Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture

I used to think that Ibiza was only beaches and discos, two things I don't like that much, but apparently there's a lot more than that. For example, a fortified town and a unique marine life

Ibiza Upper Town

This postcard was sent by José

Ibiza, also known as Ibiza Town, is a city and municipality located on the southeast coast of the island of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands autonomous community.

Although called Ibiza in English and Spanish, the official name is the Catalan Eivissa (as restored in 1986) and its inhabitants call it the Vila d'Eivissa or simply Vila ("Town"). It is divided into two main parts: the old town, called the Dalt Vila (literally "Upper Town"), located on a little mountain by the sea, and the modern part, called the Eixample ("extension").

Ibiza Upper Town

This postcard was sent by José

Sights include the cathedral of Santa Maria d'Eivissa (14th century), located at the top of the Dalt Vila, and the Punic necropolis of Puig des Molins. Nearby is also the monument of Christ, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a 23-metre-high (75 ft) statue inspired by Christ the Redeemer, which is 3.1 miles (5.0 km) north of the city. - in: wikipedia

Royal Domain of Drottningholm

This was not my first postcard from Sweden but it was my first UNESCO site from there.

Drottningholm Palace

 This postcard was sent by Merja

The Drottningholm Palace (Swedish: Drottningholms slott) is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. It is located in Drottningholm. Built on the island Lovön (in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County), it is one of Sweden's Royal Palaces. It was originally built in the late 16th century. It served as a regular summer residence of the Swedish royal court for most of the 18th century. Apart from being the private residence of the Swedish royal family, the palace is a popular tourist attraction. - in: wikipedia

Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal (D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station)

This is the largest still operational steam-powered pumping station in the world, built to prevent floods.

Ir.D.F. Woudagemaal

This postcard was sent by Saskia

The Wouda Pumping Station at Lemmer in the province of Friesland opened in 1920. It is the largest steam-pumping station ever built and is still in operation. It represents the high point of the contribution made by Netherlands engineers and architects in protecting their people and land against the natural forces of water. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/867

Van Nellefabriek

This factory in Rotterdam  is considered a prime example of the International Style and one of the most beautiful factories in the world

Van Nellefabriek

This postcard was sent by Mike

Van Nellefabriek was designed and built in the 1920s on the banks of a canal in the Spaanse Polder industrial zone north-west of Rotterdam. The site is one of the icons of 20th-century industrial architecture, comprising a complex of factories, with façades consisting essentially of steel and glass, making large-scale use of the curtain wall principle. It was conceived as an ‘ideal factory’, open to the outside world, whose interior working spaces evolved according to need, and in which daylight was used to provide pleasant working conditions. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1441

Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht

Amsterdam is one of the cities of my top 5 "must visit"

Keizersgracht Canal

This postcard was sent by Kim

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than one hundred kilometers of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. - in: wikipedia

Defence Line of Amsterdam

The Defence Line of Amsterdam consists of 45 forts around Amsterdam built between 1880 and 1920. So far I only have a postcard of one of them

Fort Pampus

This postcard was sent by Kim

Pampus is an artificial island and late 19th-century sea fort located in the IJmeer near Amsterdam. It now belongs to the municipality of Gooise Meren and is open to visitors.

The fort is built of bricks and concrete. The fort has an oval shape and the main building has three floors. On the ground floor were the troops' quarters, kitchen, laundry, two coal-fired steam engines of 20 hp, two dynamos, telegraph, first aid station, and magazines. in: wikipedia

Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon

When I was in the army in Lisbon I passed a few times by the Tower of Belém but I never did a proper visit. I hope to do it one day, not only to the tower but also to the Monastery of the Hieronymites.

Tower of Belém

This postcard was sent by me to myself

Standing at the entrance to Lisbon harbour, the Monastery of the Hieronymites – construction of which began in 1502 – exemplifies Portuguese art at its best. The nearby Tower of Belém, built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition, is a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/263

Tower of Belém

This postcard was given to me by my cousin Isabel

Belém Tower (Portuguese: Torre de Belém) or the Tower of St Vincent is a fortified tower located in the civil parish of Santa Maria de Belém in the municipality of Lisbon, Portugal. The tower was commissioned by King John II to be part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus river and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon.

Tower of Belém

This postcard was sent by Zé "Pombal" with a great stamp that shows also the Tower of Belém

The tower was built in the early 16th century and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style, but it also incorporates hints of other architectural styles. The structure was built from lioz limestone and is composed of a bastion and a 30 m (100 foot), four storey tower. It has incorrectly been stated that the tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and now sits near the shore because the river was redirected after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. In fact, the tower was built on a small island in the Tagus River near the Lisbon shore.

Tower of Belém

This postcard was sent by Vanesa

The 16th-century tower is considered one of the principal works of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style. This is especially apparent in its elaborate rib vaulting, crosses of the Order of Christ, armillary spheres and twisted rope, common to the nautically inspired organic Manueline style. - in: wikipedia

Monastery of the Hieronymites

This postcard was sent by Gracinha. Unfortunately was damaged by the post service. 

The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery, (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Portuguese), is a monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome located near the shore of the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal.

The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon.

The existing structure was inaugurated on the orders of Manuel I (1469–1521) at the courts of Montemor o Velho in 1495, as a final resting-place for members of the House of Aviz, in his belief that an Iberian dynastic kingdom would rule after his death. In 1496, King Manuel petitioned the Holy See for permission to construct a monastery at the site. - in: wikipedia