2009-02-01 ~ Abhishek's PostCrossing Journey

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Villa Adriana, Tivoli, Italy

Italy-7, originally uploaded by Abhishek Chandra.

The Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana in Italian) is a large Roman archaeological complex at Tivoli, Italy.

The villa was created at Tibur (modern-day Tivoli) as a retreat from Rome for Roman Emperor Hadrian in the early 2nd century. Hadrian was said to dislike the palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome, leading to the construction of the retreat. During the later years of his reign, he actually governed the empire from the villa. A large court therefore lived there permanently. A postal service connected them to Rome..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Adriana

FI-462008 - Snow Lanterns, Finland

Originally uploaded by Abhishek

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Leshan Giant Buddha, China

China-10, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

The Leshan Giant Buddha was built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet.
The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

The Merced River (Yosemite National Park), USA

USA-16, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

The Merced River (pronounced "mer-SED") is in California. Its headwaters are in the southern half of Yosemite National Park. The river flows into Yosemite Valley.

Settle Carlisle - ES-37295, Spain

Spain-3, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

Settle Carlisle Line No, 4

Castelo di Montebello, Switzerland

Switzerland-3, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

The Three Castles of Bellinzona are a group of fortification located around the town of Bellinzona in canton Ticino, Switzerland. The group is composed of Castelgrande, castle Montebello, castle Sasso Corbaro and fortified walls. The Castelgrande is located on a rocky peak overlooking the valley, with a series of fortified walls that protect the old city and connect to the Montebello. The third castle (Sasso Corbaro) is located on a isolated rocky promontory south-east of the other two.

The city of Berne or Bern, Switzerland

Switzerland-2, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

The city of Berne or Bern is the Bundesstadt (federal city, de facto capital) of Switzerland the fifth most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne).
Berne's city center is largely medieval and has been recognised by UNESCO as a Cultural World Heritage Site.

Convent of Saint Gall, Switzerland

Switzerland-4, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

The Abbey of St. Gall was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. It is located in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Abbey has existed since 719 and became an independent principality during the 13th Century. It was founded by Saint Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had erected his Hermitage. The library at the Abbey is one of the richest medieval libraries in the world.

Ilocos Sur, Vigan, Philippines

Philippines-8, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

Ilocos Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Vigan City and borders Ilocos Norte and Abra to the north, Mountain Province to the east, and La Union and Benguet to the south. To the west of Ilocos Sur is the South China Sea.

Paoay Church, Philippines

Philippines-9, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

St. Augustine Church (most popularly known as "Paoay Church") was built in 1694 commissioned by the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo. The Church was completed in 1710 and rededicated in 1896. Considered as the most outstanding variant of the "earthquake Baroque", Paoay Church was built of baked bricks, coral rocks, salbot (tree sap) and lumber, and has 24 carved buttresses. The lower part of the facade was made of stuccoed brick while the upper facaed is made of coral blocks. Local materials were said to be made of mixing sand , lime, sugarcane juice and then boiling the mixture with mangeao (salbot) leaves, leather and rice straw for two nights. Its belltower, which is detached from its main building, is made of coral stone and was used by the Katipuneros as an observation post in 1896 and again by Filipino soldiers during World War II. Earthquakes damaged portions of the church in 1865 and 1885. In an excavation conducted inside the church in 2000, a prehistoric human skeleton and fragmented ceramics were discovered and are now on display at the National Museum. The Paoay Church was declared a national treasure by then President Ferdinand Marcos. Now included in UNESCO's World Heritage List, Paoay Church had revealed several structural decays after centuries of exposure to the elements and will soon undergo restoration under the auspices of UNESCO.

Miag-ao Church, Philippines

Philippines-7, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

The Miag-ao Church was built in 1786 by Spanish Augustinian missionaries and was declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines" in 1993. On the front facade, which is flanked by two watchtower belfries, one can see the unique blending of Spanish and native influences.

Delphi, The Tholos of Marmaria, Greece

Greece-2, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

The Tholos at the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia is a circular building that was constructed between 380 and 360 BC. It consisted of 20 Doric columns arranged with an exterior diameter of 14.76 meters, with 10 Corinthian columns in the interior.

City of Rhodes, Greece

Greece-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

A view of the City of Rhodes.
You can see the Deer statues in Mandraki harbor, where the Colossus of Rhodes possibly once stood.

Arcopolis, Greece

Greece-3, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Postcard World.

View of the Propylaea and the Parthenon

A Propylae is any monumental gateway based on the original Propylaea that serves as the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens.
The Parthenon is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order.