A Postcard A Day -Friday 29 March 2024 - Friday Smiles

 Hello lovely peeps,

Today is Good Friday, just a few days before Easter. In Spain Holy Week (this week) is the most important holiday on the calendar. Most people have the week off and the children don't go to school for more than a week. The shops are shut from today onwards. It's busy on the roads as people are traveling to their holiday destination. There have been religious processions everywhere. I'm sure Kate will be showing some photos. Me, I'm staying in. The weather is not very nice and I'm looking forward to writing my blog and commenting, or working on my jigsaw puzzle, or cooking something nice.

Let's turn to blogging and here is my postcard for this week. It doesn't seem to be very interesting, but here we go:

It comes from Germany and it is a black and white photo by the photographer Paul Wolff (1876-1947).

I know Paul Wolff (or I thought I did) and I love his photos, always full of life. He was called 'the man behind the Leica' and could be found on the Côte Azur or the French Riviera, so I couldn't quite believe this was a photo by Paul Wolff. The one I know was born in 1887 and died in 1951. 

But this fellow, Paul Heinrich Oscar Wolff is a different kettle of fish (i.e. a different photographer). I couldn't find much info about him and I only know he was born Sobieszów, modern day Poland, but at the time it was probably German. Iris might know. And Paul Wolff worked and died in Zschieren (Dresden in the DDR). 

Dresden, View of the Reich Garden at the Great Garden with the Kugelhaus. Photo taken after 1936, photography by Paul Wolff.

State Office for Monument Preservation

I don't know what the tall monument is in the photo but the 'Kugelhaus', which is barely visible on the right hand side in the photo, looks like this:

The Kugelhaus. Built by Peter Birkenholz in 1928 and located in the große garten in Dresden, this five-storey sphere was home to a series of rooms and a restaurant. It was created for the exhibition die Jahresschau deutscher Arbeit , Die Technische Stadt the annual showcase for German products. (Exhibition of German work)

Prime Minister Max Heldt in front of the Kugelhaus during the opening of the Annual Show of German Work 1928. (The tall monument is visible in the background).

Today is Friday Smiles and I have not come up with a single smile yet! Well, the stamp will make you smile:

On the right Mickey Mouse features with his girl friend Minnie and many other Disney characters in this 2023 stamp. I can't believe Mickey is 100 years old!

What have I been doing? Well, I had a birthday on Saturday. (photos on my Tuesday blogpost) and on Sunday we had a church fellowship meal as some people from our sister church in Algeciras were visiting.

Our visitors had done a presentation of the mission work they were doing among the Moroccan population of their town.

There was lots of lovely food.

The tables are beginning to fill up.

On Tuesday my friends came to lunch. I had made some cheese fundue although I didn't have the right gear, we improvised.

I had broccoli to dip and quite a few other side dishes so it turned out really nice.

We've had some torrential rains this week. My rain gage was full!

Unfortunately it was during the Calima (dust storm from the Sahara) and everything turned brown. The plastic chairs on my patio:

My chickens are doing well. The other day one of them laid a huge egg:

Much bigger than the others. Ouch! I shall eat it at Easter.

That's me done for today. Lets go visit Annie at A Stitch In Time.

Of course there will be some funnies at the end. But for now, take care.

Keep smiling,

Hugs,

Lisca

 

A Postcard A Day - Tuesday 26 March 2024 - T for Huescar, Perth and birth-day,

 Hello lovely peeps,

Today I have a very special postcard to show you. It comes all the way from Western Australia! 

And perhaps you can guess who sent it..... yes, none other than Iris! Thank you so much Iris! I am absolutely thrilled! I like it because you went through the effort of buying, writing and sending me the card, I like it because it has a map on it (and I love maps) and of course I like that there is some info on the card:

Of course there are some places that Iris has visited and writes about in her blog. Also I have read a book set in Broome (One of the Seven Sisters series).

The stamp is beautiful:

The Sydney Opera House was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II, on 20 October 1973. Acclaimed throughout the world and recognised as a masterpiece of creative genius, this extraordinary building was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon (1918–2008), who was awarded the project in 1957 following an international design competition. With its prominent location on Bennelong Point, the Opera House is a fitting response to its spectacular harbour setting. 

It comes from a series of two stamps celebrating 50 years Sidney Opera House. 

I never realized the opera house was made of wood.

Now for a quick change of location:

Last week (or was it the week before?) our pastor, another couple and I had been to Huescar, which is an hour and a half drive from here to visit a lady from our congregation who hadn't been well. After visiting her we went for a walk through the little town.

The small town of Huescar is known as "Cuidad de la Paz" (City of Peace). It sits at an altitude of 953 metres and has a population of less than 8500.

 It has some beautiful buildings. We started in the main square:

Which has a beautiful band stand:

Detail:

I discovered a fun fact about Huescar: Huescar has been at war with Denmark for 172 years!

When Spain allied with the United Kingdom against Napoleon during the Peninsular War, Spanish troops in French-aligned Denmark–Norway suddenly found themselves in enemy territory. While many were evacuated by the UK or escaped by other means, some 5,000 Spanish soldiers were imprisoned in Denmark. 

Spain cut off relations with Denmark in response. Upon receiving this news, the City Council of Huéscar decided to declare war on Denmark. Huéscar, being a small village with only eight municipal guards at the time, did not send any troops to fight against Denmark, and neither did Denmark engage in hostilities against Huéscar. By the time of Napoleon's defeat, the declaration of war had been forgotten, and Huéscar forgot to declare peace.

In 1981, a local historian rediscovered the declaration of war. This led to a ceremony and celebration on 11 November 1981, wherein the city mayor and the Ambassador of Denmark ratified a peace treaty. Some representatives of Denmark attended wearing Viking costumes, while Spaniards erected signs in Danish jokingly warning against entering enemy territory. During the intervening 172 years, no conflict or injury occurred between the two parties.

I came upon the modernist house all of a sudden:

This most beautiful house is the  Casa de los Penalves.

This Gaudi style house is situated in El Paseo del Santo Cristo, where it stands out in all its beauty. The Catalan modernist design is both unusual and yet blends in perfectly amongst the Huescar architecture. 

We did not visit the inside of this house but I found some photos on the Internet:

The skylight of the central patio

The rooms are stunning and reminiscent of the Alhambra. Now I'm trying to find out if it is open to the public. I'd love to visit it.

I think I'll leave it at that, but before I go I'd like to show you two photos taken on Saturday when I had a birthday. I organised a little party and of course I had a cake (a Sachertorte), kindly gifted to me by my friend Dian:

Someone had cheekily reversed the candles on the cake. So I'm pretending to be 37!

Sorry about the dark photo, I only had party lights on and we didn't want to flash.

Of course it is T for Tuesday hosted by Bluebeard and Elizabeth, so I need to have a drink. Luckily in the above two photos there are some drinks in the background.

That is it from me my lovelies,

take care,

Hugs,

Lisca

A Postcard A Day - Friday 22 March 2024 - Friday Smiles

 

Hello lovely peeps,

I have another postcard for you and some funnies at the end. 

This is a postcard I found and I'm sure I haven't featured this one. It dates from January 2021. It slipped through the net so to speak.

It is a famous opera house in the German town of Bayreuth.

Wikipedia says this:

The Margravial Opera House is a Baroque opera house in the town of Bayreuth, Germany. Built between 1745 and 1750, it is one of Europe's few surviving theatres of the period and has been extensively restored. On 30 June 2012, the opera house was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of its exceptional Baroque architecture.

The 18th century Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth is a masterwork of Baroque theatre architecture, commissioned by Margravine Wilhelmine of Brandenburg as a venue for opera seria over which the princely couple ceremonially presided. The bell-shaped auditorium of tiered loges built of wood and lined with decoratively painted canvas was designed by the then leading European theatre architect Giuseppe Galli Bibiena.

Princess Wilhelmine, older sister of the Prussian king Frederick the Great, had established the margravial theatre company in 1737. In the new opera house she participated as a composer of opera works and Singspiele, as well as an actor and director. Today she features in a sound-and-light presentation for tourists. After her death in 1758, performances ceased and the building went into disuse, one reason for its good conservation status.

In the top-left picture on the card you can see the part of the Hermitage:

Also built by Wilhilmine and her husband. 

I found an aerial photo:

I'm not a fan of baroque and the thought of all this splendour and the power of the ruling class in that era makes me slightly sick. Okay, people didn't know any better then, but still...

Let's talk about smiles: My week has been busy and full of smiles.

I met a lovely Dutch couple who are staying in our village for a month. We have met up several times and often we meet at the bar for a glass of wine.

I have been to see my friend's daughter Isa, who has now moved into their newly restored farm house. She treated me to a cup of Moroccan tea and some Moroccan sweet treats:

On the way out I walked passed the donkeys, who wanted to say hello to me:

Isa said, no, they are waiting to be fed!

Well, that is it from me today. 

I will post some funnies as per usual at the end, and I hope you will all visit Annie and friends as well for more smiles.

Have a lovely weekend. I certainly will, as it's my birthday on Saturday and I'm having some people round. That will be fun.

Take care, and

Keep smiling!

Lisca