Crete, doors and windows

Doors and windows are a popular collecting theme as far as postcards are concerned, and here we have a little of both.

Someone in Germany went on holiday to Greece and visited Crete, the largest of the Greek islands. She brought the card home and sent it to me just last week: a pleasant reminder of summer holidays and warm weather.

Colmar

I've always wished to visit the Alsace region of France and this beautiful postcard from Colmar confirms at least one reason why.  Another reason for visiting could be that Colmar is the capital of the Alsace wine region and is situated on the 170 km long wine route, la Route des Vins d'Alsace.

Colmar, along with much of Alsace, alternated between being French and German through its history. As a result, there are both French and German influences in food, drink, crafts, and even in the spoken language.

A street in Winchester

I am yet again away from home but in a way I consider Winchester (in the south of England) to be a second home.  I lived here for a good many years and it's very pleasant to be able to wander around my old haunts.  It is a very old and very attractive city with a beautiful cathedral.

Full of formative moments

"The road of life is usually bumpy but colourful and full of formative moments!"

This card has just arrived from Germany.  It's very apt.  I had a formative moment today when I received an email today which expressed a wish to continue seeing my daily postcards.  I have let things lapse, I know.  Last year wasn't the best of years - too many bumps - but now it's time I restarted with more regular postings.  I can't promise every single day, but at least more often.

Hongcun, Anhui

Hongcun is one of the two Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui, now inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.  There are only about 150 houses in the village but they date back to the 12th century and have preserved a remarkable water system which runs through every house in the whole village.  This is the second card I have received from this beautiful place.

Here, on the river's verge, I could be busy for months without changing my place, simply leaning a little more to right or left. 
- Paul Cezanne

New Orleans French Quarter

Newly arrived from the USA, this card gives a vibrant and colourful picture of the French Quarter of New Orleans.  It is sometimes known as the Vieux Carré, or the old square which was where it all started.  It was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne who was born in Quebec of French parents.

In spite of being only 3 feet, 1 metre, above sea level, it wasn't too badly affected by Hurricane Katrina.

I have a few other postcards from new Orleans, one Madame Pontalba's Buildings shows the architecture of the area, and another, a recipe for red beans and rice, mentions an earlier hurricane from 2008, Hurricane Gustav.

Toowoomba

The largest inland city in Queensland, Australia, Toowoomba is also known as the Garden City.  It seems an appropriate card to sent to me as I live in the Garden of England, Kent.  However I think it is called the Garden City because it has such a large number of parks and gardens while Kent's garden status comes from market gardening, production of fruit and vegetables.

The High Street, then and now

The first of two postcards I picked up showing the High Street, Deal, has an easily recognisable building, helpfully labelled "Bank" over the door.  This card dated from the early 1900s.  It has room for a message on the back but warns that it should be used only within the United Kingdom.

Out of interest, I went to see if I could take a photo of the same place today.  The building marked "Bank" is still a bank but the doorway is obscured by road signs and traffic lights.  The lovely William Darracott's building on the left appears to have been demolished or possibly it was damaged by the bombing that the town suffered during WWII.  The "To Let" sign on the present building is a sad reflection of many High Streets today.

A more recent card but I was able to find out that the car registration nearest the camera, EMJ 717, was issued in 1946.

At first I was struggling to identify this part of the High Street but then I spotted Marks & Spencer.  What would we do without Marks & Spencer?  They are still in the same place but again the building on the left has been demolished and replaced by a modern, dare I say, monstrosity.  This time it wasn't bombing that caused the demolition.  The Ricemans shop was burnt down in 1964 but rather than rebuilding, the proprietor, Fred Riceman, decided to move to the nearby but much larger city of Canterbury.

The white building on the right (behind the scaffolding) was once a hotel but is now an amusement arcade.  And it's not as though Deal has a super-abundance of decent hotels.

A post for Sepia Saturday.  A click on the button will take you to the Sepia Saturday blog where you can find links to all the other people taking part.

Napoli

The street known as Spaccanapoli (literally "splitting Naples") is a street that divides the old historic centre of Naples roughly in half.  Strictly speaking it is two different streets each with its own name, but it is known popularly as Straccanapoli.  Tis card seems to capture the essence of Italy for me.

Minsk, Belarus

Nemiga Street or Nyamiha Street (as it says on the card) in Minsk showing the yellow Church of Saint Peter and Paul hemmed in by what at least one person (Bezjak) describes as "monstrosities of postwar modernism".  Actually, I quite like them though it's a shame the church is dwarfed like that.

Colmar

Colmar is in the extreme east of France and has been part of various countries in its time - the Holy Roman Empire, Sweden, France, Germany.  Then France, Germany and finally France again.

Sown on the card is the Quai de la Poissonnerie, the fishmongers' quay.  It was the area where fresh fish was sold by the guild of fishmongers and fishermen.  The guild held enormous power and didn't allow fishing at night nor on holidays, nor could anyone buy fish from foreign fishermen.  Anyone else, other than women and foreigners, could fish on Fridays (only), with a net (only), and only one person per household.

The area was damaged by fire in 1709 when 50 buildings were destroyed.  More recently there has been an extensive renovation of the area.

Afternoon garden

Rather mysteriously titled "Afternoon garden", this card comes from China.  It looks so beautifully peaceful.

A typical Tuscan house

At one time everyone in the UK was wanting to live in Tuscany, in Italy.  There are significant numbers of British residents of the region.  It is the area around Florence - very beautiful with an immensely rich history.  And weather, wonderful weather.... sigh.... Food.... Wine....

Elfereth's Alley

Elfereth's Alley in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, is a "quaint street of Colonial Buildings with charming doors and windows.  Homes have been occupied for over 200 years".

Elefreth's Alley is said to be the oldest residential street in the country.  It was created when two local blacksmiths who owned the land agreed to make an alley to connect their businesses with Second Street.

Three from Minsk

The city gate

The Town Hall

All three of these have arrived recently from Minsk, the capital of Belarus.  Minsk was largely destroyed during WWII so a lot of the buildings are in the Soviet style.  These three cards, I think, give a very good idea of what the city is like.

Assisi

A beautiful street in Assisi, Italy.

Shoe shine

A glimpse of everyday life in Lisbon, in Portugal, taken in 1987 by Christian Auscher.

Selling and buying

This type of shop, buying and selling all sorts of household goods, has all but disappeared in the UK but can still be found in France, generally called a "brocante".  They are of course, steadily moving up market but not yet styling themselves as antique shops as they tend to in the UK.

The artist who created the original picture was Tavik František Šimon, a Czech artist who lived for a time in Paris. He travelled widely and visited London, the Netherlands, Spain, India, Japan and the USA, as well as France. All these places featured in his art.

300 years of Mariana

Last year was the 300th anniversary of the town of Mariana in Brazil.  It was founded in the gold rush in the state of Minas Gerais and soon became the main gold centre.  Its prosperity can still be seen in the baroque architecture of the churches and other buildings.

The card shows, on the left, the houses on Rua Dom Silverio.  The scene on the right, which is also on the stamp, shows the two churches on Praça Minas Gerais (Minas Gerais Square).  Also on the card is the Maria Fumaça locomotive, the pillory, and the jail.

Further details of the stamp can be found on Luis Kalife's blog.  I didn't realise it until now, but it was he who sent me the card and stamp.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, now hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"

Golden Lane in Prague

I was lucky enough to visit Prague in the Czech Republic almost two years ago, where I bought this card - and kept it!  It shows Golden Lane which grew up along the castle wall when the marksmen guarding the wall were given permission to build themselves tiny houses.  They have been demolished and rebuilt over the years but you can still see the wall behind them.

The name Golden Lane probably came about because there were several goldsmiths there at one time.  Franz Kafka lived there for a time, as well as a Madame de Thebes, a fortune tell who was killed at the end of WWII for apparently foretelling Hitler's death.

While we were there, we saw notices saying the Lane was to be closed the next week but I hadn't realised the significance of that.  It was closed for over a year for major works because the houses and the lane were in danger of slipping down into the moat on the other side of the wall.  The houses, which used to sell trinkets and tourist souvenirs, have been renovated and set up as museum-style exhibits, including a former marksman's house, Madame de Thebes house, a seamstress, and a goldsmith.

A report from Radio Praha.

Click on the button to visit Jocelyn's cuckootree to take part in Our Wonderful World Tuesday.