Germany - Saarland / Rhineland-Palatinate / North Rhine-Westphalia - Red Moselle Vineyard Peach

"Red Moselle Vineyard Peach" (Der Rote Mosel- Weinbergpfirsich), a fruit deeply rooted in the Moselle region of Germany. The fruit is  a "typical Moselle fruit" and includes images of the peaches, their blossoms, and scenes from Cochem, a town in the area known for celebrating this fruit.

Sent by Rainer from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

A fruit that is deeply rooted in the region thrives along the Moselle: the Moselle vineyard peach. With its rich, red flesh and distinctive aroma, it delights locals and visitors alike.

The fruit, which originated in China, reached the Moselle via Persia as early as Roman times, where it was successfully cultivated. Today, around 10,000 vineyard peach trees grow here—most of them in the district of Cochem-Zell, along the picturesque river bends between Cochem and Reil.

The Moselle region offers a very special natural spectacle in spring when the vineyard peach trees are in bloom. From late March to early April, the bright pink blossoms transform the steep vineyard slopes into a colorful sea of flowers. This time of year attracts nature lovers, photographers, and hikers alike, who explore the slopes and admire the magnificent blossoms (read more).

Germany - Bremen - Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen

Various landmarks and symbols associated with the German city of Bremen; famous bronze statue of the Bremen Town Musicians, Bremen Town Hall and the Roland statue, both significant landmarks in Bremen.

Sent by Eike from Magdeburg, Germany.

The Town Hall and Roland on the marketplace of Bremen in north-west Germany are an outstanding representation of the civic autonomy and market rights as they developed in the Holy Roman Empire in Europe. The Old Town Hall was built as a Gothic hall structure in the early 15th century, and renovated in the so-called Weser Renaissance style in the early 17th century. A New Town Hall was built next to the old one in the early 20th century as part of an ensemble that survived the bombardments during the Second World War.

The Old Town Hall is a two-storey hall building with a rectangular floor plan, 41.5 m by 15.8 m. It is described as a transverse rectangular Saalgeschossbau (i.e. a multi-storey construction built to contain a large hall). The ground floor is formed of one large hall with oak pillars; it served for merchants and theatrical performances. The upper floor has the main festivity hall of the same dimensions. Between the windows, there are stone statues representing the emperor and prince electors, which date from the original Gothic period, integrated with late-Renaissance sculptural decoration symbolising civic autonomy. Underground, the town hall has a large wine cellar with one hall in the dimensions of the ground floor with stone pillars, which was later extended to the west and is now used as a restaurant.

In the 17th century, the Town Hall was renovated, and out of the eleven axes of the colonnade the three middle ones were accentuated by a bay construction with large rectangular windows and a high gable, an example of the so-called Weser Renaissance. An elaborate sculptural decoration in sandstone was added to the façade, representing allegorical and emblematic depictions (read more).

Tina Turner stamp.

Germany - North Rhine-Westphalia / Hesse - Romantic Rhine Region

Various places in the "Romantic Rhine" region in Germany.

Sent by Jennifer from Kaiserslautern, Germany.

The eminent 18th century German writer and naturalist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe knew all about the beauty of the Rhine Valley and travelled throughout its unique cultural landscape. The Rhine was one of Germany’s first tourist destinations. Today it offers an enormous variety of cultural attractions, leisure pursuits and recreational activities.

Even under the current exceptional circumstances, a holiday on the Romantic Rhine is still worthwhile: Hike along the Rheinsteig and RheinBurgenWeg trails, cycle along the Rhine Cycle Route or relax and watch the world go by on one of the riverboats. There are more than 60 castles, fortresses and palaces just waiting to be discovered. And you can round off your day with a glass of Riesling and a view of the Rhine (read more).

Swimwear #18

From Daring Dames : A Kyler Martz Postcard Set

Sent by Amy from Texas, USA.

M/S Amorella

M/S AMORELLA

Built : 1988 Split, Croatia

Length : 169.4 m

Passengers : 2,480

Kobba Klintar Pilot Station 

Åland Islands, Finland

60°01'46" N / 19°52'57" E

Sent by Anne from Ylivieska, Finland.

MS Mega Victoria is a cruiseferry owned by Corsica Ferries. She was formerly owned by Viking Line as MS Amorella and operated on the route Turku–Mariehamn–Stockholm and from 2022 Helsinki–Mariehamn–Stockholm. She was built in 1988 by Brodosplit in Croatia, then Yugoslavia.

Amorella has three sister ships: Gabriella in the Viking Line fleet, Isabelle operated by Tallink and Crown Seaways, operated by DFDS Seaways.

Amorella was ordered in 1986 by SF Line, one of the partners in Viking Line consortium. Although Brodosplit outbid other shipyards, the Finnish State offered to subsidise construction of the ship if she was built at a Finnish shipyard. This was a common practice in the 1980s to bring more jobs to Finland, but this time SF Line declined and had the ship built in Yugoslavia. The original planned delivery date for Amorella was in March 1988, but due to delays in construction she was not completed until September, which meant SF Line was forced to operate the lucrative summer season with old tonnage.

Except for short periods of time in 1997, 1998 and 2002, Amorella has always served on the Turku–Mariehamn/Långnäs–Stockholm route, making her the longest-lasting ship on that route. Originally she only called in Mariehamn during day crossing, but in July 1999 she had to start calling at the Åland Islands in both directions to maintain tax free sales on board, and as a result a call at Långnäs was added to the night crossing (read more).

Marilyn Monroe (5) - The Misfits (1961)

RENO, NEVADA, 1960
ARTHUR MILLER, JOHN HUSTON, CLARK GABLE, MARILYN MONROE, MONTGOMERY CLIFT, ELI WALLACH, FRANK TAYLOR

Sent by Joe from Boston, USA.

The Misfits is a 1961 American contemporary Western film directed by John Huston and written by Arthur Miller, who adapted his own 1957 short story. It stars Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift, alongside Thelma Ritter and Eli Wallach. The plot centers on a newly divorced woman (Monroe), and her relationships with a friendly landlady (Ritter), an old-school cowboy (Gable), his tow-truck driving and plane-flying best friend (Wallach), and their rodeo-riding, bronco-busting friend (Clift). The Misfits was the last completed film for both Gable (who died three months before the premiere) and Monroe (who died a year after its release).

The Misfits was released by United Artists on February 1, 1961. It was a commercial failure, but received critical acclaim for its script and performances. Its reputation has enhanced over the years, and many critics now consider it to be a masterpiece and one of the best films of the 1960s. The film also gave name to the punk band Misfits formed in 1977 (read more).

USA - Washington - Orcas Island

ORCAS ISLAND FERRY LANDING

This aerial shows the magnificent setting of the ferry dock which welcomes the traveler and resident from Anacortes on their journey through the incomparable San Juan Islands. The route is served by the Washington State Ferry System, the largest inland ferry system in the world.

Sent by Luca from Washington, USA.

Orcas Island (/ˈɔːrkəs/) is the largest of the San Juan Islands of the Pacific Northwest, in northwestern Washington, United States.

The name "Orcas" is a shortened form of Horcasitas, from Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, the Viceroy of New Spain who sent an exploration expedition under Francisco de Eliza to the Pacific Northwest in 1791. During the voyage, Eliza explored part of the San Juan Islands. He did not apply the name Orcas specifically to Orcas Island, but rather to part of the archipelago. In 1847, Henry Kellett assigned the name to Orcas Island during his reorganization of the British Admiralty charts. Kellett's work eliminated the patriotically American names that Charles Wilkes had given to many features of the San Juans during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838–1842. Wilkes had named Orcas Island "Hull Island" after Commodore Isaac Hull. Other features of Orcas Island Wilkes named include "Ironsides Inlet" for East Sound and "Guerrier Bay" for West Sound. One of the names Wilkes gave remains: Mount Constitution. Wilkes' names follow a pattern: Hull was the commander of "Old Ironsides" (the USS Constitution) and won fame after capturing the British warship HMS Guerriere in the War of 1812. The islands were first claimed by Spain, then by Britain, who agreed, in the Treaty of Ghent signed after the War of 1812, that everything below the 49th parallel was part of the US. The Oregon territory, which then included Washington state and this island, was used jointly by the US and Britain until 1848, but border disputes specifically concerning the San Juan Islands, including the Pig War (1859), were not settled until 1871 (read more).

Germany - Hesse - Frankfurt Airport

Collage of images, including the Franfurt Airport, the city skyline, and the historic Römerberg area.

Sent by Aline who works at Franfurt Airport.

Frankfurt Airport (German: Flughafen Frankfurt Main [ˈfluːkhaːfn̩ ˈfʁaŋkfʊʁt ˈmaɪn]) (IATA: FRA, ICAO: EDDF) is Germany's busiest international airport by passenger numbers, located in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth-largest city. Its official name according to the German Aeronautical Information Publication is Frankfurt Main Airport. The airport is operated by Fraport and serves as the main hub for Lufthansa, including Lufthansa City Airlines, Lufthansa CityLine, Discover Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo as well as Condor and AeroLogic. It covers an area of 2,300 hectares (5,683 acres) of land and features two passenger terminals with capacity for approximately 65 million passengers per year; four runways; and extensive logistics and maintenance facilities.

Frankfurt Airport is the busiest airport by passenger traffic in Germany as well as the 6th busiest in Europe after Istanbul Airport, London–Heathrow, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. The airport is also the 22nd busiest worldwide by total number of passengers in 2024, with 61,564,957 passengers using the airport in 2024. It also had a freight throughput of 2.076 million tonnes in 2015 and is the busiest airport in Europe by cargo traffic. As of 2022, Frankfurt Airport serves 330 destinations on five continents, making it the airport with the most direct routes in the world.

The southern side of the airport ground was home to the Rhein-Main Air Base, which served as a major air base for the United States from 1947 until 2005, when the air base was closed and the property was acquired by Fraport (now occupied by Terminal 3). The airport celebrated its 80th anniversary in July 2016 (read more).

Singapore - Sultan Mosque

SULTAN MOSQUE

The largest mosque in Singapore and place of worship for Muslims.

Sent by Jonathan from Singapore.

Sultan Mosque or Masjid Sultan is a mosque located at Muscat Street and North Bridge Road within the Kampong Glam precinct of the district of Rochor in Singapore. It was named after Sultan Hussain Shah. The mosque was inaugurated on 27 December 1936. In 1975, it was designated as a national monument of Singapore.

The mosque was two-thirds complete and was formally opened on 27 December 1929. The mosque was fully completed in 1932.

The first known installation of a microphone–loudspeaker set occurred in 1936 in the mosque; it was reported that the summons to prayer could 'carry more than a mile'. Some mosque attendees were sceptical of the new electric system, however most believed it was necessary to empower the muezzin's voice to transcend a modern city's noises.

The Sultan Mosque has stayed essentially unchanged since it was built, with only repairs carried out to the main hall in 1968 and an annex added in 1993. It was gazetted as a national monument on 8 March 1975. The mosque is managed by its own board of trustees and management board (read more).

Japan - Kyoto - Sanjūsangen-dō Temple

Sanjūsangen-dō Temple Inner Sanjūsangen-dō Hall, Kyoto.

Sent by Kaori from Saitama-ken, Japan.

Sanjūsangen-dō (三十三間堂; Temple of thirty-three bays) is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto, Japan.

The temple was founded in 1164 by Taira no Kiyomori for the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa. It is officially known as Rengeō-in (蓮華王院; hall of the Lotus King) and belongs to the Myōhō-in temple complex.

Sanjūsangen-dō is most famous for its massively long hondō (main hall) dating from 1266 (Kamakura period) and designated a National Treasure of Japan, and the collection of sculptures it houses, including 1001 standing Thousand-armed Kannon, 28 standing attendants, a statue of Fūjin and a statue of Raijin, and the principal image of the temple, a big seated statue of Thousand-armed Kannon, all of them designated National Treasures in the category of sculptures, most of them dating to the Heian to Kamakura periods.

Sanjūsangen-dō was founded by the famous samurai and politician Taira no Kiyomori (1118-1181) in 1164 for the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa. He built the temple in the emperor's own compound Hōjūji-dono in order to gain a noble title, that of Chancellor of the Realm, becoming the first samurai to do so. Go-Shirakawa's compound was around 1100 square meters in size, divided into Minamidono (the southern estate) and Kitadono (the northern estate). When Go-Shirakawa died in 1192, he was buried in the temple's east Hokkedō (hall of the Lotus Sutra) (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Black Forest (Schwarz Wald)

Collage of pictures showcasing various scenic views and cultural elements, primarily from Germany's Black Forest region. The scenes include landscapes, architecture, food, and animals.

Sent by Lea from Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The Black Forest (German: Schwarzwald [ˈʃvaʁtsvalt]) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is the source of the Danube and Neckar rivers.

Its highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft) above sea level. Roughly oblong in shape, with a length of 160 kilometres (100 miles) and breadth of up to 50 km (30 mi), it has an area of about 6,009 km² (2,320 sq mi).

Historically, the area was known for forestry and the mining of ore deposits, but tourism has now become the primary industry, accounting for around 300,000 jobs. There are several ruined military fortifications dating back to the 17th century (read more).

Belgium - Antwerp - Palace of Justice

ANTWERP

Palace of Justice (Justitiepaleis)

Sent by Koen from Antwerp, Belgium.

The Palace of Justice of Antwerp (Dutch: Justitiepaleis Antwerpen), commonly known as the Antwerp Law Courts (Dutch: Gerechtsgebouw Antwerpen), De Frietzakken, and the Butterfly Palace (Dutch: Vlinderpaleis), is a courthouse in Antwerp, Belgium. The building was erected on the site of the former Antwerp-South railway station, over the Bolivar Tunnel (Dutch: Bolivartunnel), and it houses eight district civil and criminal courts. It was inaugurated on 28 March 2006 by King Albert II, Minister of Justice Laurette Onkelinx, Minister of Finance Didier Reynders, governor Camille Paulus and mayor Patrick Janssens. The building was designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership, VK Studio and Arup.

The judicial services for Antwerp were spread over 14 locations within the city. This made it difficult for the public to find their way around the different services and a central location was sought that would be more efficient. In the 1980s, the Belgian government's Régie des Bâtiments (English: Buildings Agency) considered expanding the existing law court, the Gerechtshof Britselei (English: British Avenue Law Courts), on the Britselei. However, this was discounted due to the residential nature of the area around the law courts (read more).

USA - Vermont

Various state symbols and landmarks associated with Vermont, a state in the New England region of USA.

Sent by Laurinda from Vermont, USA.

Vermont (/vərˈmɒnt/) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. According to the most recent U.S. census estimates, the state has an estimated population of 648,493, making it the second-least populated of all U.S. states. It is the nation's sixth-smallest state by total area. The state's capital of Montpelier is the least populous U.S. state capital. No other U.S. state has a most populous city with fewer residents than Burlington.

Native Americans have inhabited the area for about 12,000 years. The competitive tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Abenaki and Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk were active in the area at the time of European encounter. During the 17th century, French colonists claimed the territory as part of New France. Conflict arose when the Kingdom of Great Britain began to settle colonies to the south along the Atlantic coast; France was defeated in 1763 in the Seven Years' War, ceding its territory east of the Mississippi River to Britain. Thereafter, the nearby British Thirteen Colonies disputed the extent of the area called the New Hampshire Grants to the west of the Connecticut River, encompassing present-day Vermont. The provincial government of New York sold land grants to settlers in the region, which conflicted with earlier grants from the government of New Hampshire. The Green Mountain Boys militia protected the interests of the established New Hampshire land grant settlers. Ultimately, a group of settlers with New Hampshire land grant titles established the Vermont Republic in 1777 as an independent state during the American Revolutionary War. The Vermont Republic abolished slavery before any other U.S. state. It was admitted to the Union in 1791 as the 14th state.

The geography of the state is marked by the Green Mountains, which run north–south up the middle of the state, separating Lake Champlain and other valley terrain on the west from the Connecticut River Valley that defines much of its eastern border. A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers. The state has warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters (read more).