USA - Virginia - University of Virginia

West Lawn, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Sent by Tana from Charlottesville in Virginia, USA.

The University of Virginia (UVA or Virginia) is a public research university located in Charlottesville City and Albemarle County in Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his Academical Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its original governing Board of Visitors included three U.S. presidents: Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, the latter as sitting president of the United States at the time of its foundation. As its first two rectors, Presidents Jefferson and Madison played key roles in the university's foundation, with Jefferson designing both the original courses of study and the university's original architecture. The original campus contains President Monroe's former residence and law office, today used as a residential college.

Now expanded to 1,135 acres (459 ha) of central campus, the modern university is composed of eight undergraduate and three professional schools: the School of Law, the Darden School of Business, and the School of Medicine. The university has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1904.

The university's leadership, faculty, research staff, and alumni have included several United States presidents, foreign heads of state, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Marshall Scholars, Fulbright Scholars, and 57 Rhodes Scholars—the most of any state university. Its alumni include 31 state governors (including fourteen Governors of Virginia) and 33 United States senators. UVA students and alumni have founded companies such as Reddit, Skillshare, VMware, and Space Adventures.

Its athletic teams, the Virginia Cavaliers, have twice won the Capital One Cup for overall athletics prowess and compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (read more).

Canada - Ontario - Toronto

Toronto's luminescent skyline at twilight.

Sent by Stephen from Scarborough in Ontario, Canada.

Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a population of 2,794,356 in 2021, the city is the fourth-most populous city in North America, after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles. Toronto is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario. As of 2025, the Toronto census metropolitan area had an estimated population of 7,106,379. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, sports, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

Indigenous peoples have inhabited the Toronto area, located on a broad sloping plateau interspersed with rivers, deep ravines, and urban forest, for more than 10,000 years. After the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase, when the Mississaugas surrendered the area to the British Crown, the British established the town of York in 1793 and later designated it as the capital of Upper Canada. During the War of 1812 the town was the site of the Battle of York, resulting in heavy damage and a two-week occupation by American troops. York was renamed and incorporated in 1834 as the City of Toronto. It was designated as the capital of the province of Ontario in 1867 during Canadian Confederation. Toronto's city proper has since expanded past its original limits through both annexation and amalgamation to its current area of 630.2 square kilometres (243.3 square miles) in 1998.

The diverse population of Toronto reflects its current and historical role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada. About half of its residents were born outside of Canada and over 200 ethnic origins are represented among its inhabitants. While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, over 160 languages are spoken in the city. The city is governed by Toronto City Council, a unicameral body whose members are elected every four years. City council is composed of 25 councillors, who each represent a geographical ward, and the mayor of Toronto who serves as head of council and the chief executive officer of the municipal government.

Toronto is Canada's largest financial centre, and is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange, the headquarters of Canada's five largest banks, and the headquarters of many large Canadian and multinational corporations. Its economy is highly diversified with strengths in technology, design, financial services, life sciences, education, arts, fashion, aerospace, environmental innovation, food services, and tourism. Toronto is a prominent centre for music, theatre, motion picture production, television production, and digital media production, and is home to the headquarters of Canada's major national broadcast networks and media outlets. Its varied cultural institutions, which include numerous museums and galleries, festivals and public events, entertainment districts, national historic sites, and sports activities, attract over 26 million visitors each year (read more).

James Dean

JAMES DEAN POP ART

The artwork is a stylized version of a famous photograph of James Dean walking down a street in New York.

Sent by Misty from Atlanta in Georgia, USA.

James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, and his impact on cinema and popular culture was profound, although his career lasted only five years. He appeared in just three major films: Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he portrayed a disillusioned and rebellious teenager, East of Eden (1955), which showcased his intense emotional range, and Giant (1956), a sprawling drama. These have been preserved in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for their "cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance". He was killed in a car accident at the age of 24 in 1955, leaving him a lasting symbol of rebellion, youthful defiance, and the restless spirit.

For his role in East of Eden, Dean became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The following year, he earned a second nomination for his performance in Giant, making him the only actor to receive two posthumous acting nominations. In 1999, he was honored by the American Film Institute, being ranked as the 18th greatest male film star from Golden Age Hollywood on their "AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars" list. Time magazine recognized Dean as one of the "All-Time Most Influential Fashion Icons".

Dean's film roles and style had a strong impact on Hollywood, capturing the spirit of 1950s youth and creating an enduring legacy that shaped American pop culture and defined rebellious, countercultural attitudes for generations (read more).

Swimwear #21

Vintage advertising for "Slix" Appeal Swim Wear, Fifties Allure Series.

Sent by Steph from Bishops Stortford in England, United Kingdom.

Australia - New South Wales - Sydney Harbour Bridge

First vehicles across Harbour Bridge, 1932.

Sent by Margaret from Sydney, Australia.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, Australia, spanning Sydney Harbour from the central business district (CBD) to the North Shore. The view of the bridge, the Harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is widely regarded as an iconic image of Sydney, and of Australia itself. Nicknamed "the Coathanger" because of its arch-based design, the bridge carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Under the direction of John Bradfield of the New South Wales Department of Public Works, the bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long of Middlesbrough, and opened in 1932. The bridge's general design, which Bradfield tasked the NSW Department of Public Works with producing, was a rough copy of the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. The design chosen from the tender responses was original work created by Dorman Long, who leveraged some of the design from its own Tyne Bridge.

It is the eleventh-longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world's widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m (160 ft) wide, until construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver was completed in 2012.

The road over the bridge is currently owned by the state government through NSW Motorways (read more).

Belgium - Namur

Night view of the city of Namur, at the confluence of the Sambre and Meuse rivers. The image shows the illuminated buildings and the fortres (Citadel of Namur) overlooking the water.

Sent by Faustine from Daussoulx, a sub-municipality in Namur, Belgium.

Namur (French: [namyʁ] Walloon: Nameur; Dutch: Namen [ˈnaːmə(n)]) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.

Namur stands at the confluence of the rivers Sambre and Meuse and straddles three different regions – Hesbaye to the north, Condroz to the south-east, and Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse to the south-west. The city of Charleroi is located to the west. The language spoken is French.

The municipality consists of the following sub-municipalities: Beez, Belgrade, Boninne, Bouge, Champion, Cognelée, Daussoulx, Dave, Erpent, Flawinne, Gelbressée, Jambes, Lives-sur-Meuse, Loyers, Malonne, Marche-les-Dames, Namur proper, Naninne, Saint-Servais, Saint-Marc, Suarlée, Temploux, Vedrin, Wépion, and Wierde (read more).

Finland - Uusimaa - Fortress of Suomenlinna (2)

Suomenlinna Fortress in Helsinki, Finland, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its hitoric sea fortification.

Sent by Anneli from Helsinki, Finland.

Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) is a sea fortress, which was built gradually from 1748 onwards on a group of islands belonging to the district of Helsinki. The work was supervised by the Swedish Admiral Augustin Eherensvärd (1710-1772), who adapted Vauban’s theories to the very special geographical features of the region. The landscape and the architecture of the fortress have been shaped by several historic events. It has served to defend three different sovereign states over the years: the Kingdom of Sweden, the Russian Empire and most recently the Republic of Finland.

Covering an area of 210 ha and consisting of 200 buildings and 6 km of defensive walls, the fortress stretches over six separate islands. The original fortress was built using local rock and fortified with a system of bastions over varied terrain. The purpose of the fortress was originally to defend the Kingdom of Sweden against the Russian Empire and to serve as a fortified army base, complete with a dry dock. Sandbanks, barracks and various other buildings were added during the 19th-century Russian period. The defensive system was adapted to match the requirements of a modern fortress and developed in the 19th century using contemporary fortification equipment.

After Finland gained independence in 1917, the fortress was renamed Suomenlinna (or Fortress of Finland) and served as a garrison and a harbour. The military role of the fortress declined after World War II, and in 1973 the area was converted for civilian purposes. Since then, buildings have been renovated to serve as apartments as well as workspaces, to house private and public services, and for cultural purposes.

Today, Suomenlinna is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Finland and constitutes a district of Helsinki with 850 inhabitants (read more). 

Luxembourg - Luxembourg City

A collage of famous landmarks in Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. 

Sent by Sandralux from Luxembourg.

Luxembourg (Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg; French: Luxembourg; German: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City (Luxembourgish: Stad Lëtzebuerg or d'Stad; French: Ville de Luxembourg; German: Stadt Luxemburg or Luxemburg-Stadt), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxembourg, the city lies in the center of Western Europe, situated 213 km (132 mi) by road from Brussels and 209 km (130 mi) from Cologne. The city contains Luxembourg Castle, established by the Franks in the Early Middle Ages, around which a settlement developed.

As of 31 December 2025, Luxembourg City has a population of 137,696 inhabitants, which is more than three times the population of the country's second most populous commune (Esch-sur-Alzette). The population consists of 160 nationalities. Foreigners represent 69.5% of the city's population, whilst Luxembourgers represent 30.5% of the population, making it the commune with the highest proportion of foreign residents in Luxembourg.

In 2024, Luxembourg was ranked by the IMF as having the highest GDP per capita in the world at $140,310 (PPP), with the city having developed into a banking and administrative centre. In the 2019 Mercer worldwide survey of 231 cities, Luxembourg was placed first for personal safety, while it was ranked 18th for quality of living.

Luxembourg is one of the de facto capitals of the European Union (alongside Brussels, Frankfurt and Strasbourg), as it is the seat of several institutions, agencies and bodies, including the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Auditors, the Secretariat of the European Parliament, the European Public Prosecutor's Office, the European Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund, the European Stability Mechanism, Eurostat, as well as other European Commission departments and services. The Council of the European Union meets in the city for three months annually (read more).

Luxembourg - Société Européenne des Satellites (SES)

Control Centre of the European Satellite Company Ltd. in Betzdorf (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg).

Sent by Steve from Luxembourg.

SES S.A. is a Luxembourgish communications satellite operator supplying video and data connectivity worldwide to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators, governments and institutions.

SES owns and operate over 70 satellites in two different orbits: geostationary orbit (GEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO). These include European Astra TV satellites, the O3b and O3b mPOWER data satellites and others with names including AMC, Ciel, NSS, Quetzsat, YahSat and SES.

In April 2024, SES announced the acquisition of satellite services provider, Intelsat to create a more competitive multi-orbit satellite operator. The acquisition was cleared by the UK Competition and Markets Authority in May 2025, and by the European Commission in June 2025. The merger cleared the final regulatory hurdle when the US Federal Communications Commission granted its approval of the deal in July 2025. The acquisition of Intelsat was completed on 17 July 2025 after receiving the required international regulatory approvals.

Based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg, and founded in 1985 as Société Européenne des Satellites, the company was renamed SES Global in 2001 and has been simply "SES" since 2006. The company's stock is listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris with the ticker symbol SESG and is a component of the LuxX, CAC Next 20 and Euronext 100 stock market indexes (read more).

Postcrossing Meetup - Aurora Borealis Meetup, Seattle, Wahington, USA (11 January 2026)

11 January 2026 |  Seattle, Washington.

Aurora Borealis Meetup.

Sent by Sarah from Washington, USA.

Bulgaria - Magura Cave

Magura Cave in Rabisha, Bulgaria.

Sent by Eugen of Bucharest, Romania.

The Magura Cave (Bulgarian "пещера Магура") is located in north-western Bulgaria close to the village of Rabisha, 25 km (16 mi) from the town of Belogradchik in Vidin Province.

The prehistoric wall paintings of Magura have great resemblance with those of the Grotta dei Cervi in Italy, which are of exceptional expression and artistic depth and are considered the most significant works of art of the European Post-Paleolithic era.

Guided visits are conducted by the staff of Belogradchik municipality, to which the management of the cave was transferred in 2012 by the Bulgarian Council of Ministers.

In 1984, the site was inducted into UNESCO's tentative list of World Heritage (read more).

USA - Illinois - Prairie State

Facts of Illinois, state in USA, nicknamed The Prairie State.

Sent by Matt from Carol Stream in Illinois, USA.

The North American prairie is one of the most endangered ecosystems on earth. The grasslands of North America began to form about 20 million years ago, but in some areas up to 99 percent of the prairie has been destroyed (in just the last 125-150 years).

Illinois also designates an official state prairie grass. Wildflowers are the jewels of public lands; tread lightly, take only photos and memories - do not pick flowers or dig up native grasses or other plants (read more).

USA - Kansas - State Capitol Building (2)

The Kansas State Capitol is 304 fet high. The architecture is French Renaissance, constructed of naive limestone from Greary and Chase Counties. Kansas became the 34th State in 1861. Topeka is located in Shawnww County.

Sent by Ashley from Wichita in Kansas, USA.

The Kansas State Capitol recently completed a 13 year, top to bottom restoration of the building that restored the original architect's vision by uncovering beautiful murals, preserving original features, renovating aging limestone and expanding work space.

The Capitol's distinctive copper dome with Ad Astra statue is a prominent feature of the Topeka skyline, but the view inside the dome is just as spectacular. From the first floor, gaze upward to appreciate the beautiful murals, glass panels and bright copper and brass railings of the dramatic dome.

A unique way to experience the Kansas State Capitol is through a breathtaking dome tour. Climb 296 steps to the top of the dome. The elaborate architecture is highlighted with close up views of the inner and outer domes. The summit offers an unrivaled perspective of the city of Topeka.

The Capitol Store on the building's ground floor has a wide selection of Topeka and Kansas-made gifts, souvenirs and merchandise. The Visitor Center and Information Desk is on the first floor. Tours are free at the Kansas State Capitol and take place several times a day Monday - Saturday (read more).