water

For all of my life, I have always lived near water - in many cases within walking distance of a lake, a creek, canal, river, or a pond.  I cannot imagine living somewhere without a body of water,  but I also cannot imagine going through some of the cataclysmic flooding such water can bring.  Any floods near me have been, well, not devastating.

I am fortunate to live near Niagara Falls.  And it's fortunate that I really like it there.  Sure, there is a bit of tacky touristy hell there, but the falls themselves are magnificent and I will happily drive past them at any time of the year.  Especially in winter.

Oceans are okay, though with the latest tsunami threats in the Pacific, I'd be happier on a calm cruise in Estonia.

maybe add a few islands

or a waterfall

Rivers in a city are especially attractive as they provide an opportunity for bridges.  I have been known to go miles out of my way for a waterfall or bridge.  (I've been to Milford Sound, but not Prague)

sometimes, you can't really escape water, and that's fine with me

my happy place: anywhere near water

monuments

 Minsk is a city of monuments and sculptures

In Tallinn there is a memorial to the Russian warship Russalka that sank (in 1893) somewhere in the direction this angel is facing.  Estonia was part of Russia at the time, though this was the first statue in the country made by an Estonian.  

The sculptor's housekeeper was the model for the angel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here in Canada, overlooking the Niagara River, is a tall monument to Sir Isaac Brock who died in the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812 (the only war fought in the country)

 some monuments to history

beards and moustaches

The legendary King Arthur and the wizard Merlin as imagined in 1985

Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632, regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in modern history.

Humphrey Gilbert, half brother of Sir Walter Raleigh, (1539-1583) claimed Newfoundland in the name of Queen Elizabeth I. He arrived in August 1583, but by November, had died at sea while returning to England.

and, another legendary beard...

this was fun, and there are so many fine beards and moustaches out there, we should do this again for another Sunday Stamps?

red roof

Red roofs aren't such a common thing to see here in Canada and I always find them so striking. This small, single nave, medieval church had a new roof within the last 15 years. St Catharine's Church in Karja. Built probably in the late 13th C or early 14th C.

Sunday Stamps - the colour red

KGB

Hotel Viru, Tallin

Built in 1972 and the first high rise building in Estonia. From this angle, those two towers look awfully close together giving the whole thing a look of a double headboard and a bed.

In the Soviet era "any hotel that was appropriate for foreign visitors had to be appropriate to the KGB"

So this is also now a home to a KGB Museum.

black domes

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Tallinn's largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral. Built in Russian Revival style between 1894-1900, it was meticulously restored after Estonia gained independence in 1991.

Does anyone know why the domes are black??

Sunday Stamps - 'E'

2011, Estonia, Folk Costumes
designer: Mari Kaarma

Over the past 20 years, the tiny country of Estonia puts out an excellent, and exhaustive, array of stamps for folk costumes of its various regions.  these are all done by Mari Kaarma, whose mother was a fashion designer and his father a furniture designer.

for the letter E - Estonia

(I am still away on holidays, so please excuse my absence to your posts until I return next week!)

Sunday Stamps II - 142

2017, Estonia, 100 years
designer: Indrek Ilves

Estonia's 100th anniversary of independence will be a long celebration. It started in April 2017 with the centenary of Estonian settlement areas, peaks with the anniversary of the republic on February 24th, 2018, continues into 2019 with commemorations of important victory battles and finally ends in 2020 with the anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty when Russia unreservedly recognized the independence of Estonia. Until then, Estonia had been a province of Imperial Russia since 1710 and had been dominated by one nation or another since the13th century.

As from July this year Estonia is holding the Presidency of the European Council. The theme is 'Unity through Balance' and this stamp shows the combined logo for the presidency and the centenary. From the creator of the identity logo: a narrow rectangle and two circles are the building blocks for the Presidency's symbol of balance, the symbol of Estonia 100 and the binary code pattern used by both.
for the letter E: Eesti/Estonia, European Union

Pärnu

the summer capital of Estonia, located in the south-west of the country