Waterways

Waterways, I suppose, means a way of getting from one place to another by water, so I have excluded a few nice waterfalls. So here you have a mixture of canals and rivers.

Occasionally it's hard to tell one from another, though the canals in Venice are unlikely to be mistaken as rivers. They really do serve as a transportation system - even the rubbish is collected by boat.

Bridges, old and new

These first two bridges, the Pontcysyllte aqueduct (opened 1805) in north Wales and the iron bridge (opened 1781) at Ironbridge, were part of an industrial archaeology series of stamps published in 1989.  At the time, the bridge was already a UNESCO World Heritage Site, then, in 2009, the aqueduct was added to the list.

I don't know if this third bridge, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge will ever join them on the list.  Only time will tell. The stamp was part of the huge series issued to mark the Millennium, this one in June 2000.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"  As usual, click on the link to see some bridges on stamps.

Reflections

St Front Cathedral in Périgueux, France can trace its origins back as far as a church built on that site in the 4th and 5th centuries. In 976 the Abbey of St Front was built on the site of the church and it became a cathedral in 1669.  It was rebuilt in the mid 19th century and only the bell tower and crypts are left of the 12th century building.

The significance of St Front lies with the fact that it was and still is an important stopping point for pilgrims following the Routes of Santiago de Compostela (Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle) through France. These routes are recognised as of World Heritage importance by UNESCO.

So, the A to Z Challenge has come to an end.  I managed to keep ahead of the schedule though I nearly lost it when I had to be away for some days.  The intention was to kick-start my blogging which had sadly lapsed.  I hope I can keep up some of the impetus.

I found trawling through the list for blogs was very time consuming. I did have difficulty commenting on a lot of them, especially having to sign in to Disqus, Wordpress, Google+, and there were quite a few who hadn't updated though I noticed a lot were weeded out.

But, all in all, it was an enjoyable experience, though I doubt I will be repeating it.

My posts, in order of appearance
A is for Amsersfoort
B is for Biarritz and also for Bertie
C is for Czech Republic
D is for Dunes
E is for Estonia
F is for the Forth Bridge
G is for Green Giant
H is for Hollywood, Houston and Honeymoon Island
I is for Irkutsk
J is for Japan
K is for Korea
L is for Reading
M is for Mulu National Park and Malaysia
N is for Nürnberg or Nuremberg
O is for Ottawa and Ontario
P is for Potelych
Q is for the Queen
R is for Riquewihr
S is for Swiss tradition and for Silvesterkläuse
T is for Tango
U is for Ulm
V is for Vintage
W is for World
X is for Xinjiang
Y is for Yin and for Yang
Z is for Zulu

U is for Ulm

Ulm, in the south of Germany, was once a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire but much of its historic centre was destroyed during World War II.  Some of the buildings, but by no means all, have been restored.

The postcard shows the modern library with the backdrop of the Butcher's Tower (Metzgerturm) and the Danube beyond.  The tower leans by over 3 degrees.  Legend has it that it was caused by overweight butchers cowering in a corner when the angry mayor came to punish them for selling low quality meat.

O is for Ottawa and Ontario

The Rideau Canal was built in 1832 as a military communications route from Ottawa to Lake Ontario. Nowadays it is used for recreation but it remains an exceptional feat of engineering. It is the oldest canal system in North America which still functions.

This particular card shows an image of kayaks, on the canal in Ottawa, that was used as a postage stamp by Canada Post.  Others stamps were issued to show skating on the canal in winter, and Jones Falls. I don't have the Jones Falls stamp card but I do have others of that area.

The canal in its entirety was added to the UNESCO list of World heritage Sites in 2007.

A is for Amersfoort

Medieval buildings have always been fascinating for me.  I can almost feel the history they contain and I imagine what life must have been like in those days long ago.  The Koppelpoort in Amersfoort is one I'd love to visit and because it's not so very far away, maybe I will one day.

Amersfoort is a very old city in the Netherlands just over 750 years old.  The Kloppelpoort is part of the second city wall built in the 14th century when the city outgrew the original city walls.

The Kloppelpoort is both a land and water gate which was opened each morning and closed each evening.  Inside the building is a huge wooden wheel, a treadmill, which had to be turned to open or close the gate. At least twelve people had to be found to walk around it, dangerous work because when the gate was lowered the wheel accelerated.  It often resulted in broken limbs or worse.

This is my first ever attempt at A-Z blogging.  After quite a long pause, I just hope I can keep up the pace. :)

Rideau Canal at Jones Falls

Two views of the Rideau Canal at Jones Falls. The canal links the city of Ottawa to Lake Ontario at Kingston. Jones Falls are about three-quarters of the way to Kingston.

The canal is one of the 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada, with another seven on the Tentative List.

Reflections in water

I've always loved reflections in water and that is why I've chosen these two PHQ stamp cards today (yesterday now...)

The top shows the Millennium Bridge in Gateshead.  Hopefully it didn't wobble like the one in London but probably not, as I've heard nothing about it.

The second card shows, so they say, the harbour in Portsmouth.  I lived not so far away and visited from time to time.  I can't say it's instantly recognisable.

I'm still struggling on with this computer but I'm crossing my fingers that by next week I will be singing and dancing.again with no more "Aw, snap" from Chrome or, worse, the blue screen of death.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, in its new home at See it on a Postcard!

Kinderdijk

One of the very well known and easily recognisable UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Netherlands.  I was lucky enough to travel along the canal a long time ago.  At that time I didn't realise its significance but I do remember remarking on the number of windmills along its length.

Gone fishin'

Men fishing off the extreme end of the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris, and facing the Pont des Arts in the distance.  The photo was taken  in the 1950s by Charles Ciccione (1912 - 1998).  There is now a European photography award in his name.

"Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime."  There are a few alternatives to this proverb, if proverb it is, but the one that comes to mind is, "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for the entire weekend".

Rural Pennsylvania

Cows in an idyllic setting.

White Monuments

In 1992, UNESCO added the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal to the list of Russian World Heritage Sites.  The group consists of eight different stone built medieval buildings.

The card at the top shows the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl.  It was built in 1165 and has had very little changed over the years.  In winter the river rises and floods which makes it look as though the church is floating on the water.

The second card shows the Cathedrals of the Assumption (or Dormition) and St Demetrius.  These too were built in the 12th century.  The Dormition Cathedral is on the left in this picture.

The city of Vladimir is in the background.  The city is considered to have been founded in 1108 although the area has been inhabited for 25,000 years.

Hämeenlinna

Illustrations of various places in Hämeenlinna by the artist Marjaliisa Pitkäranta from Finland.

The fish market in Hamburg

The traditional fish market in Hamburg is held early every Sunday morning beside the Elbe river in the old town of Altona, west of Hamburg.  You can buy not only fish, but practically anything that can be bought and sold.

Hamburg, on the north coast, is the second largest city in Germany and the second largest port in Europe.

The card not only shows the market but has the added bonus of a map!

Bordeaux, Port of the Moon

Bordeaux in France, known as the Port of the Moon because of its crescent shaped layout, has been in existence for over two thousand year.  The crescent shape comes about because it lies on a bend in the River Garonne.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the importance of its port, its beautiful architecture, its importance as capital of an enormous wine producing area, and because over all the years it has become a cultural melting-pot where people from all sorts of religions, nationalities came together and exchanged ideas.

The Shinmachi Bridge, Hodogaya

Apart from being very attractive, the card and stamp have stories to tell.

The card shows Shinmachi Bridge in Hodogaya as a woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige from Japan.  It is number five of a series about the 53 Stations of the Tokaido, one of the five major roads in Japan in Utagawa Hiroshige's day.  The "stations" refers to places along the road which provided shelter for travellers.

Hiroshige travelled the length of the Tokaido in 1832 and produced 55 prints, one for each station and one each for departure (from Edo) and arrival (at Kyoto).   So, while this print is 5th in the series, it pictures the 4th station.

The picture shows some travellers crossing the bridge to a village where, according to Wikipedia, some waitresses are beckoning the travellers to enter the restaurant there.

The stamp shows a Japanese playing card for a game called Hyakunin isshu, popularly played over New Year.  I don't begin to understand it.

Matsue in winter

We are having terrible weather here in the UK: heavy rain causing floods with severe winds only making the problems worse with power cuts and tidal surges.  The saving grace is that it isn't cold so there hasn't been a great deal of snow anywhere.

That may change of course and we may yet see scenes like this one from Japan, though they are unlikely to be so picturesque.  Matsue is a city in the province of Izumo, towards the south of Japan.  A dance called Sada Shin Noh originates in the Shinto shrine of Sada Jinja in Matsue.  The dance has been inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Games - Olympic and others

During 2012 (I nearly said last year) when the Olympics were in London I had more commemorative cards and stamps than I knew what to do with, so of course I sent them to people who showed an interest in the Games.  As a result I have very little to show of that time but I did receive a lovely card of the Rocky Mountain National Park with a Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games stamp.

All that I have from 2012 are these "left overs", for first class domestic mail and worldwide up to 20g.

I'm including a commemorative card and stamp mini-sheet from the 2013 University Games held in Kazan in Russia because I was so delighted to receive them very recently.

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

Algeria

Two beautiful cards came unexpectedly from Algeria this week.  The first shows dancers in traditional costume.  Women often wear this traditional dress, the karakou, at weddings.

The second shows El Kantara, a strategic point for the Romans at the entrance to the Sahara.  There is an old Roman bridge over the river.  It is one of the best known sites in Algeria.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted on Beth Niquette's blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy.

Ottawa from various angles

I've chosen Canadian postcards and stamps for this week as my theme because in a day or so I will be there visiting family in its broadest sense.  In-laws of in-laws in some cases.  Ottawa is where I'll be based, though with a few side trips I believe.

The first set of stamps illustrates games of Canadian invention.  I'm familiar with basketball and lacrosse, but ringette is a new one on me.  There was a fourth stamp in the series issued in 2009, illustrating five pin bowling.

The second set is a series showing beneficial insects, issued by Canada Post in 2007.

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

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