2009-07-12 ~ Abhishek's PostCrossing Journey

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Sikhote-Alin, Russia

Russia-20, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Sikhote-Alin is a mountain range in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krais, Russia, extending about 900 km to the northeast of the Russian Pacific seaport of Vladivostok. The highest summits are Tordoki Yani (2,077 m), Ko Mountain (2,003 m) in Khabarovsk Krai and Anik Mountain (1,933 m) in Primorsky Krai.
Sikhote-Alin comprises one of the most extraordinary temperate zones in the world. Species typical of northern taiga (such as reindeer and the brown bear) coexist with tropical species, the Amur leopard, Siberian tiger, and the Himalayan bear. The region holds very few wolves, due to competition with tigers. The oldest tree in the region is a millennium-old Japanese yew.

Novodevichy Convent, Moscow, Russia

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

Novodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery is probably the best-known cloister of Moscow. Its name, sometimes translated as the New Maidens' Monastery, was devised to differ from an ancient maidens' convent in the Moscow Kremlin. Unlike other Moscow cloisters, it has remained virtually intact since the 17th century. In 2004, it was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mesa Verde National Park, USA

USA-31, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Mesa Verde National Park is a U.S. National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. The park occupies 81.4 square miles (211 square kilometers) near the Four Corners and features numerous ruins of homes and villages built by the ancient Pueblo people known as the Anasazi. The Anasazi made this stone village their home in A.D. 1200s. It is best known for several spectacular cliff dwellings — structures built within caves and under outcroppings in cliffs — including Cliff Palace, which is thought to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America. The Spanish term Mesa Verde translates into English as "green tableland."

One of the notable sites in the park is the Cliff Palace. This ruin is the largest and best-known of the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde. The site has 150 identified rooms and 23 kivas. Although this and other Mesa Verde sites are large and well constructed, they demonstrate a long history of occupation and their architectural design is an aggregation of dwellings and storage spaces that developed slowly and randomly. Accurate archaeological information from this site has been limited due to several decades of digging and collecting at the turn of the Twentieth century.

Park Muzakowski, Poland

Poland-15, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Muskau Park, is the biggest and one of the most famous English-style parks of Germany and Poland. It covers 3.5 square kilometres of land in Poland and 2.1 in Germany. The park extends on both sides of the Lusatian Neisse river, which constitutes the border between the countries. The 17.9 square kilometres buffer zone around the park encompassed the German town Bad Muskau in the West and Polish Łęknica (former Lugknitz) in the East. The heart of the park are the partially wooded raised areas on the east bank of the river called The Park on Terraces.

JP-73053, Dome of A-Bomb, Hiroshima, Japan

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

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, commonly called the Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome, in Hiroshima, Japan, is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The building serves as a memorial to the people who died in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
The building was originally designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel. It was completed in April 1915, and the new building was named the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition (HMI). It was formally opened to the public in August that year. In 1921 the name was changed to the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall, and again in 1933 to the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Pamukkale, Turkey

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

Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site and attraction in south-western Turkey in the Denizli Province , which in history is known as a south-eastern part of Greece . Pamukkale is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which enjoys a temperate climate over the greater part of the year.
The ancient city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white "castle" which is in total about 2700 meters long and 160m high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away.

Church of St. Synesios, Rizokarpaso, Cyprus

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

Rizokarpaso is a town on the Karpass Peninsula in the Famagusta District, northeastern Cyprus. It has been under Turkish control since the 1974 invasion.
The town has two churches: St. Synesios and the church of the Holy Trinity. They are examples of the typical Cypriot mixed style, combining features of the late Gothic introduced by the Lusignans with the late Byzantine style of the Orthodox tradition. When the island's Orthodox bishops were banished by the Lusignans in 1222, the Bishop of Famagusta was sent to Rizokarpaso and continued his work in St. Synesios, the main Orthodox church in the region.

IT-45487, Art Card

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

Though I don't appreciate Art card, this one was sent after the two UNESCO cards lost on their way. I thank Gabriellia for her efforts to send the 3rd card.