BELGIUM - Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai

"The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Tournai was built in the first half of the 12th century. It is especially distinguished by a Romanesque nave of extraordinary dimensions, a wealth of sculpture on its capitals and a transept topped by five towers, all precursors of the Gothic style. The choir, rebuilt in the 13th century, is in the pure Gothic style." -http://whc.unesco.org

Postcard 1

How sweet of Fred of France who thought of me during his trip to Belgium...

And sent this card when he returned to France.

Together with this postcard is a brochure about Our Lady's Cathedral of Tournai...

Thank you so much, Fred!

While reading the brochure, I felt like I already visited this House of prayer and a place of pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary...

Postcard 2

Thank you so much Ginie for this wonderful postcard!
I also like the large stamps showing fries!

BELGIUM - Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex

"The Plantin-Moretus Museum is a printing plant and publishing house dating from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Situated in Antwerp, one of the three leading cities of early European printing along with Paris and Venice, it is associated with the history of the invention and spread of typography. Its name refers to the greatest printer-publisher of the second half of the 16th century: Christophe Plantin (c. 1520–89). The monument is of outstanding architectural value. It contains exhaustive evidence of the life and work of what was the most prolific printing and publishing house in Europe in the late 16th century. The building of the company, which remained in activity until 1867, contains a large collection of old printing equipment, an extensive library, invaluable archives and works of art, among them a painting by Rubens." -http://whc.unesco.org

A surprise postcard from fellow postcard collector Johan who also maintains a great blog on postcards: http://www.johanpostcards.blogspot.com

Thank you so much Johan for increasing my UNESCO WHS collection from Belgium!

BELGIUM / FRANCE - Belfries of Belgium and France

"Twenty-three belfries in the north of France and the belfry of Gembloux in Belgium were inscribed as a group, an extension to the 32 Belgian belfries inscribed in 1999 as Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia. Built between the 11th and 17th centuries, they showcase the Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of architecture. They are highly significant tokens of the winning of civil liberties. While Italian, German and English towns mainly opted to build town halls, in part of north-western Europe, greater emphasis was placed on building belfries. Compared with the keep (symbol of the seigneurs) and the bell-tower (symbol of the Church), the belfry, the third tower in the urban landscape, symbolizes the power of the aldermen. Over the centuries, they came to represent the influence and wealth of the towns." -http://whc.unesco.org

Postcard 1: BELGIUM : Antwerpen-Cathedral of Our Lady

Another great postcrossing meet-up card... 
Thanks Raquel for sharing this with me!

Postcard 2: BELGIUM : Brugge


Again, thank you so much for this wonderful postcard , Amina!

My son likes the stamp! =)

Postcard 3: BELGIUM : Gent


Thank you so much Lara for increasing my collection of these Belfries!


Postcard 4: BELGIUM : Tournai

Thank you so much Fred for remembering me during your trip to Belgium!

Postcard 5: FRANCE : Armentieres

Thank you so much for this postcard, Fred! ^-^


Postcard 6: FRANCE : Bailleul

Thank you so much for this postcard, Fred! ^-^
I just love the colorful flowers!


Postcard 7: FRANCE : Bergues


A surprise postcard from Fred residing in Lille...
He's lucky to have friends who live next to this belfry and I am one lucky lady to have this!
Merci beaucoup, Fred!


Postcard 8: FRANCE : Cambrai


A postcard from Fred who was born in Cambrai...
Thank you so much, Fred!

Postcard 9: FRANCE : Dunkerque, City Hall

From Fred who never fails to surprise me on sending UNESCO postcards!
Thank you so much, Fred for making me happy! ^-^

Postcard 10: FRANCE : Dunkerque, St. Eligius Church

Thank you so much Veronique for adding this card to my collection!

Special thanks for the Europa stamp! =)

Postcard 11: FRANCE : Douai


Thank you so much Fred for this Douai card!
It really is beautiful! =)


Postcard 12: FRANCE : Lille


"Here is the highest belfry... It's very near to my work...", shares Fred.
Thank you so much Fred for this awesome card!
Will send you postcards soon!

56 Belfries of Belgium and France:

BELGIUM : Flanders

1. Aalst

2. Antwerpen, Cathedral

3. Antwerpen, City Hall

4. Brugge

5. Dendermonde

6. Diksmuide

7. Eeklo

8. Gent

9. Herentals

10. Leper

11. Kortrijk

12. Leuven

13. Lier

14. Lo

15. Mechelen 1

16. Mechelen 2

17. Menen

18. Nieuwpoort

19. Oudenaarde

20. Roeselare

21. Sint-Truiden

22. Tielt

23. Tienen

24. Tongeren

25. Veurne

26. Zoutleeuw

BELGIUM : Wallonia

27. Binche

28. Charleroi

29. Gembloux

30. Mons

31. Namur

32. Thuin

33. Tournai

FRANCE

34. Abbeville

35. Aire-sur-la-Lys

36. Amiens

37. Armentieres

38. Arras

39. Bailleul

40. Bergues

41. Bethune

42. Boulogne-sur-Mer

43. Calais

44. Cambrai

45. Comines

46. Douai

47. Doullens

48. Dunkerque, City Hall

49. Dunkerque, St. Eligius Church

50. Gravelines

51. Hesdin

52. Lille

53. Loos

54. Lucheux

55. Rue

56. Saint-Riquier

BELGIUM - Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels)

"The four major town houses - Hôtel Tassel, Hôtel Solvay, Hôtel van Eetvelde, and Maison & Atelier Horta - located in Brussels and designed by the architect Victor Horta, one of the earliest initiators of Art Nouveau, are some of the most remarkable pioneering works of architecture of the end of the 19th century. The stylistic revolution represented by these works is characterised by their open plan, the diffusion of light, and the brilliant joining of the curved lines of decoration with the structure of the building." -http://whc.unesco.org

Postcard 1 : Hôtel van Eetvelde

"This is one of the 4 Victor Horta houses that are recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Site", shares Luk.

Thank you so much Luk for increasing my UNESCO postcards collection!

BELGIUM - Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons)

"The Neolithic flint mines at Spiennes, covering more than 100 ha, are the largest and earliest concentration of ancient mines in Europe. They are also remarkable for the diversity of technological solutions used for extraction and for the fact that they are directly linked to a settlement of the same period." -http://whc.unesco.org

Hi Gerda! Thank you so much for increasing my UNESCO collection from your country! Looking forward to hear the stories of your visit in this site when it re-opens next year!

BELGIUM - Historic Centre of Brugge

"Brugge is an outstanding example of a medieval historic settlement, which has maintained its historic fabric as this has evolved over the centuries, and where original Gothic constructions form part of the town's identity. As one of the commercial and cultural capitals of Europe, Brugge developed cultural links to different parts of the world. It is closely associated with the school of Flemish Primitive painting." -http://whc.unesco.org

Postcard 1

Thank you so much Amina for sharing this wonderful card with me! =)

Postcard 2

Thank you so much Jurgen for sharing with me this postcard using the stamp depicting your new King Philip!

BELGIUM - Flemish Béguinages

"The Béguines were women who dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. In the 13th century they founded the béguinages , enclosed communities designed to meet their spiritual and material needs. The Flemish béguinages are architectural ensembles composed of houses, churches, ancillary buildings and green spaces, with a layout of either urban or rural origin and built in styles specific to the Flemish cultural region. They are a fascinating reminder of the tradition of theBéguines that developed in north-western Europe in the Middle Ages." -http://whc.unesco.org

Lotty shares that you can actually reside in here if you can afford...

Thank you so much for sharing with me this card, Lotty! =)

And special thanks for the Christmas-themed stamp!

BELGIUM - La Grand-Place, Brussels

"La Grand-Place in Brussels is a remarkably homogeneous body of public and private buildings, dating mainly from the late 17th century. The architecture provides a vivid illustration of the level of social and cultural life of the period in this important political and commercial centre." -http://whc.unesco.org

Postcard 1

An official postcrossing card. Thank you so much, Els!

Postcard 2

Thank you so much David for sending me this card!


Postcard 3

My first postcrossing meet-up card from Europe!

Thank you so much, Veerle!
*This card makes me dream of attending a postcrossing meet-up someday...*