Germany - St. Peter-Ording

St. Peter-Ording
Sunset on the sand bank.

Sent by Ute, a postcrosser from North Germany.

This is from Wikipedia : Sankt Peter-Ording is a very popular German seaside spa and a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the only German seaside resort that has a sulphur spring and thus terms itself "North Sea healing spa and sulphur spring". By overnight stays, St. Peter-Ording is the largest German seaside spa in Germany, and it has the most overnight stays in Schleswig-Holstein.

St. Peter-Ording is situated on the North Sea coast, on the western tip of the Eiderstedt peninsula, approx. 45 km southwest of Husum. Part of the municipality lies in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. Its characteristics include a beach that is approximately 12 kilometers long and up to one kilometre wide, the dunes, the salt meadows and the cultivated forested areas, atypical for this region. The salt meadows are of special ecological importance, since they belong to the few salt meadows that remain in their natural state. In contrast to other salt meadows along the North Sea they contain numerous ponds and puddles. The landward side is flooded with sea water only occasionally and not every year, so that amphibians such as grass frogs, moor frogs and toads (Bufo bufo) live uncharacteristically close to the seashore. Even the Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita) is able to reproduce successfully in this environment.

The normal range of the tides is up to three meters. In the intertidal mudflat walks the tidal calendar should always be consulted. That the beach is so flat and smooth has made it a popular site for sail-racing, a sport similar to wind-surfing but on wheels. There are several elevated walkways through the dunes giving access to the beach.

France - Département du Gard

Département du Gard.

Sent by Christiane, a postcrosser from France.

This is from Wikipedia : Gard (Occitan: Gard) is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.

The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.

The Gard area was settled by the Romans in classical times. It was crossed by the Via Domitia, which was constructed in 118 BC.

Gard is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from the ancient province of Languedoc.

It was originally intended to include the canton of Ganges in the department which would have been geographically logical, but Ganges was transferred to the neighbouring department of Hérault at the outset. In return, Gard received from Hérault the fishing port of Aigues Mortes which gave the department its own outlet to the Gulf of Lion.

During the middle of the nineteenth century the prefecture, traditionally a centre of commerce with a manufacturing sector focused on textiles, was an early beneficiary of railway development, becoming an important railway junction. Several luxurious hotels were built, and the improved market access provided by the railways also encouraged, initially, a rapid growth in wine growing: however, many of the department's viticulturalists were ruined by the arrival in 1872 of phylloxera.

Gard is part of the region of Languedoc-Roussillon and is surrounded by the departments of Hérault, Lozère, Aveyron, Bouches-du-Rhône, Vaucluse, and Ardèche.

The highest point in the department is the Mont Aigoual.

Serious flooding has occurred in the department in recent years.

Brazil - Salvador

View of Salvador city.

Sent by André, a postcrosser from Brazil.

Germany - Neuschwanstein Castle (2)

Royal castle Neuschwanstein.

Sent by Petra, a postcrosser from Germany.

Lithuania - The Presidency

The Presidency (Presidential Palace) on Independence Day (Feb 16th).

Sent by Vytas, a postcrosser from Vilnius, Lithuania.

This is from Wikipedia : The Presidential Palace (Lithuanian: Prezidentūra, , Polish: Pałac Biskupi)), located in Vilnius Old Town, is the official office and eventual official residence of the President of Lithuania. The palace dates back to the 14th century and during its history it has undergone various reconstructions, supervised by prominent architects, including Laurynas Gucevičius and Vasily Stasov. In 1997 the palace became the official seat of the President of Lithuania.

The Palace traces its history back to the 14th century, when Jogaila, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, issued an edict donating land in the city to the Vilnius Diocese, for this reason the palace is sometimes referred to as the Bishops' Palace. Construction of the Palace took place in the late 14th century under the auspices of the first Bishop of Vilnius Andrzej Jastrzębiec, and over succeeding generations, the building was gradually enlarged and renovated. During the Renaissance the Palace was once again renovated, and parks and gardens surrounding the building were expanded.

As the 18th century unfolded, a number of dramatic events in the Palace's history took place: the last Bishop of Vilnius lived in the Palace, Lithuania was annexed by the Russian Empire, and the building itself was badly damaged by two major fires in 1737 and 1748. The Palace was reconstructed in 1750 under the supervision of the architect Laurynas Gucevičius. After its reconstruction the Palace was used as a residence for Emperors, Kings and noblemen. During 1796, Tsar Paul I lived at the Palace. During the course of the 19th century the Palace served as a residence for several Imperial Russian governors, such as Mikhail Muravyov, nicknamed "The Hangman". It was also visited by the future King of France, Louis XVIII in 1804.

In 1812, both the Russian Tsar Alexander I and the French Emperor Napoleon used the Palace as their residence. During Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, he organized military operations and Lithuanian army units from this Palace, including five regiments of infantry, four cavalry regiments, and the National Guard of Vilnius. He received Lithuanian noblemen, newly appointed officials of the administration, and other dignitaries in this Palace as well. After Napoleon's defeat in 1812, the Palace was used for ceremonial proposes; it was here that then-general Mikhail Kutuzov was awarded Russia's highest military award - the Order of St. George. During 1824-1834, the Palace was reconstructed by the prominent St. Petersburg architect Vasily Stasov in the Empire style, under supervision of Karol Podczaszyński. Stasov's reconstruction of the Palace has remained to this day.

After Lithuania regained its independence in 1918, the Palace housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ELTA news agency until it ended up in Poland in 1920. It was restored in the 1930s by Stefan Narębski. After the Second World War, the Palace served as the Military Officers' Centre; later it housed various Lithuanian artists. The Palace was gradually adapted for use as a presidential office, and since 1997 it has served as the official office of the President of Lithuania. Currently adaptations are underway to expand the palace's functions to also serve as the president's official residence. A flag displaying the coat of arms of the President is hoisted when the President is present in the Palace or in the city.

Ukraine - Chersones Basilica

Chersones Basilica, an ancient Greek city, part of Chersonesus Taurica.

Sent by Natalie, a postcrosser from Sevastopol, Crimea.

This is from Wikipedia : Chersonesus Taurica (Greek: Χερσόνησος, Chersonēsos; Latin: Chersonesus; Byzantine Greek: Χερσών; Old East Slavic: Корсунь, Korsun; Ukrainian and Russian: Херсонес, Khersones; also transliterated as Chersonese, Chersonesos, Cherson) is an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2500 years ago in the southwestern part of Crimea, known then as Taurica. The colony was established in the 6th century BC by settlers from Heraclea Pontica. Currently the site is part of the National Historical-Archeological Museum-Zapovednik of Ukraine "Khersones Tavriysky".

The ancient city is located on the shore of the Black Sea at the outskirts of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine, where it is referred to as Khersones. It has been nicknamed the "Ukrainian Pompeii" and "Russian Troy". The name "Chersonesos" in Greek means simply "peninsula", and aptly describes the site on which the colony was established. It should not be confused with the Tauric Chersonese, the name often applied to the whole of the southern Crimea along with "Taurica".

During much of the classical period the town was a democracy ruled by a group of elected archons and a council called the Damiorgi. As time went on the government grew more oligarchic, with power concentrated in the hands of the archons. A form of oath sworn by all the citizens in the 3rd century BC has survived to the present day.

Armenia - Mountain Ararat

Mountain Ararat, 5,165 m.

Sent by Raneve from Yerevan, Armenia. Terima kasih (thanks). This is among the hardest to get. Raneve was back in USA late last year and sent me a card from Florida and told me she has mailed this card from Armenia. The postmarked on the stamps was on 28 April 2011 :) and took only about three weeks to reach Malaysia.

This is from Wikipedia : Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat (the tallest peak in Turkey, and the entire Armenian plateau with an elevation of 5,137 m/16,854 ft) and Lesser Ararat (with an elevation of 3,896 m/12,782 ft).

The Ararat massif is about 40 km (25 mi) in diameter. The Iran-Turkey boundary skirts east of Lesser Ararat, the lower peak of the Ararat massif. It was in this area that by the Tehran Convention of 1932 a border change was made in Turkey's favor, permitting her to occupy the eastern flank of the massif.

Mount Ararat in Judeo-Christian tradition is associated with the "Mountains of Ararat" where according to the book of Genesis, Noah's ark came to rest. It also plays a significant role in Armenian nationalism and irredentism.

Mount Ararat is located in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey between Doğubayazıt and Iğdır, near the border with Iran, Armenia and Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between the Aras and Murat Rivers. Its summit is located some 16 km (10 mi) west of the Iran and 32 km (20 mi) south of the Armenian border. The Ararat plain runs along its northwest to western side.

Albania - Old City of Appolonia

Ruins of the old city Appolonia close to the Podni village

Sent by Natalya from Nadym, Russia. Terima kasih (thanks).

Note : Still looking/waiting for the first postcard sent stamped and postmarked from Albania.

Azerbaijan - Mausoleum of Qarabaglar

The mausoleum of Qarabaglar, Sharur. It is supposed that the monument was erected in the 12 - 13th century in the village of Qarabaglar in Sharur.

Sent by Natalya from Nadym in Russia. Terima kasih (thank you).

Note : Still looking/waiting for the first postcard sent stamped and postmarked from Azerbaijan.

Canada - The Rogers Centre

The Rogers Centre was the first stadium to have a rectangle roof. This roof covers 8 acres and could fit a 31 storey apartment building inside. It opened in June 1989 and is home to the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Argonauts.

Sent by Melanie from Ontario, Canada.

This is from Wikipedia : Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario.

Originally opened in 1989, it is home to the American League's Toronto Blue Jays, the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and, as of 2008, the NFL's Buffalo Bills' second playing venue in the Bills Toronto Series.

While it is primarily a sports venue, it also hosts other large-scale events such as conventions, trade fairs, concerts, funfairs, and monster truck shows.

The stadium was renamed "Rogers Centre" following the purchase of the stadium by Rogers Communications, which also owns the Toronto Blue Jays, in 2005.

The venue was noted for being the first stadium to have a fully-retractable motorized roof, as well as for the 348-room hotel attached to it, with 70 rooms overlooking the field. It is also the most recent North American major-league stadium built to accommodate both football and baseball.

The stadium will be the centrepiece of the 2015 Pan American Games as the site of the opening and closing ceremonies.

Canada - Casa Loma

CASA LOMA
The "Castle-on-the-Hill" is a genuine 98-room castle in the heart of Toronto complete with secret passages, tunnels, towers and turrets.

Sent by Melanie from Ontario, Canada.

This is from Wikipedia : Casa Loma (Spanish for Hill House) is a Gothic Revival style house in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is now a museum and landmark. It was originally a residence for financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Casa Loma was constructed over a three-year period from 1911–1914. The architect of the mansion was E. J. Lennox, who was responsible for the designs of several other city landmarks.

In 1903 Sir Henry Pellatt purchased 25 lots from developers Kertland and Rolf. Sir Henry commissioned Canadian architect E.J. Lennox to design Casa Loma with construction beginning in 1911, starting with the massive stables, potting shed and Hunting Lodge (a.k.a. coach-house) a few hundred feet north of the main building. The Hunting Lodge is a two storey 4,380-square-foot (407 m2) house with servant's quarters. As soon as the stable complex was completed, Sir Henry sold his summer house in Scarborough to his son and moved to the Hunting Lodge. The stables were used as a construction site for the castle (also served as the quarters for the men servants), with some of the machinery still remaining in the rooms under the stables. The house cost approximately $3.5 million and took a team of 300 workers three years to build from start to finish. Unfortunately, due to the start of World War I, construction on the house was halted. At 98 rooms, it was the largest private residence in Canada. Notable amenities included an elevator, an oven large enough to cook an ox, two vertical passages for pipe organs, central vacuum, two secret passages in Sir Henry's ground-floor office and three bowling alleys (never completed).

Most of the third floor was left unfinished, and today serves as the Regimental Museum for The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada. Pellatt joined the Regiment as a Rifleman and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the Commanding Officer. He was knighted for his dedication to the Regiment. Later, Pellatt served as the Honorary Colonel and was promoted to Major-General upon retirement.

During the depression that followed World War One, the City of Toronto increased Casa Loma's annual property taxes from $600 per year to $1,000 a month, and Pellatt, already experiencing financial difficulties, was forced to auction off $1.5 million in art and furnishings for only $250,000. Sir Henry was able to enjoy life in the house for less than ten years, leaving in 1923. It was later operated for a short time as a luxury hotel. During the late 1920s Casa Loma was also a popular nightspot. The Orange Blossoms, later known as Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, played there for eight months in 1927–1928. Shortly thereafter, they went on tour of North America and became a major swing era dance band.

The city seized Casa Loma in 1933 for $27,303 in back taxes.

The castle was extremely run down and the city was motioning for the castle to be demolished. In 1937, however, it was leased by the Kiwanis Club of Toronto (currently known as the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma). Today, Casa Loma is undergoing a 15 year exterior restoration.

During World War II, Casa Loma was used to conceal research on sonar, and for construction of sonar devices (known as ASDIC) for U-boat detection.

Contrary to popular belief, Casa Loma has never been an official residence of either the city or the Province of Ontario. In 1937 it was opened to the public for the first time as a tourist attraction operated by the Kiwanis Club of Toronto. Coincidentally, this is the same year that Chorley Park, the Government House of Ontario, was closed by the provincial government. The house is still operated by the Kiwanis Club. Today it is one of Toronto's most popular tourist attractions.

USA - Minnesota - State Bird

Common Loon (Gavia immer, sitting on its nest. The Common Loon is the Minnesota State Bird.

Sent by Ruth, a WiP partner from Minnesota, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : The loons (North America) or divers (UK/Ireland) are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia (Europe, Asia and debatably Africa). All living species of loons are members of the genus (Gavia), family (Gaviidae) and order (Gaviiformes).

The loon, the size of a large duck or small goose, resembles these birds in shape when swimming. Like ducks and geese but unlike coots (which are Rallidae) and grebes (Podicipedidae), the loon's toes are connected by webbing. The bird may be confused with cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae), not too distant relatives of divers and like them are heavy set birds whose bellies – unlike those of ducks and geese – are submerged when swimming. Flying loons resemble a plump goose with a seagull's wings, relatively small in proportion to the bulky body. The bird holds its head pointing slightly upwards during swimming, but less so than cormorants do. In flight the head droops more than in similar aquatic birds.

Male and female loons have identical plumage. Plumage is largely patterned black-and-white in summer, with grey on the head and neck in some species. All have a white belly. This resembles many sea-ducks (Merginae) – notably the smaller goldeneyes (Bucephala) – but is distinct from most cormorants which rarely have white feathers, and if so usually as large rounded patches rather than delicate patterns. All species of divers have a spear-shaped bill.

Males are larger on average, but relative size is only apparent when the male and female are together.

In winter plumage is dark gray above, with some indistinct lighter mottling on the wings, and a white chin, throat and underside. The species can then be distinguished by certain features, such as size and colour of head, neck, back and bill, but often reliable identification of wintering divers is difficult even for experts – particularly as the smaller immature birds look similar to winter-plumage adults, making size an unreliable means of identification.

Gaviiformes are among the few groups of birds in which the young moult into a second coat of down feathers after shedding the first one, rather than growing juvenile feathers with downy tips that wear off as is typical in many birds. This trait is also found in tubenoses (Procellariiformes) and penguins (Sphenisciformes), both relatives of the loons.

USA - Delaware - Kalmar Nyckel

Launched in Sptember of 1997, the Kalmar Nyckel is a a 97 foot, 317-ton replica of the tall ship that brought the first Swedish settlers to the Delaware River Valley in 1638. The ship can be toured in its working shipyard, and it ocassionally leaves its port in Wilmington to sail to nearby Lewes.

Sent by Rose, a WiP partner from USA.

This is from Wikipedia : The Kalmar Nyckel (Key of Kalmar) was a Dutch-built armed merchant ship famed for carrying Finnish and Swedish settlers to North America in 1638 to establish the colony of New Sweden. A replica of the ship was launched at Wilmington, Delaware, in 1997.

The Kalmar Nyckel was constructed in about 1625 and was of a design called a pinnace. The ship was named after the city of Kalmar, which purchased the ship in 1628 as its contribution to the Royal Swedish Navy. When Sweden decided to establish a trading colony in the New World under the direction of Peter Minuit, the Kalmar Nyckel was chosen for the voyage. A smaller vessel, the Fogel Grip (Griffin Bird), accompanied her.

The ships sailed from Gothenburg in December 1637, commanded by Jan Hindriksen van der Water, but encountered a severe storm in the North Sea and had to divert to the Netherlands for repairs. They departed on New Year's Day 1638, arriving in North America in March 1638.

A second voyage, which departed on February 7, 1640, and arrived at Fort Christina on April 17, brought additional settlers for New Sweden. One of them was Reorus Torkillus, the first Lutheran clergyman in New Sweden. The Kalmar Nyckel made four successive round trips from Sweden, a record unchallenged by any other colonial vessel. She later served the Royal Swedish Navy in the Swedish-Danish War, then was used as a merchant ship. She was lost at sea in the late 17th century. There are conflicting reports on where she was lost. One says she sank off the coast of the city of Kalmar, while another says she was lost in the North Sea off the coast of England.

In 1986, a group of citizens of Wilmington, Delaware, established the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, whose primary source of funding is from the taxpayers of the State of Delaware, plus donations from corporations and individuals. The foundation designed, built, and launched a replica of the Kalmar Nyckel. The modern ship, designed by naval architects Thomas C. Gillmer, Melbourne Smith, Joel Webster, and Ken Court, was built at a shipyard in Wilmington on the Christina River near the original 1638 Swedish settlers' landing site at Fort Christina. She was launched on September 28, 1997, and commissioned on May 9, 1998. The re-creation measures 94 feet (29 m) on deck and 131 feet (40 m) overall, with a 25-foot (7.6 m) beam, a 12-foot (3.7 m) draft, and a displacement of 300 tons.

The ship is operated and maintained by a volunteer staff, under the leadership of a paid captain, boatswain, and a chief mate. In November 2006, the captain of the Kalmar Nyckel, David W. Hiott, who had commanded her for nine seasons, died from the effects of recurring melanoma. Captain Lauren Morgens took over on April 1, 2007, with Sharon Litcofsky as Chief Mate and Relief Captain. Volunteers maintain the ship, run the education program, and sail her from port to port.

Portugal - Algarve

Algarve : Ruin of an ancient monastery.

Sent by Carlos, a postcrosser from Faro, Portugal.

Indonesia - Sangiran Early Man Site

Sent by Shinta from Semarang, Indonesia.

Sangiran is one of the key sites for the understanding of human evolution. It illustrates the development of Homo sapiens sapiens from the Lower Pleistocene to the present through the outstanding fossil and artefactual material that it has produced.

The archaeological site of Sangiran is situated 15 km east of Solo. The geological stratigraphy of the Sangiran area covers 2 million years, from the late Pliocene to the recent periods. The Lower and Middle Pleistocene Ievels have produced considerable fossil and artefactual material. Fifty early human fossils (Pithecanthropus erectus/Homo erectus ) have been found, representing 50% of all the known hominid fossils in the world, together with numerous animal and floral fossils such as rhinoceros, elephant ivory, buffalo horn, deer horn and many others.

Palaeolithic stone tools (Sangiran flakes) found at Ngebung include flakes, choppers and cleavers in chalcedony and jasper and, more recently, bone tools. The site has also produced Neolithic axes. This evidence indicates that hominids have inhabited the area for at Ieast 1.5 million years. The Palaeolithic tools can be dated to around 800,000 BP, and the sequence of cultural material from this period through to the Neolithic illustrates continuous evolution of man in relation to the ecosystem over a long period.

The geology of the Sangiran Early Man Site is sedimentary in origin, beginning with the late Pliocene. It was deformed into a domed anticline by diaper intrusion. The summit was subsequently eroded by river action, turning it into a recessed, reversed dome. Early hominid fossils occur in successive formations, starting with the Pucangang (0.5-1.5 million years BP), but more particularly in the Kabuh (0.25-0.5 million years BP) and Notopuro (11,000-250,000 years BP). Nowadays, it is an unfertile hill and the region is now entirely devoted to peasant agriculture.

Ever since von Koenigswald found flake tools in the Ngebung village in 1934, the site has made an immense contribution to the study of evolution over the past million years by illustrating the evolution of Homo erectus . Homo erectus is important to the study of the early history of mankind before the emergence of the modern Homo sapiens . Fossils of Homo erectus have been found from time to time in a site covering 8 km by 7 km since 1936 to the present day.

Not only has the Sangiran site contributed to the understanding of the family tree of mankind, it has also thrown much light the evolution of culture, of animals, and of the ancient environment. Large quantities of human and animal fossils, along with Palaeolithic tools, have been found on the Sangiran site in a geological-stratigraphical series that has been laid down continuously for more than 2 million years. (Source)

Indonesia - Prambanan Temple Compounds (2)

Prambanan Hindu Temple in Yogyakarta.

Sent by Shinta from Semarang, Indonesia.

Poland - Fontanna Neptuna

Fontanna Neptuna or Neptune's Fountain in Gdańsk.

Sent by Magdalena, a postcrosser from Gdańsk in Poland.

"Neptune's Fountain, in the center of Dlugi Targ (the Long Market) has grown to be one of Gdansk's most recognizable symbols. The bronze statue of the Roman god of the sea was first erected in 1549, before being aptly made into a fountain in 1633. Like the city he represents, Neptune has had a storied history, himself - dismantled and hidden during World War II, old Neptune didn't come out of hiding until 1954 when he was restored to his rightful place in the heart of the city, reminding us of Gdansk's relationship to the sea. Chances are you've already had your photo taken with this mighty trident-wielding behemoth, or will soon. The colourful buildings of Dlugi Targ make a great backdrop for any photo-op, so flash those gums and say 'cheese!"(Source)

Martta Wendelin (12)

Martta Wendelin.

Sent by Mecu, a postcrosser from Hämeenlinna, Finland.

Slovakia - Mapcard (2)

SLOVAKIA
Despite its rather small size, Slovakia offers great diversity of landscapes, untouched nature, numerous magic castles and charming historic towns.

Sent by Zuzana from Bratislava, Slovakia.

USA - Connecticut - Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through Western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

Sent by Ezza, a postcrosser from USA.

This is from Wikipedia : The Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut discharging into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook and Old Lyme, Connecticut. It has a total length of 407 miles (655 km), and a drainage basin extending over 11,250 square miles (29,100 km2). The mean freshwater discharge into Long Island Sound is 19,600 cubic feet (560 m3) per second. The largest city on the river is Springfield, Massachusetts. Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, is also on the river, 24 miles (39 km) miles south of Springfield.

The Connecticut River is tidal up to Windsor Locks, Connecticut, approximately 60 miles (97 km) from the mouth. The source of the river is the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. Some tributaries include the Ashuelot, West, Miller's, Deerfield, White, and Chicopee rivers. The Swift River, a tributary of the Chicopee, has been dammed and largely replaced by the Quabbin Reservoir which provides water to Boston.

The river carries a heavy amount of silt, especially during the spring snow melt, from as far north as Quebec. The heavy silt concentration of the river forms a large sandbar near its mouth on Long Island Sound and has historically provided a formidable obstacle to navigation. The difficulty of navigation on the river is the primary reason that it is one of the few large rivers in the region without a major city near its mouth. The Connecticut River estuary and tidal wetlands complex is listed as one of the 1,759 wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Australia - Blue-winged Kookaburra

Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii).

Sent by Haining, a postcrosser from Australia.

This is from Wikipedia : The Blue-winged Kookaburra, Dacelo leachii, is a large species of kingfisher native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea.

Measuring around 40 cm (16 in), it is slightly smaller than the more familiar Laughing Kookaburra. It has cream-coloured upper- and underparts barred with brownish markings. It has blue wings and brown shoulders and blue rump. It is sexually dimorphic, with a blue tail in the male, and a rufous tail with blackish bars in the female.

The adult Blue-winged Kookaburra measures around 38 to 42 cm (15-17 in) in length and weighs 260 to 330 g. Compared to the related Laughing Kookaburra, it is smaller, lacks a dark mask, has more blue in the wing, and striking white eye. It has a heavier bill than its larger relative. The head and underparts are cream-coloured with brownish streaks. It is sexually dimorphic, with a blue tail in the male, and a rufous tail with blackish bars in the female. Immature birds have more prominent brown bars and marks in their plumage, giving a 'dirty' appearance, and their eyes are predominantly brown for the first two years of life.

The call has been described as a maniacal cackling or barking.

Canada - Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek

SPECTACLES OF NATURE
Within the borders of one of Canada's newest National Parks, Kluane, lie many of nature's more awesome spectacles. Here, like a giant white highway from the stars. Kaskawulsh Glacier creeps slowly down through the mountain range. In the background is Mt. Logan, at 19,850 ft. Canada's highest.

Sent by Renee, a postcrosser from USA.

A unique area with high mountain peaks, foothills, glacial systems, lakes, streams, valleys and coastal landscapes. The Wrangell-St Elias region represents the most extensive array of glaciers and ice fields outside the polar region. These features and the high mountains of the Wrangell-St Elias, Chugach and Kluane ranges have resulted in the region becoming known as the 'Mountain Kingdom' of North America. Geologically the mountains are included in the Pacific mountain system and include the 130 km long Bagley ice field, the second-highest peak in the USA (Mount St Elias) and the largest piedmont glacier on the North American continent (Malaspina Glacier). Extensive lowlands are found only in the centre and along north-western fringes of the region. Elsewhere lowlands are sandwiched between mountains and sea or occur as narrow valleys and plateaux grading into upland and serrated peaks. Principal drainages include the Copper, Chitina, White, Alsek and Donjek rivers and tributaries. The Malaspina foreland coastal area comprises mainly long, straight piedmont glacial beaches cut through by numerous often sizeable glacial-melt drainage-ways.

The wide ranges of climatic zones and elevations in the region have resulted in a great variety of ecosystems representing three major biomes or broad vegetational subdivisions: the coastal coniferous biome; the northern coniferous biome; and the alpine tundra biome. The coastal coniferous biome includes coastal spruce-hemlock forests, tall shrub thickets and bogs and marshes.

The northern coniferous biome includes closed tall spruce and deciduous forests, open, low mixed evergreen and deciduous forests, tall shrub thickets and low shrub thickets.

The alpine tundra biome includes moist sedge and grass alpine tundra and dry alpine tundra: moist sedge and grass alpine tundra at 900-1,500 m on gradual slopes, meadow-like tundra composed of sedges and grasses interspersed with low shrubs such as blueberry and Labrador tea; and dry alpine tundra, on steeper mountain slopes and exposed ridges from 900 m to the elevation of perpetual ice and snow comprising low, matted alpine plants dominated by mountain avens.

There is a great variety of fauna reflecting the habitat diversity. Carnivores include coyote, grey wolf, red fox, short-tailed weasel, mink, wolverine, river otter, lynx and the more easily visible brown bear and black bear. A rare bluish colour phase of the black bear, known locally as the glacier bear, is centred in the vicinity of Yakutat. Other mammals include pica and snowshoe hare, arctic ground squirrel, beaver Castor, muskrat and porcupine. Rodents include the hoary marmot. Moose and caribou range in lower elevations and mountain goat and Dally sheep occupy high mountainous areas. Bison were introduced in 1950 and again in 1962. Black-tailed deer may occur along coastal fringes.

The avifauna includes spruce grouse, ruffed grouse, willow ptarmigan, rock ptarmigan, white-tailed ptarmigan, trumpeter swan and many song birds.

All five species of Alaskan Pacific salmon including red salmon, chum, silver salmon, pink salmon and king salmon spawn in park or preserve waters. Freshwater fish species include Dolly Virden, lake trout, steelhead, cutthroat trout, arctic grayling, turbot, round whitefish and humpback whitefish. (Source)

Canada - British Columbia - Marble Canyon Kootenay National Park

CANADA
Marble Canyon Kootenay National Park

Sent by Gail, a postcrosser from Canada.

This is from Wikipedia : Marble Canyon is a small canyon in the south-central Interior of British Columbia, Canada a few kilometres east of the Fraser River and the community of Pavilion, British Columbia, approximately midway between the towns of Lillooet and Cache Creek. A collapsed karst formation, the canyon's name comes from the brilliant limestone of its walls. Despite the name, however, the bedrock is microcrystalline limestone (sedimentary rock) rather than marble (metamorphic rock). The north wall is over 965m (3150') high above Pavilion Lake and is the southernmost extent of the Marble Range; the south wall is c. 515m (1500') and is the northern extremity of the Clear Range. Higher peaks lie in behind the walls, increasing the depth if measured from their summits.

Australia - Sydney's Centrepoint Tower

New South Wales/Sydney's Centrepoint Tower.

Sent by Sara, a postcrosser from Australia.

Sydney Tower (also known as the AMP Tower, AMP Centrepoint Tower, Centrepoint Tower or just Centrepoint) is Sydney's tallest free-standing structure, and the second tallest in Australia (with the Q1 building on the Gold Coast being the tallest). It is also the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere (after Auckland's Sky Tower, though Sydney Tower's main observation deck is almost 50 m (164 ft) higher than that of Auckland's Sky Tower). The Sydney Tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.

The tower stands 309 m (1,014 ft) above the Sydney CBD, being located at 100 Market Street, between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets. It is accessible from the Pitt Street Mall, and sits upon Centrepoint (to which the tower is often referred), an office and shopping centre development. The tower is open to the public, and is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the city, being visible from a number of vantage points throughout town and from adjoining suburbs.

While AMP managed the Centrepoint shopping centre, the tower was officially referred to as "AMP Tower". After the Westfield Group took over ownership of Centrepoint in December 2001, the name was changed to Sydney Tower. Locals almost always refer to it as Centrepoint Tower.

Whilst the Shopping centre at the base of the Tower is run by the Westfield Group the tower itself is part of the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Group. Visitors can buy a pass from Village or at the gate that allows them a visit all of the Sydney attractions under the Village Roadshow Banner (Sydney Tower, Wildlife World and The Sydney Aquarium) (read more).

Czech Republic - Mapcard

A mapcard of Czech Republic.

Sent by Julic, a postcrosser from Czech Republic.

USA - Virginia - State Flower

VIRGINIA
Dogwood - State Flower
The American dogwood is well distributed throughout the Commonwealth, and its beauty is symbolic of the many attractive features of Virginia, thus it was chosen as the official state flower. The dogwood blooms in early spring and its blossom is a tiny cluster of flowers surrounded by four white leaves that look like petals. No tree says "Southern" better than the flowering dogwood.

Sent by Mads, a postcrosser from Washinton D.C., USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood, syn. Benthamidia florida (L.) Spach) is a species of dogwood native to eastern North America, from southern Maine west to southern Ontario and eastern Kansas, and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas and also in Illinois, with a disjunct population in eastern Mexico in Nuevo León and Veracruz.

Flowering dogwood is a small deciduous tree growing to 10 m (33 ft) high, often wider than it is tall when mature, with a trunk diameter of up to 30 cm (1 ft). A 10-year-old tree will stand about 5 m (16 ft) tall. The leaves are opposite, simple, ovate, 6–13 cm long and 4–6 cm broad, with an apparently entire margin (actually very finely toothed, under a lens); they turn a rich red-brown in fall.

The flowers are individually small and inconspicuous, with four greenish-yellow petals 4 mm long. Around 20 flowers are produced in a dense, rounded, umbel-shaped inflorescence, or flower-head, 1–2 cm in diameter. The flower-head is surrounded by four conspicuous large white, pink or red "petals" (actually bracts), each bract 3 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, rounded, and often with a distinct notch at the apex. The flowers are bisexual.

While most of the wild trees have white bracts, some selected cultivars of this tree also have pink bracts, some even almost a true red. They typically flower in early April in the southern part of their range, to late April or early May in northern and high altitude areas. The similar Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa), native to Asia, flowers about a month later.

The fruit is a cluster of two to ten drupes, each 10–15 mm long and about 8 mm wide, which ripen in the late summer and the early fall to a bright red, or occasionally yellow with a rosy blush. They are an important food source for dozens of species of birds, which then distribute the seeds.

Austria - Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape (1)

Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Julia, a postcrosser from Austria.

This is from UNESCO : The Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut Alpine region is an outstanding example of a natural landscape of great beauty. It also has great scientific interest because it contains evidence of a fundamental human economic activity, the production of salt.

Human activity in the magnificent natural landscape of the Salzkammergut began in prehistoric times, with the salt deposits being exploited as early as the 2nd millennium BC. The name of the medieval town, derived from the West German hal (salt) and the Old High German stat (settlement), first recorded in a deed of 1305, testifies to its primary function. This resource formed the basis of the area's prosperity until the mid-20th century, a prosperity that is reflected in the fine architecture of the town of Hallstatt.

The town grew up along the narrow strip between the steep mountainside of the Salzberg and the lake, and on the Mühlbach, an artificial promontory out into the lake resulting from the dumping of mining debris over the centuries. Here in the inner market town the houses, largely late Gothic, are ranged round a triangular market square. The typical Hallstatt house is tall and narrow, making maximum use of the restricted space and the steep topography. The lower storeys are constructed in stone with barrel vaulting supporting timber-framed upper storeys, as is customary in the Alpine region. Only a few preserve the original flat saddleback roofs covered with wooden planks or shingles. The southern part of the town, known as In der Lahn, located at the mouth of the Echterntal, is largely of 18th-century date, much of it built after the 1750 fire.

Among the more notable buildings are the St Mary's Roman Catholic Parish Church built in the late 15th century to replace an earlier Romanesque structure, parts of which survive. Having suffered only slight damage during the 1750 fire its only Baroque features are the roof and the multi-tiered spire. It contains a number of outstanding works of art, including a late Gothic altarpiece from the Astl workshop.

The small St Michael Chapel and Charnel House is a Gothic structure in the tiny graveyard immediately north of the parish church. Its basement, viewable at ground level, contains a neatly arranged assemblage of human skulls and long bones, the skulIs being marked with names and other details of the deceased.

The property also includes the Dachstein Mountains, rising to some 3,000 m, which form the highest of the karst massifs in the northern limestone Alps. They are notable for the large number of caves they contain, the longest being the Hillatzhöhle (81 km). Each cave is speleologically different, but the fact that they enjoy single management allows a range of information and experience to be made available in a coherent programme of conservation, accessibility and interpretation. The Dachstein-Rieseneishöhle is the most impressive ice cave in Austria. Some parts of the mine are now accessible to visitors, including areas made safe for displays arising from the continuing programme of archaeological investigation.

The Dachstein massif is exceptional among Alpine karstic areas for retaining its glaciation. Its landscape takes eight distinct forms: each of these zones has its own distinct climate and hence a characteristic flora and fauna.

USA - Florida - Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park.

Sent by Ariel, a postcrosser from Miami, USA.

This is from UNESCO : Everglades National Park is situated on the southern tip of the Florida Peninsula. The park is bounded by the Gulf of Mexico to the west, the Tamiami Trail and mostly state lands to the north and the Florida Keys to the south and south-east. It includes most of Florida Bay. The biosphere reserve includes Dry Tortugas National Park, a group of seven coral reefs and surrounding shoals, coral reefs and waters.

Everglades National Park is a shallow basin tilted to the south-west and underlain by extensive Pleistocene limestone with oolitic and bryozoan facies. The park serves as a vital recharge area for the Biscayne Aquifer, a major source of freshwater for Miami and south-east Florida. It lies at the interface between temperate and subtropical America and between fresh and brackish water, shallow bays and deeper coastal waters, thus creating a complex of habitats supporting a high diversity of flora and fauna. The area of transition from freshwater (glades) to saltwater (mangrove) is a highly productive zone that incubates great numbers of economically valuable crustacea. The vegetation and flora of south Florida have fascinated scientists and naturalists since their discovery and were a primary reason for the establishment of the park. One cause of this fascination is the presence of a high percentage of West Indian species. A noteworthy feature is the rather high degree of local endemism. Hammocks or tree islands are dominated by hardwood species of both tropical and temperate affinities. The most important trees are mangroves, taxa, slash pine and cypress. Prairies can be dominated by sawgrass, muhley grass, or cordgrass in coastal areas.

The Everglades protect 800 species of land and water vertebrates, including over 14 threatened species, and 25 mammals, over 400 bird species, 60 known species of reptile, amphibian and insect, including two threatened swallowtail butterfly species. Over 20 species of snake have been recorded, including the threatened indigo snake. More than 275 species of fish are known from the Everglades, most inhabiting the marine and estuarine waters. Several species are important game species that attract thousands of anglers to the park. During autumn a continuous procession of songbirds and other migrants fly over or rest on these islands.

The park is rich in both prehistoric and historic heritage: it contains 200 known archaeological sites. A Native American group, the Miccosukee tribe of Florida, has a special use permit area inside the park. Fort Jefferson, in Dry Tortugas National Park, is the largest brick masonry fort in America. It was large enough to garrison 1,500 men, but was never involved in battle, although it did secure a post for Union forces during the Civil War and afterwards served as a prison. The park's northern boundary is retained by the Miccosukee Indians under a special use permit for community development.