Winter Wood, Arkhangelsk, Russia

 

Thanks to Svetlana  for the nice  Winter Wood Card sent 05.02.2013.

    Arkhangelsk (population 390 000) is a regional center in Northwestern Russia, located on both banks of Northern Dvina river near its inflow into the White Sea, about 1100 km to the north of Moscow and about 1500 km northeast of Saint Petersburg. 

(source: https://wikitravel.org/en/Arkhangelsk)

• Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)

Country:
    Russia
Series:
    5th Definitive Issue of Russian Federation
Themes:
    Animals (Fauna) | Bears | Mammals
Issued on:
    2008-08-29

• Zaraysk Kremlin

Country:
    Russia
Series:
    6th Definitive Issue of Russian Federation
Themes:
    Architecture | City Walls | Coats of Arms | Fortresses / Strongholds
Issued on:
    2009-10-01

TSAKSKOY SELO.THE CATHERINE PALACE INTERIORS

     Former summer residence of the imperial family, Tsarskoe Selo is a museum-reserve located 25 km south of St. Petersburg. It includes two large English-style parks, two vast palaces and several decorative pavilions. Its name translates from Russian as "Tsar's Village". Founded by Peter the Great in the early 18th century, the residence first became the property of his wife Catherine. Later, Peter's daughter Elisabeth enlarged the Catherine Palace and built a "golden enfilade", a succession of salons decorated with paintings and gilding for luxurious receptions, games and balls. At the end of the 18th century, Empress Catherine II invited the Scottish architect Charles Cameron to redesign the parks and decorate some of the salons in classical style. At the same time, she started the construction of the second palace for her grandson, the future emperor Alexander I. The last Russian emperor Nicholas II signed his abdication from the throne at the Alexander Palace in February 1917. After the revolution, the parks and palaces were opened to the public. Nazi troops occupied the territory during the Second World War and almost completely destroyed the palaces. The restoration work begun after the end of the war continues to this day, but the "Golden enfilade" and the salons of Catherine II once again offer visitors their original brilliance. The Amber Room of the Catherine Palace, a unique room in the world with its decoration of mosaic panels of amber and minerals of coniferous resin was once considered the "eighth wonder of the world". Disappeared during the period of Nazi occupation, it was fully restored and opened to the public in 2003. To do: Visit To see: The Golden enfilade of the Catherine Palace, the Amber Room This location is in the St. Petersburg travel guide .

Stamps from left to right:

• Guards Patrol Ship "Metel"
  

Country:
    Russia
Series:
    Weapons of Victory - Warships
Themes:
    Anniversaries and Jubilees | Navies | Second World War | Ships | Warships
Issued on:
    2013-05-08   

• Moose (Alces alces)

Country:
    Russia
Series:
    5th Definitive Issue of Russian Federation
    Animals (Fauna) | Deer | Mammals
Issued on:
    2008-08-29

• Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)

Country:
    Russia
Series:
    5th Definitive Issue of Russian Federation
Themes:
    Animals (Fauna) | Bears | Mammals
Issued on:
    2008-08-29

Braslau Lakes National Park

 Thank you Julia for the nice card , sent 14.04.2013.

    

    The Braslav Lake Area is famous for unusual landscapes and terrain left by the ancient glacier.

    The major asset and pride of the region are its lakes. Here you can find about 300 lakes of various sizes, forms, depth, composition, water transparency, flora and fauna. For their unusual beauty they are called “the blue necklace” of Belarus.

    The deepest lakes include South Voloso (40.4 meters deep), North Voloso (29.2 meters), Uklya (25 meters) and Strusto (23 meters).

    The biggest ones are Drivyaty (36 square kilometers, the 5th largest in Belarus) and Snudy (22 square kilometers, the 8th largest in Belarus).

        Here you can find relict invertebrates that live only in clean water as well as over 30 species of fish. The Braslav Lakes are home to about 35% of all birds nesting in Belarus. 

(Source:  https://www.belarus.by/en/about-belarus/natural-history/braslavskiye-ozera)

In the card you can The catholic Church of the Heart of Jesus.

 

Stamp:

• Khatyn

Country:
    Belarus
Themes:
    Second World War
Issued on:
    2013-03-22

The village of Khatyn and its sad history     

      Khatyn was once a village, located 50 km from Minsk. Today, at this place, there is a memorial dedicated to those who died during the Great Patriotic War. The place has great importance for Belarusians. I will tell you a sad story about the massacre of a population by a battalion of Nazis. In addition, I will tell you about the memorial complex itself, which you can visit during your trip to Belarus.

    Before 1942, Khatyn was an ordinary village. In 1943, Belarusian partisans killed a German officer, a fact that marked the beginning of the siege of the village by the enemy. All the inhabitants of the village were locked up in a shed and burned, including the elderly, women and children. One hundred and forty-nine people died in the shed that day, including 75 innocent children. Only one man, 56 years old, saved himself: Joseph Kaminski. He had also tried to save his child, but he could do nothing. The story of Khatyn is not an isolated case, because during the Second World War, 628 other villages were burned; however, Khatyn has become exactly a symbol of the tragedy of the Belarusian people.

UKRAINIAN CARPATHIANS

 

Thanks to NATALI from lviv .

    The Ukrainian Carpathians (Ukrainian: Українські Карпати) are a section of the Eastern Carpathians, within the borders of modern Ukraine. They are located in the southwestern corner of Western Ukraine, within administrative territories of four Ukrainian regions (oblasts), covering northeastern part of Zakarpattia Oblast, southwestern part of Lviv Oblast, southern half of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast and western half of Chernivtsi Oblast.^[1] 

^{(SOURCE :Wikipedia)}

Stamp:

• English Oak (Quercus robur)

Country:
    Ukraine
Series:
    Eighth Definitive Issue - Trees
Themes:
    Plants (Flora)
Issued on:
    2012   

Maramures tanjeaua de la hoteni

 Sent from Romania , Thank you DIANA 22.03.2013

    Maramures, home of culture and civilization, which has carved its history in wood, is the place where traditions, costumes and folk art are present like nowhere else in Romania.
Maramures is a huge museum outside, and the daily life of the village represents a real return in time.

    Maramures is a region that has preserved, throughout its history, an authentic relationship between customs and work, daily life and festivals. The wooden objects, decorated with great artistic sense, accompany all the important moments in life, but the most fascinating are the crosses, real elements of communication between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The Joyful Cemetery of Sapanta, created by the popular artist Ion Patras, gathers hundreds of "talking crosses". Through a text in which self-irony is intertwined with drama, the life of the deceased person is summarized in a few sentences.
    Traditional crafts, such as weaving, wood carving, painting on wood or glass, are still practiced, and are transmitted from father to son.

Stamps from left to right :

• Live healthy

Country:
    Romania
Series:
    Live Healthy!
Themes:
    Fruits
Issued on:
    2012-05-03

• Pressing Irons II - Italy, 18th century

Country:
    Romania
Series:
    Pressing Irons   
Themes:
    Home Appliances
Issued on:
    2012-02-17

• Christmas 2012

Country:
    Romania
Series:
    Christmas 2012
Themes:
    Christmas
Issued on:
    2012-11-15

The sandrock near Rozhen Bulgaria

 

Thank you Irina for the Wonderful  card. sent 21/03/2013.

 

The Melnik pyramids are located northeast of the town of Melnik (direction Rozhen Monastery), in the southwestern foothills of the Pirin Mountain. They are rock formations, some with height of 100 meters, with sand, almost vertical slopes. The most popular among them are a group of pyramids, which is located near the village of Kurlanovo (see also the Kurlanovo sandstone pyramids). 

The pyramids can be reached by well-marked eco-trail from town of Melnik or from Rozhen monastery. Apart the "rock pyramids", in the region can be seen many other interesting rock formations such as "stone mushroom","rock needles","cones" and others.

Melnik pyramids were declared a natural monument in 1960. (source http://visit.guide-bulgaria.com/a/608/melnik_sandstones_pyramids.htm)

 

 

 

Stamps from left to right :

• Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua tertia)

Country:
    Bulgaria
Series:
    Night butterflies
Variants:
    Click to see variants
Themes:
    Animals (Fauna) | Butterflies | Insects
      

• Head as a Pot Belly

Country:
    Bulgaria
Series:
    Gold Treasure of Panagjurište
Themes:
    Golden Objects | Sculptures
Issued on:
    1999-11-15

PRAHA

 

Thanks to Alice for the nice card , sent 29/07/2013

    Prague is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the European continent. This city is the capital of the Czech Republic and is located in the heart of Central Europe. It has everything to please lovers.

    In the postcard you can see :

PRAGUE CASTLE . 

    Prague Castle is the most important cultural and historical monument in the Czech Republic and a symbol of the thousand-year-old development of the Czech state. It is an incredible complex of palaces, religious buildings, fortifications, administrative and residential buildings, all of which are precious edifices representative of all artistic periods. It has been the seat of Bohemian dukes, kings and emperors and even, since 1918, presidents of the Republic.
The 45-hectare site, which traces the history of the country, was the first to be included in the list of National Cultural Monuments in 1962.

Five of the Most Beautiful Bridges in Prague

    Prague may be known as the city of a Hundred Spires but it could just as well be the city of a Hundred bridges. As the Vltava River meanders through the historic town, it is crossed by a series of bridges, each of which have their own cultural or architectural charm. From the famous Charles Bridge and the historic Legion Bridge to the Art Nouveau Čechův Bridge and the modern Troja Bridge, these are the most beautiful bridges in Prague. (source:https://www.corinthia.com/prague/discover-prague/five-of-the-most-beautiful-bridges-in-prague/)

 

Stamp:

•  600 years of the Prague's old town astronomical clock

Country:
    Czech Republic
Themes:
    Astronomy | Clocks | Measuring Instruments
Issued on:
    2010-06-16