Reichstag after the fire | Germany

Talking about the Fall of the Berlin War, brought to my mind another old postcard I bought many years ago in Berlin.

It shows the Reichstag [House of Parliament] before the restoration. It must have been an awful sight.

The Reichstag building is a historical edifice in Berlin, Germany, constructed to house the Reichstag, parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Reichstag until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire supposedly set by Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe. During the Nazi era, the few meetings of members of the Reichstag as a group were held in the Kroll Opera House. After the Second World War the Reichstag building fell into disuse as the parliament of the German Democratic Republic met in the Palace of the Republic in East Berlin and the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn.

Brandenburger Tor

This postcard was sent by Juliane from Germany via postcrossing [DE-805018]. It is a picture of Bradenburg Gate taken on 9 November 1989.

The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) is a former city gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city center at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which Berlin was once entered. One block to the north stands the Reichstag building. The gate is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees which formerly led directly to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791.

Party Bus

Another postcard from our New Year's trip to London! I really like this one! We had a great time and we always tried to sit to the upper deck of the bus, in the front seats :) One night, as we were returning home, another double-deck bus coming near us. When it came close enough, we saw that inside that bus there was a party!!People with party hats, music and everything! What a great idea!! Party inside a bus...Party-bus! I wonder if I can do the same thing in Greece....

Grand Canyon

Another card from postmuse, this time picturing the Grand Canyon in Arizona, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Well..in this case I think that one picture is better than words: follow the link and enjoy :)

Great Smoky Mountains

This postcard was sent to me by postmuse :) She writes that she visited Great Smoky Mountains [listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1983] a few years ago. They "rented a mountain chalet and enjoyed a view like this every morning." Makes me wish I can do it, too, someday! Must have been a Great Smoky experience :P

California Dreaming

This postcard was sent by a "native Californian girl" via postcrossing [US-968025]. It shows the most famous sights in San Fransisco:

• Cable car
• Fisherman's Wharf
• Pier 39
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Bay Bridge
• Lombard Street
• Alcatraz
• AT&T Park
• Chinatown 
• Balcutha
• Transamerica Building
• Coit Tower

[and...yes!they all feet into one single card :) ]

Catholic Church of St. Mary in Minsk

This postcard was sent to me by Ihar, a mathematics teacher, from Minsk, Belarus, via postcrossing [BY-129582]. It shows the Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary.

Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary (Belarusian: Архікатэдральны касцёл Імя Найсвяцейшай Панны Марыі) is a Roman Catholic baroque cathedral in Minsk. The cathedral was built in 1710 as a church of the Jesuit monastery. In 1793, after Russia's taking over Belarus, the Jesuit order was banned and the church got a local status. Soon, after creation of the Minsk diocese, the church became the local cathedral.

Shang Dynasty

This card was sent to me by Zoe from China via postcrossing [CN-302704]. It shows a bronze Fang Zun [rectangular wine container] inscribed with characters indicating ownership by Xu Ya clan [Shang Dynasty].

The Shang Dynasty (Chinese: 商朝) or Yin Dynasty (殷代) was according to traditional sources the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia Dynasty. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley. According to the chronology based upon calculations by Liu Xin, the Shang ruled between 1766 BC and 1122 BC, but according to the chronology based upon the Bamboo Annals, they ruled between 1556 BC and 1046 BC. The results of the Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project place them between 1600 BC and 1046 BC. According to historical tradition, the Shang Dynasty followed the (possibly mythical) Xia Dynasty and preceded the Zhou Dynasty.

Lemnos island

A friend of mine is a soldier at Lemnos and sent me this card a few days ago!

Lemnos is the eighth biggest island of Greece of 438 s.m. extend. Belongs to the north Aegean sea, the Thracian sea, between Agio Oros, Samothraki, Imbros and Lesvos. Lemnos and Agios Efstratios comprise the courthouse of Lemnos of Lesvos municipality. Capital city and main port of Lemnos island is Myrina, that took the name of the king Thoanta's wife. Till 1955 Myrina was named Kastro, a name that some local people use it till nowadays.

Lemnos is a volcanic island. There are no forests, but there are many extensive, fruitful plains with vines and cereals. The beaches of the island are wonderful and Lemnos is ideal for calm vacation. The basic occupations of the residents are cattle-raising, agriculture and fishing. Also tourism, commerce and nautical occupations develop also.  Lemnos produces many goods of excellent quality like: cereals, legumes, wine, figs, almonds and honey. In Lemnos island you can taste the great "Lemnos" wine, with special odor and taste. Dairy products like feta cheese, salamoura and varelaki. The island has a lot of special fish. The rocky beaches around the island are ideal for underwater fishing.

Portara

This one arrived today!! It was sent by some very dear friends, who spent New Year's at Naxos island! The postcard shows Portara, which means giant door and actually was Apollo Temple's entrance.

Naxos (in Greek, Νάξος) is a Greek island, the largest island (429 km² (166 sq mi)) in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. According to a story in Greek mythology, the young Zeus was raised in a cave on Mt. Zas ("Zas" meaning "Zeus"). Homer mentions "Dia"; literally the sacred island "of the Goddess". Karl Kerenyi explains (speaking as if he were an ancient Greek):

Bay of the Descending Dragon

This postcard was sent by Dao from Hanoi as a Private Swap. It shows Eagle Cave in Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay (literally: "Descending Dragon Bay"; Vietnamese: Vịnh Hạ Long) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a popular travel destination, located in Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam.

Vinh Ha Long or Bay of the Descending Dragon is often touted by proud Vietnamese as the world's Eighth wonder. One of the main attractions of Ha long is the bay's calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains dotting the seascape. The Bay's water is clear during the spring and early summer. Some of the islands are quite large and there are small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is possible. Ha Long bay lies in the northeastern part of Vietnam and is 165 Km from Hanoi.

Comillas Pontifical University

Comillas Pontifical University (Spanish: Universidad Pontificia Comillas) is a private university located in Madrid, Spain. It is a Catholic institution run by the Society of Jesus. The university ranks 5th in Spain's best schools of law ranking by El Mundo, 4th in best industrial engineerins schools and 3rd in best social work schools. It is involved in a number of academic exchange programmes, work practice schemes and international projects with over 200 Higher Education Institutions in Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia.

Pope Leo XIII founded the Pontifical Seminary of Saint Anthony of Padua in 1890 in the town of Comillas (Cantabria, Spain) in response to efforts made by the Marquis of Comillas to build an institution for educating candidates to the priesthood. At the time of its foundation, the Seminary was entrusted to the Society of Jesus. In 1904, the Pontifical University was established when Pope Pius X granted the Seminary the power to confer academic degrees in Theology, Philosophy and Canon Law.

Speicherstadt

This postcard was sent to me by Ingo from Germany via postcrossing [DE-792099]. It is a nightview of Speicherstadt [the old warehouse district] in Hamburg.

The Speicherstadt (lit. city of warehouses, meaning warehouse district) in Hamburg, Germany is the world-largest timber-pile founded warehouse district of the world. It is located in the port of Hamburg - within the HafenCity quarter - and was built from 1883 to 1927. The district was built as a free zone to transfer goods without paying customs. As of 2009 the district and the surrounding area is under redevelopment.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

I went to London for New Year's Eve and I had a great time! Although it was chilling cold, we walked a lot and managed to see a big part of this almost magical city! I -as expected- bought and sent a lot of cards. One of my favorites was this one. Too bad we didn't see her in person :P

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, born 21 April 1926) is the reigning queen and head of state of 16 independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. In addition, as Head of the Commonwealth, she is the figurehead of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations and, as the British monarch, she is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Cape Cod

This postcard was sent to me by Tanya from Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of 6.6 million lives in the Boston metropolitan area. Massachusetts is the most populous of the six New England states and ranks third among U.S. states in GDP per capita.

Rockland

My mother gave me this postcard. Peggy, a friend of hers, sent it on 13 November 1973, when she was working there as a waitress. I searched online and Trade Winds Motor Inn is still working, but it is totally renewed and beyond recognition [compared with the photos of the postcard]!!!

The City of Rockland has always benefited from a unique combination of geography and economics that has made it one of the most beautiful and practical destinations on the coast of Maine. Its nearly 8,000 residents live at the heart of Midcoast Maine, an area world famous for its mountainous and rocky shore with hundreds of harbors and inlets, and for some of the best cruising waters anywhere for sailing and boating for pleasure or sport. A nearly mile-long granite breakwater protects Rockland Harbor and lighthouse making it one of the finest shipping and recreational boating harbors on the East Coast of the United States.

Brisbane, Queensland

A friend moved recently to Brisbane, Australia, and sent me this amazing postcard! It really looks breathtaking and [combined with the photos I've seen] is one of the places I would love to visit someday :)

It may be Australia’s third-largest city, but for the longest time Brisbane was seen as something of a poor cousin to Sydney and Melbourne: a sleepy country town hiding behind a big city façade. In recent years, however, Brisbane has stirred from its slumber and is casually emerging as one of the most desirable places to live in Australia with an estimated 1000 people packing their bags and moving up here every week.

Kolomna Kremlin | Russia

This beutiful postcard was sent to me by Dasha from Russia via postcrossing [RU-284234]. It shows the architectural ensemble of the Sobornaya Square of Kolomna Kremlin, as seen from Moskva river.

Kolomna Kremlin was built by the order of Vasily III to imitate the Moscow Kremlin and was equal to it in both size and beauty. On the territory of the Kolomna Kremlin there are the Dormition Cathedral (17th century), Tikhvinsky Cathedral, built in pseudo-Russian style, as well as the Novo-Golutvin and Brusensky monasteries, the Trinity Church, the Cross Cathedral and other historic buildings. Kolomna Kremlin is surrounded by a brick wall, which was erected by the orders of Vasily III. Previously, it had 17 towers, the four of which had gates. Of all the towers only six have survived; of the gates - only Pyatnitsky Gate, which had once served as the main entrance to the city. The names of most towers of Kolomna Kremlin coincide with the Moscow’s. For example, it also has the Faceted Tower, so named because of its shape – rectangular from the inside, hexagonal on the outside.

Pohjoisesplanadi

An Helsinki card sent by dotdotpc from Finland via postcrossing [FI-972547]. It shows Pohjoisesplanadi and the Market Square. 

In the heart of Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the two streets constituting Esplanadi (Swedish: Esplanaden) are officially named Pohjoisesplanadi (Finnish for the North Esplanade Street, Swedish: Norra Esplanaden) and Eteläesplanadi (Finnish for the South Esplanade street, Swedish: Södra Esplanaden). They lead from Erottaja Square to the Market Square (Kauppatori), and the North Esplanade Street extends along the border of the Market Square up to the Katajanokka Channel. Esplanadi is colloquially called "Espa".