2009-03-01 ~ Abhishek's PostCrossing Journey

Saturday, March 7, 2009

FI-490470, Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Finland

Finland-6, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Helsinki Olympic Stadium, located in the Töölö district about 2 km from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952 Summer Olympics. It was built however to host the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were moved from Tokyo to Helsinki before being cancelled due to World War II. The stadium was also the venue for the first World Athletics Championships in 1983 as well as for the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. It is also the home stadium of the Finland national football team.

US-356015, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, USA

USA-21, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, showing a replica of the 1905.

The Wright Flyer III was the third powered aircraft built by the Wright Brothers. Orville Wright made the first flight with it on June 23, 1905. The Flyer III had an airframe of spruce construction with a wing camber of 1-in-20 as used in 1903, rather than the less effective 1-in-25 used in 1904. The new machine was equipped with the engine and other hardware from the Flyer II and was essentially the same design and same performance as Flyers I and II.

Huffman Prairie, also known as Huffman Prairie Flying Field or Huffman Field is part of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. The 84 acre (.34 km²) patch of rough pasture outside Dayton, Ohio is where the Wright brothers undertook the difficult and sometimes dangerous task of creating a dependable, fully controllable airplane and training themselves to be pilots.

CZ-22692, Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-14, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Charles Bridge is a famous historical bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau), the Charles Bridge used to be the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. Also this 'solid-land' connection made Prague important as a trade route between east and west Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870.

Tallinn, Estonia

Estonia-3, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

More at another post

Acropolis, Greece

Greece-9, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

More at another post,/a>

Meknes, Kingdom of Morocco

Kingdom_of_ Morocco-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Meknes is a city in northern Morocco, located 130 kilometres from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672–1727), before it was relocated to Rabat. Meknes is named after a Berber tribe which was known as Miknasa in the medieval Arabic sources.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Big Ben, London, United Kingdom

United_Kingdom-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north-eastern end of the Palace of Westminster in London. The nickname is often also used to refer to the clock and the clock tower.This is the world's largest four-faced, chiming clock and the third largest free-standing clock tower in the world. It celebrates its 150th birthday in 2009, during which celebratory events are planned.

Canal & Belfry Tower, Belgium

Belgium-6, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

An unequalled ensemble of fifty-six Belfries of Belgium and France is designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, in recognition of an architectural manifestation of emerging civic independence in historic Flanders and neighbouring regions from feudal and religious influences, leading to a degree of local democracy of great significance in the history of humankind.

Dubai Museum, United Arab Emirates

UAE-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Dubai Museum is the main museum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is located in the Al Fahidi Fort, built in 1787 and believed to be the oldest building in Dubai.
The museum was opened by the ruler of Dubai on 12 May 1971, with the aim of presenting the traditional way of life in the Emirate of Dubai. It includes local antiquities as well as artifacts from African and Asian countries that traded with Dubai. It also includes several dioramas showing life in the emirate before the advent of oil. In addition to artifacts from recent discoveries as old as 3000 B.C.

Masada viewed from the west, Israel

Israel-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Masada (Hebrew מצדה, pronounced Metzada, from מצודה, metzuda, "fortress") is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel on top of an isolated rock plateau, or large mesa, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. After the First Jewish-Roman War (also known as the Great Jewish Revolt) a siege of the fortress by troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of Jewish rebels, who preferred death to surrender.

Acre, Israel

Israel-2, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Acre also Akko, is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel. It is situated on a low promontory at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Historically Acre has been regarded as the key to the Levant due to its strategic coastal location. Acre's Old City has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Since the 1990s, large-scale archeological excavations have been undertaken and efforts are being made to preserve ancient sites.
The Mosque in the picture is Jezzar Pasha Mosque, which is located on al-Jezzar Street, inside the walls of the old city of Acre, overlooking the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Hand made Christmas Card, Mozambique

Mozambique-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Saint-Sophia Cathedral, Ukraine

Ukraine-2, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Kiev, also known as Kyiv, is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River.
Kiev Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery in Kiev, Ukraine. Since its foundation as the cave monastery in 1015 the Lavra has been a preeminent center of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe. Together with the Saint-Sophia Cathedral, it is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cuenca, Ecuador

Ecuador-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Cuenca (full name Santa Ana de los cuatro ríos de Cuenca) is the third largest city in Ecuador in terms of population, and is the capital of the Azuay Province. It is located in the Sierra, the highlands of Ecuador at about 2500m (8200 ft) above sea level. The center of the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Trust site because of its historical buildings.

San Marino Historic Centre and Monte Titano, San Marino

San_Marino-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Most Serene Republic of San Marino is a country in the Apennine Mountains. It is a landlocked enclave, completely surrounded by Italy. One of the European microstates, San Marino has the smallest population of all the members of the Council of Europe.
San Marino is the oldest sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world, having been founded on 3 September 301 by Marinus of Rab, a Christian stonemason fleeing the religious persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian.[citation needed] The Constitution of San Marino, enacted in 1600, is the world's oldest constitution still in effect.

The site “San Marino: Historic Centre and Mount Titano” has become part of the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2008.

The Three Towers of San Marino are located on the three peaks of Monte Titano in the capital. The three towers are: Guaita, the oldest of the three (it was constructed in the eleventh century); the thirteenth-century Cesta, located on the highest of Monte Titano's summits; and the fourteenth-century Montale, on the smallest of Monte Titano's summits, still privately owned.

View of Varadero Beach, Cuba

Cuba-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Varadero is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero is also called Playa Azul, meaning "blue beach" in Spanish.

City Hall, Sint-Truiden, Belgium

Belgium-5, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

St. Peter's Church, Leuven, Belgium

Belgium-4, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Saint Peter's Church of Leuven, Belgium, is situated on that city's Grote Markt (main market square), across from the ornate Town Hall. Built mostly in the 15th century in Brabantine Gothic style, the church is in the form of a cross with a low bell tower that has never been completed.

The first church on the site, made of wood and presumably founded in 986, burned down in 1176. This was replaced in stone by a Romanesque church, featuring a westwork flanked by two round towers as at Our Lady's Basilica at Maastricht. Of the Romanesque building only part of the crypt remains, beneath the chancel of today's church.

Schönbrunn Palace, Austria

Austria-4, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria and since the 1960s has also been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna. The palace and gardens illustrate the tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs.

CN-53953, Chengde Mountain Resort, China

China-26, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

I know this is of Chengde Mountain Resort. Please help me identify this building.

The Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-13, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora (Gruneberg) in Žďár nad Sázavou, near the border between Bohemia and Moravia, is the final masterpiece of Jan Santini Aichel, a maverick Czech architect who combined the Borrominiesque Baroque with references to Gothic elements in both construction and decoration.

Kromeríž Palace, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-12, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Kromeríž Palace in Kromeríž, Czech Republic, used to be the principal residence of the bishops and archbishops of Olomouc.
The first residence on the site was founded by bishop Stanislas Thurzo in 1497. The building was in a Late Gothic style, with a modicum of Renaissance detail. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was sacked by the Swedish army (1643).
It was not until 1664 that a bishop from the powerful Liechtenstein family charged architect Filiberto Lucchese with renovating the palace in a Baroque style. The chief monument of Lucchese's work in Kromeríž is the Pleasure Garden in front of the castle. Upon Lucchese's death in 1666, Giovanni Pietro Tencalla completed his work on the formal garden and had the palace rebuilt in a style reminiscent of the Turinese school to which he belonged.

Telc, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-11, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Telc is a town in southern Moravia, near Jihlava, in the Czech Republic.
It contains a castle and a long urban plaza with well-conserved Renaissance houses; since 1992 all of this has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The builder of the castle was Zachariáš of Hradec, after whom the plaza was named; his name is also related to that of the city of Jindrichuv Hradec. Telc was founded in the mid-14th century; the Roman-style tower for the Holy Spirit proves that there was already a settlement there. The city walls and the Church of the Ascension of Mary are Gothic in style.

Aerial view of Lednice-Valtice, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-10, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape is a cultural-natural complex of 283,09 km² in the Czech Republic, South Moravian Region, close to Breclav and Mikulov, next to another site registered by UNESCO - Pálava Landscape Protected Area.

The two localities, Valtice Castle and Lednice Castle are connected by so called Bezruc Avenue. There are also one more village - Hlohovec. Between Lednice, Valtice and Hlohovec the Lednice Ponds are situated (Mlýnský, Prostrední, Hlohovecký and Nesyt Ponds). A substantial part of the complex is covered with the Pine wood and partially with a riparian forest adjacent to the River Dyje.

Ceský Krumlov, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-9, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Ceský Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Ceský Krumlov Castle. Old Ceský Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was given this status along with the historic Prague castle district.

Litomyšl Castle, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-8, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The dominant feature of Litomyšl is the monumental Renaissance castle dating from the years 1568–1581. The buildings of the castle precincts are not only exceptional for their architectural refinement, but have also inscribed themselves in history as the birthplace of the Czech composer, Bedrich Smetana. On the elongated square, which is one of the largest in the Czech Republic, stands a town hall of Gothic origin and a series of Renaissance and baroque houses, many with arcades and vaulted groundfloor rooms.
The cultural traditions of the town go much beyond regional and national frontiers. The exquisite interiors of the castle, especially the baroque castle theatre, the amphitheatre in the castle park and Smetanas’ house, all offer varied programmes of concerts and theatrical performances and thus enrich the life of the town throughout the year.

NL-137016, Baarn, Netherlands

Netherlands-3, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

A typical card from Baarn, Netherlands. The message on the card means "Greetings from Baarn".
Baarn is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

BR-53032, Museu do Ipiranga, São Paulo, Brazil

Brasil-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Museu Paulista of the University of São Paulo (commonly known by Brazilians as Museu do Ipiranga) is a Brazilian history museum located near where Emperor D. Pedro I proclaimed the Brazilian independence on the banks of Ipiranga River in the city of São Paulo. It contains a huge collection of furniture, documents and historically relevant artwork, especially relating to the Brazilian Empire era.

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, and along with Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City and New York City is among the five largest metropolitan regions of the world. The city is the capital of the State of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state. It is also the richest city of Brazil. The name means Saint Paul in Portuguese. São Paulo exerts strong regional influence in commerce and finance as well as arts and entertainment.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, Brunei Darussalam

Brunei-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is a royal Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei. The mosque is classified as one of the most spectacular mosques in the Asia Pacific and a major tourist attraction. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is considered amongst the people of Brunei as the country's major landmark.

Minsk Town Hall, Belarus

Belarus-1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Minsk is the capital and largest city in Belarus, situated on the Svislach and Niamiha rivers. Minsk is also a headquarters of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). As the national capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is also the administrative centre of Minsk voblast (province) and Minsk raion (district).

The earliest references to Minsk date to the 11th century (1067), then a provincial city within the principiality of Polotsk. In 1242, Minsk became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and it received its town privileges in 1499. From 1569, it was a capital of the Minsk Voivodship in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was annexed by Russia in 1793, as a consequence of the Second Partition of Poland. From 1919–1991, Minsk was the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.

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