Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Macau - The Cathedrail (The Bishop's Cathedral)

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Build in year 1622 with solid brick. The main altar background is decorated with stained glass. Under the altar is where the relics of bishops and saints during 16th to 17th centuries are housed.

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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Kaffeehauser in Wien

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It is completely normal for a customer to linger alone for hours and study the omnipresent newspaper. Along with coffee, the waiter will serve an obligatory glass of cold tap water and during a long stay will often bring additional water unrequested, with the idea being that you are a guest who should feel welcomed and not pressured to leave for another patron.

I received this postcard from Marcie.
What's the great moment in coffee house is sipping the coffee while writing on the postcards.

Some well known coffee house shown in the postcard
(i) Cafe Konditorei Demel
(ii) Cafe Hawelka
(iii) Cafe Eiles
(iv) Cafe Central
(v) Cafe Landtmann


Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Ruins of St Paul's ~ Macau

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Refer to the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640, and the ruins of St Paul's College, destroyed by fire in 1835. Since then the remaining facade and the front steps became the World's famous ruins.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Miskolc

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My first postcard from Hungary !!


Miskolc (Slovak: Miškovec, Polish: Miszkolc) is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 180,000 (2001) Miskolc is the third-largest city of Hungary (behind Budapest and Debrecen; second-largest with agglomeration.) It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.

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Monday, May 17, 2010

Praha

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Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Nicknames for Prague have included Praga mater urbium/Praha matka měst ("Prague – Mother of Cities") in Latin/Czech, Stověžatá Praha ("City of a Hundred Spires") in Czech or Zlaté město/Goldene Stadt ("Golden City") in Czech/German.

Situated on the Vltava River in central Bohemia, Prague has been the political, cultural and economic centre of the Czech state for more than 1100 years. For many decades during the Gothic and Renaissance eras, Prague was the permanent seat of two Holy Roman Emperors and thus was also the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Mendenhall Glacier

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Summer scenic view of Menmdenhall Glacier with fireweed, Juneau Alaska.

Mendenhall Glacier is a glacier about 12 miles (19 km) long located in Mendenhall Valley, about 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska.

Originally known as Sitaantaagu ("the Glacier Behind the Town") or Aak'wtaaksit ("the Glacier Behind the Little Lake") by the Tlingits, the glacier was named Auke (Auk) Glacier by naturalist John Muir for the Tlingit Auk Kwaan (or Aak'w Kwaan) band 1888. In 1899 it was renamed in honor of Thomas Corwin Mendenhall. It extends from the Juneau Icefield, its source, to Mendenhall Lake and ultimately the Mendenhall River.

The Juneau Icefield Research Program has monitored the outlet glaciers of the Juneau Icefield since 1942 , including Mendenhall Glacier. From 1951–1958 the terminus of the glacier, which flows into suburban Juneau, has retreated 1,900 feet (580 m). The glacier has also receded 1.75 miles (2.82 km) since 1958, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. The end of the glacier currently has limited crevasse a negative glacier mass balance and will continue to retreat in the foreseeable future.

Given that average yearly temperatures are currently increasing, and the outlook is for this trend to continue, it is actually possible that the glacier might experience a period of stabilization or slight advance during its retreating march. This is because increasing amounts of warm, moist air will be carried up to the head of the icefield, where colder ambient temperatures will cause it to precipitate as snow. The increased amount of snow will feed the icefield, possibly enough to offset the continually increasing melting experienced at the glacier's terminus. However, this interesting phenomenon will fade away if temperatures continue to climb, since the head of the glacier will no longer have cold enough ambient temperatures to cause snow to precipitate.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Golden Gate Bridge, Sans Francisco

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Late afternoon sun casts a deep red glow on the towers of the bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed during the year 1937. It still has the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Bahrain

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The Old Khamis Mosque
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Built in the 8th century, the Al Khamis Mosque is the oldest mosque in Bahrain and is believed to have been constructed by the Ummayed Caliph Omar Bin Abdul Aziz.

The recently restored twin minarets were added later, the first in the 11th century and the second sometime during the 16th century. The Mosque serves as a fine example of early Islamic architecture.


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Tree of Life ~ The oldset solitary tree

Read more about 400 years old Tree of Life here.



Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Warrior

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Happy Family ~ From an original painting by Ramsay Ong

Ramsay Ong Liang Thong was born in Kuching, Sarawak in 1943 to renowned agriculturalist Ong Kee Chong and his wife Wee Phek Khiok. The great-great grandson of prominent Sarawak Chinese chieftain or Kapitan Cina Ong Tiang Swee, Ramsay is the fifth generation Sarawak born member of the Ong clan. His unique creations are included in the collections of numerous museums, art galleries, private and public institutions, homes of dignitaries, art collectors and appreciators worldwide.


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The Warrior ~ From an original drawing by Narong Daun

Narong Daun has been a resident artist with ARTrageously Ramsay Ong – The Art Gallery in Kuching, Sarawak since June 2000. Narong continues to be inspired by Sarawak’s cultural diversity and the natural beauty of the rainforest. She captures this subject matter with a keen eye and steady hand, resulting in artwork that demonstrates excellent control and vitality. Her efforts mark an important and sought after contribution to art in Sarawak, Malaysia.


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Warrior Dance ~ from an original drawing by Ramsay Ong


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Orang Ulu Maiden ~ From an original drawing by Narong Daun


Sunday, May 9, 2010

Lake Norman

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Commonly referred to as the inland sea.
Lake Norman is the largest man-made lake within North Carolina.
Located within easy driving distance of Charlotte, it offers fishing, sail boating and many other water spots and activities.


Friday, May 7, 2010

Sydney Opera House, New South Wales

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The Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point, which reaches out into the harbour.
This Australian icon - the Opera House with a roof evocative of a ship at full sail - was designed by renowned Danish architect - Jorn Utzon (1918–2008).

Sydney Opera House facts and figures

* Was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon
* Was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973
* Presented, as its first performance, The Australian Opera's production of War and Peace by Prokofiev
* Cost $AU 102,000,000 to build
* Conducts 3000 events each year
* Provides guided tours to 200,000 people each year
* Has an annual audience of 2 million for its performances
* Includes 1000 rooms
* Is 185 metres long and 120 metres wide
* Has 2194 pre-cast concrete sections as its roof
* Has roof sections weighing up to 15 tons
* Has roof sections held together by 350 km of tensioned steel cable
* Has over 1 million tiles on the roof
* Uses 6225 square metres of glass and 645 kilometres of electric cable


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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The castles of Kind Edward I

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Caernarfon, Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech castles are just some of the massive fortresses built by Edward I during the 13th century. These castles, famous for their military architecture, combined palatial living quarters with highly sophisticated defensive designs.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

South Carolina Lighthouses

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The U.S. state of South Carolina has a relatively short and straight coastline facing southeast on the Atlantic Ocean, with Charleston as the principal harbor. Lighthouses survive at eight historic light stations in the state. Developers have restored two of the historic towers and also built several facsimile lighthouses. There is no statewide preservation group, and for the past decade preservation efforts have been focused on the critically endangered Morris Island Light. Several other lighthouses need attention, including Georgetown, Hunting Island, and especially Cape Romain.

All of the state's lighthouses are now in National Park Service, State of South Carolina, or private ownership. The U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate lights at only two of them, Georgetown and Sullivan's Island.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Amoskeag Great Flag

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Amoskeag Great Flag and Textile Workers of the Amoskeag Mill,
Manchester, New Hampshire, c.1916

Photograph by Harlan a.Marshall