mardi gras begins

 

One of the oldest buildings in the Vieux Carre (French Quarter),  After three centuries, it is still catering to connoisseurs and discriminating drinkers from around the world

modern

Holyrood, now 20 years old, was opened in October 2004 by Queen Elizabeth, four years after the death of its Catalan architect Enric Miralles.

 

 

I always find it so sad when architects don't get to see their works completed and see the public's (hopefully positive) reaction.  

This was also the case with Viljo Revell, the Finnish architect of Toronto's City Hall, who died in 1964, a year before it opened. 

 

 

a couple of public buildings for Sunday Stamps

pink granite

a rather grand building for a post office...  built in a Romanesque Revival style around 1902

Note the steeply pitched red roofs - perfect for keeping off the snow that Minnesota is known to have.  It is now known as the Landmark Center and used as an arts and cultural center.  This card dates from around 1910.

the colour of happiness

 

A presshouse - wine press house, or wine press - in the eastern state of Burgenland, Austria.  There seems to be a few presshouses offered as holiday villas.  As Burgenland is the least populous state, this holiday home might be the perfect quiet, peaceful place to get away from it all.  And drink a little wine.

In nearby Hungary, this hybrid tea rose is front and centre on this 1962 stamp, one of six in a series.

house of learning

 it's back to school for many students

It is unusual to have a classroom with a bay window.  I once went to an open house of a school conversion to condos, and I am imagining that this building would lend itself to some lovely apartments

albert hall

 

Opened 1871 and dedicated to Prince Albert, who by then had been dead for 10 years. It is a grade I listed building, which means it's a building of 'exceptional interest'. At one time it held up to 9,000 people but safety rules now limit it to around 5.400. Although I have never been, nor have I seen it on tv, I generally associate the Albert Hall with the Proms, an eight week daily festival of mostly classical music. Each night has a different theme.  Tonight's prom is Doctor Who Prom!

(if you're watching it, Joy, I want to know what you thought)

puppies and horses

'Puppy', a massive floral sculpture by artist Jeff Koons, stands in front of the Bilbao Guggenheim.  A West Highland terrier, he is 40' tall and gets a makeover twice a year with fresh flowers.

The Kelpies in Falkirk, Scotland. Kelpies are mythological beasts and these ones were created by Andy Scott in 2013. Their names are Duke and Baron.  They are 100' tall and, yes, you can go inside.

some sculptures for Thursday Postcard Hunt

wildfires...

closed due to evacuation from Antler Creek wildfire (3km away at the moment)

A landmark, Cottonwood House developed a reputation among travellers as a stopping place of high quality. The barns, fields and Cottonwood River relieved the freight animals of their burden and gave an opportunity to regain their strength. The “hotel” offered fresh wholesome foods as well as a comfortable rest in clean rooms. Both private and dormitory rooms were available and dinner was served in a large dining room. (Barkerville website)

landmark

a ghostly Mona Lisa hovers over the I.M. Pei designed pyramid at the Louvre in Paris

haunted

Believed to be haunted by the ghost of Harriett Douglas Phillips. Four generations of the Phillips family lived here from 1882 - 1971.

w grand blvd

I was attracted to the gauzy appearance of the surrounding neighbourhood of the 53 acre, neatly compacted, compound of the Henry Ford Hospital. It opened in 1915.

lying in

 

This particular hospital was added to my collection in part because of the name - Lying-in Hospital.  When it opened in 1931, it was described as "the most beautiful hospital in the world, and it stands as a monument to childbearing women and to the dignity of obstetrics."

college

I have found a new topic to collect - hospitals! Mostly because of their architecture. Yesterday, I showed the very large Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. This is a much smaller Toronto General Hospital, located at 101 College Street in Toronto and built in 1919. It is still standing and since 2005 has been used as offices for MaRS (Medical and Related Sciences)

teaching hospital

Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, 168th Street, NYC, Opened in 1928, it was the first to combine research, teaching, and patient care.

library and old cars

 

Chicago Public Libraries is celebrating 150 years this year.

education

 

a good teacher can make all the difference to your school experience

 

 

 then, on to university, if that is your desire ... 

and if you can afford it.

 

 

back in 2002-2008 when this series was issued, it might have been a little more attainable than in 2023.

some education for Sunday Stamps

 

Next month, in addition to 'Sunday Stamps', we will start a 'Thursday Postcard Hunt', and all who are interested in participating are welcome to include a link to their post in the comments section. September will start off with Tourist Sites. For those who really like to plan ahead, October's theme will be Seasons (in backwards order): Autumn, Summer, Spring, Winter

wertheim

Leipziger Platz featuring the flagship Wertheim department store. At 26,000 square metres, it was the biggest store in Europe when it opened in 1897.

a grand house

 

What passes for a castle in Canada, it was once the home of Sir Allan MacNab, a railway magnate and the Premier of the Province of Canada. It is now a museum with the rooms restored to 1855 design.

hala ludowa

 

Centennial Hall is a sports and entertainment centre in a complex that includes the Four Domes Pavilion and Pergola  (all 1913) and the 90 metre Spire (July 3, 1948)

flagship

1905-1999  (c 1910)

345 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg. 900,000 square feet. 

The western Canada flagship store for the Eaton's department store.   Demolished in 2003 for a sports arena