Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

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Los Glaciares National Park is located in the area known as Austral Andes in Argentina, in the south at the border with Chile. This park shows a scenery of mountains, lakes and woods, including a large portion of the Andes practically under ice and snow.

 

Its name refer to the glaciers that are born on the Ice Caps, the largest continental ice extension after Anctartica.

Los Glaciares National Park  is a Unesco World Heritage site since 1981.

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From the Horn of Africa: Djibouti

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Djibouti is a country located in the Horn of Africa bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. It is the third smallest country by area on the mainland of Africa. It has appr. 850,000 inhabitants. The palace Kempinski is not a royal palace but a 5-star luxury hotel.

“Djibouti Palace Kempinski redefines luxury service in the Horn of Africa !

Rest like a sultan in the best hotel of the Horn of Africa, where elegance meets oriental luxury, in a destination full of wonders.”

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A stamp issued in 2005 about the National Union of the Women of Djibouti (UNFD).

Union Nationale des Femmes de Djibouti (UNFD) was created in 1977. UNFD works for the empowerment of women and the protection of maternal and child health. UNFD also works to end poverty, illiteracy and all forms of discrimination against women. 

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The island of Sylt

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The North Frisian Islands are a group of islands in the Wadden Sea (Wattenmeer), a part of the North Sea, off the western coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Sylt is the largest North Frisian island.

The Sylt city of Westerland is Germany's northernmost town. It had appr. 9,000 inhabitants. Westerland's economy is strongly oriented towards the island's tourism industry.

The Wattenmeer tidal mudflats around Sylt are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Altstadt Regensburg – a World Heritage Site.

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Gustaf III Airport, Saint-Barthélemy

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Saint Barthélemy is an overseas collectivity of France, located in the Caribbean. It is the only Caribbean island which was once a Swedish colony for a longer period. Its main town is Gustavia, named after King Gustav III of Sweden.

Gustaf III Airport, located in St Jean, is a very small airport, served by small regional commercial aircraft and charters. Most visiting aircraft carry fewer than twenty passengers. Large planes can’t land on St Barths. So major flights must land at the neighboring island of St. Maarten, where they have a big, modern airport. From there, visitors can jump aboard a ferry or hop on a small plane that can land on St Barths.

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In Saint-Barthélemy French stamps are used.

(left) Le Trait du Nord, it’s a type of horse. 

(right) In 2011 France issued a large set of 24 stamps about Festivals and Traditions. This one pictures "La foire aux potirons" (The pumpkins fair).  

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A Village Meeting of Masai Women, Tanzania

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The Masai community lives in Ngorongoro District in northeast Tanzania. They own large herds of cattle, sheep and goats which they follow around seasonally in search of new grazing grounds and water sources. But their livelihood and way of life are under constant threat because the Tanzanian government does not recognize their land-use rights.

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Migrating Gnus. In 2009 Tanzania issued a set of 18 stamps about wild animals of Tanzania.

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St. George's Monastery in the Wadi Qelt Valley, Palestine State

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Wadi Qelt is a valley located on the West Bank. It contains remnants of settlements, monasteries and palaces. 

One of them is the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. George. It is named after St George of Koziba; a monk born in Cyprus 550 AD, who spent much of his life in the Judean Desert.

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One from a set of four Christmas stamps, issued in 2010 by the Palestinian National Authority.

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The world's largest island: Kalaallit Nunaat | Greenland

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Having been ruled by Denmark–Norway for centuries, Greenland became a Danish colony in 1814. Today Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. With a population of only 56,000 it is the least densely populated country in the world.

The name of the country in Greenlandic is Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "land of the Kalaallit", the indigenous Greenlandic Inuit people who inhabit the country's western region.

The ice cap or inland ice covers up to 85 percent of Greenland's total area, and extends 2,500 km from north to south and up to 1,000 km from east to west.

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The Queen of the North Sea: Norderney Island

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Norderney is one of the seven populated East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany. The entire eastern half of Norderney belongs to the Wattenmeer National Park of Lower Saxony.

Together with the Dutch Wadden Sea Conservation Area its is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

 “Miles of spectacular white sandy beaches, dunes as far as the eye can see and, of course, the ocean...
Close your eyes, relax, open your mind, breath in the wonderful crisp sea air, feel light breezes tickle your cheeks, hear sea gulls cry high above, let waves whisper their lullaby as they break on the shore – all this is Norderney. “

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Altstadt Regensburg – a World Heritage Site.

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The Seven Sisters, Sussex, England

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The Seven Sisters are a series of chalk cliffs by the English Channel. They form part of the South Downs in East Sussex, between the towns of Seaford and Eastbourne in southern England.

They are the remnants of dry valleys in the chalk South Downs, which are gradually being eroded by the sea. There are, in fact, eight distinct peaks! There were originally seven, but cliff erosion has led to an eighth sister appearing which has been named Flagstaff Brow.

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Port Arthur convict settlement, Australia

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During the late 18th and 19th centuries, more than 165,000 convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government. Port Arthur was one of these penal colonies. It is named after George Arthur, the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land (old name of Tasmania).

Penitentiary (upper part of the postcard)

Now an imposing ruin, the Penitentiary was constructed in 1843 as a flour mill and granary. In 1857 it was converted into a penitentiary, capable of housing over 480 convicts in dormitory accommodation and separate apartments.

Convict Church (lower part)

The timber and stone church, constructed in 1836 is a lasting tribute to its convict builders. Built on high ground to overlook the convict settlement, the church could accommodate over one thousand souls at its services.

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Lushan National Park, China

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Lushan National Park is a well-known tourist attraction located in the south of Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. The national park covers an area of 500 square kilometers and has more than 90 mountain peaks.

Lushan owes its reputation to its wonderful, elegant, steep and spectacular features that embrace ravines, waterfalls, grottoes, rocks and rivulets.

Lushan National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

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(left) The Xinjiang Ground-Jay. 

(right) The stamp is one out of a set of eight stamps about fish that live only in the South China Sea. 

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Mont Blanc Massif, France

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Mont Blanc meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in Western Europe (over 15,000 feet / 4800 m). It is part of the Mont Blanc Massif, one of the most deadly mountain ranges in the world with up to 100 fatalities every year.

 

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A label.

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Vagator Beach: Goa, India

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Goa, a former Portuguese colony, is the smallest state in India and synonymous with tourism. The state of Goa  is famous for its beautiful beaches, churches and temples and its primary industry is tourism.

Vagator beach is located in North Goa. The entire beach is lined with tall palm trees. Vagator Beach has dramatic red cliffs looking down on the shore and two fresh water springs within a stone's throw of the sea.

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(left) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (1891 – 1956)

“Born in a class considered low and outcast. Dr. Ambedkar fought untiringly for the downtrodden. The boy who suffered bitter humiliation became the first Minister for Law in free India, and shaped the country’s Constitution. A determined fighter, a deep scholar, human to the tips of his fingers.”

(right) Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, (1888 – 1970) was an Indian physicist and Nobel Prize winner (1930).

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A Postcard from Bénin

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Benin is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo.

From the 17th to the 19th century the  region was referred to as the Slave Coast due to the large number of slaves shipped to the New World.

After slavery was abolished Dahomey became a French protectorate in 1892. In 1958 it became the République du Dahomey, self-governing within the French community. On 1 August 1960, the Republic of Dahomey gained full independence from France. The country was renamed Benin in 1975. 

The nation is highly dependent on subsistence farming; growing beans, corn, cotton, cocoa and coffee. Tourism is on the increase, especially along the coastal areas, and in the wildlife national parks of the north.

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Cardinal Bernadin Gantin (1922- 2008).

The most prominent black African Catholic cleric of modern times once tipped to be pope

The Guardian, Thursday 15 May 2008

THX Rod!

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Itchan Kala, Uzbekistan

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Khiva is an ancient city,located in the southern part of the region of Khorezm in Uzbekistan. It is a unique monument town, completely preserved in the cultural style of the region. In the 10th century Khiva is mentioned as a major trading center on the Silk Road. 

Itchan Kala is the old part of the city. Today Itchan-Kala is open-air museum with more than 50 historic monuments and 250 old houses. In 1990 the city was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Plage des Raisins Clairs, Guadeloupe

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Guadeloupe is an overseas region of France located in the Caribbean. Guadeloupe is an integral part of France, as are the other overseas departments. The Guadeloupe Archipelago includes the large islands of Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, the nearby islands of Marie-Galante and La Desirade and numerous smaller islands.

The 35 km coastline of St Francois is bordered by warm, turquoise-blue waters, and many of its shores are shaded by majestic, lush palm trees.

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The Friendly Island: St-Martin / St Maarten

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Saint Martin is an overseas collectivity of France located in the Caribbean. Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It encompasses the southern half of Saint Martin.

It is the smallest island in the world ever to have been partitioned between two different nations. The border is almost imperceptible and people cross back and forth without ever realizing they are entering a new country. 

Princess Juliana International Airport serves both the Dutch and the French part of the island. It is named after crown princess Juliana of the Netherlands in 1944, the year after the airport opened. The airport is famous for its short landing strip which is barely enough for heavy jets. Because of this, the planes approach the island flying extremely low, right over Maho Beach.
It’s a spectacular sight!

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From a set of three stamps issued 2011 about tourism.

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Cheetahs in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

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Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park is Serengeti National Park. It is a Unesco World Heritage site. Serengeti is famous for its annual migration of more than a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 gazelle.

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(left) 350th death anniversary of Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640)

(right) Tanzania Safari (2007 issue): Zebra.

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Birds in Ngorongoro National Park, Tanzania

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The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is an immense expanse of protected highlands, grass and bush lands. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Over 500 bird species have been counted in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Going clockwise:  1 Crow 2 Blacksmith Plover 3 ? 4 Secretary bird (it feeds mainly on snakes, stamping them to death in a comical flailing dance) 5 Heron 6 Saddle-billed Stork.

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(left) 350th death anniversary of Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640)

(right) Wild Animals of Tanzania (2010 issue): Elephants.

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Harissa | حريصا - Téléférique - Lebanon

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Harissa is a mountain village in Lebanon which is located 650 meters above sea level. The village is located 20 km north of Beirut, and accessible from the coastal city of Jounieh either by road or by a nine-minute journey by a gondola lift, known as the "Téléférique".

One of Lebanon’s oldest and most visited tourist attractions, the gondolas of the Téléférique aerial cableway are a trip down memory lane, from a pioneering venture in 1965 to a beautifully preserved modern-day attraction offering breathtaking views of Jounieh and the surrounding city, the Téléférique is an impressive testimony to time gone by, a meter at a time.

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Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village, Taiwan

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Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village is an amusement park located in Taiwan. Featuring aboriginal cultures, combining tourism, culture and educational functions on 62 hectares.

It has five theme parks: the European Gardens, the Aladdin Plaza, the Aboriginal Villages, Amusement Isle and Ti Ka Er Rainforest. Amusement facilities in these five theme parks include joy ride, cultural square, artistic fountain, museums, 3-D theater, aboriginal dance show, etc.

One of the amusement rides are the Air Cable Cars. Overlook the beauty of the mountains and the woods in Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village with the flying birds in the breeze. 

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China's tallest buildings

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The Shanghai World Financial Center was planned to be the tallest building in the world when it was designed in 1997. The 97 Story building would surpass the spires of the Petronas Towers in Malaysia.

When Construction was restarted in 2003, the 508 Meter Taipei 101 in Taiwan was already underway to becoming the World's Tallest Building. Plans where changed but the Tower couldn’t be built any higher than its present height at 492 meters since the already done foundation was meant to support a 460 meter tall building. 

The slightly smaller skyscraper is the 420.5 meters high Jin Mao Tower. "Jin Mao" means "Golden Prosperity" in Chinese.

On the left you see the Oriental Pearl Broadcasting & TV Tower. With 468 meters one of the tallest broadcasting towers in the world.

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The tallest building in the world: Dubai's Burj Khalifa

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Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure in the world, at 829 meters.Burj means Tower in Arabic language. It’s renamed after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi.

It was officially opened on Jan 4, 2010. Construction began in September 2004.

 

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Falconry is an integral part of desert life which has been practiced in the UAE for centuries. Originally, falcons were used for hunting, to supplement the Bedouin diet with some meat.

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The tallest broadcasting tower in the world: Tokyo Sky Tree

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Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It is the tallest structure in Japan with a height of 634 metres (2,080 ft) and the second tallest structure in the world after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa (829.8 m).

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A Vietnamese traditional market.

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According to the back of the postcard this is a Hà Tây Country market.  Hà Tây is a former province of Vietnam, in the Red River Delta, now part of Hanoi. 

The traditional market is still the major channel of retail In Vietnam, dating back more than a thousand years since the very first urban areas arose and society went into an organized structure under the rule of dynasties. There are approximately 9000 traditional markets nationwide and up to 80% of all retail sales are conducted through these traditional channels.

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(left) This plant, Plumeria obtusa, is commonly known as Frangipani and is grown for its flowers. In Vietnam the Frangipani is also used for its healing qualities: the bark, mashed in alcohol, prevents skin inflammation, it is also used to treat indigestion and high blood pressure.

(right) Ao Daiis Vietnam's traditional dress, which was first designed over hundred years ago. It finally became Vietnam ladies' current formal dress, usually worn in formal events, festivals and is now a popular uniform for girl students.

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