Japan - Tochigi Prefecture - Mount Nasu (Chausu-dake)

Nasu Highlands - view from the summit of Mt. Chausu.

Summit of Mount Nasu (Chausu-dake) is truly magnificent, offering a grand panorama of Nikko and Aizu is possible. From here, you can go to Takao Onsen, or to Sandogoya or Itamuro Onsen.

Sent by Lulu from Japan.

Mount Nasu (那須岳, Nasu-dake) is a group of complex volcanoes located in the northeast part of Nikkō National Park, Japan. The tallest peak is Sanbonyari Peak at a height of 1,916.9 m (6,289 ft). Mount Nasu is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains.

It is estimated that Mount Nasu started erupting 600 thousand years ago. The eruption started from the north end of the mountain range, at Kashi-Asahi Peak. Only Chausu Peak is active today (read more).

India - Uttar Pradesh - Itmad-ud-Daula

Itmad-ud-Daula is the mausoleum that was commissioned by Nur Jahan, the wife of Jahangir, for her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg.

Sent by Deepak from Delhi, India.

Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah (I'timād-ud-Daulah Maqbara) is a Mughal mausoleum in the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Often described as a "jewel box", sometimes called the Bachcha Taj or the Baby Taj, the tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah is regarded as a model for the Taj Mahal.

Along with the main building, the structure consists of numerous outbuildings and gardens. The tomb, built between 1622 and 1628, represents a transition between the first phase of monumental Mughal architecture — primarily built from red sandstone with marble decorations, as in Humayun's Tomb in Delhi and Akbar's tomb in Sikandra — to its second phase, based on white marble and pietra dura inlay, most elegantly realized in the Taj Mahal.

The mausoleum was commissioned by Nur Jahan, the wife of Jahangir, for her father, Mirzā Ghiyās Beg, a Persian amir in exile^] who had been given the title of I'timād-ud-Daulah (pillar of the state). Mirzā Ghiyās Beg was also the grandfather of Mumtāz Mahāl (originally named Arjumand Banu Begum, daughter of Asaf Khan), the wife of the emperor Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a tomb for Mumtāz Mahāl (read more).

USA - Kentucky - Bluegrass State

Kentucky Bluegrass State map, flag and state symbols.

Sent by Sally from Alvaton in Kentucky, USA.

Kentucky's nickname is The Bluegrass State, based on the fact that bluegrass is found in many of the lawns and pastures throughout the state (particularly in the northern part of Kentucky - including the metropolitan areas of Lexington and Louisville).

"Bluegrass" is the common name for grass of the genus Poa, which is a favored lawn and pasture grass in the eastern United States from Tennessee northward. Bluegrass is actually green - but in the spring bluegrass produces bluish-purple buds that give a rich blue cast to the grass when seen in large fields. Early pioneers found bluegrass growing on Kentucky's rich limestone soil and traders began asking for the seed of the "blue grass from Kentucky." (read more)

Australia - Australian Bicentenary (1788 - 1988)

A collectible, hand-carved emu egg shell, celebrating the Australian Cicentenary (1788-1988). The firstfeatures Australian coat of arms, including the kangaroo and emu. Emu egg carving is a traditional Australian art form known as Kalti Paarti. The second shows a carved depiction of a sailing ship with stars, likely representing the First Fleet.

Sent by Wanda from Urana in New South Wales, Australia.

The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788.

The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships of the First Fleet in Sydney Harbour in 1788, and the founding of the city of Sydney and the colony of New South Wales. 1988 is considered the official bicentenary year of the founding of Australia (read more).

Bicycle (81)

A custom-built-four-person bicycle created by Art Rothschild in Chicago around 1948. He bravely took the top position on the bicycle in this photo. He reportedly broke three ribs learning to ride it.

Sent by Ray from Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.

India - Madhya Pradesh - Bandhavgarh National Park

Tiger cubs, Bandhavgarh National Park.

Sent by Anay from Maharashtra, India.

Bandhavgarh National Park is a national park of India, located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. It spreads over an area of 105 km² (41 sq mi) and was declared a national park in 1968. It became Tiger Reserve in 1993 with a core area of 716 km² (276 sq mi).

Bandhavgarh was part of the princely state of Rewa, and it was a hunting destination for kings. It is known for the abundance of forest and wild animals, especially tigers.

Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Umaria district of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Bandhavgarh National Park and Panpatha Wildlife Sanctuary form the core area of Bandhavgarh tiger reserve, which spreads over a total area of 716 km² (276 sq mi). The total area of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is 1,536 km² (593 sq mi) including 716 km² (276 sq mi) core and 820 km² (320 sq mi) buffer area.

The three main zones of the national park are Tala, Magdhi and Khitauli. The park derives its name from the Bandhavgarh Fort, which is said to have been given by Lord Rama to his brother Lakshmana to keep a watch on Lanka (Bandhav = Brother, Garh = Fort) (read more).

Japan - Fukuoka Prefecture - Sakurai Futamigaura

Sakurai Futamigaura Sunset, Itoshima (Fukuoka).

Sent by Kana from Fukuoka, Japan.

Futamigaura is a famous sight located in the north of Itoshima city, within Genkai Quasi-National Park. 

Whereas Futamigaura in Ise, Mie Prefecture is known as “the Sunrise Futamiura,” the beauty of the sun setting into the Genkai Sea gave rise to the nickname of this place as “the Sunset Futamigaura.”

Out past the white torii gate is “Meotoiwa” (Couples Rock), a double-peaked islet that appears to stands together like a man and wife. Lying some 150 meters off the coast, the two parts of the islet are bound together by a shimenawa rope. The islet is a sacred site of the Sakurai Shrine, which was founded by Tadayuki Kuroda, the second lord of the Fukuoka domain, and revered by generations of Kuroda clan, hence its other name, Sakurai-Futamigaura.

With a number of fashionable cafes and restaurants nearby, this is an area that attracts a lot of sightseers.
Around the summer solstice, the setting of the sun down the middle of Couples Rock is an extraordinary sight. Blue hour after sunset and before sunrise when the sky turns a deep shade of blue is magic too.

Photographers and others flock to this gorgeous spot.

Futamigaura makes “Top 100 Beaches of Japan” and “Top 100 Sunsets of Japan” lists and is not to be missed on any tour of Fukuoka Prefecture (read more).

Switzerland - Engelberg Titlis

Swiss alpine town of Engelberg and the neigboring Mount Titlis.

Sent by Regula who lives near Lake Zurich, Switzerland.

Engelberg (lit.: mountain of angel(s)) is a village resort and a municipality in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. Alongside the central village of Engelberg, the municipality encompasses additional settlements, including Grafenort, Oberberg and Schwand.

The municipality of Engelberg is an exclave, entirely encircled by the neighboring cantons of Bern, Nidwalden and Uri.

Engelberg is a mountain resort in Central Switzerland. In the Middle Ages, the area garnered recognition for its Benedictine monastery, known as Engelberg Abbey. As time progressed, particularly from the 19th century onwards, Engelberg became a well-known mountain resort. The city of Lucerne serves as the nearest major urban center.

While the official language of Engelberg is German, the predominant spoken language is the local variation of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect (read more).

Germany - North Rhine-Westphalia/Lower Saxony - Ravensberg Basin

The area situated between the 

Teutoburg Forest

 and the 

Wiehen Hills

 is primarily occupied by the Ravensberg Basin (Ravensberger Mulde), a hilly cultural landscape in eastern Westphalia, Germany. 

Sent by Erika from Bielefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

The Ravensberg Basin (German: Ravensberger Mulde) or Ravensberg Hills (Ravensberger Hügelland) is a natural region in the governorate of Detmold (Ostwestfalen-Lippe) in the northeastern part of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia; small elements also fall within the neighbouring state of Lower Saxony. It is part of the lower Weser Uplands and comprises low rolling hills bordered by the ranges of the Wiehen Hills in the north, Lippe Uplands in the east, Teutoburg Forest in the south and Osnabrück Hills in the west. The heart of the Ravensberg Basin is almost coincident with the cultural region of the Ravensberg Land (read more).

USA - Minnesota - Aerial Lift Bridge

The iconic Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth, Minnesota. The structure is a major landmark in the port city and operates around the clock during the shipping season.

Sent by Tatiana from Duluth in Minnesota, USA.

The Aerial Lift Bridge, earlier known as the Aerial Bridge or Aerial Ferry Bridge, is a landmark in the port city of Duluth, Minnesota. The span began life in 1905 as the United States' first transporter bridge; only one other was ever constructed in the country, the Sky Ride in Chicago. The span was converted in 1929–1930 to a vertical-lift bridge, also rather uncommon, although there are six such bridges along Ontario's Welland Canal. It remains in operation. The bridge is owned and operated by the City of Duluth. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1973. The United States Army Corps of Engineers maintains a nearby maritime museum.

The bridge spans the Duluth Ship Canal, which was put through the miles-long sand spit named Minnesota Point – commonly called Park Point by locals – in 1870–1871. The natural mouth of the Saint Louis River is about seven miles (11 km) farther southeast, and is split between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Creating this gap in the sand spit meant that residents who lived on the new island needed to have a way to get across. Several transportation methods were tried, though they were complicated by the weather. Ferries could work in the summer, but ice caused problems in colder months. A swinging footbridge was used, but was considered rather rickety and unsafe (read more).

Viktor Tsoi #2

Sent by Olga from Krasnodar, Russia.

My other postcard of Viktor Tsoi is here.

Russia - Moscow - The Twelve Apostles Church

The Kremlin. The twelve Apostles Church.

Sent by Olya from Kaliningrad, Russia

The Patriarchal Chambers and the Church of the Twelve Apostles (Russian: церковь Двенадцати Апостолов, romanized: tserkov' Dvenadtsati Apostolov) is a minor cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, commissioned by Patriarch Nikon as part of his stately residence in 1653 and dedicated to Philip the Apostle three years later. Today, it is used by Moscow Kremlin Museums.

The church is almost as prominent as neighbouring grand cathedrals of the 15th century, due to its placement upon a high podium, pierced by two large arches allowing passage from the Cathedral Square to the patriarch's courtyard. The exterior walls are decorated with two belts of columned arches which reference both the neighbouring cathedrals of the Cathedral Square and the great churches of the 12th-century Vladimir-Suzdal school which had been their inspiration. The rigorous outline of five helmeted domes, in keeping with Nikon's conservative architectural tastes, serves to accentuate the church's Byzantine pedigree (read more).

Russia - Bashkortostan Republic - Traditional Tea Ceremony

Illustration showcases a traditional tea ceremony with a samovar. It highlights Bashkir cultural heritage and nomadic lifesyle elements.

Sent by Vlada from Ufa in Bashkortostan Republic, Russia.

The traditional tea ceremony in Bashkortostan is a vital cultural ritual centered on hospitality, commonly featuring black or herbal tea brewed in a samovar, served with milk, and accompanied by local delicacies like Bashkir honey, chak-chak, and flatbreads. Historically, this gathering served as a social anchor, often held to honor guests, facilitate community bonding, or celebrate festivals.

Russia - Krasnoyarsk Krai - Ivan Yarygin Sports Palace

Ivan Yarygin Sports Palace in Krasnoyarsk, featuring a statue of the famous werstler.

Sent by Kate from Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

The Ivan Yarigin sports palace is located in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, on an island in the Yenisei River. It was commissioned on 5 November 1981 as the "Enisey sports palace" and was designed by Vitaly Orekhov. The shape of the building resembles an old carvel ship, with its obtuse front, curvy sides and round windows. The venue can accommodate 3,300–5,000 spectators depending on the event. It was named for the Soviet wrestler Ivan Yarygin in 1998, and currently is the home arena of the basketball club BC Enisey.

The palace hosted the Winter Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in 1982 and 1986. It supported national and international competitions in figure skating, wrestling, badminton, acrobatics, basketball, artistic gymnastics, boxing, ice hockey, karate and many other sports. The venue was reconstructed before the 1997 World Wrestling Championships, and ten years later hosted the Wrestling World Cup. It is open not only to competitions and shows, but also to daily training and rehabilitation activities. Two youth Olympic schools, for wrestling and weightlifting, are based there (read more).

Russia - Ulyanovsk Oblast - Ulyanovsk

Ulyanovsk. River Station.

Sent by Valleria from Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Ulyanovsk, known as Simbirsk until 1924, is a city and the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River 705 kilometers (438 mi) east of Moscow. Ulyanovsk has been the only Russian UNESCO City of Literature since 2015.

The city was the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin (born Ulyanov), for whom it was renamed after his death in 1924; and of Alexander Kerensky, the leader of the Russian Provisional Government which Lenin overthrew during the October Revolution of 1917. It is also famous for its writers such as Ivan Goncharov, Nikolay Yazykov and Nikolay Karamzin, and for painters such as Arkady Plastov and Nikas Safronov (read more).

Russia - Tambov Oblast - Slavy Square

Michurinsk City

Glory Square

Slavy Square was founded on the site of the old Priyutskaya Square at the end of the 20th century. For the 50th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in 1995, a memorial to the defenders of the Fatherland was erected on the square with funds donated by city residents. On May 9, 2005, the 60th anniversary of the Great Victory, the Eternal Flame was lit here. In 2010, the memorial was reconstructed. The author of the reconstruction was N.A. Averochkin, a member of the Union of Architects of Russia.

Sent by Daria from Tambov, Russia.

Michurinsk (Russian: Мичу́ринск) is the second most populous town in Tambov Oblast, Russia. Population: 98,758 (2010 census); 96,093 (2002 census); 109,081 (1989 Soviet census).

Originally known as Kozlov (Козло́в), its origin in a small monastery, founded in the forest in 1627. It became a settlement in 1635 at the northern end of the emerging Belgorod Line, a frontier defense line.^[ A 25-kilometer (16 mi) earthen wall was built eastward across the open steppe effectively blocking the Nogai Trail, a Tatar raiding route. The success of this line led to the building of further lines further south. The settlement was granted town status in 1779.

Situated on the highway to Astrakhan and at the head of water communication with the Don, the town soon became a centre of trade.

The town was renamed Michurinsk in 1932 after the biologist Ivan Michurin, who had developed a genetic laboratory and agricultural testing fields in the Tambov region, dedicated to pomology (the study of fruit growing) and selection (read more).

My Russia #14 - White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal

Suzdal, Vladimir region.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal.

Sent by Maria from Yekaterinburg in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia.

Suzdal (Russian: Суздаль, IPA: [ˈsuzdəlʲ]) is a town that serves as the administrative center of Suzdalsky District in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which is located along the Kamenka tributary of the Nerl River, 26 km (16 mi) north of the city of Vladimir. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 9,286.

In the 12th century, Suzdal became the capital of the principality. Currently, Suzdal is the smallest of the Russian Golden Ring towns. It has several sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The town's history dates back to 999 and 1024. In 1125 Yury Dolgoruky made Suzdal the capital of the Rostov-Suzdal principality. In 1157, Andrei Bogolyubsky moved the capital from Suzdal to Vladimir, from which time the principality was known as Vladimir-Suzdal. Suzdal was burned and plundered in 1237 during the Mongol-led invasions; however, it remained a trade center afterward due to its location in a fertile wheat-growing area. In 1341, it united with Nizhny Novgorod until both were annexed by Moscow in 1392 (read more).