Holland

Holland is a name in common usage given to a region in the western part of the Netherlands. The term Holland is also frequently used as a pars pro toto to refer to the whole of the Netherlands. This usage is generally accepted but disliked by many Dutch people in the other parts of the Netherlands.

Nederland

Nederland is the Dutch name for the Netherlands and the short name for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is also the name of several villages:

Nederland, Overijssel, in Steenwijkerland, Netherlands

Nederland, Colorado, United States

Nederland, Texas, United States

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven (天坛/天壇) is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism.

The Chinese Wall

The Chinese Wall is a thousand-foot-thick rib of raw rock curving northward from 8,396 foot Haystack Mountain for approx.10 miles. 

This awesome monolith is the largest and most dramatic of several such formations which scrape the skyline of Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, and contiguous Great Bear and Scapegoat Wildernesses. 

Windermere, UK

Balloon over Windermere, from Gill Head.

Windermere is surrounded by sand bottom lakes. 

Lake Butler (the largest) is on the west, Lake Down on the east, and Lake Bessie on the southeast. By means of a system of canals, Butler, Down and six other lakes are connected to form what is known as the Butler Chain.

Taal Volcano

Is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philipines,found between the towns of Talisay and San Nicolas, Batangas.

The volcano has a lake inside its crater.

Something to enlighten your days

Qutang Gorge

In the Qutang GOrge, the river guides will awe you the mystery of Bellow Gorge, the history of the Whitewashed Wall and the cultural legacy of the WHite Emperor City. Though short in distance, the Qutang Gorge is grand in landscape.

Caishi Rock

Caishi Rock (采石磯), a famous ancient battlefield lying to the southwest of the city, is regarded as the best of three rocks that project over the Yangtze River.

The Tempest

 The tempest directed by Chris Spring.

Costumes designed by Joaane Greenwood.

Handelskade, Willemstad, Curaçao

Despite being nearly four hundred years old (Willemstad was founded in 1634), the city is remarkably well preserved and boasts some of the best Dutch colonial architecture in the world. The Handelskade, which follows the narrow patch of land on the Punda side of St. Anna Bay, was once the main commercial street in Willemstad, as merchant vessels could effectively come right up to the store fronts. However, the Penha department store (the yellow building at the far right, which dates from 1708) is still located along the Handelskade.

The historic area of Willemstad, including Punda and Otrabanda, was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, as it "is a European colonial ensemble in the Caribbean of outstanding value and integrity, which illustrates the organic growth of a multicultural community over three centuries and preserves to a high degree significant elements of the many strands that came together to create it."

Black & White

Look at those gorgeous emborsed stamps ....

City Maps of Olde England

Chester

Established on the River Dee by the Romans (note the Roman coins depicted on the map), Chester is known for its medieval walls, whose parapets form a continuous promenade almost two miles long. Formerly a port, the town, as Speed notes, "hath been accounted the key into Ireland". But by Speed's lifetime the Dee estuary was filling with silt, which helped spur the growth of nearby Liverpool into a major port.

Thank you to Serene to send me this postcard !!

Floating Market Thailand

Damnernsaduak Floating Market, Rajburi Province, Thailand.

Damnernsaduak is believed to be one of a well-known and an attractuve travelling sites. Historically, Damnoenssaduak was actually the name of the canal dug in the reign of King Rama IV by the military men and the people of Rajburi, Samutsakorn and Samutsongkram Province directed by Phayasrisuriyawong, the minister of Defence.

Holland



Thank you to Danielle for her second card to me even the first card was loss during transit.

One Pilla Pagoda

The One Pillar Pagoda (Vietnamese:Chùa Một Cột, formally Diên Hựu tự , which litterally means “long lasting happiness and good luck”) is a historic Buddhist temple in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

The unique pagoda is located in the western part of the city, near Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Ong Ich Khiem St., Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

According to legend, ageing Emperor Ly Thai To of the Ly dynasty, who had no children, used to go to pagodas to pray to Buddha for a son. One night, he dreamt that he was granted a private audience to the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who was seated on a great lotus flower in a square-shaped lotus pond on the western side of Thang Long Citadel, gave the King a baby boy. Months later, when the Queen gave birth to a male child, the Emperor ordered the construction of a pagoda supported by only one pillar to resemble the lotus seat of his dream in the honour of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. According to a theory, the pagoda was built in a style of a lotus emerging out of the water.

Istra, Croatia

Istria (Croatian, Slovene: Istra), formerly Histria (Latin), is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner. It is shared by three countries: Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy.

Natalia bought this postcard from her vacation in Croatia.

Yaremche Waterfall

Waterfalls of Ivano-Frankivsk region:

Yaremche: waterfall on the river Prut (at the foot of Hoverla Mountain), waterfall on the river Bahrivets; "Probiy" (height - over 8 meters, Yaremche) on the river Prut, "Huk" on the river Zhene

Royal Castle Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein Castle, royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany, the most famous of three royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria, sometimes referred to as Mad King Ludwig, who grew up nearby at Hohenschwangau Castle.

The entire facade of the castle was covered with slabs of limestone. This material was found in Alterschrofen near Swan Lake (Swansee). The supporting walls were built of brick

Icons of London

Those are iconic labels of London.
Never obsolete with time

Tam Cốc

The Tam Coc (“three caves”) portion is a three-hour excursion by small boat along the Ngo Dong river, beginning at the village of Van Lam and proceeding through a scenic landscape dominated by rice fields and karst towers. The route includes floating through three natural caves (Hang Ca, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba), the largest of which is 125m long with its ceiling about 2m high above the water. The boats are typically rowed by one or two local women who also sell embroidered goods.

Oregon's Lighthouse

There are eleven lighthouses standing strong along the Oregon coast. Many of these have been restored, and offer a look back into Oregon's past. Two of them, Cleft of the Rock Lighthouse and Pelican Bay Lighthouse, were created by lighthouse enthusiasts.

Clockwise from top left : Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, Yaguina Bay Lighthouse, Cape Arago lighthouse, Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Coquille River Lighthouse, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Lightship Columbia, Cape Meares Lughthouse, Cape Blance Lighthouse, and Umpqua River Lighthouse.

Himeji Castle, Japan

Himeji Castle, also called Shirasagijo (White Heron Castle) due to its white outer walls, is the best preserved castle in all of Japan.The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 buildings with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period.

Lapins / Rabbits

hooray ...my first nouvellesimages postcard !!

Thank you to Mike from Netherland sent me the postcard and the awesome stamps.

Rabbits (or, colloquially, bunnies) are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are eight different genera in the family classified as rabbits

Taman Ayun Temple, Bali

Taman Ayun Temple is a Royal Temple of Mengwi Empire and it is located in Mengwi Village, Mengwi sub district, Badung regency and about 18 Km north side of Denpasar town. It is strategically located beside of major roadway between Denpasar to Singaraja. It is set on the land which is surrounded by the big fish pond and look like a drift on the water. It owns the beautiful temple building with multistoried roof and Balinese Architecture. 

Českolipsko, Czech Republic

The Českolipsko Region consists of the following tourist districts: Mácha´s region and its subregions–Českolipsko,Mácha’s region, Ralsko and Kokořínsko, České středohoří region, region of Lužické

Mountains, Ještěd Ridge and Podještědí. 

The area is known for its attractive natural resources potential – three protected landscape areas and several magnificent rock formations. Furthermore, there are many cultural and historical structures, church landmarks, a significant concentration of traditional architecture, two approved natural landscape zones as well as strong tradition of glassmaking and a first-rate network of cycling and tourist tracks.

Bunny Angel

Conserve Malaysia's built heritage (7)

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, Penang

Winner of the UNESCO Conservation Award 2000 and the National Architecture Award for conservation 1995, this once extremely dilapidated mansion was restored in the mid-1990s to the highest standards. It now dazzles visitors with indigo-blue walls, and incorporates 38 rooms, 5 courtyards, 7 staircases and 220 windows.

Conserve Malaysia's built heritage (6)

Kampung Cina, Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Nov' 2001, 3km away from the town, was the first Chinese settlement in Kota Bharu. The buildings demolished included a Kapitan Cina's residence and a 100 year old Chinese temple. The traditional Malay style buildings, art deco and colonial period structures gave this riverside site its distinctive character.

Conserve Malaysia's built heritage (4)

Kampung Cina, Kuala Terengganu

The rich cultural and economic traditions of this historic district in Kuala Terengganu which can trace its origins to at least the latter part of the 17th century, is threatened by rapid urban redevelopment and unimaginative planning.

Conserve Malaysia's built heritage (3)

Rumah Penghulu Abu Seman, Kampung Sungai Kecil, Kedah and Kuala Lumpur

This ensemble of buildings (built 1920s - 1930s), was dismantled, moved to its present location at No.2 Jalan Stonor, Kuala Lumpur where it was restored between 1996-97. The project received an Honourable Mention in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage 2000 Awards for Cultural Conservation.

Conserve Malaysia's built heritage (Kuantan, Pahang)

The postcard shows Tjantek Art Bistro, Kuantan, Pahang.


As refer to Malaysia Map below, Pahang is marked in orange which is the biggest state in Peninsular Malaysia.

Photo credit : Malaysia Budget Hotel 


Tjantek Art Bistro Cafe is one of example of a 1928 pre-war shophouse adapted to new use.
WIth minimal intervention to the old building, the charming old shophouse able to offer and present to the world the mixture of traditional and modern.