Postcard 52 has been sent to one of the most popular cities in the UK, Liverpool, best known for being the hometown of The Beatles and for its football teams.
A 6th grade student, Alberto Fortes, has written a postcard to our Liverpudlian friend, Alan, showing Ourense's Ponte do Milenio. Hope he likes it!
Alberto has done some research on Liverpool and has posted his findings in EXPLORING PLACES. If you want to read about the Millenium Bridge, click DISCOVER OURENSE.
Liverpool, in North West England, is a major city and
metropolitan borough with an estimated population of 478,580 in 2015 within the
City of Liverpool. Liverpool and its surrounding areas form the fifth largest
metropolitan area in the UK.
being the most filmed city in the UK outside of
London and one of the most popular spots is Castle Street. It’s doubled for
Moscow, New York and Dublin.
The Bluecoat is a cutting-edge arts centre housed in a
300-year-old building, offering a programme of art, literature, music and
dance. It’s also home to a wide range of artists and creative businesses.
The Albert Dock has quickly become one of the most
important landmarks and areas in central Liverpool and dates back to the
mid-19th century. Recently renovated, the Albert Dock is now a particularly
trendy area and one of the city's major tourist attractions, with a number of
lively wine bars, cafés, shops and museums.
The extremely famous Cavern Club is known throughout
the world as the home of the Beatles and Liverpool beat in the 1960s. Relocated
in the mid-1970s, the Cavern Club retains many original features and an
exciting atmosphere, with regular live bands.
The Royal Liver Building was built in the early 20th
century and features tall towers, with one of the largest clocks in the United
Kingdom. This structure is the home of the Royal Liver Friendly Society and
guided tours are available upon request.
Sefton Park Palm House
This amazing structure at the heart of Sefton Park is an octagonal, 3 tiered, Grade
II* listed Victorian glasshouse displaying plants from around the world.
LIFESTYLE
Liverpool is a city that’s bursting with attractions
and ‘things to do’, it’s easy to become wrapped up and enthralled on exactly
what we’re doing now and what we’re going to do next without stopping for a
minute to admire and learn about the city.
The second postcard received this year has travelled
7,857 km!
Its origin is Rajashtan, the largest state area in
India, and shows a vast magical place, the Thar Desert, also known as the Great
Indian Desert.
Thanks a million Kamran for letting us know about
Rajashtan’s folk music and some of its traditional instruments, like the Sindhi
Sarangi, an ancient bowed violin, and the traditional pies.
To know more about Rajashtan and its culture, visit our
section EXPLORING PLACES!
Rajashtan is located on the western side of India,
where it comprises most of the wide Thar Desert (also known as the "Rajasthan
Desert" and "Great Indian Desert") and shares a border with the
Pakistani provinces of Punjab to the northwest and Sindh to the west, along the
Sutlej-Indus river valley. Elsewhere it is bordered by the other Indian states:
Punjab to the north; Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast; Madhya Pradesh
to the southeast; and Gujarat to the southwest.
RAJASHTAN
IS FAMOUS FOR…
…its historical ruins: The Ruins of the Indus Valley
Civilization at Kalibanga; the Dilwara Temples, a Jain pilgrimage site at
Rajasthan's only hill station, Mount Abu, in the ancient Aravalli mountain
range.
…its natural parks: he Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur,
a World Heritage Site is very well known for its bird life. Rajasthan is also
home to two national tiger reserves, the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai
Madhopur and Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar.
…its capital city: Jaipur, also known as Pink City,
located on the state's eastern side. With a population of 3.1 million Jaipur is
the tenth most populous city in India. Other important cities in Rajashtan are
Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Kota and Ajmer.
Hawal Mahal (in English “Palace of Winds" or
"Palace of the Breeze") is a palace in Jaipur so named because it was
essentially a high screen wall built so the women of the royal household could
observe street festivals while unseen from the outside. Constructed of red and
pink sandstone, the palace sits on the edge of the City Palace, and extends to
the zenana, or women's chambers.
Amer Palace and Fort are located in Amer, a town located
11 kilometres from Jaipur. Constructed of red sandstone and marble up on a hill,
this opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. The Fort
built to protect the palace is known for its artistic Hindu style elements.
With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort
overlooks Maota Lake, the main source of
water for the Amer Palace.
Birla Mandir is a Hindu temple located in Jaipur and
is part of one of the several Birla mandirs located all around India. The grand
temple is located on an elevated ground at the base of Moti Dungari hill.
Mount Abu is a
popular hill station in the Aravalli Range near the border with Gujarat. The
mountain forms a distinct rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest
peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at 1,722 m and is often referred to as “an
oasis in the desert” as its heights are home to rivers, lakes, waterfalls and
evergreen forests.
This city has been acclaimed as the most romantic city
in the world. It is built around and on the Aravalli hills. Many lakes of the
city add to the beauty of the historical city.
LIFESTYLE
Rajasthan is culturally rich and has artistic and
cultural traditions which reflect the ancient Indian way of life. There is rich
and varied folk culture from villages which are often depicted and is symbolic
of the state. Highly cultivated classical music and dance with its own distinct
style is part of the cultural tradition of Rajasthan.
Rajasthan is known for its traditional, colourful art.
The block prints, tie and dye prints, Bagaru prints, Sanganer prints, and Zari
embroidery are major export products from Rajasthan. Handicraft items like
wooden furniture and crafts, carpets, and blue pottery are commonly found here.
Shopping reflects the colourful culture, Rajasthani clothes have a lot of
mirror work and embroidery.
The main religious festivals are Deepawali, Holi,
Gangaur, Teej, Gogaji, Shri Devnarayan Jayanti, Makar Sankranti and
Janmashtami, as the main religion is Hinduism. Rajasthan's desert festival is
held once a year during winter. Dressed in costumes, the people of the desert
dance and sing ballads. There are fairs with snake charmers, puppeteers,
acrobats and folk performers. Camels play a role in this festival.
We are thrilled to share this wonderful video created by the project
coordinator, Eva Pousa, which shows all the postcards received ever since we started
our Postcrossing journey!
It's simply amazing to see how postcards have arrived from so
many faraway places, bringing different people together and bridging such diverse cultures.
Hannover is a city found in Lower Saxony, Germany. It
is located 52.37 latitude and 9.73 longitude and it is situated at 57 meters above
sea level. Hannover has a population of 515,140 making it the
biggest city in Lower Saxony.
HANNOVER IS FAMOUR FOR…
... being the place where Hochdeutsch, the most standard German, is spoken.
... The CeBit, the largest and most internationally
represented computer expo.
Herrenhausen Gardens are Hannover’s most famous
attraction and have been a striking example of grand horticultural style for
more than 300 years.
The centrepiece, the “Great Garden”, is the most
important baroque garden in Europe and is a magnet for tourists from all over
the world. Just like the ladies and gentlemen of the court in centuries gone
by, visitors today can stroll around amidst opulently designed beds, splendid
sculptures and artistically clipped, illuminated hedges. Water features can be
heard babbling in hidden corners while the Great Fountain rises to an
impressive height of 70 metres. Originally created by Electress Sophia as the
“Grand Jardin de la Leine”, the Great Garden is one of the few baroque parks
which has retained its basic structure until today.
In the days before the Second World War there was a
large old town in the centre of Hannover with narrow lanes and many
half-timbered buildings from the Middle Ages. A lot of poor people lived there
under bad conditions. Ordinary Hannoverians stayed away from the old town
because they also considered it a place of crime and demimonde. The historic
value of the picturesque old buildings interested but a few.
The old town of Hannover extended from Steintor to
Aegidientorplatz and is today only recognizable by its elliptical shape. The
old main streets like Osterstraße, Schmiedestraße, Knochenhauerstraße,
Burgstraße, Leinestraße and others are linked by numerous lanes and join again
at the old gates as was common in German merchants' settlements in the Middle
Ages.
The Marktkirche - the church at the market place - was
built in the 14th century. The marketplace was at the very centre of urban
expansion in Hannover. Merchants and craftsmen used to live around here. In the
14th century, the Marktkirche ("The Church at the Marketplace") was
built here. Together with the Old Town Hall to the right they are considered to
be the southernmost specimens of the "North German neo-Gothic" style.
A historical building dating back to 1500 a.d. The old
Town Hall was built over a period of more than 100 years. The earliest part
(from 1410) overlooks the Schmiedestrasse (Blacksmith Street), the later wing
next to the market was erected on the foundations of the 13th century trade
hall. The adjacent wing in the Koebelinger Str. is called the "Chemists'
Wing ("Apothekenflügel"), because it was the location of the Town
Hall's pharmacy. This wing was later rebuilt in Italian Romanesque style, after
a citizen's "action group" led by a well known neo-Gothic architect,
Conrad Wilhelm Hase, managed to save the entire building from demolition in
1844. Hase was subsequently commissioned to renovate the remaining wings in
their original style of 1500, with its exceptional gothic gables and the
ornamental frieze.
Europe's largest city forest in the heart of Hannover.
At around 640 hectares, Hannover possesses the largest forest in the heart of a
city in Europe – even Hyde Park in London and the Bois de Bologne in Paris do
not compare. This green lung mostly lies close to the city centre in the
eastern part of Hannover. With a convenient web of pathways and hundreds of
benches for resting, with lakes, lawns for sunbathing, children's playgrounds
and forest inns, the Eilenriede fulfils many needs of citizens seeking
recreation.
LIFESTYLE
Hannover has plenty to offer: the highest quality of
life and an excellent environment for daily work and business growth. Renowned
universities, international trade fairs and strong high-tech industries make
Hannover one of the state-of-the-art locations in Germany. More than 1 million
people live here. Within a radius of 500 km, there are no less than 130 million
people, the four biggest European cargo ports, five capital cities and all of
Germany's major industrial centres.
Enjoy a Hannover timelapse image film - one day in the
vibrant city of Hannover in just 5 minutes!
