2354, 2977 UNITED STATES (Florida) - Bayside Marketplace in Miami

2354 Bayside Marketplace in Miami (1)

Posted on 06.03.2016, 10.03.2017
To revitalize the downtown areas in major American cities during the 1970s and 1980s, were organized the festival marketplaces, based on European-style shopping markets. The guiding principles were a mix of local tenants instead of regional or national chain stores, design of shop stalls and common areas to energize the space, and uncomplicated architectural ornament in order to highlight the goods. One of these festival marketplaces is Bayside Marketplace in Downtown Miami, opened in 1987.

2977 Bayside Marketplace in Miami (2)

Located between the Bayfront Park to the south end, and the American Airlines Arena to the north, it wraps along the banks of the Biscayne Bay. Instead of being planned to revitalize a specific area as its sister properties had, Bayside complements an existing marina. This two-level, open-air festival marketplaces, which attracts fifteen million people on average annually, features more than 150 shops including unique and national retailers, as well as 12 delicious restaurants, and an international food court.

1014, 1117, 2976 FINLAND / NORWAY - Sami people

1014 Finland - A young Sami man

Posted on 25.02.2014, 26.06.2014, 09.03.2017
The Sami people are the indigenous Finno-Ugric people inhabiting the Sápmi, the cultural region which today encompasses parts of far northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. Known also as Lapps, an exonym considered by them as pejorative, the Sami have pursued a variety of livelihoods (including coastal fishing, fur trapping, and sheep herding), but the most representative is the semi-nomadic reindeer herding. Their traditional languages are the Sami languages (Sàmigiella) and are classified as a branch of the Uralic language family.

1117 Finland - Sami people

Although they lived in Arctic Europe for at least 5,000 years, they have been for centuries the subject of discrimination and abuse by the dominant cultures, being recognized as an indigenous people only in the last part of the 20th century in Norway, Sweden and Finland, and in Russia not even today. In the late 20th century there were from 30,000 to 40,000 Sami in Norway and about 20,000 in Sweden, 6,000 in Finland, and 2,000 in Russia, but the sources are highly conflicting, indicating a total population from 80,000 to 160,000.

2976 Norway - Sami children and a baby in komse (cradleboard)

 

Called gákti or kolt, their traditional costume is worn both in ceremonial contexts and while working. Traditionally, it was made from reindeer leather and sinews, but nowadays it is more common to use wool, cotton, or silk. It differ from community to community, and the colours, patterns and the jewellery have deeper meaning. There are also different gákti for women and men (for men a shorter jacket-skirt, for women a long dress). Traditional gákti are most commonly in variations of red, blue, green, white, medium-brown tanned leather, or reindeer fur.

0191, 2975 RUSSIA - The map and the flag of the country

0191 Russia map and flag (1)

Posted on 01.05.2012, 08.03.2017
After it crushed  the army of the Golden Horde in the battle of Kulikovo in 1380, Grand Duchy of Moskow needed only 150 years to finally push aside the Tartar yoke and to gather under his leadership, by persuasion or with the sword, all the Russian provinces. Afterwards, Ivan the Terrible, the first Tsar, conquered Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Sibir, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state. In the 17th century it continued its territorial growth, with the Cossacks as spearhead, enclosing part of the Ukraine and Eastern Siberia, until the Pacific coast.

2975 Russia map and flag (2)

Peter the Great proclaimed Russia empire in 1721, and achieved the much desired "Window on the West" on the Baltic, assuring also outlet to the Black Sea and to the Caspian Sea. After the fall of Constantinople (1453), Moscow claimed succession to the legacy of the Eastern Roman Empire, as the Holy Roman Empire was considered the continuation of the Western Roman Empire. The Tsars coveted Constantinople, on which they called it Tsargrad, but the Ottoman Empire managed to impede Russian expansion in the Balkans over the next two centuries, ceding instead an important part of the northern shore of the Black Sea.

2974 ROMANIA (Braşov) - Traditional Wedding at Boholţ

As everywhere else, in Boholţ, a village located at 12km from Făgăraş, in the right side of the Olt River, at the confluence of the Târnave area with Făgăraş Country, the customs linked by wedding are conducted after an orderliness rooted with a long time ago. The first step is the wooing. For the wooing, at the bride's parents are going only men: the future groom, his father, the godfather, brothers and uncles of the groom. The wooing was also named la învoială (to haggling), because on this occasion was established the girl's dowry.

2973 ALBANIA (Kukës) - Valbonë Valley National Park - part of Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (UNESCO WHS)

Valbonë Valley National Park, also called the Albanian miracle of the Alps, is a part of the Prokletije Mountains (Cursed Mountains), also known as the Albanian Alps, extending from northern Albania to Kosovo and eastern Montenegro. Designated in 1996, the park covers 8,000 hectares including the Valbonë Valley and the Valbonë River and lies between high and craggy peaks bordering on Thethi National Park, Gashi River, Plava and Gucia (Montenegro), all strictly protected natural areas. It is a transboundary park (Albania/Montenegro) with the highest biodiversity value of the country's mountain mainland.

1267, 1327, 1906, 2964, 2972 ITALY (Sicily) - Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedral churches of Cefalù and Monreale (UNESCO WHS)

1906 Sicily - Church of San Cataldo in Palermo

Posted on 03.10.2014, 08.11.2014, 19.09.2015, 27.02.2017, 05.03.2017
Located on the northern coast of Sicily, Arab-Norman Palermo includes a series of nine civil and religious structures dating from the era of the Norman kingdom of Sicily (1130-1194): two palaces, three churches, a cathedral, a bridge, as well as the cathedrals of Cefalú and Monreale. Collectively, they are an example of a social-cultural syncretism between Western, Islamic and Byzantine cultures on the island which gave rise to new concepts of space, structure and decoration. They also bear testimony to the fruitful coexistence of people of different origins and religions (Muslim, Byzantine, Latin, Jewish, Lombard and French).

1267 Sicily - The Cathedral-Basilica of Cefalù

Located on the central Piazza Bellini in Palermo, the Church of San Cataldo is annexed to that of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio. Founded around 1160 by admiral Majone di Bari, in the 18th century the church was used as a post office. In the 19th century it was restored and brought back to a form more similar to the original Medieval edifice. It has a rectangular plan with blind arches, partially occupied by windows. The ceiling has three characteristics red, bulge domes (cubole) and Arab-style merlons. The interior has a nave with two aisles. The naked walls are faced by spolia columns with Byzantine style arcades.

2972 Sicily - The cloister of the abbey of Monreale (1)

Located on the northern coast of Sicily, Cefalù deserves noted mainly for its Cathedral, begun in 1131, in a style of Norman architecture, which would be more accurately called Sicilian Romanesque. According to tradition, the building was erected after a vow made to the Holy Saviour by the King of Sicily, Roger II, after he escaped from a storm. The Cathedral was consecrated in 1267. The exterior is well preserved, and is largely decorated with interlacing pointed arches. On each side of the façade is a massive tower of four storeys.

1327 Sicily - The cloister of the abbey of Monreale (1)

 

The interior of the cathedral was restored in 1559, though the pointed arches of the nave, borne by ancient granite columns, are still visible; and the only mosaics preserved are those of the apse and the last bay of the choir; they are remarkably fine specimens of the Byzantine art of the period (1148) and, though restored in 1859-1862, have suffered much less than those at Palermo and Monreale from the process. The figure of the Christ Pantocrator gracing the apse is especially noteworthy.

2964 Sicily - Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator
in the apse of the Cathedral of Monreale

 

Located 15km south of Palermo, on the slope of Monte Caputo, overlooking the very fertile valley called La Conca d'oro (the Golden Shell), Monreale was for a long time a mere village, and started its expansion when the Norman Kings of Sicily chose the area as their hunting resort. Under King William II the large monastery of Benedictines coming from Cava de' Tirreni, with its church, was founded. The Cathedral of Monreale, one of the greatest extant examples of Norman architecture in the world, was begun in 1174 by William II, and in 1182 the church was elevated to the rank of a metropolitan cathedral.

2971 ROMANIA (Alba) - A man had a clop

2971 A shepherd in Sebeş, Alba county

For the Romanians, the pastoralism is one of the ancient traditional occupations, but also a way of life, both north and south of the Danube, based on which was developed a whole culture. The men involved in this occupation, be they ciobani (shepherds - those caring for sheep) or baci (who handles the processing and conservation of meat and milk) have specific clothing, with very small differences by region. Among the specific elements is the clop, a hat with very small brims, or even without brims. I don't know if the man in the postcard is shepherd, but he wears such a clop.

ALBANIA / AUSTRIA / BELGIUM / BULGARIA / CROATIA / GERMANY / ITALY / ROMANIA / SLOVAKIA / SLOVENIA / SPAIN / UKRAINE - Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (UNESCO WHS)

This transboundary property stretches over 12 European countries. Since the end of the last Ice Age, European Beech spread from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean and Pyrenees over a short period of a few thousand years in a process that is still ongoing. The successful expansion across a whole continent is related to the tree's adaptability and tolerance of different climatic, geographical and physical conditions.

2970 SLOVENIA (Styria) - Church of Our Lady Mother of the Church in Maribor

Attested in historical sources in circa 1145, Maribor is in nowadays the largest city of the traditional region of Lower Styria, and the second-largest city in Slovenia. Following its long history, it has many old buildings, which does not mean it lacks new constructions. among these is the Church of Our Lady Mother of the Church, located in Pobrežje, a suburb of Maribor. Next to the church is Cemetery Pobrežje, a place of memory which appears in the list of the significant European cemeteries.

2969 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Spiritual Center of Saint-Hugues in Biviers

2969 Biviers - Le Repos de Biviers in 1950s (the dining room )

Biviers is a commune located 10km northeast of Grenoble, at the foot of Mount Saint-Eynard, on a limestone scree located on the east side of the Chartreuse Mountains. Towards the southwest, Biviers faces the Belledonne range, in the Grésivaudan section of the Isère River valley. In Biviers is located Center Saint Hugues, "a house in the mountain where it is good to regain strength and meaning in God".

CHINA / KAZAKHSTAN / KYRGYZSTAN - Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor (UNESCO WHS)

The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that were for centuries central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the East and West and stretching from the Korean peninsula and Japan to the Mediterranean Sea. While the term is of modern coinage, the Silk Road derives its name from the trade in silk (and horses) carried out along its length, beginning during the Han dynasty (207 BCE - 220 CE). The Chinese took great interest in the safety of their trade products and extended the Great Wall of China to ensure the protection of the trade route.

2968 ROMANIA - First Airplane Postcrossing Meet-up in the World

Behold, after the first postcrossing meet-up in a train, which took place on February 29, 2016 on the route Bucharest - Ploieşti, Romanians relapsed in premieres, organizing the first postcrossing meet-up in an airplane, on the route Cluj-Napoca - Bucharest, on February 24, 2017. It is true that to the meet-up attended only two members, Sandor Zaica and Ovidiu Bu, who came to Bucharest to attend the meet-up occasioned by the launch of the first Romanian postcrossing stamp, but they issued a special postcard and signed postcards during the flight, so might be called a postcrossing meet-up.

2486, 2967 POLAND (Pomerania) - Kashubian people

2486 Kashubian traditional dress

Posted on 23.04.201, 24.02.2017
Kashubians (Kashubian: Kaszëbi; Polish: Kaszubi; German: Kaschuben) are a West Slavic ethnic group in  Pomerelia, a historical region in northern Poland, located on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and west of the Vistula river. They speak the Kashubian language, classified either as a separate language closely related to Polish, or a Polish dialect. Gdynia contains the largest proportion of people declaring Kashubian origin, but the biggest city and the traditional capital of Kashubia is Gdańsk.

2967 A Kashubian dance

Kashubians descend from the Slavic Pomeranian tribes, who had settled between the Oder and Vistula Rivers after the Migration Period, prior to the arrival of the Poles, and were at various times Polish and Danish vassals. Despite strong Germanization, Kashubian think about themselves as Poles, and the motto is "There is no Kashubia without Poles and Poland without Kaszubians". Today, in some towns and villages in Pomeralia, Kashubian is the second language spoken after Polish, and it is taught in regional schools.

2965, 2966 ROMANIA - Romanian Postcrossing Meet-up, Bucharest, February 24, 2017

2965 Romanian Postcrossing Meet-up, Bucharest, February 24, 2017

The postcard 2965 is one of the three "official" models edited for the Romanian Postcrossing Meet-up, which held in Bucharest on February 24, 2017. It depicts motifs embroidered usually on Romanian traditional dress, and especially on ie, a type of shirt with a typical gathered form of the collar. The underarm embroidery characterizes the entire costume; it is traditionally seen as the culmination of embroidery and decoration. Each blouse tells a compelling story about the region it comes from through the symbols and colors used.

2966 The launch of the Romanian Postcrossing stamp

This meet-up was very special, because at this date Romania joined the ranks of the countries which have issued a Postcrossing stamp, even if we are only 1364 Postcrossers registered until now. The stamp was issued of course by Romfilatelia, but this would not have happened without the persistence and commitment of Mihnea Răducu. 2966 is an "unofficial" postcard designed and issued also for this occasion by Radu Tusan.

2963 ITALY (Veneto) - National Library of St Mark's - part of Venice and its Lagoon (UNESCO WHS)

The National Library of St Mark's (Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana) in Venice, named after St. Mark, the patron saint of the city, is one of the earliest surviving public manuscript depositories in Italy, holding one of the greatest classical texts collections in the world. It is not to be confused with the State Archive of the Republic of Venice, which is housed in a different part of the city. The library was provided with a building in Renaissance style designed by Jacopo Sansovino. The first sixteen arcaded bays of his design were constructed during 1537 to 1553, with work on frescoes and other decorations continuing until 1560.

2962 MYANMAR (Kayah State) - The Karenni people

The Karenni people, also known as the Red Karen, the Kayah or the Kayahli (meaning "red human"), are a Sino-Tibetan people living mostly in Kayah State, Myanmar. A long period they lived in their own states, the Karenni States, located south of the Federated Shan States and east of British Burma, and ruled by petty princes named myozas. They were independent until British rule in Burma, and had feudal ties to the Burmese kingdom.

2961 ALBANIA (Dibër) - Lurë

Lurë is a former municipality in northeastern Albania, became in 2015 a subdivision of the municipality Dibër. Old Lurë, Lurë Plain, and Borie Lurë are the three neighborhoods of Lurë. More villages are in the municipality, such as Krej Lurë, Pregj Lurë, Arrmall, Vlashe and Gur Lurë. The Lurë National Park, located in the eastern side of the Kunora e Lurës massif (2,119m), is famous for its 14 glaciel lakes at an altitude between 1,350 and 1,720m. The park is also home to many rare species of wildlife and natural beauty. The southern part of the park has a meadow of multi-color flowers and coniferous trees called the Field of Mares which offers scenic views.