Coimbra

This wonderful card was sent by susanaportugal from Portugal, signed in the back by all the participants in the 3rd Postcrossing meeting in Portugal. Unfortunely I couldn't be there. I guess that's the price I have to pay for living in an island - it gets hard to go to the mainland. Anyway, it was such a great surprise to get this card!

The card shows Coimbra, one of the oldest cities in Portugal. It's a college town, growing around the University, one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest in Portugal. The specific site shown in the card is the "Largo da Portagem" (english: Square of Toll). It owes its name to the fact that this was the place where the taxes were collected over the goods that arrived in the city, coming from the South.

In the picture you can see the square of Joaquim António de Aguiar, a notorious 19th century portuguese politician born in Coimbra. In 30th of May, 1834 he issued a law that extinguished all religious orders in Portugal. Due to this he was nicknamed "O mata-Frades" (english: "the friar killer").

I've visited Coimbra a while ago but I don't remember going to this square. Anyways, the city is quite beautiful, full of history and legends. A place you should visit...

Source: google.

Os Imigrantes - Domingos Rebelo

Of all the amazing stamps I have in my collection, this is probably my favourite. It was issued in 1999 by the CTT (Portuguese Postal Services) and depicts a painting named “Os Imigrantes”, painted by the Azorean painter Domingos Rebelo.

Domingos Rebelo, born in the city of Ponta Delgada, S. Miguel Island, in 1891, was a professor and a painter. He exhibited his first painting when he was only 13 years old. When he was 15 years old, due to his talent, and with the support of many people, he left the island to study in Paris, where he remained for six years. After returning to the island and marrying, he worked for thirty years in the same school where he studied, which today is named after him. In 1942, he settled in Lisbon, Portugal’s capital, doing several murals and paintings and getting involved in the National Arts Academy. He eventually died in that city in 1975.

He was a deeply religious person and gave a lot of importance to family and religion. Through out his life, he was always interested in helping and orientating young Azorean painters. He had a big impact in Azorean culture and Art, becoming the most known Azorean artist of all times.

Os Imigrantes (The immigrants) is his best known piece. It was painted in 1926 and shows local people in Ponta Delgada’s Harbour, waiting to leave the island and immigrate to other places in the world. It is considered a regionalist themed painting, because of its details: the traditional Azorean clothes, the Azorean guitar and the small frame next to the woman (it shows an image of Saint Christ of Miracles, a very important religious devotion in the islands).
I think it’s a remarkable painting, done by a remarkable painter.

Source: Wikipedia.

Pelourinho vs. Angra do Heroísmo

What are the odds of two different photographers, at different times, take two similar photographs of two different places? Well, I don’t know, but they must be slim.

Well, the above card was sent by baiana, from Brazil, and it shows Pelourinho, the historic centre of Salvador, the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador was founded in 1549, with the objective of becoming the headquarters of the Portuguese sovereignty in Brazil. Most of the buildings architecture was styled in colonial architecture (Portuguese baroque) and it has a unique look. The houses, buildings and churches still maintain the colourful colours that were usual in the 17th century and nowadays it’s a cultural centre. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 and it includes places such as the Governors’ Palace, the Church of San Francisco, the church of Carmo, etc.

The bellow card (from my album for trade) shows the Town of Angra do Heroísmo, which was the first place in the Açores to be elevated to the status of city, in 1534. It has a special place in Azorean History as one of the most important locations in the archipelago. For many centuries, Angra do Heroísmo was an obligatory stop to caravels, carracks and galleons full of riches, which brought wealth to the city. It has many palaces and convents, churches and forts. Originally, it was simply called Angra ( in English cove or harbor) because it had a cove that allowed the protection of big ships from the winds and other dangers. In the 19th century the name was changed to Angra do Heroísmo (English: of Heroism) in recognition to the courage and heroism of its inhabitants during the Portuguese Civil War.
In 1983, UNESCO declared its Historic centre a World Heritage Site. The site includes the fortifications of S. Sebastião and São João Baptista, the City Hall, the Cathedral, the town square, etc.

Both cards are amazing and depict incredible places in the world. I find them beautiful, especially because they are so similar…

Source: Wikipedia.

Almeida

A week ago, my best friend brought me a stack of postcards. He lives in the mainland (in Lisbon) and is here for the Holydays. Among all the great cards he brought me, there was this awesome one. He visited the site and because he knows I love History he thought I might like this card. Well, he was right.

It shows the Fort of Almeida, located in the town of Almeida, in the border with Spain. It was built in the 17th century and it’s a star fort, built in Vauban style. The Fort is a National Monument since 1927.

I had never heard of it until my friend gave me the card – a fact I find unforgivable. How is it possible that such beautiful places are not known by the public?

Source: Wikipedia.

Lighthouse of Capelinhos II

I love maxicards and I collect them. They are the perfect combination of my two favourite hobbies: stamps and postcards. This one I bought on-line, on the CTT (Portuguese postal services) website.

It shows a beautiful view of Capelinhos and the stamps shows a vintage photo of the volcanic eruption on the site, in the 50’s. It's beautiful!

Lighthouse of Penedo da Saudade

The first time I saw this card in an album for trade, I immediately knew I had to have it in my collection. The sky and ocean colours were just magnificent. Fortunately, susanaportugal was kind enough to send me one.

This lighthouse is located in Penedo da Saudade, a site in the parish of S. Pedro de Moel, in Marinha Grande, Portugal. The lighthouse’s name is difficult to translate to English because there is no accurate English correspondence to the word “saudade”. I will translate it for nostalgia and “penedo” for cliff. Hence, its name in English would be something like Cliff of Nostalgia.

The site was originally donated by the King in 1463 to the Count of Vila Real. It remained in the family for several centuries, until the last count was executed for treason in 1641. The legend says that the countess weeped every day until her death, on the top of the cliff, for her beloved husband and that’s how the site earned its name.
Some say they can still hear the countess’ cry’s in the wind...

Source: Wikipedia.

Lighthouse of Capelinhos

Every Azorean, at one time or another, has heard of the Lighthouse of Capelinhos. It is located in the village of Capelo, in Faial Island, which was the site of an off-shore violent volcanic eruption in the 50s: the volcano of Capelinhos. It caused the destruction of many houses and two parishes were evacuated. It was such a scary event, that it led to a mass departure from the Azores to North America, especially the USA, where the Senate approved the Azorean Refugee Act.

The lighthouse was inaugurated in 1903 and ceased its activity in the 29th of September of 1957, due to the eruption. It was the closest building to the eruption and was damaged and covered in ashes. Nowadays it’s being turned into a belvedere and close to it is a Museum.

I’ve visited this site a couple of years ago. It is quite stunning.

Source: Wikipedia.

Belém Tower

If you’ve heard of Portugal, you’ve heard of Lisbon and if you’ve heard of Lisbon... well, then you’ve heard of Belém Tower. This fortified tower is the city’s ex-libris, one of its most recognizable symbols.

It was built in the 16th century as a tribute to Vasco da Gama’s voyage and quickly became a symbol of the Portuguese Age of the Great Discoveries. Through out its life, it was a part of Lisbon’s defence system, a custom house, a telegraphic post, a lighthouse and even a prison.

It was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1983 and it’s been a National Monument since 1907. The card above was sent by Sofia.

Source: Wikipedia.

Pena National Palace

This fairylike and romantic Palace is one of Portugal’s most impressive locations.
The Pena National Palace is the first palace built in Romanticism style in Europe. It stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra and it’s a national monument. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1995 and it is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

This beautiful building was built between 1842 and 1854, on the ruins of a 16th century monastery. The construction was ordered by King Consort Ferdinand II as a summer residence for the royal family. The design was created by a German amateur architect named Baron Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege. It includes Medieval and Islamic elements and red and yellow façades.

This incredible postcard was sent by joana122.

Source: Wikipedia.

Batalha Monastery

There are many places I would like to visit in my country and this one is at the top of my list. A friend of mine was there in a college assignment to draw the Monastery and she fell in love with it, taking lots of wonderful photographs that I enjoyed seeing.

The Batalha Monastery is located in the Town of Batalha, in the District of Leiria. It has both elements of late Gothic architecture and Manualine style and its original name is Monastery of Saint Mary of Victory. It was built as a tribute to the Virgin Mary, to whom the King D. João I attributed the Portuguese victory over the Castilians in the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385.
This impressive Monastery took two centuries to be built, from 1386 until 1517. It was voted one of Portugal’s Seven Wonders in 2007 and it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983.

Both postcards were sent by our kind Helena (leninha): the one on the top shows the front of the Monastery, the other shows an arcade screen in the Cloister of King João I, inside the Monastery.

Source: Wikipedia.