Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenzollern Castle seen from the Raichberg.

Sent by Joachim from Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Hohenzollern Castle (German: Burg Hohenzollern [bʊʁk hoːənˈtsɔlɐn]) is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. The third of three hilltop castles built on the site, it is located atop Mount Hohenzollern, above and south of Hechingen, on the edge of the Swabian Jura of central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name derives from Söller (terrace) from Latin solarium.

The first castle on the mountain was constructed in the early 11th century. Over the years the House of Hohenzollern split several times, but the castle remained in the Swabian branch, the dynastic seniors of the Franconian-Brandenburgian cadet branch that later acquired its own imperial throne. This castle was completely destroyed in 1423 after a ten-month siege by the free imperial cities of Swabia.

The second castle, a larger and sturdier structure, was constructed from 1454 to 1461, and served as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns, including during the Thirty Years' War. By the end of the 18th century it was thought to have lost its strategic importance and gradually fell into disrepair, leading to the demolition of several dilapidated buildings.

The third, and current, castle was built between 1846 and 1867 as a family memorial by Hohenzollern scion King Frederick William IV of Prussia. Architect Friedrich August Sterreicher based his design on English Gothic Revival architecture and the Châteaux of the Loire Valley. No member of the Hohenzollern family was in permanent or regular residence when it was completed, and none of the three German Emperors of the late 19th and early 20th century German Empire ever occupied the castle; in 1945 it briefly became the home of the former Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, son of the last Hohenzollern monarch, Kaiser Wilhelm II (read more).

Italy - Lazio - Rome

ROME

Forum Romanum, Colosseum,

St. Peter's Square, Navona Square,

Spanish Steps, Fountain of Trevi,

St. Angel Castle.

Sent by my best friend Roberto from Rome, Italy.

Rome is the capital city and most populated comune (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special comune named Roma Capitale with 2,746,984 residents in 1,287.36 km² (497.1 sq mi), Rome is the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. The Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, with a population of 4,223,885 residents, is the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Its metropolitan area is the third-most populous within Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber Valley. Vatican City (the smallest country in the world and headquarters of the worldwide Catholic Church under the governance of the Holy See) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city. Rome is often referred to as the City of Seven Hills due to its geography, and also as the "Eternal City". Rome is generally considered to be one of the cradles of Western civilization and Western Christian culture, and the centre of the Catholic Church.

Rome's history spans 28 centuries. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it a major human settlement for over three millennia and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe. The city's early population originated from a mix of Latins, Etruscans, and Sabines. Eventually, the city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded by many as the first-ever Imperial city and metropolis. It was first called The Eternal City (Latin: Urbs Aeterna; Italian: La Città Eterna) by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC, and the expression was also taken up by Ovid, Virgil, and Livy. Rome is also called Caput Mundi (Capital of the World) (read more).

Germany - Hamburg - Elbphilharmonie (Concert Hall) (2)

The Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, Germany. This modern landmark, designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, sits atop a traditional brick warehouse in the HafenCity district.

Sent by Charlotte from Hamburg, Germany.

This is my second postcard of Elbphilharmonie. My first is here.

Bicycle (71)

Bicycle #71

Where there's a fish sandwich, there's a way.

Sent by Ruth from Nettetal, Germany.

Bicycle (70)

Bicycle #70

Belgrade

Sent by Caki from Belgrade, Serbia.

Bicycle (69)

Bicycle #69

Snow on the bike.

Sent by Maija from Jämsä, Finland.

Bicycle (68)

Bicycle #68

Sent by Petra from Zlínský kraj, Czechia.

Bicycle (67)

Bicycle #67

Sent by Gita from Vilnius, Lithuania.

Bicycle (66)

Bicycle #66

Sent by Ulla from Cologne, Germany.

Bicycle (65)

PUERTO RICAN BICYCLES
by COSMIC GRANT

Sent by Grant from Dallas in Texas, USA.

Bicycle (64)

Bicycle #64

A woman wearing sunglasses and a dark top, sitting on a bicycle against a backdrop of green foliage and a blue sky with clouds.

Sent by Mary from Vitebsk, Belarus.

Bicycle (63)

Bicycle # 63

Loving you every day.

Holding my hand, even if you walk with your eyes closed, you won't get lost.

Sent by Li Jiali from Jiangsu, China.

Costa Rica - Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park

Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), the largest native terrestrial mammal in Mesoameica. 

Sent by Skipy from Costa Rica.

The Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park extends along the border between Panama and Costa Rica. The transboundary property covers large tracts of the highest and wildest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America and is one of that region's outstanding conservation areas. The Talamanca Mountains contain one of the major remaining blocks of natural forest in Central America with no other protected area complex in Central America containing a comparable altitudinal variation. The property has many peaks exceeding 3,000 m.a.s.l. on both sides of the border, including Cerro Chirripo, the highest elevation in Costa Rica and all of southern Central America at 3,819 m.a.s.l. The surface area of the property 570,045 hectares, of which 221,000 hectares are on the Panamanian side. The beautiful and rugged mountain landscape harbours extraordinary biological and cultural diversity. Pre-ceramic archaeological sites indicate that the Talamanca Range has a history of many millennia of human occupation. There are several indigenous peoples on both sides of the border within and near the property. In terms of biological diversity, there is a wide range of ecosystems, an unusual richness of species per area unit and an extraordinary degree of endemism. 

The scenic mountains and foothills contain impressive footprints of Quaternary glaciation, such as glacial cirques, lakes and valleys shaped by glaciers, phenomena not found elsewhere in the region. The property is a large and mostly intact part of the land-bridge where the faunas and floras of North and South America have met. The enormous variety of environmental conditions, such as microclimate and altitude leads to an impressive spectrum of ecosystems. The many forest types include tropical lowland rainforest, montane forest, cloud forest and oak forest. Other particularities of major conservation value include high altitude bogs and Isthmus Paramo in the highest elevations, a rare tropical alpine grassland. Longstanding isolation of what can be described as an archipelago of mountain islands has favoured remarkable speciation and endemism. Some 10,000 flowering plants have been recorded. Many of the region's large mammals have important populations within the property, overall 215 species of mammals have been recorded. Around 600 species of birds have been documented, as well as some 250 species of reptiles and amphibians and 115 species of freshwater fish. Most taxonomic groups show a high degree of endemism. The large extension and the transboundary conservation approach entail a great potential for the management and conservation of an extraordinary large-scale mountain ecosystem shared by Costa Rica and Panama (read more). 

Slovenia - Bohinj (2)

Five distinct images of natural landscapes and rural life in Bohinj, Slovenia.

Sent by Predrag from Bohinj, Slovenia.

Slovenia - Bohinj (1)

Church of St. John the Baptist at Lake Bohinj | Rainforest | Together at Unsovnica

Sent by Predrag from Bohinj, Slovenia.

The Municipality of Bohinj (Slovene: Občina Bohinj) is a municipality in the Upper Carniola region of northwest Slovenia. Its seat is the settlement of Bohinjska Bistrica. The municipality had 5,256 people in 2023. As of July 2023, the mean age of people was 46.0 years. In the school year 2023/24 elementary schools in Bohinj were attended by about 440 pupils, while various upper secondary schools were attended by about 200 pupils. For every 179 people aged 65 or older, 100 people were aged 0-14. However, the number of live births was lower than the number of deaths, which means that natural increase per 1,000 population in the municipality was negative (-1.5 in Bohinj) (read more).

Germany - North Rhine-Westphalia - Wuppertal Suspension Railway

Wuppertal Suspension Railway (Schwebebahn) in Wuppertal, Germany.

Sent by Ralf from Remscheid, Germany.

The Wuppertaler Schwebebahn (English: Wuppertal's Suspension Railway) is a suspension railway in Wuppertal, Germany. The line was originally called in German: Einschienige Hängebahn System Eugen Langen (English: Single-Rail Hanging Railway, System of Eugen Langen) named after its inventor, Eugen Langen. It is the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world. Being grade-separated, it is considered rapid transit.

Langen first offered the technology to the cities of Berlin, Munich, and Breslau which all turned it down. However, the towns of Barmen, Elberfeld, and Vohwinkel along the banks of the river Wupper were intrigued by the technology’s ability to connect their communities. The elevated tracks and stations were built between 1897 and 1903; the first track opened in 1901. The railway line is credited with growth of the original cities and their eventual merger into Wuppertal. The Schwebebahn is still in use as a local public transport line, moving 25 million passengers annually, per the 2008 annual report. New rail cars were ordered in 2015, called Generation 15, and the first new car went into service in December 2016.

The Schwebebahn runs along a route of 13.3 kilometres (8.3 mi), at a height of about 12 metres (39 ft) above the river Wupper between Oberbarmen and Sonnborner Straße (10 kilometres or 6.2 miles) and about 8 metres (26 ft) above the valley road between Sonnborner Straße and Vohwinkel (3.3 kilometres or 2.1 miles). At one point the railway crosses the A46 motorway. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes. The Schwebebahn operates within the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) and accepts tickets issued by the VRR companies including the Deutschlandticket (read more).

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).