My first postcard from Brazil

My next postcard was sent from São Paulo. It’s the largest city in Brazil.

It’s difficult to talk about São Paulo without mentioning its size. It is the fourth most populous city in the world, and the largest in the southern hemisphere. Almost 11 million people live within its 1,530 square kilometers, according to the year 2000 Census. 

Yet São Paulo is not an island in this sea of people. The São Paulo Metropolitan Area includes, besides the city itself, 38 other municipalities. As in any great metropolis, the population density is quite high and in many cases, it is difficult to know where the city ends. All told, the region is home to 20 million people, many from all over Brazil and the world.

Puffins

This postcard I receive from my dear friend from Iceland. 


Puffins are any of three small species of auk (or alcids) in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil. Two species, the Tufted Puffin and Horned Puffin, are found in the North Pacific Ocean, while the Atlantic Puffin is found in the North Atlantic Ocean.

All puffin species have predominantly black or black and white plumage, a stocky build, and large beaks. They shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique under water. In the air, they beat their wings rapidly (up to 400 times per minute) in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface.

There are migratory birds that arrived in Iceland in April. Their breeding and fledgling season span from May until September, after which the puffins leave for the open Atlantic ocean.

Their nest rest at ent of approximately metre-long burrowed tunnels. Rhese tunnels riddle the ground here the puffins colonize on cliff faces, grassy islands and mountain ledges near the sea.

Petrograd

Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербург, tr. Sankt-Peterburg) is a city and a federal subject (a federal city) of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. In 1914 the name of the city was changed to Petrograd (Russian: Петроград), in 1924 to Leningrad (Russian: Ленинград,) and in 1991 back to Saint Petersburg.

In Russian literature and informal documents the "Saint" (Санкт-) is usually omitted, leaving Petersburg (Петербург, Peterburg). In common parlance Russians may drop "-burg" (-бург) as well, leaving only Peter (Питер, pronounced as "Piter").

Saint Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27 [O.S. 16 May] 1703. From 1713 to 1728 and from 1732 to 1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of Russia. In 1918 the central government bodies moved from Saint Petersburg (then named Petrograd) to Moscow. It is Russia's second largest city after Moscow with 4.6 million inhabitants. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural centre, and an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea.

Saint Petersburg is often described as the most Western city of Russia. Among cities of the world with over one million people, Saint Petersburg is the northernmost. The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Petersburg is also home to The Hermitage, the largest art museum in the world. A large number of foreign consulates, international corporations, banks and other businesses are located in Saint Petersburg. (from wikipedia)

Maiko

I received this postcard from Shiho.

Maiko it is a term which describe a geisha – apprentice from Kioto.

Maiko originated from women who served green tea and Dango (Japanese dumpling made from rice flour) to people who visited the Kitano Tenman-gū or Yasaka Shrine (these are the two of the famous shrines in Kyoto) at teahouses in the temple town about 300 years ago. At first, women served only green tea and dango, but they gradually started to perform songs and dances for the visitors.

Maiko is the young girl, who are preparing to being geisha through learning by observation. Maiko are usually aged 15 to 20 years old and become geiko after learning how to dance (a kind of Japanese traditional dance), play the shamisen, and learning Kyō-kotoba (dialect of Kyoto), regardless of their origins.

Maiko’s kimono is more colorful. Arms are huge and they are touching ground. Also she wears high boots buskin okobo and loosely called dissolved obi belt.

Maiko’s hairstyle is called nihon-gami (Japanese traditional hairstyle from Edo period.) They arrange their hairstyle with their own hair. Maiko put kanzashi (Japanese traditional hair accessories) on their hair with seasonal flowers. The hairstyle changes by the years of experience they have.

Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen (three-stringed Japanese instrument) for visitors at a feast.

Third P&L exchange postcards :)

This postcard I received from Samantha. She lives in north west area in Italy, in Cigliano.

It is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 35 km northeast of Turin and about 30 km west of Vercelli. She wrote that her town it's still quiet place, even with 4500 inhabitants. 

Pike Place Market

This postcard I received from Joyce. It's show Seattle's Pike Place Market in the past and in the recently. 

Its nine acres and more than a century of operation encompass thousands of fascinating stories — tales of immigration, internment, renovation and urban renewal — all that help explain why Pike Place Market is called "The Soul of Seattle."

Here is a snapshot of how the Market came to be. Between 1906 and 1907, the cost of onions increased tenfold. Outraged citizens, fed up with paying price-gouging middlemen too much for their produce, found a hero in Seattle City Councilman Thomas Revelle. Revelle proposed a public street market that would connect farmers directly with consumers. Customers would "Meet the Producer" directly, a philosophy that is still the foundation of all Pike Place Market businesses.

On August 17, 1907, Pike Place Market was born. On that first day, a total of eight farmers brought their wagons to the corner of First Avenue and Pike Street—and were quickly overwhelmed by an estimated 10,000 eager shoppers. By 11:00 am, they were sold out. Thousands of would-be customers went home empty-handed, but the chaos held promise. By the end of 1907, the first Market building opened, with every space filled.

A century later, Pike Place Market is internationally recognized as America's premier farmers' market and is home to more than 200 year-round commercial businesses; 190 craftspeople and approximately 100 farmers who rent table space by the day; 240 street performers and musicians; and more than 300 apartment units, most of which provide housing for low-income elderly people. "The Market," as the locals affectionately say, attracts 10 million visitors a year, making it one of Washington state's most frequently visited destinations (from here).

The Beekeeper

This postcard I received today from Eunice. She live in Breeston - a lovely place with lots of independant shops.

Beeston is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is 5,5 kilometres southwest of Nottingham city centre. Although typically regarded as a suburb of the City of Nottingham, and officially designated as part of the Nottingham Urban Area, for local government purposes it is in the borough of Broxtowe, lying outside the City's unitary authority area.

To the immediate northeast is the University of Nottingham’s main campus, University Park. The pharmaceutical and retail chemist group Boots has its headquarters on a large campus just 1 km east of the centre of Beeston, falling on the border of Broxtowe and the City of Nottingham. To the south is the River Trent, Attenborough and its extensive wetlands.

The Beekeeper

The earliest recorded name given to the area was Bestune. This is now generally thought to be derived from “bes” = rye grass and “tune” a farmstead settlement. The description of local pasture is still preserved in the name of Beeston Rylands. However there are alternative derivations from “Bedestun” = the farm of Bede.

In the late nineteenth century, a genteel convention was contrived that the town’s name derived from bee. This would have also been consistent with the notion of Beeston as a “hive of industry”. The bee was adopted as the emblem of the town council. Beehives appear carved in the brick of the town hall exterior, and in 1959 three bees were included in the coat of arms adopted by Beeston and Stapleford Urban District Council. However, as this derivation was known to be dubious, the College of Arms subtly included some long grasses entwined with meadow crocuses in the arms as an alternative visual pun on the more likely origins of the name. With the formation of Broxtowe District (later Borough) Council in 1974, the bees were carried on to its coat of arms, representing Beeston. The tradition of the bee as symbol continues - the litter bins and other street furniture in the High Road are decorated in black and gold, with a symbol of a bee on each.

There is also a sculpture on the High Road of a man sitting next to a bee hive. Again, this is another reference to the “Bee”. The sculpture is popularly known as the “Bee-man”, “the man of Beeston”, “The Beekeeper” or “Bee King”(from here).

Siegessäule

This postcard I found in my mailbox few days ago. The sender is…my dear friend Marta. The card showed Siegessäule – The Victory Column in Berlin. Thank you, thank you and one more time: thank you :)

It is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War, by the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), giving the statue a new purpose. Different from the original plans, these later victories in the so-called unification wars inspired the addition of the bronze sculpture of Victoria, 8,3 meters high and weighing 35 tonnes, designed by Friedrich Drake. Berliners, with their fondness for giving nicknames to buildings, call the statue Goldelse, meaning something like "Golden Lizzy".

The total height of the column with the statue is 66,89 m. The columns are inside the stairs (285 steps) leading to situated at a height of 50,66 m viewing platform.

If you have claustrophobia – better do not try go on the viewing platform, however…view from this platform is magnificent. Also you should know that inside the Victory Column you will not find the elevator ;) 

Photocard

This card I have got from Sean - USA. The card...well, it is difficult call it the postcard, because it is a photo printed and with a stamps. However....this self made card is acceptable, because it is....very beautiful. Look alone:

Sean took this photo during very peaceful morning, and when fog rising off the lake. Maybe because f this the lake looks like more surreal. 

Any way..Sean has good eye for photography :)