Postcards and Letters

maandag 21 oktober 2019

Let's go to Great Britain

Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II

Machin stamp, 2019

Some famous views of London

Peace Bridge across the River Foyle, Derry,

Northern Ireland

Gibraltar, British Overseas Territory

zondag 20 oktober 2019

The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dublin. It was known as Dunleary until it was renamed Kingstown in honour of King George IV's 1821 visit, and in 1920 was given its present name, the original Irish form of Dunleary. Over time, the town became a residential location, a seaside resort and the terminus of Ireland's first railway.

Walking the East Pier of Dún Laoghaire Harbour is the most popular tourism activity in Dún Laoghaire.

Stamp featuring King George V,

used from 1912

vrijdag 18 oktober 2019

Stamps, what else?

These are all Belgian stamps!

"De Groote Oorlog"

(The Great War)

set of 5, 2018

Celebration of the reopening

of the AfricaMuseum

set of 4, 2018

From left to right:

"sixty roses for a Queen by Pierre-Joseph_Redouté"

1989

"Transport and Communications" Europa

1988

"American Revolution Bicentennial 1776-1976"

1976

"100 anniversary of the Belgian Labor Party"

1985

"150 years Rekenhof"

1981

I usually write separate posts for

Christmas stamps, but I decided

to combine them this time to create
an "all Belgian" post.

For standard sized mail within Europe

2018

For national mail

top left: 2005

top right: Jubilaeum AD 2000

(bottom left: Eurasian Teal, 2007)

bottom right: 1999

woensdag 2 oktober 2019

Religious buildings and a surprise!

This post is a religious one, enjoy!

Chartres, France

Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, is a Roman Catholic church. Mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, it stands at the site of at least five cathedrals that have occupied the site since Chartres became a bishopric in the 4th century. It is in the Gothic and Romanesque styles.

The cathedral has been well preserved. The majority of the original stained glass windows survive intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century.

Since at least the 12th century the cathedral has been an important destination for a large number of Christian pilgrims, many of whom come to venerate its famous relic, the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ's birth.

Vilnius, Lithuania

St. Anne's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius' Old Town, on the right bank of the Vilnia River established circa 1495-1500. It is an important example of both Flamboyant Gothic and Brick Gothic styles. As a prominent landmark in the Old Town of Vilnius, it enabled the district to be included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is a Roman Catholic church located in the Antakalnis neighbourhood of Vilnius, Lithuania. It is the centerpiece of a former monastery complex of the Canons Regular of the Lateran. Its interior has masterful compositions of some 2,000 stucco figures by Giovanni Pietro Perti and ornamentation by Giovanni Maria Galli and is unique in Europe. The church is considered a masterpiece of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Baroque.

Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver, Belgium

From the "Wintertuin" website:

We have no idea what prompted the Ursuline nuns in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver to make the rather bold decision to build this truly magnificent Art Nouveau building. After all, this style was considered hyper-modern in 1900. And yet, this enchanting Winter Garden with its colourful stained glass cupola was considered the most stunning feature of their boarding school, for young girls from good families. What’s even more intriguing is that nobody knows who designed the Winter Garden. And yet the architect’s design skills are unparalleled.

The Winter Garden is part of a magnificent listed complex, which is a stunning mix of architectural styles including Art Nouveau with neo-Gothic elements, neo-Empire style and Art Deco. It’s as if you have stepped into a different world. Names like the Empire Corridor, the Alpine Room, the La Fontaine refectory, the Piano Gallery and the Grand Staircase will spark your imagination.

dinsdag 17 september 2019

Tourist views!

I love tourist cards! They bring the world

right at my doorstep.

Kuan (Wide) Alley and Zhai (Narrow) Alley,

Chengdu, China

The history of Wide and Narrow Alley can be dated back to the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD). At that time, the area was a city within the Chengdu city called Mancheng City or Shaocheng City, where the court quartered troops. As time passed by, the city decayed and only the Wide Alley and Narrow Alley were left. In 2003, renovation work of the two alleys began, aiming to build a complex cultural and business street with the functions of tourism and recreation. On June 14, 2008, the newly renovated Wide and Narrow Alley were opened to the public, located in the current Qingyang District. Nowadays, Wide and Narrow Alley is a popular entertainment and nightlife block as well as a famous tourism site, with lots of restaurants, pubs, teahouses, and stores selling featured souvenirs.

Gran Canaria, Spain

The Cathedral of Santa Ana is a Roman Catholic church located in Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The structure is considered the most important monument of Canarian religious architecture.

Asturias, Spain

The Cathedral of San Salvador of Oviedo today displays an array of architectural styles,

from Pre-Romanesque, to Baroque, including Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance parts.

It began as a large Pre-Romanesque basilica in the present location of the Gothic cathedral,

built by order of King Alfonso II of Asturias, but nothing else is known about that first building.

Demre, Turkey

Myra was an ancient Greek, then Roman Greek, then Byzantine Greek, then Ottoman Greek town in Lycia, which became the small Turkish town of Kale, renamed Demre in 2005, in the present-day Antalya Province of Turkey. In 1923 its Greek inhabitants had been required to leave by the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey, at which time its church was finally abandoned.

St. Nicholas Church is a museum and an ancient Byzantine Greek Church. It is notable for being the burial place of St. Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century Greek Christian bishop of the ancient city of Myra, an important religious figure for Eastern Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics and the historical inspiration for Santa Claus. The Church is on UNESCO's tentative list to become a World Heritage Site.

Karlovac, Croatia

The Dubovac Castle overlooks the Croatian city Karlovac. It's square tower was probably built during the 13th century. In the 15th century, the castle was rebuilt in a renaissance style. The castle had various owners—from Slavonian nobleman family Sudar to famous Croatian counts and dukes Frankopan and Zrinski. From 1671 until 1809, the Dubovac was owned by the Karlovac generals. In 1837, a new owner, Count Laval Nugent, rebuilt the castle in the spirit of romanticism. Dubovac was once again renovated in 1952 using references from the end of the 18th century.

The castle was used for several years as a hotel, and the damage done to the interior to accommodate rooms is now being repaired. There are museum exhibits and a large model of the countryside. Evidence indicates that the fortress was built on a hill constructed by the people in order to maximize defenses and views of the surrounding areas.