Balloons of Lithuania

Photo by: Evaldas Lasys, 2015

Wah!!! This surprise card came from Lithuania from a really lovely 

friend ,Rita who never forgets that all balloons should come to my 

mailbox! haha thank you so much!

Sent: 3 August 2015   Received: 19 August 2015   Travelled: 16 days

Gediminas' Tower

Long, long ago, the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas was hunting in the woods of Sventaragis valley. The hunting was a success, but a very tiring one. The duke stayed there and spent a night. Gediminas had a dream that on top of the hill, where he had hunted down a taurus that day, a large iron wolf is standing and howling so hard and loud, like a hundred wolves. The Duke asked the mage Lizdeika to explain the dream. He explained that this is an omen indicating to build a city in this place, which would later become known around the world and will become a magnificent capital city of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, obeying to the will of the gods, began to build the future capital city, and a castle in the centre of it. The city was named Vilnius after the nearby river Vilnia. Gediminas tower is one part of the castle, which was built by Gediminas.

This card comes officially via PostcardUnited from my regular swap friend Rita.

Rather funny as some months before I had also sent her a card via PostcardUnited.

Small world indeed! Thanks Rita

Sent: 10 June 2015   Received: 13 July 2015   Travelled: 33 days

Nida, Lithuania

Nida  is a resort town in Lithuania, the administrative centre of Neringa municipality. Located on the Curonian Spit between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea, it is the westernmost point of Lithuania and the Baltic states, close to the border with the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast exclave.

Love the beautiful hot air balloon stamp on this postcard from Nida. Thanks to postcrosser Ramune

Sent: 21 April 2015   Received: 6 May 2015   Travelled: 15 days

Vilnius, Lithuania

Vilnius is classified as a Gamma global city according to GaWC studies, and is known for its Old Town of beautiful architecture, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Its Jewish influence until the 20th century has led to it being described as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania" and Napoleon named it "the Jerusalem of the North" as he was passing through in 1812. In the year 2009, Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture, together with the Austrian city of Linz.

Thanks to Rita for another surprise from Lithuania!

Sent: 11 June 2014   Received: 26 June 2014   Travelled: 15 days

Lithuanian woman

Another lovely surprise from Rita for this Lithuanian people card.

Thanks for remembering that I like to collect people and for especially

sending me this card! 

Sent: 3 January 2015   Received: 20 January 2015   Travelled: 17 days

St George and Jesus

 

A fragment of the memorial pillar shrine. Saint George and Jesus of Nazareth,

the second half of the 19th Century.

Thanks to Lina and her daughter Dovile for this card of statues from Lithuania.

Sent: 15 April 2014   Received: 6 May 2014   Travelled: 21 days

Windmill from Lithuania

 

This area of Lithuania is known as 'Little Switzerland' due to the beauty of the countryside and a large number of lakes.The town of Obeliai is small and quite poor, due in no small part to the diversion of the railway. The station remains but nothing stops there any more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obeliai

 

Many thanks to Sonata for this beautiful windmill card, almost looks like the walking castle in "Howl's Moving Castle" except this is a windmill :) 

 

Sent: 14 January 2014

Received: 5 February 2014

Travelled: 22 days

Vilnius panaroma

Vilnius is classified as a Gamma global city according to GaWC studies, and is known for its Old Town of beautiful architecture, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Its Jewish influence until the 20th century has led to it being described as the “Jerusalem of Lita" and Napoleon named it "the Jerusalem of the North" as he was passing through in 1812. In the year 2009, Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture, together with the Austrian city of Linz.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius

Thank you Rita for this beautiful view card!



sent: 10 January 2014
Received: 30 January 2014
Travelled: 20 days

Multiview from Lithuania

For centuries, the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea was inhabited by various Baltic tribes. In the 1230s the Lithuanian lands were united by Mindaugas, the King of Lithuania, and the first unified Lithuanian state, the Kingdom of Lithuania, was created on 6 July 1253. During the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe: present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were the territories of the Grand Duchy. With the Lublin Union of 1569, Lithuania and Poland formed a voluntary two-state union, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighboring countries systematically dismantled it from 1772 to 1795, with the Russian Empire annexing most of Lithuania's territory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania

Thank you Chris for this amazing view card :D

Sent: 1 July 2013
Received: 17 July 2013
Travelled: 16 days

First from Lithuania

The first settlements in this area appeared as early as the first millennium A.D. The town, as well as its surroundings, started developing in the 13th century in the place of Senieji Trakai (Old Trakai). According to a legend after a successful hunting party, Grand Duke Gediminas discovered a beautiful lake-surrounded place not far from Kernavė, then capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and decided to build a castle in the location. That is how the Old Trakai Castle was built in Senieji Trakai. The name of Trakai was first mentioned in Teutonic Knights chronicles in 1337. This year is considered to be the official date of town's foundation. When Grand Duke Gediminas finally settled in Vilnius, Senieji Trakai was inherited by his son the Duke Kęstutis. Duchy of Trakai developed and the town entered its best decades.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trakai

Thank you Rita for this beautiful card from Lithuania, I love castles!

Sent: 6 February 2013   Received: 26 February 2013   Travelled: 20 days