0546 BRAZIL (Bahia) - "Acarajé as Sold by Baianas", a Brazilian treasure

As I said in a previous post, because today, March 8, is the International Women's Day, I will post four postcards depicting women from four continents. If the first one was from Europe (Macedonia), and the second from Africa (Morroco), the third will be from Americas.

The Brazilian Institute of National Historic and Artistic Patrimony (IPHAN) decided that among the most precious of Brazil's historic, cultural and artistic treasures, together with paintings, buildings, palaces and churches, must to stand also some immaterial treasures (15 so far), like traditional dances, country fairs, methods of making lace, musical instruments, childrens games, and... some special food items. In 2004, IPHAN chose acarajé for this list, but not only the dish itself, but also the way that it is prepared, the traditional clothing of the baianas (the women who sell it on the streets of Salvador, Bahia, mainly in the Historic Centre, named in Portuguese Pelourinho), linked to the rituals of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé (about which I wrote here), and the customary layout of accompaniments on the baianas' streetside tables, called tabuleiros. The traditional costume of the baianas, consists of turban, starched skirt of colourful pattern, shawl over the shoulder - or tied to the breast - bracelets and necklaces, is a symbol of their social and religious status.

0544 MACEDONIA - Young women in old traditional dress

Because today, March 8, is the International Women's Day, firstly I want to wish to all the representatives of the fair sex who follow this blog to have many happy years. For the same reason, today I will post four postcards depicting women from four continents. The first one is from Europe, more accurate from Macedonia, and show young women in beautiful traditional costumes. The national costumes in Macedonia (created over a long period of time), preserved the traces of old cultural influences, and in their way of development fit the elements of old Balkan, Slav and Oriental culture.

0543 CROATIA (Krapina-Zagorje) - Burg - Castle of Veliki Tabor (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

Located in the northwestern part of Hrvatsko zagorje province, known for many aristocratic castles, the Veliki Tabor castle dates from the 12th century, but it gained the present appearance in the 15th or 16th century. Most of it was built by the noble family Rattkay, originating from northern Hungary, in whose ownership it remained till 1793, when Josip Ivan Krstitelj died without an heir. Its name originates from the term tabor which was used to represent war camp, i.e. fortifications that were used as protection against Turkish invasion.

0542 NORTH CYPRUS - Ballapais Abbey

The island of Cyprus was inhabited since 10th millennium BC, and its strategic position in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea brought it many advantages but also disadvantages throughout history. Settled by Greeks in the 2nd millennium BC, it was subsequently occupied by Assyrians, Egyptians, and Persians, from whom it was seized by Alexander the Great. Subsequent rule by Ptolemaic Egypt, the Roman Empire, the Byzantines, Arab caliphates, the French Lusignan dynasty, and the Venetians, was conquered in 1571 by the Ottomans, who retained the control until 1878, when it was placed under British administration. It declared its independence in 1960, but following the coup d'état orchestrated in 1974 by the Greek military junta, which aimed the union of the Cyprus with Greece, the Turkish army invaded the island, which was split in two. In 1983, Turkish Cypriots proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey, which controls de facto the northeastern part of the island.

0540 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (FBiH) - Sarajevo - unique symbol of universal multiculture - continual open city - Sebilj (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

Unfortunately Sarajevo, city situated in the heart of the Balkans, on the Miljacka River, isn't known mainly for its traditional cultural and religious diversity, with adherents of Islam, Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Judaism coexisting there for centuries, but for the assassination of the Archduke of Austria on 28 June 1914 (that sparked WWI), and for the devastating siege suffered by the city during the Bosnian War for independence, the longest in the history of modern warfare (almost four years).

0539 BELARUS (Vitebsk) - Braslau Lakes National Park

0539 Braslau Lakes National Park

Located in the north-west of the Belarus, near the borders with Lithuania and Latvia, the Braslau National Park has 55 km long and between 5 km and 29 km wide and is a unique ecosystem with 30 glacial lakes and a large area of pine forests. The southern part of the park is represented by lowlands covered with forests, the major part of the area is occupied by different types of bogs.

0537, 0538 SPAIN (Andalusia) - Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza (UNESCO WHS)

0537 The Former Cathedral of Baeza

Úbeda and Baeza are two small towns, some 10 km from each other, located on the northern slopes of the valley of the Guadalquivir River, between the regions of Castile and Andalusia. After the Moorish conquest from the 8th century, they became fortresses, and were recovered by the Christians in the first half of the 13th century. Both towns prospered for a time in the 16th century, due to the production of textiles. They are an exceptional example of the distribution of urban functions, so that the sum of the monumental site of Baeza (public, ecclesiastic and educational) and of Úbeda (aristocratic and palaces) make up a complete Renaissance urban scheme of high architectural quality.

0538 El Salvador Chapel in Úbeda

The 16th-century examples of architectural and urban design in Úbeda and Baeza were instrumental in introducing the Italian Renaissance ideas to Spain (even if their origins had been in the Islamic period), and through the publications of Andrés de Vandelvira, the principal project architect, these examples were diffused to Latin America. The dominant reference point in Baeza is the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady, built above a former Moorish mosque, converted to the Christian rite by King Alfonso VII of Castile in 1147, become again mosque and restored one more time to Christianity in 1227 by Ferdinand III of Castile.

0536 SPAIN (Andalusia) - The Pastira from Jaén

Its position in the extreme south of Iberian Peninsula, providing a gateway between Europe and Africa, added to its position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, have made Andalusia a tempting prize, so the region's history and culture have been influenced by the earlier Iberians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Byzantines, and of course, the Moors and the Sephardi Jews, as well as the Christian North Iberian nationalities who repopulated the area in the latter phases of the Reconquista. It contains eight distinct provinces, all with individual cultural traditions and identity.

0533, 0534, 0535 FRANCE (Centre-Val de Loire / Pays de la Loire) - The Loire Valley and its castles (UNESCO WHS)

Located in the middle stretch of the Loire River, in central France, Loire Valley is considered the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France, but is also notable for its historic towns, architecture and wines. In 2000, UNESCO added the central part of the valley to its list of World Heritage Sites, under the name The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes, considering it "an outstanding cultural landscape along a major river which bears witness to an interchange of human values and to a harmonious development of interactions between human beings and their environment over two millennia. It is noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur and Tours, but in particular in its world-famous castles, such as the Château de Chambord."

The more than 300 châteaux represent a nation of builders starting with the castle fortifications in the 10th century to the splendor of those built half a millennium later. When the French kings began constructing their huge châteaux here, the nobility, not wanting or even daring to be far from the seat of power, followed suit. In the postcard sent by Anne are illustrated the eight most important castles: Château d'Amboise, Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, Château de Saumur, Château de Chambord, Château de Blois, Château de Cheverny, Château de Loches and Château d'Angers. I will write now only about the two castles depicted in the postcards below, because I'm sure that I will receive also the postcards with the others.

The royal Château de Chambord, the largest in the Loire Valley, is also one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. The building, which was never completed, was constructed by the extravagant King François I at the age of twenty-five, on the one hand to show the world in spectacular fashion his two favourite pastimes, hunting and architecture, and on the other to be near to his mistress, the Comtesse de Thoury.

Chambord is so much more than a castle: it’s an exceptional piece of architecture, a technical feat, a stone colossus… quite simply the dream of the young king come true. Its geometric clarity, the harmony of its proportions and fantasy of its rooves bristling with turrets, chimneys and breathtakingly high skylights leave any visitor in awe. The shadow of Leonardo da Vinci, the official "architecteur", who died a few months before the construction work began in 1519, hovers over the astonishing double spiral staircase.

Abandoned for almost a century after the death of François I, restaured by Gaston d'Orléans, used by Louis XIV and finally again abandoned, inhabited by Stanislas Leszczyński, and Maurice de Saxe, once again remained empty for many years, devastated during the French Revolution, given by Napoleon to Louis Alexandre Berthier, sold to Henri Charles Dieudonné, used as field hospital during the Franco-Prussian War, inherited by the Dukes of Parma, confiscated in WWI as enemy property, recovered by the family of the Duke of Parma, the castle came into the hands of the French state in 1930's, which began to restore it a few years after WWII.

 

Unlike Chambord, Château de Cheverny was never abandoned, although changed many owners, it's true members of the same family, which holds it for more than six centuries and opened it to the public in 1922. Every generation has made an effort to maintain and to embellish it with passion. The today's castle was built between 1624 and 1630, but only a portion of the original fortified castle possibly remains in existence today. Even to me, a novice in terms of architecture, seems obvious that Cheverny recalls features of Palais du Luxembourg, which I had the joy to see it two weeks ago. The Belgian comic book creator Hergé used Cheverny as a model for his fictional Château de Moulinsart (Marlinspike Hall) in The Adventures of Tintin books.

0532 CHILE (Antofagasta / Atacama) - Penitentes from Puna de Atacama

Puna de Atacama (Atacama Plateau) is a cold Andean tableland in northwestern Argentina and adjacent regions of Chile, with a length of 320km (north to south), a width of 240km, and an average elevation of 4,500m. This region may be defined as the southernmost portion of the Andean Altiplano (Spanish for high plain) and is separated from the Atacama Desert by the Cordillera Domeyko. The peaks of the Cordillera Oriental alternate with dry, sandy, clay-filled basins, occupied by salt flats. Along its eastern margin, the plateau has been dissected by streams into deep, narrow river valleys, as well as broader valleys, important as colonial routes of penetration into the Argentine Andes. Peruvian and Chilean colonizers conducted expeditions through the Andean valleys in the latter half of the 16th century that led to the foundation of some of the oldest towns in Argentina. Before the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), the region belonged to Bolivia, but afterwards was ceded to Argentina (1898), and after the Puna de Atacama Lawsuit (1899) 85% from the disputed territory were awarded to Argentina and 15% to Chile.

0531 BAHRAIN - Qal'at al-Bahrain (UNESCO WHS)

Even if Dilmun (or Telmun), the "land of immortality", is mentioned since the time of Mesopotamian civilization, its location is uncertain, but the archaeological excavations carried out since 1954 in the site of Qal'at al-Bahrain (Bahrain Fort), near Manama, the capital of Bahrain, seem to demonstrate that there was the capital of this legendary kingdom. Anyway, at Qal'at al-Bahrain were found seven stratified layers, created by various occupants from 2300 BC up to the 18th century, including Kassites, Portuguese and Persians.

0530 SLOVENIA (Inner Carniola) - Postojna Cave - part of Classic Karst (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

With a length of 20,570m, Postojna Cave, located in Inner Carniola, în Slovenia, is one of the world's largest karst monuments, and one of the best known. Created by the Pivka, a lost river which has only 27km in length, this fantastic web of tunnels, passages, galleries and halls was first described in the 17th century even by Valvasor, one of the main precursors of modern historiography in present-day Slovenia.

0529 PORTUGAL (Madeira) - Spectacular Funchal Harbour

The first territorial discovery of the Portuguese Age of Discovery (1419), Madeira is a archipelago located in the north Atlantic Ocean, at 400km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands. Since 1976, the three islands of the archipelago (Madeira, Porto Santo, and the Desertas) form, together with Savage Islands, one of the two Autonomous regions of Portugal (the other being the Azores), currently the second richest region of the country, after Lisbon. Noted for its wine, flowers, landscapes and embroidery artisans, as well as for its annual New Year celebrations that feature the largest fireworks show in the world, Madeira is a popular year-round resort.

0528 OMAN - Samail Hosn

On this postcard writes "the fort in Oman". Of course that it's a fort in Oman, but which one? After more than an hour of search on the Internet, and maybe hundreds of photos of forts in the sultanate seen, I concluded that is the Nakhal Fort. I wasn't sure, so I did another check and my belief has changed: it's the castle of Samail. I think this in proportion of 80%. Anyway, isn't an UNESCO World Heritage Site, as Cresalde says.

0527 IRAQ (Nineveh) - Mosul, the City of Two Springs

Situated in the northwestern part of the present day Iraq, on the banks of Tigris, Mosul is the country's second largest city, with more then 1.800.000 inhabitants. The original city stands on the west bank of the river, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass areas on both banks, with five bridges linking the two sides. It is known also as Um Al-Rabi'ain (The City of Two Springs), because autumn and spring are very much alike there.

0524, 0525 SPAIN (Catalonia) - Gothic Quarter in Barcelona

0524 Barcelona - Street of the Bishop,
the heart of the Barri Gotic (1)

The Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic) is the historic center of the old city of Barcelona, which stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to Ronda de Sant Pere. Many of the buildings date from Medieval times, but can be seen even remains of the squared Roman Wall. El Call, the medieval Jewish quarter, is located within this area too. The Barri Gòtic retains a labyrinthine street plan, with many small streets opening out into squares.

0525 Barcelona - Street of the Bishop,
the heart of the Barri Gotic (2)

 

Despite its name, a number of landmark Gothic buildings in the neighborhood don't date to the Middle Ages. Rather, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the quarter was completely transformed from a somber neighborhood to a tourist attraction through a massive restoration project, timed to be completed for the 1929 International Exhibition. This allowed the city and the surrounding region of Catalonia to portray itself in a positive light to the world's media.

0521-0523 SPAIN (Catalonia) - Barcelona

0521 Night view of Barcelona

Capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, Barcelona was founded as a Roman city, and became later the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona became the most important city of the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage, and in nowadays hosts the headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean. The architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, as also the cathedral, have part of separate posts.

0522 Barcelona: 1. Agbar Tower 2. Extension 3. Magic Fountain of Montjuïc
4. Park Güell 5. The Gothic Quarter 6. Triumphal Arch

In the postcards are shown the following:

● Torre Agbar (Agbar Tower) - an architectural icon of the city, located between Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer Badajoz, near Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes. It was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel in association with the Spanish firm B720 Arquitectos and built between 1999 and 2004. The shape of this skyscraper was inspired by Montserrat, a mountain near Barcelona, and by the shape of a geyser rising into the air.

0523 Barcelona: 1. Park Güell 2. Magic Fountain of Montjuïc
3. Casa Milà (La Pedrera) 4. Casa Batlló 5. Sagrada Família
6. Old Harbour 7. Camp Nou 8. Royal Plaza

● Eixample (Extension) - a district between the old city (Ciutat Vella) and what were once surrounding small towns, constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is characterized by long straight streets, a strict grid pattern crossed by wide avenues, and square blocks with chamfered corners (named illes in Catalan, manzanas in Spanish). This was a visionary, pioneering design by Ildefons Cerdà.

0520 PORTUGAL (Lisbon) - Elevador da Glória

Elevador da Glória (the Glória Funicular) is a funicular that links Baixa (Restauradores Square) with Bairro Alto (Jardim / Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara), in Lisbon, and, according to the website cliqlisbon.com "is the most comfortable way to get to the interesting points of Lisbon located on the higher altitudes of the city and normally accessible only through the very steep streets." Operated by Carris (Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa), it was opened to the public in 1885, at first as a water-powered system, replaced in 1886 by a steam-power one, and finally electrified in 1915 . In 2002 it was designated a National Monument, and transports annually over 3 millions of people.

0519 NETHERLANDS (Netherlands / Overijssel) - The locomotive Magda from Museum Buurt Spoorweg

In two previous posts (here and here) I wrote about two locomotives exposed to the Museum Buurt Spoorweg (MBS), a railway museum located in Haaksbergen. The locomotive in the picture (named Locomotive Nr. 6 - De Magda) is also hosted in this museum. The locomotive was delivered in 1925 by SA des Ateliers de Construction de la Meuse (Sclessin-Liège, Belgium) to the metal factory Overpelt-Hoboken, being used as shuntingengine. In the early 80s she was acquired by mr. Jans, but he left the engine availbable for the Toeristische Trein Zolder (Tourist Train Zolder). After the closure of the tourist branch, the engine was stored in Mons, in the south of Belgium. In 1994 the MBS started the negotiations with Mr. Jans, and the engine was bought in 1995.