UNESCO - Belfries Of Belgium

If one was waiting to gather all postcards of Belgian belfries they would have a huge blog post to write, as there are 33 of them! I did prefer having a few for posting, so here they are :)

Firstly the capital's Town Hall belfry, and Bruges' tower of the halls, are perhaps the most prominent examples, and featured on more than a single postcard from these towns. Here I found a vintage postcard sent in 1974! The 3rd is of Ghent, and I used my visit there this spring to send a postcard :) with its height of 91 meters it is the highest in Belgium. The last two I received thanks to Gerda - Veurne's 'country-house' belfry and Ypres' 'Cloth Hall' belfry.

Built between the 11th and 17th centuries, belfries showcase the Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of architecture. They are highly significant tokens of the winning of civil liberties - over the centuries, they came to represent the influence and wealth of the towns.

Vintage Gang

 

It was a lovely surprise from a friend, thank you Elsie xx

Sweet Long-Ears

Ah sweet indeed! Thanks so much Gerda, and of course needless to say the stamps are great :)) I just need a bit of help with translation? I wish I knew French...was always discouraged to try to learn it because of seemingly impossible pronunciation..!

Saint Ursula

My friend sent me this painting, telling me that it reminded her of me - I can only wish to have such elegant poise! But I wouldn't wish the destiny of Saint Ursula...of beheading in a massacre during a pilgrimage of holy virgins to besieged Cologne (by Huns).

The painter is Spanish Caravaggio, a master of chiaroscuro Francisco de Zurbarán. Dank u Els ;)

 

MultiDonkey

An interesting photograph (or instalation?) of a donkey found in a Brussels postcard shop, sweet :)

NI Multiples - Picnic

Its been a while since I posted a multiple...and since I've received one to be frank. So I found this little shop in Ghent which had quite a selection, and the day was sunny and relaxing, just right for a picnic :) (wish I could transport myself there right now..!)

UNESCO - Begijnhof In Bruges (Flemish Béguinages), Belgium

The Béguines were women who dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. In the 13th century they founded the béguinages , enclosed communities designed to meet their spiritual and material needs.

This is the beguine (begijnhof) in Bruges, originally dating from the 13th century - meanwhile  the last begijn has passed away, and today residents of the pretty, whitewashed garden complex include a convent of Benedictine nuns.
Such a wonderful peaceful place...I have also visited one of the Ghent beguines Our-Lady Ter Hooyen but unfortunately there were heavy repairs going on at the time of my visit...Still, great experiences!

Aaaaaaaaand...this is my 1000th post, wow its sounds a LOT. But I guess I had time to invest in the last...how many years? 3 years and 9 months, yep :) Let's keep it goin'!

 

UNESCO - Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels), Belgium

The four major town houses - Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde, and Maison & Atelier Horta - located in Brussels and designed by the architect Victor Horta, one of the earliest initiators of Art Nouveau, are some of the most remarkable pioneering works of architecture of the end of the 19th century. The stylistic revolution represented by these works is characterised by their open plan, the diffusion of light, and the brilliant joining of the curved lines of decoration with the structure of the building.

It was quite interesting, the story of the Horta houses when I was in Brussels last month...i made a street tour, seeing all houses from the outside, and hoping to see the last - the Maison & Atelier which is a museum - from the inside, and I relied on it for postcards (there were absolutely none on any of the tourist stands). Alas when I got there, I was an hour early - never thought any museum would open at 2pm! But I had a meeting with a friend in town...who also loves postcards, and while walking she suddenly pulled me into an awesome shop where I found these cards; and whats more, they had exactly two sets of the great dog stamps, one for me and one for my friend - now that is what I call a brilliant postcard day! :))

Comic View Of The EU

 

Adi sent me this postcard when he was in Belgium earlier this year, I wanted to post it on the day Croatia joined the EU but of course (!) it slipped my mind...Funny prejudices about European nations - makes me wonder what ours would be! Some sort of a mix between the Luxembourger, the Greek and the Irish..? :)

UNESCO - Major Mining Sites Of Wallonia, Belgium

Grand-Hornu is an old industrial mining complex built by Henri De Gorge between 1810 and 1830. It is a unique example of functional town-planning. As one of four Major Mining Sites of Wallonia, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 2012. This postcard shows houses of engineers at the oval courtyard. Thanks so much Gerda, and for the lovely stamps! :))

Charlie Chaplin Goes To War

I think this Charlie Chaplin portrait is from his 1918 silent movie Shoulder Arms. It was his biggest success up to that point, but of course was exceeded in the years to come by all those classics that the world knows.

I have for the 1st time participated in one of the special Facebook swap groups by Heather, and was really happy to find this movie card in my mailbox :) Thanks a lot Natacha!

Brugge, Belgium

I already have a card showing Brugge belfry but this charming night view was just too beautiful to miss...When I see it I cannot but think of the movie In Bruges ('08), a gangster movie like no other - so much more interesting than what you usually see in the cinemas. However, the scene in the belfry may not be as charming as its setting..!

Thank you Amina for this swap :)

Belgian Beers

Another great card from the great Round Robin - straight from my album of favourites into my postcard box :) I have heard of Belgian beer, i mean it is THE beer to have - and yet i havent tried any..! ohoh but i am lying, i've just spotted one that i actually tried, the Hoegaarden! A few years back as i was working in Zadar my biggest joy was to go to this great supermarket which had things never seen before - among them, foreign beer brands not available in 'normal' shops. You see, Croatia produces its own quality beers, so there is not much need to err from the safe path ;) But i want to try many different things, and although am even not that keen on beer altogether, seeing all those bright bottles on the shelf  tickled my fancy heh.

Seeing this card has a similar effect! I wish i could try one new brand every day for the next few weeks..:)

Thank you natasha/SeaMaiden for looking into my favourites!

Very nice stamps too :=D