Samarkand, with a population of 412,300 in 2005 is the second largest city in Uzbekistan. It is noted for its position on the Silk Road between China and the west. In 2001 , UNESCO added the 2750 year old city to the World Heritage List as Samarkand- Crossroads of Cultures. Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and is a crossroad and melting pot of thr world's cultures. Founded around 700 BC, it was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BC.
Until I received this card from Valeriy Ogay of Tashkent, I knew very little of Samarkand. Now, it has become a city that I very much would like to visit.
As one of the ancient poets said " you can travel through the whole world, have a look at the pyramids and admire the smile of the Sphinx; you can listen to the soft singing of the wind at the Adriatic Sea and kneel down reverently at the ruins of the Acropolis, be dazzled by Rome with its Forum and Coliseum, be charmed by Notre Dame in Paris or by domes in Milan; But if you have seen buildings of Samarkanda, you will be enchanted by its magic forever''.
The stamp that Valeriy used if from 2005 and features a coat of arms.
Chisinau, Moldova- The second card today is from Chisinau, Moldova and was sent by Elena Bondina .It shows the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova. Established in 1946 it is the main scientific organization of Moldova and cooridinates research in all areas of science and technology. Chisinau is the capital city and largest city of Moldova . Located on the river Bic, Chisinau has among the highest proportion of green spaces of any major city in Europe. Chisinau dates it founding back to 1436 and now has a population of 592,900 , as of 2007.
Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania and Ukraine. It gained its independence from the Soviel Union in 1991.
Elena used 2 different stamps on the card. The smaller 10b value was issued in 2008 and is one of a set of 4 featuring village wells. The larger stamp, also issued 2008, commemorates Euro 2008, the European Football Championship, which was hosted by Austria and Switzerland. The tournament was held between 07 June and 29 June and was won by Spain.
Bern, Switzerland- Another old city. Founded in 1191 , Berne, with only a small population of 130,000 is the capital of Switzerland . One of its most famous sights is the Zytglogge, an elaborate medieval clock tower with moving puppets. Of note is the fact that Albert Einstein worked out his theory of relativity while employed as a clerk at the Berne patent office.
In 1984 the old city of Berne was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site List.
This card was sent by Yves, a fellow Postcrosser. He used a very beautiful bird stamp from 2007. It is 1 of a set of 4.
A few comments to end off with today. Uzbekistan, long thought a difficult country from which to receive a postcard, in the space of 9 days , I now have a second card. You never know, do you ?
Take note of the clear circular postmark on the card from Switzerland. I know Canada could certainly learn something about postmarks from the Swiss. The postmark from Uzbekistan is pretty good also. Take note Canada Post.
That is it for this time. Hopefully I will have another update tomorrow or Sunday, when I see what arrives in todays mail.
Cheers.
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