Capilano Suspension Bridge

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is a simple suspension bridge crossing the Capilano River in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The current bridge is 136 metres (446 ft) long and 70 metres (230 ft) above the river. It is part of a private facility, with a charge for admission, and draws over 800,000 visitors a year.

 

Capilano Suspension Bridge is one of Vancouver, British Columbia's most popular tourist attractions. The reason is simple, there are so many things to see and do! Just minutes from the bustle of downtown Vancouver, the attractions at Capilano Suspension Bridge offers a unique mix of adventure, history and culture making this Vancouver tourist attraction a complete British Columbia experience and an essential on your list of things to do in Vancouver, BC.

The tittle-tattle: The bridge has been featured as a setting in episodes of several television series, including: MacGyver, Sliders, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, and Psych.

Un lettre du Canada

I received these 2 postcards from my dearest pen pal from Canada. She is my first penfriend from that country. I hope we will stay friends for many many years J

Canada is on my list of country which I would like to visit before I'll die J

Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America. Originally called Ville-Marie, or “City of Mary”, the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French, (Mont Royal in present French).

The city is consistently rated as one of the world's most livable cities, was called “Canada's Cultural Capital” by Monocle Magazine and recently was named a UNESCO City of Design. Though historically the commercial capital of Canada, it was surpassed in population, as well as economic strength, by Toronto after 1976. Today it continues as an important centre of commerce, aerospace, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, design, culture, tourism, film and world affairs.

Montreal is located in the southwest of the province of Quebec. The city proper covers most of the Island of Montreal at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. The port of Montreal lies at one end of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which is the river gateway that stretches from the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean. Montreal is defined by its location in between the St. Lawrence river on its south, and by the Rivière des Prairies on its north. The city is named after the most prominent geographical feature on the island, a three-head hill called Mount Royal, topped at 232 m above sea level.

Montreal is at the centre of the Montreal Metropolitan Community, and is bordered by the city of Laval to the north, Longueuil, Saint-Lambert, Brossard, and other municipalities to the south, Repentigny to the east and the West Island municipalities to the west. The anglophone enclaves of Westmount, Montreal West, Hampstead, Côte Saint-Luc, the Town of Mount Royal and the francophone enclave Montreal East are all entirely surrounded by the city of Montreal (from wikipedia)

Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, (French: Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal), is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine on the west slope of Mount Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

St. Joseph's Oratory is a great basilica with a giant copper dome built in honor of St. Joseph, patron saint of Canada. The massive edifice, high on the slopes of Mount Royale in Quebec, belies its simple origins as the dream of a humble lay brother named Brother André. Pilgrims still come from all over North America to pray for healing at the shrine of Fr. André, who was canonized a saint in 2010.

At 263 m (863 ft.), the shrine of St. Joseph is the highest point in Montréal. Its dome is second in size only to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The basilica is largely Italian Renaissance in style, its dome recalling the shape of the Duomo in Florence, but of much greater size and somewhat less grace. Inside are outstanding sculptures, stained glass (depicting 10 scenes from Canadian religious history) and other artworks.

Liturgical music and concerts are provided by a great organ (with 5,811 pipes), a carillion in 56 bells in their own building, and a choir school.

Also inside is a museum dedicated to Saint André, where a central exhibit is hisembalmed heart. The heart was stolen in 1972 but recovered two years later.

Outside, a Way of the Cross lined with sculptures was the setting of scenes for the film Jesus of Montréal. Brother André's wooden chapel, with his tiny bedroom, is on the grounds and open to the public.

Pilgrims, some ill, come to seek intercession from St. Joseph and St. André and often climb the middle set of 100 steps on their knees (http://www.sacred-destinations.com)

Valle d'Aosta

My next postcard I received from Davide. We exchange some postcards J In this town he spend every vacation since 1983.

Cogne is a town and comune in Aosta Valley, northern Italy. Cogne is located in the valley with the same name, leading to the Gran Paradiso massif Ibex, wild goat, marmots, royal eagles are easy to see. Many walks and hikes of different level, to lakes, waterlfalls and other natural attraction.

In the winter Cogne offers 70 km of cross country skiing, 9 km down hill, many walks on the snow and more than 140 icefalls.

30th State of America

This is a postcard which I received from Beth. :) Thank you :)

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee. It’s 30th state of US (from wikipedia)

State Motto: Forward - Reflecting Wisconsin's continuous drive to be a national leader, the state adopted "Forward" as the official state motto in 1851

State Song: On Wisconsin! - The rhythmic and rousing beats of "On Wisconsin," already a popular football song since 1909, began filling the air as the official state song in 1959.

State Flower: Wood Violet - Adopted as Wisconsin's official state flower on Arbor Day 1909, the wood violet's gentle green leaves and purple petals sway in the breeze reflecting Wisconsin's scenic beauty.

State Bird: Robin - A welcome sign of the coming spring, the red-breasted robin won the hearts of school children across the state, who voted to name it the state bird in 1926-27.

State Tree: Sugar Maple -  With its bright yellow fall colors, and its delectable spring harvest of sweet maple sugar, the sugar maple became the state's official tree in 1949.

State Fish: Muskellunge - Source of many monster fish stories in the state's famed Northwoods, the "muskie" leapt into the state books as the official state fish in 1955.

State Animal: Badger - Closely associated with Wisconsin since the territorial days, the ferocious Badger has lent its likeness to the state's coat of arms, flag, and song, and is even the proud mascot of the University of Wisconsin.

State Wildlife Animal: White-Tailed Deer - The white-tailed deer, in all its grace and power, perked its ears as it was appointed the state wildlife animal in 1957.

State Domesticated Animal: Dairy Cow - State Domesticated Animal: Dairy Cow (Bos taurus) Reflecting the importance of the dairy industry in Wisconsin's economy and heritage, the docile dairy cow became the state domesticated animal of "America's Dairyland" in 1971.

State Mineral: Galena - A combination of abundance, uniqueness, economic value, historical significance and native nature lead to the appointment of Galena as the state mineral in 1971.

State Insect: Honey Bee - The state recognized the sweet contributions of the honeybee as it buzzed from blossom to blossom in 1977.

State Soil: Antigo Silt Loam - Created during the last great glaciers, the level, silty soil was chosen to represent the more than 500 major soil types found in Wisconsin.

State Fossil: Trilobite - Flourishing in the warm, shallow salt waters of prehistoric seas, the extinct marine arthropod crawled its way into the state record in 1985 as the state fossil.

State Dog: American Water Spaniel - Full of life, and always ready to spring into action for the hunt, the American water spaniel won the hearts of the citizens of Wisconsin, who selected it as the state dog in 1985

State Beverage: Milk - The perfect complement to cookies, "America's Dairyland" chose to make milk the official beverage of the state to echo its abundant dairy heritage in 1987.

State Grain: Corn - Used for everything from livestock feed, to ethanol fuel, to the cornerstone of a delectable summer barbecue, corn was made the official state grain in 1989 to bring attention to its many uses.

State Dance: Polka - Reflecting the rich Czech-Polish and German heritage found throughout the state, the Polka was adopted as the newest state symbol, the official state dance, in 1993.

All informations about Wisconsin’s symbol I took from http://www.wisconsin.gov

South California

This is my first postcard from this area – South California. Myrtle Beach is a coastal resort city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States.

Myrtle Beach is situated largely on a barrier island in Long Bay between the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the East. However, building west of the waterway is rapidly increasing and the city of Myrtle Beach is expanding further west.

Land east of the waterway is on a slightly elevated sandbar or dune area. West of the waterway the land is mostly pine forest with a normal high water table and is more dense than the sandbar to the east, in which developers dredge ponds and use the soil to create elevated areas for better drainage around buildings and structures.

The sender of this card wrote that her family are going there every summer for vacation. I probably know why – the place looks great J. 


p.s. I found this small destroyed on postcard when I took out from mailbox...:(