torstai 31. maaliskuuta 2016

The Statue of Constantine

Rome - Fragment of the Statue of Constantine, Pal. dei Conservatori
Photo: Giancarlo Gasponi

The Colossus of Constantine was a colossal acrolithic statue of the late Roman emperor Constantine the Great (c. 280–337) that once occupied the west apse of the Basilica of Maxentius near the Forum Romanum in Rome. Portions of the Colossus now reside in the Courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori of the Musei Capitolini, on the Capitoline Hill, above the west end of the Forum.

The great head, arms and legs of the Colossus were carved from white marble, while the rest of the body consisted of a brick core and wooden framework, possibly covered with gilded bronze. Judging by the size of the remaining pieces, the seated, enthroned figure would have been about 12 meters (40 feet) high. The head is about 2½ meters high and each foot is over 2 meters long. (Wikipedia)

Palazzo dei Conservatori on rakennus Piazza del Campidoglion laidalla Capitoliumissa Roomassa. Nykyään se on yksi Musei Capitolinin kolmesta rakennuksesta. Palazzo dei Conservatori rakennettiin 1300-luvulla. Palatsin alakerroksessa toimi ammattikuntien toimipaikka ja oikeusistuin. 1520-luvulla palatsi uudistettiin Piazza del Campidoglion ohella Michelangelon suunnitelmien mukaisesti. Palatsiin on sijoitettu paavi Sixtus IV:n vuonna 1471 perustama taidekokoelma.

Museon kokoelma on karttunut ajan myötä. Paikkansa museosta ovat saaneet Konstantinus Suuren pää ja käsi, jotka ovat säilyneet osat antiikin aikaisesta, yli 10 metriä korkeasta veistoksesta, sekä Romulusta ja Remusta imettävä Capitoliumin naarassusi. Myös aiemmin palatsin edustan aukiolla sijainnut alkuperäinen Marcus Aureliuksen ratsastajapatsas on löytänyt paikkansa Palazzo dei Conservatorista. (Wikipedia)

Received from Liliya, St.Petersburg, Russia
Distance: 538 km
Travel time: 10 days

keskiviikko 30. maaliskuuta 2016

Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery


The Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery

Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery used to be the largest monastery in Northern Russia. The monastery was consecrated to the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, for which cause it was sometimes referred to as the Dormition Monastery of St. Cyril. By the 20th century, the town of Kirillov had grown nearby. Wikipedia

Received from Oleg in Vologda, Russia



Distance: 1,035 km
Travel time: 18 days

tiistai 29. maaliskuuta 2016

Cats


Anton Gortsevich: Reading cat
This cat seems to be a little bit tired, perhaps his book is too boring.



Alexander Vasilevich Maskaev. Mouse Carousel
Mouse carousel,  a perfect toy for cats, not boring at all.



Vladimir Rumyantsev. Summer Breakfast
Noble aristocat with his creamy breakfast.
And I'm very pleased with these great cat cards, thank you very much Valeria and Irina


lauantai 26. maaliskuuta 2016

Victoria Kirdiy


Victoria Kirdiy is surely also one of my favorites. This card came from Moscow with beautiful stamps and wise quotes:  
"Even smallest dreamer has the rights on biggest dream."
"No dreamer is  too small; no dream is  too big." 

Thanks Elena! 


perjantai 25. maaliskuuta 2016

Happy Easter



Счастливой Пасхи!
From Alexandra, Russia



Kellemes húsvéti ünnepeket!
From Krisztina, Serbia



Fröhliche Ostern
From Lea, Germany


Fröhliche Ostern
From Janiena, Germany


Happy Easter
From Dena, U.S.A.


Vrolijk Pasen!
From Tiny, Belgium


Happy Easter
Sent by Keisztina on 22 Mar, 2015 from Serbia


Hyvää Pääsiäistä!
From caijsa Finland :)


torstai 24. maaliskuuta 2016

Happy Easter


Veselé Velikonoce
From Adéla, Czech Republic


Fröhliche Ostern!
From Claudia, Germany


Rabbit Family riding in Motorcycle and wishing Happy Easter!
From Ute, Germany


tiistai 22. maaliskuuta 2016

Birds


 Punarinta,  Robin, Erithacus rubecula, O.Kleinschmidt, 1921
My collection

Otto Kleinschmidt ( 1870 –  1954) was a German ornithologist, theologist and pastor. He introduced a typological species concept into German ornithology. 



Punarinta,  Robin, Erithacus rubecula
Pastel Loes Botman, 1968

From bstb, Germany
Thank you Birgit!




 Kuukkeli, Siberian Jay, Perisoreus infaustus.
Aquarelle Sirpa Seppänen, Finland
My collection



Album de Aves Amazonicas, 
Dr. Emilio A. Goeldi , Zürich, 1900-1906
Émil August Goeldi ( 1859 -1917 ), was a Swiss-Brazilian naturalist and zoologist, primarily a zoologist and he described many new Brazilian species of birds and mammals.

From kayakay, Japan
Thank you Hsuan-Ying!


maanantai 21. maaliskuuta 2016

Dresden and St. Petersburg


 Frauenkirche, Dresden, Germany
The church was destroyed in the firebombing of Dresden during World War II. The remaining ruins were left for 50 years as a war memorial, following decisions of local East German leaders. The church was rebuilt after the reunification of Germany, starting in 1994. The reconstruction of its exterior was completed in 2004, and the interior in 2005.  

Received today from akli75, Leipzig, Gemany
Thank you!


A row of  29 lions.
 Lions near the Country House of Kushelev-Bezborodko, St Petersburg, Russia.  

Received today from Irinkins, Sosnovy Bor, Russia.
Thank you!

lauantai 19. maaliskuuta 2016

Anna Silivonchik



Vasil in Minsk sent these super cute cards illustrated by Belarusian artist Anna Silivonchik, one of my favorites.
Thank you Vasil!

More about Anna's art here

perjantai 18. maaliskuuta 2016

Belarusian Art And Crafts



Valiarjana Zholtak. Stil Life "Festive" 1985, Oil on canvas
Thank you Ekaterina 


Master of spinning. 
Braslav museum of Traditional Culture
Thank you Ksenia



Dudutki Pottery
"Dudutki" is  an open air museum in Belarus. The museum was founded in 1993, it’s the only private museum in Belarus. Dudutki is a museum of Belarusian rural culture, which represented many national crafts and productions, such as carpentry, pottery, handicraft-making and baking, straw braiding, blacksmith, working wind mill, milk farm producing cheese, the only legal moonshine distillery in Belarus.
Thank you Lyudmila


Vasil Sharangovich, 
Illustration to the poem of Yakub Kolas " New Land"

Yakub KOLAS was the classic writer of Belarusian and world literature, one of the founders of modern Belarusian literature and literary Belarusian language. A poet, playwright, prose writer, publicist, translator, teacher, public figure.

Thank you Nadine!

torstai 17. maaliskuuta 2016

Island of Pain and Sorrow


Spinalonga is an arid and barren rocky islet with an area of 8.5 hectares lying at the mouth of the natural port of Elounda in the Lasithi prefecture of Crete. Due to its strategic location, it was fortified and served a variety of roles and purposes over the centuries. Here, on an island where lepers from Crete and the rest of Greece had been kept in isolation until 1957, a story about love and pain, separation and fear was born. Today, the uninhabited island is a popular tourist attraction in Crete.  Turism has  increased since Victoria Hislop's book " The Island"  was published in 2005, 




Some photos from my trip to Spinalonga in 2012.

keskiviikko 16. maaliskuuta 2016

Island of Courage and Sorrow



Island of Courage and Sorrow - Belarusian memorial to soldiers-internationalists who died in Afghanistan in years 1979-1989. Complex is located on river Svisloch in Minsk, near the Trinity suburb.  Artist T. Dolskaya

From Y_Mars in Minsk, Belarus



From Ksenia-V in Brest, Belarus

tiistai 15. maaliskuuta 2016

Trash or Treasure?


Metamorfose
Photo Dirk Hanus
Thanks Andreas in Waldheim, Germany






Trash is treasure for Maarit Oksanen- Biarowsky,
Padasjoki, Finland

Her shop in Padasjoki.







sunnuntai 13. maaliskuuta 2016

Easter




Nikolay in St. Petersburg sent these  Easter postcards. 
Aren't they cute?  They came in an envelope with many other beautiful cards and stickers, the stamps were great as well.




More postcards in Beth's  " The Best Hearts are Crunchy".