Buckfast Abbey

Postmarked South Devon, dated 30 June 1976.
383 Buckfast Abbey.
Buckfast Abbey has had a long history. It was founded in 1018 and in 1174 became a Cistercian abbey when it was rebuilt in stone. During the Reformation when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, the monks were forced to leave and the abbey looted.

It was left in ruins for 200 years but restored by Benedictine monks from France who arrived in 1882.
The community is self-supporting. Their most well-known products are Buckfast Tonic Wine, and, less controversially, honey from their bees. They also have pigs and cattle on the farm and grow vegetables.

Langkawi Island

Postmarked Komplex Lada, Langkawi, dated 28 Mac 2006
That's not a typo, it is 28 Mac. I don't know what that is - March?
Langkawi Island of Legends
1. Sunset at Kuah Bay
2. Monkey in the rainforest
3. Pantal Tengah beach
4. Traditional village house
5. The rice harvest.
Lankawi Island is the main island of the Langkawi group of 99 islands. It lies near the border of Malaysia and Thailand.


In 2007 it was declared a World Geopark by UNESCO.

Domaine de la Croze

Never posted. Bought 2007 while visiting the area.

Gorges du Tarn.
Domaine de la Croze.

Domaine de la Croze (link in French) is small hamlet built in stone, with roofs of flat limestone tiles called lauzes. It is on the opposite side of the river from the road and can be accessed only by boat. The 14 or so houses are typical of the local architecture.

The Gorges du Tarn is a wonderful sight, the route followed by the Tarn river through the Grands Causses. The area is well worth a visit, but preferably not July or August when it is full of tourists. I have been a number of times and never tire of it.

Castle Street, Dover

The first card is postmarked Folkestone and sent on 10 September 1976. The second was never posted but could date from much the same time, judging from the registration visible on one car (examined with a magnifying glass!).
It's interesting though, how similar the two views are once you allow for the fashions and the few cars is the reproduction of one dating from 1930. It looks as though the view of Dover Castle has been protected. I'd love to see a modern one to see if it's still the same.

Apadana Palace

Never posted. This was sent to me inside a book from Iran, about four or five years ago.
Persepolis
Stone relief on the stairway of Apadana Palace
Achaemenian Period.
Persepolis is a UNESCO World heritage site. It dates from about 515 BC.

Normandy landings

Never posted. I bought this myself a week ago.

Circuit des plages du débarquement en Normandie, 6 juin 1944.

La Bataille de Normandie

A. Les "Têtes de Plages" le 6 juin 1944
B. Coupure du Cotentin et prise de Cherbourg
C. Bataille de l'Odon et prise de Caen
D. Bataille de St Lo
E. La percée "opération Cobra"
F. La poussée au sud de Caen
G. La bataille de la poche Falaise-Mortain.

Normandy landing beaches, the Battle of Normandy

A. Beach heads on 6 June 1944
B. The cutting-off of the Cotentin peninsula and capture of Cherbourg
C. Battle of the Odon and capture of Caen
D. Battle of St Lo
E. Break through (operation COBRA)
F. The southern advance
G. The battle of the Falaise pocket (the area between the four towns near Falaise)

It seems today is Memorial Day in the USA, the equivalent of Remembrance Day in the UK and France, both on 11 November, when we remember those soldiers who have given their lives for their countries.

Leeds, England

Postmarked Leeds, and dated 11 August 2005.

Temple Newsam Gardens, Leeds.

Leeds, once part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, may not be the most exotic location, but this was one of the first Postcrossing cards I ever received, so it's precious to me! It's numbered GB-61. Since then there have been over 31,000 sent.

Blue Mosque

Postmarked Taksim (Istanbul) and dated 3 August 1983.
The Blue Mosque
Istanbul - Turkey.
The Blue Mosque, also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Istanbul. It is decorated inside with more than 20,000 handmade tiles. Construction was started in 1609.  The historic areas of Istanbul are UNESCO listed as a World Heritage Site.

Wall Street

Postmarked Texas, and dated 17 July 1980.

Wall Street. View of the world renowned financial district, Wall Street. At the right is the Federal Hall Memorial Museum, at the left is the New York Stock Exchange, and looking down Wall Street is Trinity Church.

Wall Street is probably the most well-known financial district in the world, and still looks much the same as in this postcard.

Bayonne

Postmarked Portugal, dated 1980.
Couleurs et Lumière de France
La Côte Basque
64100- Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
1 Le jardin, l'Adour et la Citadelle
2. Un aspect de la ville
3. Le cloitre et la Cathédrale
10/1042
Bayonne is a town in the extreme south west of France, near Biarritz in the Basque country. It is well known for Jambon de Bayonne, an air dried ham.

Stirling

Never posted but was bought between 1980 and 1984 while we were living nearby.
None of the pictures are identified on the card but from memory they are, start at in the top left corner and going clockwise:

1. Robert Burns statue
2. University of Stirling
3. Kings Street (?)
4. Stirling Castle
5. Entrance to Stirling Castle
6. View of the Trossachs
7. Robert the Bruce and Bannockburn
8. Thistle shopping centre

South Molle Island

Postmark illegible, dated 4 July 2005.

Aerial view of South Molle Island in the Whitsundays.

Another from the talkative teachers :)

"G'day from South Molle Island in the lovely tropical Whitsundays on the Great Barrier Reef. It is totally unspoilt here, the single storey individual cabins are hidden among coconut palms and flowering shrubs. We go to sleep to the gentle lapping of the Pacific Ocean on the fine sandy beach outside our door and are woken at 6 a.m. by shrieking sulphur-crested cockatoos and laughing kookaburras! Coconuts fall with a crash - watch out below! Wonderful colourful fish. Enormous breath-taking trees, ferns and lianas in the rain forest. We have seen kangaroos and platypuses and have held koalas and baby crocs!"

The Greyfriars, Worcester

Postmarked Worcester, dated 18 August 1978.

Greyfriars, Friar Street, Worcester.

Built in 1480, a timber framed property now owned by the National Trust.

Acireale, Sicily

Postmarked Acireale, dated 13 July 1984.

Riveira di Acireale (CT) S. Maria La Scala.

This was sent to my parents by one of the members of a large family of teachers. I can remember laughing at the postcards sent because they always had "educational" information in the message. Nothing as mundane as "Weather beautiful" for them! It may have been amusing then, but now I find it interesting.

"Sicily is an island of contrasts - calm blue sea and fiery erupting Etna, dry, dusty river beds and lush green lemon groves. This pretty harbour is a short walk away."

Sydney Opera House

Postmark illegible, dated 1984.
Sydney Opera House, New South Wales, Australia.
The peaceful sails of Sydney Opera House soar above Bennelong Point.
I can remember the fuss when the Opera House was built - an awful lot of people didn't like it. Now it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Trafalgar Square, London

Postmarked, oddly, Paris rue Ste. Anne and dated 26 May 1908.
Trafalgar Square, commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar, doesn't really look so very different 100 years later.
Reading the message on the back explained in part why the London postcard was sent from Paris to County Cork in Ireland:
"Dear Mabel, we are having a ripping time. Lovely weather. Saw Gabrielle Ray at Daly's Theatre on Sat. night. Got here about 1:30. Best love to your mother and father. Ethel"
It's so very dated - when did you last know anyone called Mabel or Ethel, or hear of anyone having a "ripping time"! Wonderful.

Esfahan, Iran

Postmarked Tehran, dated 2005.
Sent to me by my son, with the single word message "Hot". His idea of a joke because of course Esfahan is known to us as the place where nuclear activities appear to be centred.
Esfahan is Iran's third largest city and flourished from 1050 to 1722. It is famous for its Islamic architecture, with many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, and minarets. This led to the Persian proverb: "Esfahan is half of the world".
The square shown, Naghsh-e Jahan Square, has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Mont Saint Michel

Never posted although written by me to my parents, and stamped! It must have been bought in 1980.
Le Mont Saint-Michel (Manche) 13107 "Merveille de l'Occident" aux confins de la Bretagne et de la Normandie. Ilot granitique de 900 metres de périmetre. Le sommet de la fleche de l'église abbatiale est a 150 metres au-dessus du niveau de la mer.
The Mount of St Michael (Manche) 13107 "Miracle of the west" at the borders of Brittany and Normandy. A granite island 900 metres perimeter. The top of the abbey spire is 150 metres above sea level.
Mont Saint-Michel is currently celebrating its 1300 anniversary, and the causeway and car parks leading to it are being replaced by a pedestrian bridge and shuttle in order to preserve the marine and coastal environment around it.
I can vouch for it being the most wonderful sight.

China Town, Kuala Lumpur

Postmarked, as far as I can tell, Subang. Dated 17 February 1987.

GW 338 China Town - Kuala Lumpur: A typical daily scene in this stretch of Petaling street, teeming with people and cars. Come evening this busy stretch of street becomes a fairyland of lights from hundreds of stalls lining both sides of the street and in the centre. Variety of goods are displayed for a bargain.

I believe Petaling Street is now a pedestrian area so it must look very different!

Cleveland

Just for fun, a departure from my normal postings.

Image from Simplon Postcards, with permission.

The Cleveland dated 1909 on the Simplon Postcards site, was a passenger ship owned by HAPAG (now Hapag-Lloyd) Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft, or the Hamburg-America Line. It was on the New York service and after the war was ceded to the US and renamed Mobile.

Why it was renamed Mobile is not explained, nor why it was Cleveland in the first place. There is a Cleveland in north-east England (Redcar is the principal borough town in Redcar & Cleveland, once North Yorkshire), but it's much more likely that it was named for Cleveland in Ohio.

Le Cap d'Agde

Postmarked Agde, dated 8 September 1983.

16517 Le Cap d'Agde (34300 - Hérault)
Les criques, la jetée et le Fort Brescou en arrière plan.
The coves, the pier and Fort Brescou in the background.

The Cap d'Agde is the seaside resort for the town of Agde on the Mediterranen Sea. It wasn't developed until the 1970s. It is now more famous for its large nudist resort than anything else, but there are many more beaches around.

Fort Brescou was built in the 16th century on a volcanic island but it later became better known as a prison during the 18th and 19th centuries.

St Nicholas' Chapel, Carisbrooke Castle

Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight.
Interior of St Nicholas' Chapel, looking west.


Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight.
Interior of St Nicholas' Chapel, looking west.


Neither card has been posted.
St Nicholas' Chapel was built in 1904 to mark the 250th anniversary of Charles I. See also a previous post showing the castle gatehouse.

Ludgate Circus

Postmarked Chatham, dated 9 January 1907.
Ludgate Circus is the main connection between the cities of London and Westminster, and still looks very much the same today, more than 100 years later.
**Ludgatecircus.com is a fascinating look at the area. You have to type in an anti-spam style code to enter. Once there, you could easily while away a full day!** The link is no longer working, though I believe it may be re-instated so I'll leave it here for now.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong

Postmarked Hong Kong, dated 2001.

Beautiful scenery of Repulse Bay. Postcard from Hong Kong.

Sent by people who lived there before 1997 when the United Kingdom handed Hong Kong back to China.

Repulse Bay is in the southern part of Hong Kong Island. In the 19th century it was used by pirates which were repulsed by the British fleet.

Ile de Ré

Postmarked Ste Marie de Ré, dated 27 September 2001.

Ile de Ré (Charente Maritime)
Ruelle fleurie de roses trémières

The Ile de Ré is an island off the coast of France, near La Rochelle. Until 1987 the only access was by ferry, but in that year a 2 kilometre bridge was built and tourism has developed hugely. The narrow roads (ruelles) of the old parts typically have hollyhocks (roses trémières) growing along them almost wild. The houses are white with green or blue woodwork.

I wrote this postcard myself, during our first visit there. By the end of two weeks (end of September, beginning of October) I had counted car number plates from every single département in France, apart from one - south Corsica. I have never seen it in the height of summer. It must be incredibly busy then, and I believe that at times they close the bridge.

Kentish Windmills

Never posted.

Kentish windmills: Sandwich, West Kingsdown, Cranbrook, Chillenden, Meopham.

Chillenden Mill was restored, but then destroyed in the storm of November 2003. Rebuilt May-Aug 2005.

When I first think of windmills, I associate them with Holland but windmills have for a long time been a feature of the Kent countryside and became highly developed in the 19th century. In their heyday, in the 1840s, there were several thousand mills operating in Britain, predominantly concentrated in the dryer, eastern counties such as Kent, Suffolk and Norfolk. More information from the Kent county site.

Tiberias

Postmarked London, shipped by P&O from MV Vendée, dated 7 November 1983. The card was sent to my father by someone who worked on the ship.

Tiberias, Lake of Galilee and Golan Mountains at moonlight.

Tiberias is currently Israel's most popular holiday resort. It was built in approximately 20 AD and named after the Roman Emperor Tiberius.

Westminster Abbey, the Tower of Big Ben

Two cards by different publishers of the same subject from almost identical viewpoints.
The top one, by day. Never posted.
Westminster Abbey. this viewpoint shows the West Towers of Westminster Abbey with Big Ben, St Margaret's Church and Parliament Square in the background.
PLO/80664
The lower one, by night. Postmarked Reading, dated 7 July 1980.
Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square. The Abbey was mainly built by Henry III in the 13th century as a burial ground for English sovereigns. Here, the Kings and Queens of England are crowned. The Houses of Parliament contain both the House of Commons and the House of Lords which were rebuilt in 1840 by Sir Charles Barry after the fire had destroyed the original in 1834. The building incorporates "Big Ben" so named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the then Commissioner of Works.
Printed in Ireland.

St Mark's Square, Venice

Postmarked Venice, dated 2 August 1971.
Venezia
Piazza S. Marco con aqua alta
St. Mark Square with high tide.
The Piazza San Marco is the lowest point in Venice, so floods readily.

Redcar

Postmarked Middlesborough, Yorkshire, dated 5 July 1950.

Clock Tower and High Street, Redcar.

Redcar was at that time in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The word "riding" is of Viking origin meaning a third. The other two ridings were East Riding and West Riding.

The Clock Tower still stands today as can be seen in this photo.

Cox's Cave, Cheddar

Never posted. Bought while visiting with my in-laws who used to live in Somerset, which is where the Cheddar Gorge is.

The Mermaid and The Mummy

Cox's Cave, Cheddar

L6/SP 2898

The Gorge and caves are now part of an official Site of Special Scientific Interest. Cox's Cave is named after mill-owner George Cox who found it in 1837, after one of his workmen fell through a hole in the roof while collecting rocks for a new building.

I had to look at the card for some time before identifying (I think) the mermaid as the paler and higher formation, with the mummy orange coloured and directly beneath. I may of course be completely wrong!