Parthenon, Athens

The Parthenon  is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438 BC although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered the zenith of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian democracy and western civilization, and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a program of selective restoration and reconstruction to ensure the stability of the partially ruined structure.

The Parthenon itself replaced an older temple of Athena, which historians call the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. The temple is archaeoastronomically aligned to the Hyades. While a sacred building dedicated to the city's patron goddess, the Parthenon was actually used primarily as a treasury. For a time, it served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the final decade of the sixth century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

After the Ottoman conquest, it was turned into a mosque in the early 1460s. On 26 September 1687, an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures. From 1800 to 1803,Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures with the alleged permission of the Ottoman Empire. These sculptures, now known as the Elgin Marbles or the Parthenon Marbles, were sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they are now displayed. Since 1983 (on the initiative of Culture Minister Melina Mercouri), the Greek government has been committed to the return of the sculptures to Greece.

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to my dear friend Simona for the lovely card from her travels.

Sent: 3 May 2016    Received: 24 May 2016   Travelled:

Aphrodite of Cyprus

Near Palaepaphos (Old Paphos) at the seaside of Petra tou Romiou is the modern mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and the founding myth is interwoven with the goddess at every level, so that Old Paphos became the most famous and important place for worshipping Aphrodite in the ancient world. In Greco-Roman times, Paphos was the island's capital, and it is well known for the remains of the Roman governor's palace, where extensive, fine mosaics are a major tourist attraction. Paul the Apostle visited the town during the first century AD. The town of Paphos is included in the official UNESCO list of cultural and natural treasures of the world's heritage.

Archaeologists report that the site of Paphos has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. It was a centre of the cult of Aphrodite and of pre-Hellenic fertility deities. Aphrodite's mythical birthplace was on this island, where her temple was erected by the Myceneans in the 12th century BC.

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to a dear friend Simona for this awesome historical postcard from Cyprus.

Makes me feel overwhelmed at the historical significance of this site. Jealous of you

Simo!

Sent: 27 May 2015   Received: 7 August 2015   Travelled:72days

Joanina Library

The Joanina Library (Biblioteca Joanina) is the Baroque library of the University of Coimbra, built in the 18th century during the reign of the Portuguese King João V (and named after him). It is located in upper Coimbra, the university historic centre, near the university tower, and is part of University of Coimbra General Library.

Over the entrance door, the library exhibits the national coat of arms. Inside, there are three great rooms divided by decorated arches, bearing the same style as the portal and entirely executed by Portuguese artists. The walls are covered by two storied shelves, in gilded or painted exotic woods; the painted ceilings, by the Lisbon artists Simões Ribeiro and Vicente Nunes, blend harmoniously with the rest of the decoration. The library contains about 250 thousand volumes, namely works of medicine, geography, history, humanistic studies, science, civil and canon law, philosophy and theology. It is a National Monument and has a priceless historical value being one of the main tourist attractions among the older monuments belonging to the university.

Thanks to Simona for this beautiful view of the Joanina Library, one of the

most spectacular libraries in the world.

Sent: 12 May 2015   Received: 3 June 2015   Travelled: 21 days

Bruges, Belgium

BrugesGerman: Brügge [ˈbrʏɡə]) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country.
Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam, it is sometimes referred to as "The Venice of the North". Bruges has a significant economic importance thanks to its port. At one time, it was considered the "chief commercial city" of the world.

Thanks to Simona for this lovely postcard from her trip to Belgium

Sent: 20 October 2014   Received: 10 November 2014   Travelled: 21 days

Bamberg, Germany

The Old Town of Bamberg is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, primarily because of its authentic medieval appearance. The city established a documentation centre in 2005 to support World Heritage activities. Some of the main sights are:

Bamberg Cathedral (1237), with the tombs of emperor Henry II and Pope Clement II
Alte Hofhaltung, residence of the bishops in the 16th and 17th centuries
Neue Residenz, residence of the bishops after the 17th century
Old Town Hall (1386), built in the middle of the Regnitz River, accessible by two bridges
Klein-Venedig ("Little Venice"), a colony of picturesque fishermen's houses from the 19th century along one side of the river Regnitz.
Michaelsberg Abbey, built in the 12th century on one of Bamberg's "Seven Hills"
Altenburg, castle, former residence of the bishops

Thank you dear Simona for this beautiful view of historic Bamberg!

Seems like another lovely picturesque city to wander and get lost in,

reminds me of our wet days in Prague haha

Sent: 17 September 2014   Received: 1 October 2014   Travelled: 14 days

About continuity

A beautiful card from a beautiful friend from Romania!

Thanks to Simona for this great card showing an old lady with her

spinning wheel and her grand daughter. This photo captioned "About continuity"

speaks very true on the current problem of traditional crafts being forgotten. 

Also, you may not be able to see it on this picture, but the postman curled and

damaged the postcard, causing a huge crease on the picture :( I had to stick a huge 

note on my postbox, "Please do not fold or curl postcards" seriously why would anyone curl a postcard to fit into a postbox!?!?!? this reminds me of my English teacher who once said, 

"Common sense is not very common"

Sent: ??   Received: 13 January 2015

Bulgaria shaped card

Excerpt: Bulgaria is world famous for its long centuries of folklore

 traditions in the field of the musical and dance arts. The voices of 

Bulgarian performers of folk songs are cosmic and mystical. The 

magic of their performance is completed with the incredible splendor

of traditional clothing.

A great shaped card which is actually the map of Bulgaria. Love 

the colourful card showing the costumes and traditions of Bulgarians.

thanks Simona for this card from the start of your Balkan adventure :D

Sent: 2 July 2014   Received: 23 July 2014   Travelled: 21 dayssh

Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops  which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it is listed No.1 among world's most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors.

 Thanks to Simona for this grand surprise from her Istanbul trip.
I really enjoyed walking through the bazaar but oddly enough
I never bought anything in here.
Sent: 2 July 2014   Received: 31 July 2014   Travelled: 29 days

Romania map

I got this Romanian map twice :D

My penpal asked if I'd like a map of Romania and of course I said yes,

unbeknownst to me , Marius also decided to send me one.

I love this lovely map card which also features the flag.

Thank you Simona and Marius for this great card :D

Received: 14 August 2014

Bucovina, Romania

Thank you Simona for this lovely black and white card!

Sent: 21 January 2014,    Received: 24 February 2014,   Travelled: 34 days

Bran Castle

An awesome card showing a knight and a castle in the background, thank you Simona!

Sent: 27 January 2013

Received: 14 February 2013

Travelled: 18 days

Brasov

Thank you Simona for this beautiful view of Brasov!

Sent: 27 January 2013
Received: 14 February 2013
Travelled: 18 days