POLAND - NATURE

Zawoja - Mosorny Waterfall

Zawoja is a village in Southern Poland located close to Maków Podhalański. It is situated close to a mountain massif of Babia Góra (1725 m). The headquarters of Babia Góra National Park is located here. Since 19th century Zawoja is one of the important mountain resorts in Poland. It is known for its wooden architecture and folk culture of Babia Góra highlanders.

 

 

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: tomasson

GUINEA

Bel-Air Beach

Bel Air is a well known tourism destination on the beach about two hours from Conakry. It is a very popular destination around major holidays. Conakry is the capital of Guinea and the economic, commercial and trade center for the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: poissonruge

SLOVENIA - NATURE

Triglav National Park

Triglav National Park is the only national park in Slovenia. It was established in its modern form in 1981 and is located in the northwestern part of the country, respectively the southeastern part of the Alpine massif. Mount Triglav, the highest peak of Julian Alps, stands almost in the middle of the national park. From it the valleys spread out radially, supplying water to two large river systems with their sources in the Julian Alps: the Soča and the Sava, flowing to the Adriatic and Black Sea, respectively.

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: tinkara

JAPANESE MANGA

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. The series follows the adventures of the protagonist Goku from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the seven mystical orbs known as the Dragon Balls, which can summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Along his journey, Goku makes several friends and battles a wide variety of villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls for their own desires.

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: carmenchen

CROATIA - CITIES

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a city on the Adriatic Sea coast of Croatia. In 1979 it joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The prosperity of the city of Dubrovnik has always been based on maritime trade. In the Middle Ages, as the Republic of Ragusa, also known as a Maritime Republic, it became the only eastern Adriatic city-state to rival Venice. Supported by its wealth and skilled diplomacy, the city achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries. Few of Dubrovnik's Renaissance buildings survived the earthquake of 1667 but fortunately enough remain to give an idea of the city's architectural heritage. A feature of Dubrovnik is its walls that run almost 2 km (1.24 mi) around the city. The walls run from four to six metres thick on the landward side but are much thinner on the seaward side. The system of turrets and towers were intended to protect the vulnerable city.

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: ddonkey

NETHERLANDS - AMSTERDAM

Canals

The Amsterdam canal system is the result of conscious city planning. In the early 17th century, when immigration was at a peak, a comprehensive plan was developed that was based on four concentric half-circles of canals with their ends emerging at the IJ bay. The canals served for defence, water management and transport. The defences took the form of a moat and earthen dikes, with gates at transit points, but otherwise no masonry superstructures. The original plans have been lost, so historians, need to speculate on the original intentions: it is thought that the considerations of the layout were purely practical and defensive rather than ornamental.

 

Construction started in 1613 and proceeded from west to east, across the breadth of the layout and not from the centre outwards, as a popular myth has it. The canal construction in the southern sector was completed by 1656. Subsequently, the construction of residential buildings proceeded slowly. The eastern part of the concentric canal plan, covering the area between the Amstel river and the IJ bay, has never been implemented. In the following centuries, the land was used for parks, senior citizens' homes, theatres, other public facilities, and waterways without much planning. Over the years, several canals have been filled in, becoming streets or squares.

 

A beautiful stamp. (sent from the United Arab Emirates)

Received from: hagaki

 

 

Magere Brug - Skinny Bridge

The Magere Brug ("Skinny Bridge") is a bridge over the river Amstel in the city centre of Amsterdam. The central section of the Magere Brug is a bascule bridge made of white-painted wood. The present bridge was built in 1934. The first bridge at this site was built in 1691 as Kerkstraatbrug and had 13 arches. Because this bridge was very narrow, the locals called it magere brug, which literally means "skinny bridge". In 1871 the state of the bridge was so bad that it was demolished and replaced by a nine-arched wooden bridge. Fifty years later this bridge also needed to be replaced. Architect Piet Kramer made several designs for a steel and stone bridge, but the city decided to replace it with a new bridge that looked the same as the previous, only slightly bigger. In 1934 the bridge was demolished and replaced. The last major renovation was in 1969. Until 1994 the bridge was opened by hand, but now is opened automatically. Use of the bridge has been limited to pedestrians and cyclists since 2003. It is however opened many times a day in order to let through river traffic. The boats used for sightseeing tours are low enough to pass underneath the bridge when closed. The bridge is decorated with 1200 light bulbs that are turned on in the evening.

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: post4hanneke