World on my postcards

Lisbon is older than Rome!And according to most estimates, around 4 centuries older. It is in fact the second oldest European capital after Athens, many historians believing that it was settled by the Phoenicians around 1200 B.C., and who used the excellent transport possibilities offered by the River Tagus. One of the theories for the origin of the name Lisbon is that it came from the term “Allis Ubbo” or “safe harbour” in Phoenician. – the Tagus is Iberia’s largest river and its estuary at Lisbon, up to 14Km wide, is said to be large enough to contain all the warships in the world. – The Lisbon Half Marathon, held every year in March, is one of the most attended events of its kind in the world. – Lisbon’s Vasco da Gama Bridge is the longest bridge in Europe. The world record for the largest dining table was set when some 15,000 people were served lunch on the bridge as part of the inauguration celebrations. . – the Largest Human Logo was made up of 34,000 peo...

Chefchaouen, a small town in northern Morocco, has a rich history, beautiful natural surroundings and wonderful architecture, but what it’s most famous for are the striking and vivid blue walls of many of the buildings in its “old town” sector, or medina.   The maze-like medina sector, like those of most of the other towns in the area, features white-washed buildings. The brilliantly blue walls, however, seem to be unique to Chefchaouen. They are said to have been introduced to the town by Jewish refugees in 1930, who considered blue to symbolise the sky and heaven. The colour caught on, and now many also believe that the blue walls serve to repel mosquitoes as well (mosquitoes dislike clear and moving water). Whatever the reason, the town’s blue walls attract visitors who love to wander the town’s narrow streets and snap some beautiful photos. Stunning!

Finland’s northernmost part, Lapland covers a total area of nearly 90,000 km2, or almost a third of the total land area of Finland.Even though Lapland is very large, it is only occupied by 3.6 percent of the total population.  It means that 200,000 people live here.   Many people think that Lapland is the home to the polar bears. Actually it is not true. There are no polar bears in the area. You can find many old trees in Lapland.   The snow pines trees that you can find here are 200 to 300 years old. If you want to know the oldest pine tree in Lapland, you can go to Inari. The age of the tree is 529 years old. There are many kinds of berries that people can grow in Lapland. You can find cranberries, raspberries and blueberries. You can also find the unique berries such as crowberries, cloudberries and lingonberries.  Sami people are the native people in Lapland. You can find the Sami people living in Sweden, Norway, Russia, and Finland. Sami h...

 One Thousand Hands Buddha is a superior, spiritually healing Qigong method.  This Qigong form was inspired by the symbolic positioning of Buddha’s fingers, referred to as “mudras” by Buddhists.  It is a method that produces calmness and keeps the heart from “galloping away”, leading the practitioner into a state of silence and peace, a little at a time.  This meditative Qigong form alleviates suffering, fortifies energy, calms the heart and helps the spirit attain wisdom. The method also helps fight stress and strengthens the memory.

San Giulio Island is an island within Lake Orta in Piedmont, northwestern Italy.The most famous building on the island is the Basilica of Saint Giulio close to which is the monumental old seminary (1840s). Since 1976 it has been transformed into a Benedictine monastery. The little island, just west of the lakeshore village of Orta San Giulio, has very picturesque buildings, and takes its name from a local patron saint (Julius of Novara), who lived in the second half of the 4th century.

 The Batak Toba are one of six Batak tribes that inhabit northern and central Sumatra. Each tribe has a distinctive culture and architectural style. Two Batak tribes are Muslim, while the the Toba and another tribe are Christian. The Batak Toba people are concentrated around Lake Toba, the world's largest caldera lake. Their houses are among the most distinctive in Indonesia, with their famous boat-shaped roofs and finely-decorated carvings. The roofs of the Batak Toba houses are formed of sugar palm fiber thatch, held together with rattan cords. However, many houses have abandoned the labor-intensive thatched roof and have converted to zinc metal roofs, which are far more durable in the humid climate.

 Khoo Kongsi is a large Chinese clanhouse. It is very famous as it is the grandest clan temple not in Penang, but the country of Malysia. It was built 100 years ago. It's historic setting and architecture is what attracts the crowds of tourists. This clan temple is the setting that marks the first period of entry of the Chinese to Malaysia. There is a large courtyard, facing the clan temple. This is the venue of the popular and historic Chinese Opera. This event is normally held around one of the grandest festive season celebrated, the Chinese New Year. There is a museum installed on the ground floor from the recent renovation. P.S. I love pandas^_^

The Greek Orthodox Mar Saba Monastery in the Judean Desert east of Bethlehem seems to hang precariously from the walls of the Kidron Valley. But it is as sturdy as the faith it represents: it was built some 1,500 years ago, and is one of the oldest still-inhabited monasteries in the world. Like the Monastery of St. George to the north, Mar Saba was founded by monks seeking solitude and to emulate the prophets, Jesus and John the Baptist. Originally they lived in caves, but as their founder Mar (Saint) Saba gained fame for his piety, the monastery was built. Its dramatic view is a highlight of a trip that many Christian groups enjoy, traveling by four-wheel-drive vehicles that can navigate every corner of the desert. Some visitors even hike down to the monastery, which women can view from the Women’s Tower, and men can enter to see the church where the remains of St. Saba are preserved.

This 12th century Romanesque-style castle was originally used as a hunting lodge for the old emperors of Germany. Wernigerode Castle has had an identity crisis of architectural styles during its long history. In the 15th century, large arched windows showed off its Neo-Gothic flair. By the 16th century, Schloss Wernigerode had morphed into a Renaissance fortress, until the ravages of the Thirty Years’ War damaged much of it. In the 18th century, Schloss Wernigerode was trying on another architectural style, this time as a Baroque masterpiece.What we see today is an elegant smorgasbord of architectural designs. The castle has been open to visitors since 1930.

Armenia has a number of monasteies dated the IX-XI centuries. Many of them have been important spiritual centers of the country. In the epoch of feodalism development they even had high schools where students were taught historiography, literature, philosophy, theology, music, miniature painting and other sciences. That's why they had to build special houses for books storage. Such houses were characterized by folk architecture made with stone. Tatev monastery was exactly one of them.It's the monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church situated in the south-east of Armenia, near Tatev village and not so far from Yerevan - the capital of Armenia.It was founded on the ancient heathen holy place in the IX century to become one of the very important centres of science and education. Its favourable strategic location was convenient for creation of reliable fortifications there.

 The card shows date selling in a traditional Friday market.There are currently over 44 million date palms in the UAE that can be grouped under 199 different varieties and together produce 76,000 tonnes of fruit every year.

Explore Map of Australia: Officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, it is a country in the South Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Australia is the 6th largest country in the world by total area. Recently, I have noticed that Australian map has dog and cat faces on it: Everything in my life changed when I realised that.

 Lovely postcard with colorful and beautiful back. I adore it!

 An amazing postcard with fabulous stamps showing Sukhothai historic park filled with ancient temples dating back almost 800 years. The Buddha figure here is known by two different names. The name ‘Phra Achana ‘ translates to ‘Buddha who is not afraid’ whilst the other name, ‘Phra Poot Dai’ means the ‘speaking Buddha’. It is this second name that gives an indication of the role this Buddha image and temple played in ancient Sukhothai at a time when different rulers fought for control of various parts of Siam (Thailand).  There is a ‘secret staircase’ to the side of the Buddha which leads to a small opening where somebody could stand to make a speech without being seen by anybody else in attendance at the temple and with the acoustics it would give the impression it was the Buddha speaking.