Traveling to ... Portugal :)

Ciaooo!

I'm back again :P I had very busy days and now I'm ready to relax few days ;)

Although I've not written, the postcards these days are arrived, all are very nice but some of them are just wonderful :D

It's like summer today in Milan, currently (6pm) there are 22°C, blue sky and no clouds!


It's time to show you the postcards, are you ready? :D

Here they are, 4 beautiful postcards from Portugal:

The first three are from Lisbon and the other one, as you can read, is from Setubal.

This is a special post because, two of these cards (the first of Lisboa and the one of Setubal) were mailed from a special girl, her name is Andreia, we talk a lot and I feel I have a new friend even if we have never met in person. She is lovely and we are a lot of things in common. Thanks you sweet :*

A special thanks also to Luis and Ana that sent me the other two ones!

LISBON:

The first card show a viewpoint that is called São Pedro de Alcântara and from this place you can see the Lisboa downtown. Andreia said that is a very romantic view and you can also see the St.Jorge castle.

In the second one there are 4 different pictures: the 25th of April Bridge that is suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon to the municipality of Almada, the "elevadore" which is a typical transport, the Belem Tower that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries of the era of the Age of Discoveries and eventually the Santa Justa lift.

The third one is a multipicture of the city.

But, did you know that Lisbon is older than Rome? Unbelievable :D

SETUBAL:

It is a fishing (particularly sardines) city located on the Sado River estuary approximately 40 kilometres south of Lisbon. There are a lots of beautiful beaches as you can see from the pic. 

For soccer fans, it is the hometown of José Mourinho, the current coach of Chelsea team. He was also in Italy few years ago. 

Hope you liked this post!

All the best,

Giuliana

L - O - N - D - O - N

Hi there,
how is going?

Hope you had a very nice and relaxing weekend.

Another week is started, today I got 2 postcards: one from Japan and the other one from Oklahoma :)

Well, I want to talk about a city that I would definitely visit but, I know that I'm really very counterflow, it doesn't inspire me much. I don't know why, maybe the weather, maybe because my favourite number is 13 and they hate it :D

So, this city is London, not so hard to imagine due to the title of the post :) and a quote says: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford!"

That's a very nice card from Lilach! 

There are represented all the particularities of London in one card: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, London bus, London phone box, Tower bridge,...

My friend is doing an internship in London and I really want to go there but I need to figure out with all of my schedules. She will be there till June.

You know that when I think of London I always think of the Disney cartoon "101 Dalmatians"? :D Love that cartoon, it's one of my favourite :)

Instead, a normal thing that comes to mind is tea, I love it! 

Sting, in his song "Englishman in New York" says: "I don't drink coffee, I take tea, my dear." How can it be otherwise for a nation that drinks 48 billion cups of tea every year? :)

Well, these are just some curiosities about London:

• The typical dish of London is not the roast beef, much less the classic breakfast with bacon and eggs. It is not the hot dog, more German than English, much less curry, that it is indian but also nominated pure english. The English dish is the "Fish & Chips", all strictly fried.
• The subway, taken every day by millions of people, has more than 140 years and its extensive range has found itself in the path of ancient sites and historic parts of the city, perhaps disturbing the sleep of many. Inside it, a series of mysterious phenomena sometimes and the British media have repeatedly stated that each station has at least one ghost. In Farringdon Tube, for example, there is the gost of a 13 year old girl who was working as an hatter and who apparently was murdered by his superior close this station where, under the influence of strong currents, it seems you still feel the tears of this girl. 
• Do you know the mystery of the stone of London? It is a mystery still unsolved and tied to a large stone locked in a small cage at the edge of the sidewalk of Cannon Street. The stone has ancient origins and researchers and scientists still don't know the exact age and origin of this large stone. A legend says that at the fate of the stone is tied the fate of London.

Hope you will enjoy this post.

Take care,

Giuly :)

Spring is in the air!

Hello there,

how is going?

First day of Spring, finally we can say goodbye to Winter even if in lots of country is still snowing.
Very sunny day in Milan, pleasant and enjoyable temperature, about 18-20 °C. The weekend will be not so good, it will rain again for couple of days. Need to be patient!
If there's one thing I hate, it's just the rain, I much prefer a cold and rigid day rather than a rainy and wet one.

So, today to celebrate Spring the postcard represents flowers :D

Isn't very nice? I think they are white cherry blossoms but I'm not 100% sure!

I really love this kind of flowers, they can be also pink.

Rita sent me this card from Lithuania, through postcrossing.com

This flower is a sign of good luck, a message of good wishes, but also a sign of brevity, because of his very short life: about two weeks.

In Japan it become one of the traditional plants of the state. There is a strong relationship between this tree and the flowers and the samurai. 

One of the many legends says that the color of the petals (for those light pink of course) is so because it was impregnated with the blood of warriors who died at the roots. For this reason, only for the samurai was reserved the honor of the cherry blossom tattoo on the body. 

Did you know about these stories? Did you like?

Have you seen the doodle of today in the Google website? It's so nice :) 

https://www.google.it/webhp?tab=ww&ei=Rw0rU7jiB4T7swbQs4CgCQ&ved=0CBYQ1S4

Have a great time!

See you,

Giuliana

Paris, how beautiful you are!

Ciao :D

it has been a while since I wrote, how are you?

I had a new experience last week: I went to Paris for an "In-company training" program in two different companies, Lactalis and VivaSanté.
I really had fun and it was very interesting!

I didn't have too much time to visit the city but I saw the main places/monuments. It was better than my expectations. Everyone sais that Paris is a beautiful city but I couldn't really imagine so much beauty.

Well as you can imagine I bought some postcards :D

Nice monuments, big green places to have walk, nice atmosphere, good food, everything in one city.

I feel tired and I wanna show you some pictures that I took there. These are my favourite ones.

Have you ever been in Paris? Which is your favourite place/monument?

Have a nice week guys!

All the best,

Giuliana

Happy weekend!

Hi guys,

how are you?

The weekend is almost arrived, I will have my last class in few hours and then a bit of relax on Saturday and Sunday even if I will have to study!

Today I don't wanna show you a postcard from a place or a country but I would love to make you smile and I think that this postcard is perfect. 

When I got it I couldn't stop smiling and I laugh every time I see it.

I LOVE smiling and make others smile. I think it's something so amazing!

Have you ever thought about what happens when you smile?

The first thing, to me, is that you become more beautiful! 

Your heart increase the pulsations up to 120 per minute.

Your eyes sparkle, they have more light turned on thanks to a new supply of fresh blood to the pupils.

Your nostrils dilate, increasing the amount of air that enters into the nasal passages.

The same sounds emitted by laughter help to give you a burst of vitality, thanks to a positive direct impact on the auditory nerves.

Laughter is the best medicine for everything and you don't need even to go to the doctor!

Just a massive dose of humor every day to see life from a different angle, and certainly better.

Well, it's time to show you the postcard:

Isn't spectacular? :D An amazing seal!

Wilhelm sent me it, he is from Germany and he lives on the coast.

Wishing you a great weekend guys!

Keep smiling,

Giuliana

From Minsk with love

Ciaoooo!! :D

How is going?

I'm very well, I'm studying and I'm so happy, guess why? Today I got 18 postcards :)) I live in a dorm school and there is the doorman. He called my room and said me: "Bring your bag with you!"
I was receiving 3-4 postcards per time and I couldn't imagine to receive 18 postcards at the same time!! I really can't explain how I felt.
I became the "postcards girl" :D Love it!

Well, I got these postcards maybe last week, they are from Minsk, Belarus.
Elena, a lovely girl, sent me 4 of them and one of them it's so funny, 10 things to do in Belarus written in italian. So nice!

1. The square of Independence: independence from Germans after the victory in the Second World War. In the past it was called the Lenin Square and there's still a huge Lenin statue there. The red building is the Cathedral of St.Simon and Alena, where Elena goes to listen some organic music concerts.

2. View of the Upper Town: the central part of Minsk. The river goes across all the city and she said that it is very picturesque, surraunded by many beautiful parks that are favourite places of the citizens for walks and rest.

3. The Victory Square: she lives 15 minutes from here. It is a square devoted to the warriors of the Second World war. About 1/3 of Belarus population was killed during the war. 

That's so sad! :(

4. 10 things to do in Belarus: - eat the Narocianski bread - visit the Medieval Castle - stay at an estate - eat a lot of draniki (fritters) - visit the National Library - feed a bison - wear a dress made ​​of 100% flax - enjoy the scenery on the banks of one of the 11,000 lakes - drink Krambambul, a local beverage - and come to visit it again! :D

Thank you so much Elena!

Hope you like this post! Leave a commentttt :D

Big hugs,

Giuliana

Two lovely postcards from Latvia

Hi everybody :)

a very sunny day in Milan :) Spring is coming!

This is a view from my room:

I love the blue sky, I feel better when the sun lights up the city! :D

Well, today I'm flying to Riga, the capital city of Latvia. I had a great time with a latvian girl that I met during my work experience in Vancouver. She is from Sigulda. We had lots of fun there and shared our experiences. Now she is teaching English in Vietnam! 

Over this wonderful experience with the Latvian people, the guy who sent me these postcards is also a very nice person. In addition to send me postcards, we also had the opportunity to exchange talks. 

It's great to know people who are so kind. He was in Oslo about 10 days ago and he also sent me a postcard from there. His name is Arturs, a boy of my own age, a sports fan and that he had never sent a postcard to a stranger before. Arturs thank you very much :D

Here are the postcard, a general one of his country and another one of Riga:

When Arturs sent me these postcards, about one month ago, he said that the temperature there was between -18°C and -23°C. Omg, I can't imagine how cold was, such a chilly winter. Brrrr!

Latvia has a long and ancient history and it is one of the least densely populated countries of the European Union. Along with the neighboring countries Estonia and Lithuania it is known as the Baltic States.

In the Riga's postcard we can see the Railway Bridge, I think is so beautiful, it is located  over the river Daugava and it was opened on 1 January 1873. It is illuminated in white and blue, the colors of Riga's flag.

We can also see the House of Black Heads, the Riga Castle and an old view of the city.

The House of Black Heads is a medieval building and its name is due to the Brotherhood of Black Heads (because of the headgear of the members), born in the city in 1416 as a guild of Latvian merchants. It is currently the house of some municipal administrative offices, the Office of Tourism and a coffee shop.

The Castle was founded in 1330 and it is the home of the President of the Republic of Latvia and the National History Museum of Latvian, the third oldest museum in Latvia.

Well, I hope one day to visit this beautiful country and to know in person Arturs!

Have a great time and a nice week!

See you,

Giuliana

A special post for Ukraine

Ciao guys,

just came back in Milan.

My weekend was very nice with my family :) How was yours?

Well, these are two postcards that I got from Ukraine:

The first one is from the capital city Kiev (or Kyiv) and, in particular, the postcard represents the Monument of Independence.
Independence Square is one of three squares located along Khreshchatyk close to the northeastern end of the street. It is situated close to European Square, which is the terminal end of Khreshchatyk.
Maria, the girl that sent me this postcard, said me that Ukrainians used to unite there for their country to be free, prosperous and with european values of democracy, the rule of law, freedom of speech and movement. She truly believe in that! The statue represents a woman in Ukrainian national costume on a 40 meter column.

The second one represents little shots from many different cities:
Mukacheve, Kerch, Sebastopol, Kyiv, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Sambir.

* Mukacheve is located in southwestern of the country. The city is now a rail terminus and highway junction, and has beer, wine, tobacco, food, textile, timber and furniture industries. On the postcard there is the Palanok Castle located on a former 68 metre high volcanic hill. It has of 130 different rooms with a complex system of underground passages connecting them together. Upper left there is also represented The Town Hall considered the splendid ensemble's gem of the city.

* Kerch is considered to be one of the most ancient cities in Ukraine. On the picture there is the Yenikale fortress, that was built by Ottoman Turks in 1699–1706. The fortress occupied area of 25,000 m² and had two powder-magazines, arsenal, water reservoir, living houses, bath-house and mosque.

* Sebastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine. The Inkerman Monastery of St.Clement represented on the postcard, is a cave monastery in a cliff rising. It was founded in 1850 on the where the relics of St. Clement were kept.

* Kyiv the capital city. The Saint Andrew's Church is a major baroque church located in the city. It was constructed in 1747–1754, to a design by the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Isn't nice? :)

* Kamianets-Podilskyi is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine. This city has a big castle and its foundations were built using limestone. That's not strange? It seems so majestic!

* Sambir is a city of wester Ukraine. In 1668, a town hall was built here, and in the early 18th century, the local church was remodelled.

Thanks to Oksana for this postcard!
All seems very nice places. What do you think?

Before concluding, I would show you this video about the really sad situation that the country is experiencing.

Share it!


It's time to go bed here!

Have a great week,
Giuliana

Sibiu, a little town in the heart of Romania

Good morning guys,

how is going?

It's cloudy again in Milan but in two hours I'm coming back in my lovely hometown: Salerno :) The weather will be so good, sunny and around 20°C :D

Today I want to show you this nice postcard from Romania:

That's Sibiu, a lovely town in the heart of Romania. It's one of the most important cultural centres of Romania and along with the city of Luxembourg, it was designated a European Capital of Culture for the year 2007.
The old city of Sibiu was also ranked as "Europe's 8th most idyllic place to live" by Forbes.
On the postcard there are 3 shots:

• Piata Mica: as it's name says (small square) is divided into two parts separated by Ocnei Street, which slopes under the Bridge of Lies towards the Lower Town. The square preserves with very few changes the aspect of the XV and XVI centuries, all the buildings are historic monuments;

• Podul Minciunilor: in english "Bridge of Lies", it is a metal bridge built in 1859 over Ocnei street which connects the lower city and the upper city. It's a pedestrian walkway and it's the oldest iron bridge in service on the territory of Romania. I like it, it's so particular. There are a lots of legends about this bridge. One of them says that on this bridge used to walk around couples in love. Young people there swore eternal love, and the girls say they are virgins. But after the wedding night, it is discovered that some girls were lying. They were dragged off the bridge, being thrown over the railing. :O

• Palatul Brukenthal: is one of the most important Baroque monuments in Romania. This building was built between 1777 and 1787 to serve as the official residence of Baron and head of its collections. 

Well, I knew a new city and I learned more about it thanks to Simona, the girl that sent me this nice postcard!

Have a great weekend! 

See you,

Giuliana

First one from Europe: Trnava

Hey there,
how was your weekend?

My last semester of study started this morning, first class Advertising Management.
First impression, not bad! I liked it, it was a funny lesson full of advertising campaigns.

I'd like to share one with you, maybe you have already seen it!

That's not funny? :D


Well, the postcard of today is from Slovakia. This is the first postcard that I received from Europe!
Do you know how to say HI in slovak? :) Martin, the guy that sent me this card, told me that it says AHOJ!
I learned something new ;)

The city is Trnava, a small city in western Slovakia, about 50 km to the north-east of Bratislava. It is also one of Slovakia's oldest cities (13th century). Because of the many churches within its city walls, Trnava has often been called the "Slovak Rome". On the picture are represented some important monuments of the city like the Cathedral of St.John (upper left), the Tower in the historical center (upper middle), the Gothic church of St.Nicolas (upper right).

That's not another nice place?
Thank you so much to Martin, he also got mine from Milan, it was a pleasure exchange with him.

I feel tired, tomorrow I will have another new class starting at 8.45am.

So, have a good night in you're reading from Italy and Europe and enjoy the rest of the day for other people!

S pozdravom (best regards in slovak ;)),
Giuliana