#77 FOTW - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

The national flag of Luxembourg consists of three horizontal stripes, red, white and light blue, and can be in a 1:2 or 3:5 ratio. It was first used between 1845 and 1848 and officially adopted in 1993. It is informally called in the country, «rout, wäiß, blo» ("red, white, blue"). The red, white, and light blue colours were derived from the coat of arms of the House of Luxembourg.

 

Aerial Navigation Day - Zeppelin in St. Gallen - Saronno, Italy

St. Gallen evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the centre of eastern Switzerland. Its economy consists mainly of the service sector. The city is home to the University of St. Gallen, one of the best business schools in Europe.

 

"Bag Ladies" photo by Peter Patau - Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna began in 1916 when the area was chosen as a district headquarters for the Alaska Railroad. A post office opened as well as a sawmill, trading post, cigar and donkey store and other businesses as well as many cabins. Talkeetna is the base for expeditions to Denali (also known as Mount McKinley). Tourists travel to Talkeetna each summer to fish salmon, raft and go flightseeing. 

 

"Henryk Rutkowski" sailing ship - Kołobrzeg, Poland

"Henryk Rutkowski" - Brigantine, built at the Fishery-Shipyard in Gdynia (1951); L with jib-boom 28.5 m, B 6.4 m, sail-area 337 square meters. Sailship of the Schooling Centre of the Polish Sailing Union in Trzebież.

Kapitan Głowacki - a sailing ship named after Włodzimierz Głowacki (until 1997 the yacht was called Henryk Rutkowski in honour of the communist activist Henryk Rutkowski).

#70 FOTW - Leszno, Poland

The national flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colours are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colours. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white fess is legally reserved for official use abroad and at sea. A similar flag with the addition of a white eagle is used as the naval ensign of Poland.

White and red were officially adopted as national colours in 1831, although these were associated with Poland since the Middle Ages and were emphasized on royal banners. They are of heraldic origin and derive from the tinctures (colours) of the coats of arms of the two constituent nations of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (i.e., the White Eagle of Poland, and the Pursuer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a white knight riding a white horse), both on a red shield.

 

#69 FOTW - Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island

The flag of Christmas Island was unofficially adopted in 1986 after being chosen the winner in a competition for a flag for the territory. It was designed by Tony Couch of Sydney, Australia. 

The flag of Christmas Island consists of a green and blue background, split from the top left corner to the bottom right. These colours are intended to represent the land and sea respectively. The Southern Cross constellation appears in the bottom left of the flag similar to the flag of Australia. In the top right, the golden bosun bird appears. It is considered to be a symbol of the Island. The last motif that appears in the centre of the flag on a golden disc is the map of the island in green. The disc itself was originally only included to offset the green colour of the map but has become linked to the mining industry.

The first European to sight Christmas Island was Richard Rowe of the Thomas in 1615. Captain William Mynors named it on Christmas Day, 25 December 1643.

 

Bourscheid Castle - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Bourscheid Castle is located near the village of Bourscheid in north-eastern Luxembourg. The medieval castle stands on a site with archaeological evidence of structures dating back to Roman times. Standing majestically some 150 meters above the River Sûre, it is enclosed by a circular wall with 11 watchtowers.

 

#1 WOW Cuisine - Wrocław, Poland

Granica Rally is a mountain scout rally in which Polish Scouting Association members participate. Together, in patrols composed of members of groups and teams, they traverse the trails of the Karkonosze Mountains, the Izerskie Mountains and the Rudawy Janowickie Mountains.

 

Maxicard with champagne flutes - Mackay, Australia

With the passing of the "Sugar and Coffee Regulations Act" by the Queensland Government in August 1864 sugar became the industry of choice for the Mackay region. John Spiller planted the first sugar crop on the 1st of June 1865. Sugar became the economic foundation of the city.

 

Year of the Dog - Singapore

The Dog is the eleventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Dog is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 戌. The character, also refers to the actual animal while, also referring to the zodiac animal.

 

Postcrossing Meeting in Mariehamn - Mariehamn, Aland Islands

Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. The theme of the coat of arms of Mariehamn refers to the city's main livelihood, maritime transport, and the city's parks, which are typically lined with linden trees.

 

Luna Park Melbourne - Melbourne, Australia

Luna Park Melbourne is a historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria. It opened on 13 December 1912, with a formal opening a week later, and has been operating almost continuously ever since.

 

Line Friends - Hong Kong

Line Friends are featured characters, invented by South Korean designer Kang Byeong Mok, based on the stickers from diverse applications of the South Korean internet search giant Naver Corporation and the Japanese messaging app Line. Released in 2015, the characters are used in various products, animations, games, cafes, hotels, and theme parks. 

 

#58 FOTW - Singapore

The flag of Singapore was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. It remained the national flag upon the country's independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. 

The design is a horizontal bicolour of red above white, overlaid in the canton (upper-left quadrant) by a white crescent moon facing a pentagon of five small white five-pointed stars.

The National Symbols Act defines the flag's composition and the symbolism of its elements: red symbolises "universal fellowship and equality", and white symbolises "pervading and everlasting purity and virtue". The crescent moon represents a "young nation on the ascendant". The five stars stand for the nation's ideals of "democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality". The crescent symbol is also seen by the nation's Muslim activists to represent Islam.

 

Loupaper Illinois - Carol Stream, Illinois

"To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born and one is buried."-Lincoln's farewell address to the people of Springfield on his departure for Washington in 1861.

 

#42 GF - Godby, Aland Islands

In the Åland Islands, there is a total ban on military maneuvers and a ban on airplanes by military aviation - the area of the Åland Islands is a demilitarized zone.

More than 90% of the inhabitants of the Åland Islands have their mother tongue as Swedish and 5% as Finnish. The government-funded schools are Swedish-speaking.

 

#40 FOTW - Tel Aviv, Israel

The flag of the State of Israel was adopted on 28 October 1948, five months after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. 

The blue stripes are intended to symbolize the stripes on a tallit, the traditional Jewish prayer shawl. The Star of David is a widely acknowledged symbol of the Jewish people and Judaism. In Judaism, the colour blue symbolises God's glory, purity and gevurah (God's severity). The White field represents Chesed (Divine Benevolence).

The Israelites used a blue-coloured dye called tekhelet; this dye may have been made from the marine snail Murex trunculus. This dye was very important in both Jewish and non-Jewish cultures of this time and was used by royalty and the upper class in dyeing their clothing, sheets, curtains, etc.

Large Letter Reprint - New Haven, Coonecticut

Common Name: Constitution State

Motto: Qui Transtulit Sustinet ("He who has moved still sustains").

The world's first nuclear submarine, Nautilus, was launched at the Groton Shipyard in Connecticut.

George W. Bush, the president of the United States, was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He also studied law at Yale University.

Connecticut was one of the first states to break away from England (1776) and one of the first to abolish slavery (1784).

 

#37 FOTW - Monte Carlo, Monaco

The national flag of Monaco has two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom), both of which have been the heraldic colours of the House of Grimaldi since at least 1339. The present bicolour design was adopted on 4 April 1881, under Charles III.

The flag of Monaco is graphically similar to the flag of Indonesia, with differences in their dimension ratios (Monaco's at 4:5 and Indonesia's at 2:3), and the shade of red is darker for the flag of Monaco. The flag of Poland is also similar to that of Monaco, but with the colours reversed – white on top and red on the bottom. The flag of Singapore also has a similar design and colour, with the exception being a crescent with five stars on the upper left side.

 

Pug maxicard - Moscow, Russia

The nature of this breed is distinguished by considerable temperament, a great attachment to humans, and a great willingness to play together. Although at first glance, the appearance of pugs may be associated with a concerned pooch, pugs are very positive and sociable animals. Pugs don't like loneliness.