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Historic bridges in Bosnia-Herzegovina

May 25th, 2009 by ilyani | 1 Comment | Filed in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Another new country… at least for this blog. I was meaning to feature Sarajevo postcards for my first entry for Bosnia-Herzegovina, but hmm I had so many things in my mind about Sarajevo I don’t even know where to start. So let’s keep them aside first and have a look at these significant historical bridges in this country, and apparently they’re both listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites of BiH.

From Jasmina. I just love this bridge and and its glory with the old house buildings.. they look really beautiful at night! The Stari Most (“Old bridge”) was built in the 16th century when Mostar became the chief administrative city for the Ottoman Empire in the Herzegovina region. The bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed in 1993 during the Bosnian civil war. Then the bridge was reconstructed to its current from in 2001-2004.

This is the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad across the Drina River. It was built by by an Ottoman grand vizier, Mehmed Paša Sokolović in 1571 (hence the name). It was severely damaged during both World Wars and got temporary repairs and reconstructed in stone in the early 1950s. Being almost 500 years old, the bridge is fragile and now closed for traffic when it became UNESCO Heritage site.

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South Africa

May 25th, 2009 by ilyani | No Comments | Filed in South Africa

My few postcards from South Africa are rather random so I’m just making a general first entry for this country.

From Sandy. A breathtaking view of the Drakensberg Mountain Park.. which is the highest mountain range in South Africa rising to 3,482 metres. This park is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in this country.

From Chat_Noir. He went to Cape Town in 2006 and brough back these great postcards for us! This postcard of Nelson Mandela‘s cell rather gets my attention in a way that it’s related to someone really well-known, especially who has fought his life for a good cause. Mandela spent 19 of this 27 years of imprisonment in this cell number 5 in the Robben Island. And it’s definitely worth it, as he became the first democratically elected President of South Africa afterwards.

From Chat_Noir. Another lovely postcard showing the whole essence of Cape Town: 1) The Cape Point is the most southern tip of the African continent and the point where the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meets. 2) Beach view with the Table Mountain in sight. 3) The Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and 4) the V&A Waterfront.

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Finnish Painting

May 25th, 2009 by ilyani | No Comments | Filed in Finland

I have received many neat art postcards from Finland. The Finns do have great painters since past centuries.. it’s really amazing, maybe because here in Malaysia I can’t even name a single painter/artist who can be said “well-known”! All I can name are the cartoonists.. they are quite well-known anyway. Maybe Malaysians appreciate cartoons and comics more than paintings?? Nevermind.. let’s take a look at these postcards (yes, I love Finland coz they publish almost everything as postcards!!) :D

From IreneK. “Taivimaisema” (Winter Landscape), 1875, by Hjalmar Munsterhjelm.

From Juxu. “Taistelevat metsot” (Fighting Tetraos),  1886, by Ferdinand von Wright. Tetrao is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily which is like chickens.

FI-138853 from Hannde. “Väinämöinen laulaa Joukahaisen suohon temperamaalus” (Väinämöinen sings Joukahainen into a fen tempera painting with a motif from Kalevala), 1912-1913, by Joseph Alanen. Väinämöinen is a character in the Finnish epic Kalevala.. he was described as a Finnish god, then as an old and wise man, and possessed a magical voice.

From IreneK. “Kyyhkysia” (Doves), 1970, by Ferdinand Von Wright. He was a Finnish famous artist from Kuopio and well-known especialy for bird paintings.

From Kilona. “Larin Paraske”, 1893, by Eero Järnefelt. Larin was a Finnish oral poet and considered as a key figure in Finnish folk poetry.

From Tellu. “Porilaisten marssi” (Finnish Soldiers in the war of 1808-1909), 1892, by Albert Edelfelt. The war was fought between Sweden and Russia and as a result, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire.

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