#157 Tallinn, Estonia

Postal Stationery No 53. Date: April 17, 2009.

Andrus Veerpalu (born 8 February 1971 in Pärnu) is a former and so far the most successful Estonian male cross country skier.

On 17 February 2006 he won his second Winter Olympics gold medal (in 15 km cross country skiing; his previous gold medal is from the Salt Lake City games), becoming the fourth Estonian to have won two Olympic gold medals (Kristjan Palusalu, Erika Salumäe and Kristina Šmigun-Vähi are the first three). He is the most successful Olympic athlete from Estonia with three medals. (Kristina Šmigun-Vähi tied that record at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics).

Veerpalu has also found success at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, winning a gold at 15 km in 2009 at Liberec, 30 km in 2001 at Lahti and a silver at 50 km in 1999 at Ramsau. He has also won the 50 km event at the Holmenkollen ski festival in 2003 and 2005. Veerpalu also competed in the men's 50 km, Mass Start Classic at the 2010 Winter Olympics, finishing at the 6th place.

Andrus Veerpalu became the oldest world champion in history with his victory at Liberec 2009 on the 15 km classical event. He was then 38 years old. He is also the oldest Olympic champion in individual distance.

Wikipedia.org

Sent on: December 5, 2012

Received on: December 7, 2012

PS: My little sister's drawings are on this postcard and said she just wanted to write something for me.

#156 Pärnu, Estonia

Pärnu (German: Pernau, Polish: Parnawa) is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga. The city is served by Pärnu Airport.

Perona (German: Alt-Pernau, Estonian: Vana-Pärnu) was founded by the bishop of Ösel-Wiek ca. 1251, suffered heavily under pressure of the concurrent town, and was finally destroyed ca. 1600. Another town, Embeke (later German: Neu-Pernau, Estonian: Uus-Pärnu) was founded by the Livonian Order, who began building an Ordensburg nearby in 1265. The latter town, then known by the German name of Pernau, was a member of the Hanseatic League and an important ice-free harbor for Livonia. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took control of town between 1560–1617; the Poles and Lithuanians fought the Swedes nearby in 1609. Sweden took control of the town during the 16th century Livonian War, but it was subsequently taken by the Russian Empire in the 1710 Capitulation of Estonia and Livonia and the 1721 Treaty of Nystad, following the Great Northern War. It belonged to Imperial Russian Governorate of Livonia then.

During the Great Northern War, the University of Dorpat (Tartu) was relocated to Pernau from 1699-1710. The university has a branch campus in Pärnu today (1,000 students in the 2004/2005 school year).

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: November 22, 2012 - Christmas

Aitäh, Katrina !

Sent on: November 27, 2012

Received on: November 28, 2012

#155 Abja-Paluoja, Estonia

Viljandi (German: Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 19,150 (2011). It is the capital of Viljandi County. The town was first mentioned in 1283, upon being granted its town charter by Wilhelm von Endorpe. The town became a member of the Hanseatic League at the beginning of the 14th century, and is one of five Estonian towns and cities in the league. The popular Estonian newspaper Sakala was founded in Viljandi in 1878.

Wikipedia.org

Viljandi castle (Estonian: Viljandi ordulinnus, German: Ordensburg Fellin) of Teutonic Order, construction of which started 1224 in place of a former hillfort, was one of the strongest castles in Livonia. Finally destroyed in the Polish-Swedish wars in early 17th century, ruins of it now form a popular resort area in Viljandi, Estonia.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: March 29, 2012 - Definitive Stamps

Aitäh, Katrina !

Sent on: November 27, 2012

Received on: November 28, 2012

#154 Tallinn, Estonia

St Mary's Cathedral, Tallinn (Estonian: Toomkirik, full name: Tallinna Neitsi Maarja Piiskoplik Toomkirik, German: Ritter- und Domkirche, English: The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin in Tallinn, also known as Dome Church) is a cathedral church located on Toompea Hill in Tallinn, Estonia. Originally established by Danes in the 13th century, it is the oldest church in Tallinn and mainland Estonia. It is also the only building in Toompea which survived a 17th century fire.

Originally a Roman Catholic cathedral, it became Lutheran in 1561 and now belongs to the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Tallinn, the spiritual leader of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Chairman of that Church's governing Synod.

 Wikipedia.org

Property No #822

It's in the list of UNESCO as a part of Old Town of Tallinn.
Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO: 1997

Date of Issue: October 10, 2007 - Estonian Towns - Viljandi

Aitäh, Katrina !

Sent on: November 21, 2012

Received on: November 23, 2012

#153 Shanghai, China

The Senado Square, or Senate Square (Portuguese: Largo do Senado; Chinese: 議事亭前地), is a paved area in the center of the former Portuguese colony of Macau, China, enclosed by the buildings of the Leal Senado, the General Post Office, and St. Dominic’s Church. The square is paved in the traditional Portuguese pavement. The main road of Macau's historic center, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro passes through the square.

 Wikipedia.org

Property No #1110

Date of Inscription on the list of UNESCO: 2005

Thank you, Allan !

Sent on: October 13, 2012
Received on: November 21, 2012

#152 Puchong, Malaysia

Redang Island, locally known as Pulau Redang or just "Redang" is one of the largest islands off the east coast of Malaysia.

The island is also an important conservation site for sea turtles. Previously, the indiscriminate economic exploitation of turtle eggs had caused fewer turtles returning to nest on the island. This has led the Terengganu state government to set up the Koperasi Setiajaya Pulau Redang in 1989, a cooperative aiming to develop and manage socio-economic programmes that could improve the livelihood of Pulau Redang locals without endangering its natural resources.

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Catherine !

Sent on: November 5, 2012

Received on: November 15, 2012

#151 Samobor, Croatia

Dubrovnik (pronounced [dǔbroːʋnik], Italian: Ragusa, Greek: Ραγκούσα, Ragoùsa) is a city on the Adriatic Sea coast of Croatia, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, aseaport and the center of Dubrovnik-Neretva county.

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 (together with Amalfi, Pisa, Genoa, Venice and other Italian cities), 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.

 Wikipedia.org

Property No #95

Date of Inscription on the list of UNESCO: 1979

Extension: 1994

Date of Issue: April 18, 1992 - Croatian Towns - Dubrovnik

Date of Issue: October 28, 2011 - 50th Anniversary of the Institute of Art History

Thank you, Vladimir !

Sent on: November 7, 2012

Received on: November 15, 2012

#150 Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Jim Jim Falls is a 200 m (660 ft) high waterfall located in the Kakadu National Park, in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is believed that 140 million years ago much of Kakadu was under a shallow sea. The prominent escarpment wall formed sea cliffs and the Arnhem Land plateau formed a flat land above the sea. Today the escarpment, which rises to 330 meters (1,080 ft) above the plains, extends over 500 kilometers (300 mi) along the eastern side of the Park and into Arnhem Land. It varies from vertical cliffs in the Jim Jim Falls area to stepped cliffs and isolated outfielder in the north.
Wikipedia.org

Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.

Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of 19,804 km² (7,646 sq mi), extending nearly 200 kilometers from north to south and over 100 kilometers from east to west. It is the size of Slovenia, about one-third the size of Tasmania, or nearly half the size of Switzerland. The Ranger Uranium Mine, one of the most productive uranium mines in the world, is surrounded by but separate from the park.
Wikipedia.org

Property No #147

Date of Inscription on the list of UNESCO: 1981

Extensions: 1987, 1992

Minor modification inscribed year: 2011 

On the stamp: XXX Summer Olympic Games - London 2012.

Thank you, Kay !

Received on: November 12, 2012

#149 Taichung City, Taiwan | TW-672510

The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (traditional Chinese: 國立中正紀念堂; simplified Chinese: 国立中正纪念堂) is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei, Republic of China (ROC).

Wikipedia.org

Thank you, Jessie (junkie729) !

Received on: November 12, 2012
Travel time: 52 days
Distance: 8029 km (4,989 miles)

#148 Tartu, Estonia

1. Ruins of the Dome Cathedral - The steep slopes of the gravely and sandy small cape of the River Emajõgi (the Dome Hill) offered protection for a stronghold built on them in the middle of the first millennium. The stronghold was one of the largest constructions of ancient Estonia. In 1224, Germans destroyed the stronghold that had been rebuilt by Estonians and erected a bishop's castle, castrum Tarbate, on its place. The contours of the bishop's castle have been marked in old town plans and parts of the castle walls have been found in archaeological excavations.

The northern prominence of the cape was chosen as the place for a dome church (hence, the name Domberg). The church was surrounded by a cemetery and houses of the members of the cathedral chapter. The bishop's castle and the dome church were separated from the town by a strong wall.

Construction of the dome church dedicated to apostles St. Peter and Paul probably began in the second half of the 13th century. In 1299, the choir part and the nave were in use.The high- rise choir hall with head pillars was completed in the current size only in 1470's. The west side of the dome with the large tetrahedral twin towers known to us was also built in the second half of the 15th century. The height of the towers was 66 meters. After their demolition up to the hight of the walls of the central nave by an engineering team working in Tartu in 1763, a cannon platform was to be established there.

During the Russian- Livonian war, the church was damaged and by the beginning of the 17th century, the vaults of the construction had been shattered. Some of the valuable furnishings were taken to St. Mary's church. Later, wooden sheds built between the walls, were used as crop and hay storage facilities.

In 1806, the first architect of the university, J. W. Krause, had the choir part of the Dome Church rebuilt into a library. The high-rise choir hall was divided into three storeys. In 1928, the side naves of the library were expanded.

2. Tartu University - The University of Tartu (Estonian: Tartu Ülikool, Latin: Universitas Tartuensis) is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia. The University of Tartu is a member of the Coimbra Group and the Utrecht Network, and was established by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in 1632, thus being one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe.

3. View of the town from river Emajõgi - The Emajõgi (German: Embach; Latvian: Mētra) is a river in Estonia which flows from Lake Võrtsjärv through Tartu County into Lake Peipus, crossing the city of Tartu for 10 km. It has a length of 100 km. The name Emajõgi means "Mother River" in Estonian. The Emajõgi is sometimes called the Suur Emajõgi ("Great Emajõgi"), in contrast with the Väike Emajõgi ("Little Emajõgi"), another river which flows into the southern end of Lake Võrtsjärv. Emajõgi is the second largest river in Estonia by discharge and the only fully navigable river.

Date of Issue: October 25, 2012 - Railway Bridges - Narva

Aitäh, Katrina !

Look, what my stupid postbox did ! First it was wet and I couldn't get the card out of it and later when I got the keys, it was frozen inside and I ripped the card..

Sent on: November 8, 2012
Received on: November 9, 2012

#147 Põltsamaa, Estonia

Jõgeva County (Estonian: Jõgeva maakond), or Jõgevamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in eastern part of the country and borders Ida-Viru County to the north-east, Lake Peipus to the east, Tartu County to the south, Viljandi County to the south-west, Järva County to the north-west and Lääne-Viru County to the north. 36,780 people live in Jõgeva County – constituting 2.7% of the total population in Estonia (as of January 2009).

Date of Issue: August 30, 2012 - Estonian Mushrooms - the European Destroying Angel

Aitäh, Katrina !

It's really awesome to receive Estonian postcards and stamps. I can buy those, but it's not "the real thing" because I love postcards written and stamped. Oh, what would I do without you, Katrina ?

Sent on: October 29, 2012

Received on: October 30, 2012

#146 Saint Peter Port, Guernsey

Guernsey (/ˈɡɜrnzi/ gurn-zee), officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey), is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.

Although its defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom, and despite common belief, the Bailiwick of Guernsey is not part of the UK - and while Guernsey lies within the Common Travel Area, it is not part of the European Union.

Wikipedia.org

Castle Cornet is a large island castle in Guernsey, and former tidal island, also known as Cornet Rock or Castle Rock, which has been part of one of the breakwaters of St Peter Port's harbour, the main one in the island, since 1859.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: July 25, 2012 - 150 Years of the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club

Thank you, Monica !

Sent on: October 17, 2012

Received on: October 23, 2012

Her blog: http://theworldonmydoorstep.wordpress.com/

#145 Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of 159.2 km² (61.5 sq mi) with a population of 417,741. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is ranked as a global city and has been listed among the top 10 digital cities in the world. The city was a European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku, Finland.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #822

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO: 1997
Minor modification inscribed year: 2008

Date of Issue: September 13, 2012 - Estonian Lighthouses - Käsmu

Aitäh, Katrina !

Sent on: October 21, 2012

Received on: October 23, 2012

#144 Anseong, South Korea

Gyeongbokgung, also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace -- is a royal palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. First constructed in 1395, later burned and abandoned for almost three centuries, and then reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. The name means "Palace" [Gung] "Greatly Blessed by Heaven" [Gyeongbok].

Geunjeongjeon (Hangul: 근정전; Hanja: 勤政殿), also known as Geunjeongjeon Hall, is the throne hall where the king formally granted audiences to his officials, gave declarations of national importance, and greeted foreign envoys and ambassadors during the Joseon Dynasty. The building was designated as Korea's National Treasure No. 223 on January 8, 1985.

Geunjeongjeon was originally constructed in 1395 during the reign of King Taejo, but was burned down in 1592 when the Japanese invaded Korea. The present building was built in 1867 when Gyeongbokgung was being reconstructed. The name Geunjeongjeon, created by the minister Jeong Dojeon, means "diligence helps governance."

Wikipedia.org

Aitäh, Arvi !

Sent on: October 11, 2012

Received on: October 20, 2012

PS: I have no idea what this Korean word(s) means, If somebody knows, please tell me.