Pena National Palace!

Another day and another swap card received, this time from JoaoNogueira in Portugal. It is my second swap with him. I sent him a view card of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO site he is missing, and I received a lovely card of Pena National Palace, part of the UNESCO WHS at Sintra. 

Pena National Palace at Sintra

In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand II turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in the creation of a park blending local and exotic species of trees. Other fine dwellings, built along the same lines in the surrounding serra , created a unique combination of parks and gardens which influenced the development of landscape architecture throughout Europe. The Pena Palace, high on a peak in the Serra, is a work of pure Romanticism, designed by the Portuguese architect Possidónio da Silva. Within the 19th-century palace are the church, cloister and refectory of the monastery, richly decorated. It was inscribed onto the UNESCO WHS, reference 723, in 1995. 

The Great Wall of China!

Today I received another great swap card, this time from johnson21c in Hong Kong, in trade for a card of the Cornwall and West Devon Landscape. I received a wonderful view of the Great Wall of China. It looks quite a structure!

Great Wall of China

In c. 220 B.C., under Qin Shi Huang, sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to form a united defence system against invasions from the north. Construction continued up to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), when the Great Wall became the world's largest military structure. Its historic and strategic importance is matched only by its architectural significance. It was inscribed onto the UNESCO WHS list in 1987, reference 438. 

Ohio!

Today, I have received another map card, this time of the state of Ohio in the United States of America from clarajane. I have had the pleasure of visiting the USA and enjoyed my trip a great deal. Never visited Ohio, maybe one day!

Map of Ohio

3 facts about Ohio:

• A midwestern state, also known as the Buckeye state, Ohio was admitted to the Union on 1 March 1803 as the 17th state
• The state symbols include the Scarlet Carnation (flower), Cardinal (bird) and White-tailed Deer (animal)
• Columbus is the state capital, with a metro population of 2.3 million with 11.5 million living across the entire state

The Acropolis of Athens!

So, recently I have been doing a lot of private swaps as I know many people on the Postcrossing site enjoy receiving UNESCO postcards and I visited two districts which are part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape (UNESCO WHS #1215) during a holiday to Cornwall. I have received many great postcards in return. Today I received this one from elena944 in Greece of the Acropolis in Athens.

The Acropolis in Athens

The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are universal symbols of the classical spirit and civilization and form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world. In the second half of the fifth century BC, Athens, following the victory against the Persians and the establishment of democracy, took a leading position amongst the other city-states of the ancient world. In the age that followed, as thought and art flourished, an exceptional group of artists put into effect the ambitious plans of Athenian statesman Pericles and, under the inspired guidance of the sculptor Pheidias, transformed the rocky hill into a unique monument of thought and the arts. The most important monuments were built during that time: the Parthenon, built by Ictinus, the Erechtheon, the Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis, designed by Mnesicles and the small temple Athena Nike. It was inscribed on the UNESCO WHS in 1987, reference #404. 

1st Official Postcard from Indonesia!

Today I received my first official Postcrossing postcard from Indonesia. ID-70167 was sent by agung on 16 September 2013 and travelled 32 days to reach me. It is my 806th official Postcrossing postcard.

ID-70167 - Prambanan Temple Compounds

Prambanan Temple Compounds is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia and one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47 metres high central building inside a large complex of individual temples. The temple complex dates from the 10th century, and is dedicated to Shiva. It was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage Site listing, reference 642, in 1991. 

Thank agung for a great postcard to add to my UNESCO collection! 

Map Postcard of Portugal!

I adore certain 'types' of postcard. One type of postcard I enjoy collecting is of maps! Any kind of map, country, state, region, transport, world, maritime...you name it, I like it if it is a map of some kind! Yesterday, I received a private swap card from JoaoNogueira who lives in Portugal of a map of his country.

Map of Portugal

3 facts about Portugal:

• The capital city is Lisbon, on the country's west coast and Porto is the second largest city, in the north of the country.
• Approximately 10.5 million people live in Portugal, with about three-quarters living in coastal areas.
• As of 2013, Portugal has 15 sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, including the culture landscape of Sintra and University of Coimbra.

I Love Postcrossing!

Postcard given to me at International Postcrossing Meetup in Oxford, May 2013

This blogspot is my attempt to express my enjoyment of postcrossing. Postcrossing.com is a project which enables people to receive postcards from all over the world. The main idea is that if you send a postcard you will receive one back from a random postcrosser somewhere in the world. I have been a postcrosser since 4 June 2006 and to date have sent nearly 800 postcards and received more than 800 postcards! I enjoy my hobby a great deal. My profile is at http://www.postcrossing.com/user/Lucy156 I hope to blog about my official postcards received and sent as well as my participation in swaps, tags and round robins! More soon...