Greetings from the Holy Land

Israel is a significant place regarding religions. The Holy Land itself is considered sacre by three major religions of the world: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Nearly all the events which took place in the Bible are in present-day Israel.
The city of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters by religion (and culture as well): there is the Jewish Quarter, the Christian Quarter, Muslim Quarter and the Armenian Quarter.
Jerusalem is the main site of events of the Passion of Christ, where he was condemned to death and then was crucified. The way on which Christ carried his cross to the top of the Golgotha Hill is called Via Dolorosa which is located in the Old City. All the states of the Passion are marked by crosses. So for this, it is a crucial pilgrimage destination among Christian believers (besides the Vatican).
To Judaism, it is an important site because once, there was standing Salomon's Temple and later the Second Temple. The Second Temple was destroyed under the order of the Roman Emperor Titus, in 70 AD. This event is actually depicted in the Arch of Titus in the Forum Romanum, Rome.
The famous Wailing Wall is the remnant of this Second Temple where many Jewish believers pray.
To Muslims, it is important because Muhammad is said to had ascended to Heaven from the Temple Mount of Jerusalem.
The Old City was declared a Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO in 1981.

Background story: One of the neighbours of my sister's godmom has family in Israel, her son moved there. She spent several months there to help  to care her baby granddaughter.
I'm really proud of these two postcards, 'cause not only they are nice, but they are difficult to get.

Date: May 2012

Netherlands

Lovely postcards from the Netherlands. My university friend brought me these who visited another university friend who lived in Amsterdam back then :)
Besides the its modern sentiment, unique architecture and traditional symbols, the Netherlands has a very complex and long story of art - Early Netherlandish painting, the Dutch Golden Age - therefore it is very interesting to me.

From: P. E.
Date: April 2012

Napoli

View to the Naples bay with the Vesuvius in the background

We were standing exactly in the same place from where this photo was taken.

These postcards are from my friend who has an Italian friend from Naples and as far as I remember she brought these for me upon visiting her.
I love the first card because it's truly reflects the scene in reality (Spot the Vesuvio in the background!). I was in Naples in October 2006 during the South Italian voyage with the high school. It is a very beautiful city with the same enchanting scenes of the sea - except for the tons of litter we saw on the streets. I really liked the shopping passage Galleria Umberto and the bay of course. I ate the very best pizza here, but no surprises, the pizza is said to be invented in Naples. I'd like to return to Napoli for sure.

From: K. L.
Date: February 2012

The Golden Buddha of the Wat Khao Phra Temple

This card is from a friend who went on holidays in Thailand. Thailand is pretty much the most popular holiday destination in Asia among Hungarians.
This 18 meter tall Buddha statue is seated next to the Wat Khao Phra Temple, which is an important Buddhist center. It was originally white but it was painted in gold in the course of the last thirty years. It is surrounded by seven smaller Buddha statues.

From: H. J.

Date: February 2012

Leprechauns and shamrocks

A small part of the Irish Houses of Parliament on the left and the entrance of the Trinity College on the right

These cards are from a friend who lived for many years in Kilkenny, Ireland. I liked the postcards and I couldn't imagine I would be here two years later, so I will write more about Ireland later, inspired by my experiences :)

Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher is among the most visited site of Ireland's nature. It is located completely in the opposite side off the western coast of Ireland.

Adorable Irish sheep and her lamb.

From: M. I.
Date: February 2012

Ljubljana

When my friend was at the workshop in Italy, they stopped by the capital of Slovenia too.

 Even though Slovenia is an adjacent country of Hungary, I've never discovered this country which looks very attractive, especially it's nature and landscapes. Slovenia is on the wishlist to be discovered :)

From: T. A.
Date: October 2011

Venice dawn

Woah, it's Venice again! My friend attended with her university an architecture workshop in Italy and this is a virtual souvenir of her travel :)

From: T. A.

Date: October 2011

Dream about the melting Camembert cheese

Salvador Dalí: The Persistence of Memory (1931)

Truly one of the most recognizable paintings in the world. An interesting fact is that it's more common to refer to this painting by a popular title describing the painting as 'Soft watches' which is not the real title, but easier to memorize to the philosophical Surrealist title.
Dream and the unconcious are main topics of the Surrealist movement and the painting deals with the same question. Dalí himself told that the scene was inspired by his dream of melting pieces of Camembert cheese.

Actually, Dalí had a theory on "softness and hardness" which appears in the picture through the pocket watches against the sharp branches of the dried up tree and the craggy rocks in the background. The brownish-grey form in the middle is supposedly the 'Dreamer' of the scene, but like everything regarding Dalí's work, this also remains obscure.
The The Persistence of Memory is part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Arts in New York.
Since Dalí is one of my favourites, it's a big dream to see the painting in live and the whole collection of MoMA.

From: S. Zs.

Date: November 2011

Piazza San Pietro

The Saint Peter's Square is originally a gathering place for the pilgrims who visit the head of the Catholic Church.
The piazza has thetrical features based on the principles of the Baroque theatre: one is the 'embracing arms,' the colonnades designed by the architect and artist, Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the second half of the 17th century. The colonnades are of Tuscan Doric form. The other theatrical feature is the shape of the square which gives a heightened perspective, so the visitor sees the basilica towering over the scene.
There is an ancient Egyptian obelisk in the center of the square which was moved here in from the Circus of Nero in 1586. Two fountains are placed symmetrically on the same line with the obelisk, one was designed by Bernini and the other was designed earlier by Carlo Maderno.
Bernini envisioned a third arm (terzo braccio) to close the square (where you can enter into the square, in fact) and seperate the 'sacred' Vatican from the 'profane' city of Rome. Eventually, this terzo braccio was never realized.

From: P. E.
Date: November 2011