Stirling Castle, Scotland

Never posted.  It must date from around 1980.

Stirling - The Castle.

I think Stirling Castle has to have the most magnificent location of any castle I've seen.  It is visible for miles in most directions.  Most of the buildings date back to the 16th century but the castle was in existence well before that.  A great deal of Scotland's history has taken place in or around Stirling.

This postcard is published today to commemorate St Andrew's Day, St Andrew being the patron saint of Scotland.

Lindau am Harz, Germany

Postmarked Briefzentrum 37, dated 29 August 2005.

37191 Lindau am Harz
Ortsansichten von Lindau
Sights of Lindau

Lindau is in Lower Saxony in Germany.  The card doesn't say what the views are, but the most notable buildings in Lindau, according to Wikipedia, are two churches and a mashing house (Mushaus) for the brewing of beer.  What the card doesn't show, is the world renowned Max Planck institute, one of the biggest employers in the area.

Titanic memorials, Southampton

Unposted, bought originally 2006, but still available.

Titanic memorials
A few of the many places which have memorials dedicated to those who lost their lives on the S.S. Ttianic, April 15th, 1912.

At the top left, Canute Chambers which is the building which housed the White Star Line shipping company.
Top right, a memorial to the musicians who lost their lives.
Bottom right, Hollyrood Church.  This 14th Century church was destroyed during the Blitz and now houses one of the most poignant of Southampton's Titanic memorials to the firemen, stewards and crew from Southampton.
Bottom left, a memorial to the five postal workers aboard Titanic was installed in the High Street Post Office. It was forged from a spare propeller donated by shipbuilder Harland and Wolff.
Centre, the Engineers' Memorial, dedicated to the heroic engineering staff, unveiled on April 22nd, 1914, in front of a crowd of nearly 100,000 people, a real indication of the loss felt by the city.

Surreal Dutch landscape

Postmarked Nieuwegein, dated 9 June 2006.

As the writer of the card says, both a cow and sand dunes are frequently seen in the Netherlands, you are unlikely to see both together like this.  But it makes for an attractive card.

A Dutch landscape

Postmarked Zwolle, dated 26 August 2008.

This card shows a typical Dutch landscape with flat countryside, green fields, a windmill, and a barge in a canal.  Although it may seem almost too typical to be true, I can say that it's exactly what you would see if you were on holiday by boat on a canal.  I can recommend a boating holiday in the Netherlands - a very peaceful way to see the countryside, and you see far more than you would by rushing past in a car.

Seven Bridges, Amsterdam

Postmarked Amsterdam and dated 6 August 1976.

Amsterdam
De zeven bruggen
The seven bridges
Die sieben Brücken

Although there aren't seven bridges in the picture, I think this must be the place where you can see seven bridges at the same time.  It doesn't seem such a great feat in Amsterdam.  If you take a canal trip, there is a point at which you can see the bridges, framed one within the other.

This is a shot of that place I took in 2007.  You will have to believe me that at full size you can just about make out the seven bridges.

Seven bridges, because of course, one is never enough when you're in a hurry to get to the other side.

Bangkok, Thailand

Postmark illegible, dated 31 June 1986.

Like architectural 'trademarks' of the nation, the spires and gables of Thai Buddhist monastries are so distinctive, and are found in most every village across the nation.  Here is famous Wat Po, Bangkok.


Wat Po, also known as Wat Pho and Wat Phra Chetuphon, is one of the oldest and largest in Bangkok.  It is home to more than 1000 Buddha images and one of the largest: the Reclining Buddha.

Deal, England

Unposted.

Deal: The beach and Seafront.

Deal is a small fishing town on the Kent coast.  Now a quiet seaside resort, it was once the busiest port in England.  In 1278 it was made one of the "limbs" of the Cinque Ports: five ports, two towns and seven "limbs" making up a confederation for the defence of the area.  Deal is approximatel 25 miles from the coast of France.  It is mentioned in Dickens' novel, Bleak House and Jane Austen's Persuasion.

Gallup, New Mexico, USA

Postmarked Gallup, dated 15 November 2008.

The card depicts the neon sign designed by Route 66 author Jerry McClanahan which sits over the Chamber of Commerce entrance in Gallup.

Gallup, the "Indian capital of the World" lies in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, in a region called The Four Corners, so-called because you can be in four states at the same time: Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Gallup is the largest Indian centre in the South west and the ceremonial capital of Native America.  There are many Native American people in the Gallup/Four Corners region, the most numerous being the Navajo.  The historic Route 66 (Interstate 40) runs though Gallup. It is the main area for trading posts and galleries of Indian arts and crafts.

Benbulben, Ireland

The postmark and date are so blurred they are unreadable, but the address and message imply a date of 2004.

Benbulben, Co. Sligo: The coastal plain of north Sligo is dotted with trim thatched cottages, behind which rise the flat-topped limestone hills.  Best known of these hills is Benbulben.  This mountain is famed in legend as the place where Diarmuid, hero of the epic love tale "The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne", was killed when taking part in a boar hunt on the slopes of the mountain.

W.B. Yeats wrote a poem called Under Ben Bulben, and the area is known as Yeats country.  The mountain is host to a unique variety of plants, some found nowhere else in Ireland.

Nordkapp, Norway

Postmarked Nordkapp, dated 25 June 1984.

Nordkapp
71º 10' 21"
Norge

Nordkapp is best known for its 397 metre high cliff which is referred to as the northernmost point in Europe.  In fact a nearby point is further north but is accessible only by foot.  The North Cape first became famous when the English explorer Richard Chancellor rounded it in 1553 while attempting to find a sea route through the Northeast Passage.

I add that last piece of information about Chancellor, because at one time I attended a school in England that had four houses, all named after famous seafarers, and one of them was Chancellor.  I never had any idea at the time what the names meant.  The others were Frobisher, Grenville and Gilbert.  I must look them up.

Versailles - the Hall of Mirrors, France

Postmarked Sceaux, dated 2 August 1964.

Palais de Versailles
Galerie des Galces, créée en 1680 par Mansard et Le Brun,
75 m de long sur 10,50 de large.
Gallery of Mirrors, created in 1680 by Manserd and Le Brun.
82 yards on 11 yards 50.

The Palace of Versailles, a magical place, a place to take your breath away when you first see it.  Once I lived not very far away, I saw it frequently and it continued to take my breath away.  It still does.

The Hall of Mirrors in the State Apartments is possibly the most well known feature of Versailles though not my own personal favourite (I love the gardens but I'll save that for another day).  It is considered to be most beautiful because of the reflections of the mirrors opposite the windows.  The Treaty of Versailles which officially ended World War I was signed in the room.

If you want a real treat, visit the Versailles website.  It is wonderful although the navigation is a little erratic.                                                                               

Sibelius Monument, Finland

Although it is stamped and has been through the postal system, it has escaped being postmarked altogether.   It is dated 1 November 2008.

Helsinki Suomi - Finland
Sibelius Monument (Eila Hiltunen, 1967)

This monument caused some controversy when it was unveiled in 1967 because of its abstract nature, and for this reason the face of Sibelius was included.  The main part is made up of more than 600 hollow tubes and weighs 24 tons.  It is one of the most visited sites in Helsinki and according to the sender of the card the "place is always crowded by tourists".  I can see why - I think it is outstandingly beautiful.  There is a smaller version in Paris at the UNESCO headquarters.

Horseshoe Falls, Niagara, Canada

Bought in 1994 when visiting Canada.  Never posted.

Niagara Falls

A whirlpool of mist and water surround the Maid of the Mist as it tours through the turbulent waters.

I'm sure Niagara Falls need no introduction - massive waterfalls on the border of Canada and the USA.  Not only are they beautiful, but they are a source of hydro-electric power.  The Maid of the Mist is a boat tour of the Falls.

Bleak House, England

Never posted, and undated.

Bleak House, originally called Fort House, is one of the most prominent buildings in Broadstairs, Kent.  Charles Dickens stayed in Broadstairs for his summer holidays and wrote much of David Copperfield in Bleak House.

Tower Bridge, London

The postmark is partially obscured, but the date was 13 November 2004.

Tower Bridge, London.

This must be one of the famous bridges in the world.  It seems to me to be instantly recognisable, but I've heard that said about other bridges that I didn't know - to my embarrassment.

The bridge took eight years to build and was finished in 1894.  It's made up of three sections: the outer two sections are suspension and the central section is called a bascule type, opening up to allow river traffic through.  It is an interesting engineering feat.  The whole process of opening it, allowing a ship through, then closing it again to allow traffic to pass, takes only 5 minutes.  As a result, pedestrians rarely used the high walkways to cross.

Marmaris

Posted in England, postmarked Sherborne, Dorset, and dated 19 August 1987.

Marmaris - Turkey

Marmaris is known mainly as a tourist resort on the Mediterranean in south west Turkey. Its population expands from 18,000 to something in the region of 300,000 during the summer. It does however have a history dating back to the 6th century.

A news item showing a fire on the hillside in Marmaris, kindly provided by Experiments in Cyberspace.

Reims, France

This was sent in an envelope so there is no potmark, but it is dated 29 June 1993.

La Champagne
51100 Reims (Marne)
La Cathédrale (XIIIe siècle)
1. L'Ange au Sourire (the smiling angel)
2. La Vierge du trumeau (the pillar virgin)
3. Vue générale de la cathédrale (general view)

Reims, or often spelt Rheims in English, is in the centre of the Champagne region and people visit as much for the champagne as anything else.  But the cathedral is stunning, another of those that make you just stand and stare.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,

The cathedral was built in the 13th century but there had been a church and an earlier cathedral on the site from the 5th century.  Inside there is some magnificent stained glass, two rose windows at the west end, and some modern glass by Chagall.

First World War

As it is Armistice Day, the day that peace was finally declared on the Western Front in World War I, I thought I would show a card from war time.  Although it has no postmark, from looking at similar cards, this must date from approximately 1915.  The Great War, the war that was supposed to end all wars.

Casares, Spain

Postmarked Estepona, dated 24 May 1977.

2.002 - Casares
General view

The large village or small town of Casares is 2000 years old.  It is one of the white-washed villages of Andalucia, with the buildings looking like sugar-cubes perched on top of each other.

I sent this card to my father while I was with my husband on a business trip there.  I fondly imagined nobody would notice that I was pregnant and couldn't understand why people kept asking me if I was all right.  Four months later my second son was born. 

Bibury, England

Postmarked Bath, dated 14 october 1998

Arlington Row, Bibury
The 17th century cottages known as Arlington Row are now in the care of the National Trust.  They face on to Rack Isle, now a swampy bird sanctuary, but one the place where the weavers from the cottages dried their cloth.

The row, with steeply pitched roofs and honey coloured stone, was originally built in 1380 as a wool store and then later converted into weavers' cottages.  William Morris described the village as "the most beautiful in England".

Gasparilla Island, Florida

Postmarked Tampa, dated 21 March 1980.  It arrived on 8 April with excess postage due.  Strange the things that stick in the mind - I can remember my father being furious at having to pay.

Aerial view of Gasparilla Island on the Gulf of Mexico, showing Port Boca Grande in the foreground.

Gasparilla Island is one of several along the Florida Coast.  It is considered to be one of the most beautiful.  Gasparilla Island State Park is at the southern end of the island.  The story that the island is named after a pirate is unlikely to be true.  It is more probable that it is named after a Spanish missionary.

Lincoln Cathedral, England

Never posted.  It was probably bought when we lived nearby, in the early 60s.

Lincoln Cathedral was rebuilt twice.  It was first completed in 1092, but subsequently destroyed by fire, rebuilt and destroyed by an earthquake.  Between 1300 and 1549 it was the tallest buiding in the world, but the central spire collapsed and was not rebuilt.  It is the third largest cathedral in England (St Paul's and York Minster are larger) and in my view one of the most beautiful.

Another of its claims to fame is that it was used in the filming of the Da Vinci code, as was Winchester Cathedral.

Honfleur, France

Never posted, bought by me in 2005 on a bitterly cold and windy day.

143-1 En Normandie
Honfleur (Calvados)
Le Vieux Port
Quai Sainte-Catherine (XVIIe s.)

Honfleur, dating back to the 11th century, lies on the north east coast of France on the southern bank of the Seine estuary.  It is best known for its very picturesque old fishing port at the heart of the town.  St Catherine's church, after which the quay is named, is the largest timber built church in France.  An expedition from Honfleur in 1608 led to the founding of Québec in Canada.

Signs

Postmarked North Texas MPC, dated 9 July 2004.

I think the card speaks for itself.  It fascinates me though, because all but one sign is self-explanatory, to me at least.  However the sign at the lower right corner (I hesitate to use the word bottom you notice) means nothing whatsoever.  If it weren't for the other signs, I wouldn't have a clue what it meant, and even now I couldn't say which symbol is intended for men and which for women.  I'm assuming the circle and triangle represent male and female or vice versa.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Ferrycarrig, Ireland

Postmarked Dun Ard and dated 9 November 1981.

Norman Castle, River Slaney, Ferrycarrig, Wexford:
Ferrycarrig, less than 3 miles from Wexford town, is situated on one of the most beautiful parts of River Slaney.  Here the river, wide and calm, suddenly narrowns into a channel between steep wooded slopes and ivy-clad cliffs.  High on a rocky spur, above the bridge which crosses the river, is a massive tower castle built to guard this important river crossing.  The castle was built by Robert Fitzstephen about 1169 AD.

One of the earliest Norman castles to be built in the country and the first Norman stronghold in Ireland.  The  excavations indicate extensive occupation during the 13th century. Nowadays the Irish National Heritage Park, which reconstructs the past of Ireland up to the Norman Conquest in 1169, is situated in Ferrycarrig.

Nashville, USA

Postmarked Nashville, dated 11 September 2008.

Music Row
Nashville, Tennessee
From this bird's-eye view, one can see the centre of Nashville's music business.  The majority of the major record labels and management offices are located onn Music Row and Music Square.

"Home of country music and Grand Ole Opry" according to the writer of the card.  Grand Ole Opry is the oldest continuous radio station in the USA, having started in 1925.

Hampi, India

Postmarked London, though with Indian stamps. Dated 31 December 1980.

Rock charriot - Humpi (Karnataka)
[The spellings are not mine but copied from the back of the card]

Hampi was once the capital city of the Vijayanagara empire which covered several states. It was laid waste by invading Moghuls. The ruins of Hampi of the 14th Century lie scattered in about 26 sq. km area. It is now a World Heritage Site.

This is another of the postcards sent to my father by a merchant seaman. I find the messages interesting:

Once again on my travels, round India - Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Chittagong. Should be back in England by the end of February if all goes well. The weather is very hot now. On the way to Madras we hit the tail end of a cyclone. A bit rough. Christmas will be quiet, still I hope it's the last one deep sea for me.

Bombay, Madras and Calcutta have all since changed names to Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata respectively.

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Broughton-in-Furness, England

The postmark is illegible.  The date 3 September 2005.

Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria
Quiet old market town, population under 500, built mainly 18th and 19th C. An excellent base for exploring the beautiful Duddon Valley, 'Woodlands' and nearby Fells.
Pictures are the Old Town Hall, now a Tourist Information Centre and the old stocks (used for holding delinquents/vagabonds by the ankles, often to be pelted by locals with soft fruit and eggs).
PP587

The history of the town dates back to the 11th century with the oldest building thought to be the church.  Every year on 1 August, the town's charter to hold a fair, first granted in Elizabethan times, is read out in the town square.