Antigua Guatemala

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La Merced Church is a church in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala.

La Antigua is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala famous for its well-preserved Spanish Mudéjar-influenced Baroque architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches.

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From a set of two stamps about The Volcano and Lake of Ipala.

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The Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Khufu, Egypt

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The Pyramids of Giza are the most famous monuments of ancient Egypt. These massive stone structures were built around 4500 years ago on a rocky desert plateau close to the Nile.

The people of ancient Egypt believed that death on Earth was the start of a journey to the next world.  

 

The embalmed body of the king was entombed underneath or within the pyramid to protect it and allow his transformation and ascension to the afterlife, and a place among the gods.

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Issued 2011.

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Ancient city of Mardin, Turkey

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Mardin is one of the oldest settled areas in upper Mesopotamia. Excavations done in the 1920s discovered remains in the area that dated to 4000 BCE. The city is located on the slope of a hill looking down south to the Mesopotamian plains. It is known for its fascinating architecture consisting of heavily decorated stonework cascading from the hilltop.

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From a set of 8 stamps about tourism.

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Annapurna Region and Phewa Lake from Nepal

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Annapurna is a series of peaks in the Himalaya. It is one of the world’s most popular trekking areas. Gateway to Annapurna trekking region is the famous city of Pokhara, the second largest city of Nepal. Phewa Lake is a freshwater lake located in the south of the Pokhara Valley.

 

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Stamp issued 2006 to commemorate 2550th anniversary of Buddha.

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Ulster, Northern Ireland

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Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Ulster is one of the provinces of Ireland. This card is picturing clockwise:

·         Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge

·         Enniskillen Castle

·         Giant’s Causeway

·         Mountains of Mourne

·         Monastic White Island

·         Dunluce Castle

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The Star Ferry Pier, Hong Kong

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The charming Star Ferry boats have been faithfully carrying passengers from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon and back since 1888. While the two sides of Victoria Harbour are now connected by a world-class infrastructure system of road and rail tunnels, tens of millions of people still climb aboard the humble Star Ferry vessels each year. Many visitors take the ride for an up-close look at one of the world’s most photographed harbours, while locals have kept their affection for it because, even after a century, it’s still a highly reliable and efficient form of transport.  

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From a large set of birdstamps, issued 2006, the Common Kingfisher (left) and the Little Egret (right).

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Kaiping Diaolou | 開平碉樓 from China

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The Kaiping Diaolou are fortified multi-storey towers, generally made of reinforced concrete. The first towers were built during the early Qing Dynasty, reaching a peak in the 1920s and 1930s. Although the diaolou served mainly as protection against forays by bandits, a few of them also served as living quarters.

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Burundi

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Burundi is a green, lush mountainous country, placed in the middle of Africa by the great lakes. The landlocked small country of Burundi, located on the northeastern shoreline of Lake Tanganyika, is a very mountainous country. The only land below 3,000 feet is a narrow strip of plain along the Ruzizi River in the west.

Some facts:

·         Population 8,074,254

·         Capital City Bujumbura (331,700)

·         Largest Cities Bujumbura, Gitega, Muyinga, Ngozi

·         Currency Burundi Franc

·         Languages Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili

·         Religions Christian, Catholic, traditional beliefs

Stamps

This postcard traveled in an envelope.

(right) From a set of five stamps, issued 2008, about flora and fauna: ‘Fleur Werner’.

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Archaeological site of Yaxha, Guatemala

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Yaxha is a archaeological site in the northeast of the Petén Basin region, and a former ceremonial center and city of the Maya civilization. It is located in the modern-day department of Petén, northern Guatemala between the Yahxá and Sacnab lakes.

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From a set of two stamps about The Volcano and Lake of Ipala.

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Old Town of Lijiang, China

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The world famous Old Town of Lijiang is located in Lijiang City. It is a UNESCO Heritage Site. The town has a history going back more than 800 years and was once a confluence for trade along the old tea horse road. The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. It is known as the Oriental Venice. The old town of Lijiang differs from other ancient Chinese cities in architecture, history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhi people.

In the background you see Mount Satseto known in Chinese as the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

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Pre printed on the postcard.

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O'Hara's Battery - Gibraltar

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Named after General Charles O'Hara, Governor of Gibraltar from 1795-1802, there was originally a look out tower at the point we now call O'Hara's Battery.

The Governor believed if such a tower was built it would enable the Garrison to see Cadiz harbour and any ships heading towards Gibraltar.

After it was built and his theory was dashed it became known as O'Hara's Folly. The battery is the highest point of Gibraltar at 426 meters (1400ft approx). It was last fired in 1976.

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From a large set of 13 stamps with birds from Gibraltar: the Woodchat Shrike and the Eurasian Hoopoe.  

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Archbishop Makarios III monument, Cyprus

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Makarios III, original name Mikhail Khristodolou Mouskos (1913 – 1977), archbishop and primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus. He was a leader in the struggle for enosis (union) with Greece during the postwar British occupation, and, from 1959 until his death in 1977, he was the president of independent Cyprus.

Makarios III died unexpectedly, of a heart attack, on August 3, 1977. He is buried in a tomb on the mountain of Throni, a site he personally chose. The tomb is near Kykkos Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 1930s.

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From a set of 3 stamps about Tall Ships, Galleon (issued 2011).

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Altai Mountains from Russia

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This card shows the Altai mountains. Located in East-Central Asia, where Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia come together.

Stamps

A stamp commemorating the centennial of birth of Marina Raskova (1912 -  1943). She was a famous Soviet navigator and later became one of over 800,000 women in the military service, founding three female air regiments which would eventually fly over 30,000 sorties in World War II.

Russian Kremlins - Kolomna Kremlin and Pskov Kremlin

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From Georgia: Bagrati Cathedral | ბაგრატის ტაძარი

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Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.

The construction of Bagrati Cathedral, named after Bagrat III, the first king of united Georgia, started at the end of the 10th century and was completed in the early years of the 11th century. Although partly destroyed by the Turks in 1691, its ruins still lie in the centre of Kutaisi.

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2011 issue to commemorate 60 years UNHCR.

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Built by one man: Moussa Castle, Lebanon

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The Moussa Castle is not a typical castle in any way. It was projected and built by one man, Moussa Abdel Karim Al Maamari.

As a student he had a tough time. A poor student, he was beaten and mocked by his teacher who told him he would never amount to anything. Even his sweetheart ridiculed him, saying she would never marry him and that she planned to marry someone rich with a castle. It was at this moment that the dream took hold of Moussa's 14-year-old mind.

As a teenager, Moussa had the fortune to work with his uncle to restore a Lebanese castle. With the money he earned from restoring the castle and other museum work, a 20-year-old Moussa was able to begin work on what would become a lifelong project and obsession: his castle.

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Horsh Ehden is a Nature Reserve located in north Lebanon, it contains a particularly diverse and beautiful remnant forest of the Cedar of Lebanon, making the reserve a very important part of the country’s cultural and natural heritage.

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Greetings from London, Canada!

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London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom.  But this card is from Canada!

London is also a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor.

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From a set of four stamps about Canadian baby wildlife: Moose calves.

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Aren't they cute? Koalas from Australia.

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Australian Koalas are loved world-wide. Their gum-leaf diet is low in energy, so Koalas spend much of their time slumbering comfortably in the fork of a tree. A young Koala stays with its mother until it is about a year old, and often hitches a ride on her back.

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London 2012 Olympic games.

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La catedral de Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras

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Santa Rosa de Copan is located in the heart of mountainous western Honduras, near the border with Guatemala.

The history of Santa Rosa de Copan begins in 1765, when the Spanish colonial authorities established the "Real Factorma de Tabaco" (royal tobacco trading post) at what is now Santa Rosa.

Downtown Santa Rosa de Copan features cobblestone streets, restored clay-roofed Spanish-style buildings, and a charming colonial church.

Stamps

(left) Red Cross overprint stamp.

(right) A 2012 stamp to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Honduras and Korea.

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South Coast of São Jorge, Azores

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The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands form the Autonomous Region of the Azores, one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal. The other one is Madeira.

São Jorge is a relatively long thin island in the center of the Azores with tall cliffs, and a population of about 10,000.

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A label.

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A postcard from Elba, Italy

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“The Island of Elba, a green oasis within the Tuscan Archipelago, is an island of endless horizons: crystal clear water lapped by golden beaches, granite rocks standing out from the bush, stories of people blessed by the sun. Elba rewards you a variety of aspects all in one: its beaches and its cliffs, its winds, its land, its perfumes, its flavours, its hard working people, its hillside villages, and its terraces facing the sea are all but the start of a journey where you discover an island that will never disappoint you.”

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The stamp is dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the Officina Profumo pharmacies. The stamp depicts the Sales Hall of Officina Profumo - Pharmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence, one of the oldest pharmacies still active, designed in neo-Gothic style.

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A postcard from the city of Prishtina, Kosovo

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Kosovo declared independence on the 17th of February 2008. The small south east European state sits between Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. The capital of the Republic is Prishtina, a city of around 500,000 people. The population of Kosovo exceeds 2 million.

As of 1 June 2012, the Republic of Kosovo has received 93 diplomatic recognitions as an independent state.

“Western powers agreed to stop overseeing Kosovo in September 2012, four years after it proclaimed independence, but NATO troops and EU police will continue to monitor the former Serbian province still troubled by occasional ethnic violence.”

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Protection–Earth Day stamp from 2008.

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The oldest city in Central America: Granada, Nicaragua

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Nicaragua is the biggest country in Central America. Bordering on Honduras in the North and Costa Rica in the South, in the South on Costa Rica, in to the West you will find on the impressive Pacific Ocean, and in the East you can enjoy the warm water of the Caribbean Sea.

“The most luxury hotel in Granada, La Gran Francia, is located cross of the Central Park in Granada. La Gran Francia is a splendid ancestral building whose existence historians argue dates back to the years immediately following the founding of Granada, in 1524. This architectural jewel was restored during the 1990's, recovering the majesty and splendor of its heyday and today housing Granada's finest hotel.”

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(left) From a set of 4 birdstamps (2004), a Social Flycatcher.    

(right) Miguel Obando y Bravo (1926) is a Nicaraguan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Managua from 1985 until his resignation on 12 March 2005. On 25 May 1985, he was selected by Pope John Paul II to be cardinal in Central America.

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Maracas beach Trinidad and Tobago

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Maracas Beach is a beach on the island of Trinidad. It is located on the north side of the island, an hour's mountainous drive from the capital city of Port of Spain.

Unlike many of the northern beaches of Trinidad, Maracas Beach is protected by a deep bay. It is one of the most well known beaches in the island of Trinidad as its considered by some to be the most beautiful beach of its size located closest to the capital city.

(source: Wikipedia)

Stamps

From a set of 5 stamps about local herbal medicine: Chandelier, Worm Grass and Black Sage.

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