2009-10-04 ~ Abhishek's PostCrossing Journey

Monday, October 5, 2009

Amish Country/Pennsylvania Dutch Country, USA

USA-37, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of southeastern Pennsylvania, United States that by the American Revolution had a high percentage of Lutherans. There were also German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite and other German sectarian inhabitants. It is also a place where the Deitsch language was historically common. The term was used in the middle of the 20th century as a description of a region with a distinctive Pennsylvania Dutch culture, but in recent decades the composition of the population is changing and the phrase is used more now in a tourism context than any other.

I got this card with a very nice Halloween envelope and letter that I would like to share.

USA-37_1, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Fujian Tulou, China

China-57, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Fujian Tulou is "the most extraordinary type of Chinese rural dwelinngs" of the Hakka and others in the mountainous areas in southwestern Fujian, China. They are mostly built between the 12th to the 20th centuries.
A tulou is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between three and five stories high and housing up to 80 families. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses, wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small fortified city.
A total of 46 Fujian Tulou sites, including Chuxi tulou cluster, Tianluokeng tulou cluster, Hekeng tulou cluster, Gaobei tulou cluster, Dadi tulou cluster, Hongkeng tulou cluster, Yangxian lou, Huiyuan lou, Zhengfu lou and Hegui lou, have been inscribed in 2008 by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, as "exceptional examples of a building tradition and function exemplifying a particular type of communal living and defensive organization [in a] harmonious relationship with their environment".

The Dolomites, Italy

Italy-41, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Dolomites are a section of the Alps. They are located for the most part in the province of Belluno, the rest in the provinces of Bolzano-Bozen and Trento (all in north-eastern Italy). Conventionally they extend from the Adige river in the west to the Piave valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley (Val Sugana). But the Dolomites spread also over the Piave river (Dolomiti d'Oltrepiave) to the east; and far away over the Adige river to the west is the Brenta Group (Western Dolomites); there is also another smaller group called Piccole Dolomiti (Small Dolomites) located between the Provinces of Trento and Vicenza (see the map).
One national park and many other regional parks are located in the Dolomites. In August 2009, the Dolomites has been declared natural heritage of the UNESCO.

Amiens Cathedral, France

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

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens, or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral and seat of the Bishop of Amiens, Jean-Luc Marie Maurice Louis Bouilleret. The cathedral is the tallest complete cathedral in France, with the greatest interior volume (estimated at 200,000 m³). The vaults of the nave are 42.30 m high, the tallest nave vaults in any completed French cathedral, and surpassed only by the incomplete Beauvais Cathedral. This monumental cathedral is located in Amiens, the chief city of Picardy, in the Somme River valley a little over 100 kilometers north of Paris.

Royal Azalea Blossom of Hallasan, Korea

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

Jejudo is a volcanic island, 130 kilometers from the southern coast of Korea. The largest island and smallest province in Korea, the island has a surface area of 1,846 square kilometers. A central feature of Jeju is Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano, which rises 1,950 meters above sea level. 360 satellite volcanoes are part of the main volcano. Volcanic activity on Jeju began approximately in the Cretaceous and lasted until the early Tertiary period. The last recorded volcanic activity was recorded approximately 800 years ago. The island is covered in volcanic rock and volcanic soil produced by Hallasan. Baengnokdam, the crater and lake in it are located at the peak of Hallasan, was formed over 25,000 years ago while.

Prague Astronomical Clock, Czech Republic

Czech_Republic-17, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Prague Astronomical Clock or Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The Orloj is mounted on the southern wall of Old Town City Hall in the Old Town Square and is a popular tourist attraction.
The Orloj is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months.

Gatehouse, Lorsch Abbey, Germany

Germany-42, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Imperial Abbey of Lorsch, in Lorsch, about 10 km (6 miles) east of Worms, was one of the most renowned monasteries of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ruined state, its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque buildings in Germany. Its chronicle, entered in the Lorscher Codex compiled in the 1170s (now in the state archive at Würzburg) is a fundamental document for early medieval German history. Another famous document from the monastic library is the Codex Aureus of Lorsch. In 1991 the ruined abbey was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.