamber that cooled slowly and crystallized beneath the Earth's surface. The solidified magma chamber was then exposed and cut in half by erosion, therefore leading to the geographic name Half Dome.

The impression from the valley floor that this is a round dome that has lost its northwest half, is just an illusion. From Washburn Point, Half Dome can be seen as a thin ridge of rock, an arête, that is oriented northeast–southwest, with its southeast side almost as steep as its northwest side except for the very top. Although the trend of this ridge, as well as that of Tenaya Canyon, is probably controlled by master joints, 80 percent of the northwest "half" of the original dome may well still be there (read more).

USA - Texas - Big Bend National Park (3)

Big Bend National Park, Texas

Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas includes the entire Chisos mountain range and a large swath of the Chihuahuan Desert. The park is a geological marvel evidenced in sea fossils, dinosaur bones, and volcanic dikes. Pictured here is the Santa Elena Canyon, carved by the Rio Grande. Floating down the Rio Grande is considered an international trip and a passport is required.

Sent by Yumiko from New Mexico, USA.

Big Bend National Park is a national park of the United States located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after a large bend in the Rio Grande/Río Bravo. The park protects more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals. Additional park activities include scenic drives, programs led by Big Bend park rangers, and stargazing.

The area has a rich cultural history, from archeological sites dating back nearly 10,000 years to more recent pioneers, ranchers, and miners. The Chisos Mountains are located in the park, and are the only mountain range in the United States to be fully contained within the boundary of a national park. Geological features in the park include sea fossils and dinosaur bones, as well as volcanic dikes.

The park encompasses an area of 801,163 acres (1,251.8 sq mi; 3,242.2 km²), entirely within Brewster County. For more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km), the Rio Grande/Río Bravo forms the boundary between Mexico and the United States, and Big Bend National Park administers approximately 118 miles (190 km) along that boundary.

Because the Rio Grande serves as an international boundary, the park faces unusual constraints while administering and enforcing park rules, regulations, and policies. In accordance with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the park's territory extends only to the center of the deepest river channel as the river flowed in 1848. The rest of the channel and the land south of it lies within Mexican territory. The park is bordered by the protected areas of Cañón de Santa Elena and Maderas del Carmen in Mexico (read more).

USA - California - Kings Canyon National Park

KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK

The vast river gorge and immense sequoias in this Sierra Nevada mountain park are accompanied by several intense waterfalls and many lakes.

Sent by Jess from Ohio, USA.

Kings Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and renamed on March 4, 1940. The park's namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile (1,600 m) deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of giant sequoia trees. Kings Canyon is north of and contiguous with Sequoia National Park, and both parks are jointly administered by the National Park Service as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

The majority of the 461,901-acre (186,925 ha) park, drained by the Middle and South Forks of the Kings River and many smaller streams, is designated wilderness. Tourist facilities are concentrated in two areas: Grant Grove, home to General Grant (the second largest tree in the world, measured by trunk volume) and Cedar Grove, located in the heart of Kings Canyon. Overnight hiking is required to access most of the park's backcountry, or high country, which for much of the year is covered in deep snow. The combined Pacific Crest Trail/John Muir Trail, a backpacking route, traverses the entire length of the park from north to south (read more).

USA - Arkansas - Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, home to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks American-football team.

Sent by Anna from Fayetteville in Arkansas, USA.

Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is an American football stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and serves as the home field of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks football team since its opening in 1938. The stadium was formerly known as Razorback Stadium since 1941 before the name of Donald W. Reynolds, an American businessman and philanthropist, was added in 2001. The playing field in the stadium is named Frank Broyles Field, honoring former Arkansas head football coach and athletic director Frank Broyles.

During the 2000-2001 renovations, Razorback Stadium increased the seating capacity from 50,019 to 72,000, with an option to expand capacity to 76,000 with the "temporary" bleacher seating atop the south end. The current seating capacity is 76,212.

Before 1938, the Razorbacks played in a 300-seat stadium built in 1901 on land on top of "The Hill", which is now occupied by Mullins Library and the Fine Arts Center (in the "center" of campus). The new stadium cost approximately $492,000 and was funded by the Works Progress Administration, with the University of Arkansas only paying 22% of the contract. The stadium opened for the 1938 football season as University Stadium, holding a capacity of 13,500 spectators. In the home opener for the Razorbacks, the Razorbacks defeated Oklahoma A&M by a score of 27–7 on September 24, 1938. The following week, Arkansas dedicated the stadium to then sitting Arkansas Governor Carl E. Bailey on October 3, 1938, changing the name of the stadium to Bailey Stadium. Following Governor Bailey's defeat in the 1940 gubernatorial election to Homer Martin Adkins, the stadium's name was changed in 1941 to Razorback Stadium (read more).

USA - Washington - Vancouver

A mapcard of Washington State featuring a town Vancouver.

Sent by Shari from Vancouver in Washington, USA.

Vancouver (/vænˈkuːvər/ van-KOO-vər) is a city in Clark County, Washington, United States, located on the north bank of the Columbia River. It had a population of 190,915 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Washington. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, the city was originally established around Fort Vancouver, a fur trading outpost, and is situated directly north of Portland, Oregon, along the Washington–Oregon border. Vancouver serves as the county seat of Clark County and is part of the Portland metropolitan area.

Vancouver shares its name with the larger city of Vancouver in southern British Columbia, Canada, approximately 300 miles (480 km) to the north. Both cities were named after British sea captain George Vancouver, but the U.S. city is older. Vancouver, British Columbia, was incorporated 29 years after the incorporation of Vancouver, Washington, and more than 60 years after the name Vancouver was first used in reference to the historic Fort Vancouver trading post on the Columbia River. City officials have periodically suggested changing the U.S. city's name to Fort Vancouver to reduce confusion with its larger and better-known northern neighbor. Many Pacific Northwest residents distinguish between the two cities by referring to the Canadian city as "Vancouver, B.C." and the United States city as "Vancouver, Washington", or "Vancouver, USA". Local nicknames formerly included "Vantucky" (though this is used as a derogatory term) and "The 'Couv(e)" (read more).

USA - Minnesota - SPAM™ Town USA

Austin, Minnesota, also known as  SPAM™ USA, is the home of Hormel Foods Corporation, manufacturer of world-faous SPAM® products. In SPAM™ Town USA, you can visit the world's only SPAM® Museum; see the stately home of George A. Hormel; walk the picturesque 278-acre Hormel Nature Center or purchase unique SPAM® product merchandise at the SPAM® MUSEUM Gift Shop or online at SPAM.com.

Sent by Sharon from Montana, USA.

The Spam Museum is an admission-free museum in Austin, Minnesota, dedicated to Spam, a brand of canned precooked meat products made by Hormel Foods Corporation. The museum tells the history of the Hormel company, the origin of Spam, and its place in world culture.

The Spam Museum originated in January 1991 as the Hormel Foods First Century Museum, when Hormel opened a small storefront company museum in celebration of the company's 100 year anniversary. Originally located in Austin's Oak Park Mall, Hormel later re-branded it as the Spam Museum.

A much-larger Spam-focused museum opened in September 2001. The 16,500-square foot space included a theater, historical displays, family activities and games, and a gift shop. The lobby of the museum featured a wall of Spam with more than 3,300 Spam cans and, for many years, the theatre showed a short film entitled "SPAM: A Love Story." The Spam Museum temporarily closed in September 2014 to move to a new, more accessible downtown location (read more).

USA - Nevada - Lake Las Vegas

World class, 2,600 acre Lake Las Vegas resort features luxury Hotels and Gaming Casino's, a full service Marina, three challenging signature golf courses, health spas, gourmet restaurants and fine shopping.

Sent by MSG (R) Thomas from Washington, USA.

Lake Las Vegas is a 320-acre (130 ha) reservoir in Henderson, Nevada, with a 3,592-acre (1,454 ha) developed area around it. The area is sometimes referred to as the Lake Las Vegas Resort. It is being developed by 5 companies including Lake at Las Vegas Joint Venture LLC.

The area includes three resorts including the Aston MonteLago Village Resort, the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort, and the Hilton Lake Las Vegas.

The earthen impoundment that forms the reservoir is 192 ft (59 m) tall, 4,800 ft (1,500 m) in length, and 716 ft (218 m) wide at its base. It contains roughly the same amount of dirt as Hoover Dam does concrete, and impounds 10,000 acre-feet (12,000,000 m³) of water. Since the reservoir was built in the channel of the Las Vegas Wash – the valley's only storm runoff outlet – a bypass was built for the wash beneath the reservoir and dam allowing it to remain connected to Lake Mead via two 84-inch (2.1 m) diameter pipes. After falling into substantial disrepair, the pipes – which are owned by the city of Henderson, but maintained by the resort – were repaired in 2009 at a cost of $3 million. Above the entrance to the bypass is a flood control structure, which permit excess flood waters of the Las Vegas Wash to be diverted into Lake Las Vegas (read more).

USA - California - State Capitol Building (3)

CALIFORNIA STATE CAPITOL

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

The beautiful State Capitol Building, surrounded by the forty-acre Capitol Park, is a downtown Sacramento landmark. The State Capitol Building was completely restored to its original beauty in  1984. Visitors here can see the California Senate and Assembly Chambers in operation.

Sent by Will from California, USA.

The California State Capitol is the seat of the California state government, located in Sacramento, the state capital of California. The building houses the chambers of the California State Legislature, made up of the Assembly and the Senate, along with the office of the governor of California. The Neoclassical structure, designed by Reuben S. Clark, was completed between 1861 and 1874. Located at the west end of Capitol Park and the east end of the Capitol Mall, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The California State Capitol Museum is housed on the grounds of the capitol.

The structure was completed between 1860 and 1874, designed by architect Reuben S. Clark of Clark & Kenitzer, one of San Francisco's oldest architectural firms, founded in 1854. Although not generally considered earthquake country, Sacramento was hit by two earthquakes within days of each other in 1892 which damaged the Capitol. The Capitol was remodeled, adding seventy rooms and elevators, between 1906 and 1908 (read more).

USA - Idaho - Pocatello

Pocatello has long been the transportation and business hub of southeastern Idaho. A proud city with a historic past, Pocatello ia a ix of old and new along the old Oregon Trail.

Sent by unoriginalusername from Idaho.

Pocatello (/ˈpoʊkəˈtɛloʊ/) is the county seat of and the largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, containing the city's airport. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho.

As of the 2020 census, the population of Pocatello was 56,320. Pocatello is the 6th most populous city in the state, just behind Caldwell.

The city is at an elevation of 4,462 feet (1,360 m) above sea level and it sits on the Portneuf River in the Snake River Plain ecoregion. Pocatello covers a land area of 33.36 square miles (86.4 square kilometers).

Pocatello is the home of Idaho State University and the manufacturing facilities of Amy's Kitchen and ON Semiconductor Corporation; it is served by the Pocatello Regional Airport (read more).

USA - Illinois - State Flower

Violet, State Flower of Illinois.

Sent by Pat from Illinois, USA.

Viola, commonly known as the violets, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Violaceae. It is the largest genus in the family, containing over 680 species. Most species are found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere; however, some are also found in widely divergent areas such as Hawaii, Australasia, and the Andes.

Some Viola species are perennial plants, some are annual plants, and a few are small shrubs. Many species, varieties and cultivars are grown in gardens for their ornamental flowers. In horticulture, the term pansy is normally used for those multi-colored large-flowered cultivars which are raised annually or biennially from seed and used extensively in bedding (read more).