Pavilions at the Expo

Pavilions across the South

30 Mar 2015 | From Mo of China

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

India Pavilion; Qatar PAvilion; Oman Pavilion; Pakistan Pavilion (main picture)

In architecture, a pavilion has two primary meanings. It can refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure; or a symmetrical range of buildings in the classical styles, where there is a main central block.

Pavilions were particularly popular in the 18th century and can be equated to the Italian casina, usually rendered in English "casino". These often resembled small classical temples and follies. The postcard shows some pavilions across South and Southwest Asia - from India, Oman, Pakistan, and Qatar - as showcased in the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China.

The theme of the exposition was "Better City – Better Life" and signifies Shanghai's new status in the 21st century as the "next great world city". There were five central theme pavilions at the Expo 2010, exploring different aspects of urban development. They were called Urban Footprints, Urban Planet, Urbanian, City Being, and Urban Future. During the expo, the expo site was crowded with national pavilions, sculpture gardens, shops, a sports arena and clam-shaped performing arts centre.

The other postcard was printed by Mo himself =)

Queen of the Hills

Chairlift Patriata - New Murree

12 May, 2014 | From Patrick of Pakistan

POSTCROSSING SWAP

This is the second postcard that Patrick sent me. I was quite surprised that the postcard travel did not take that long. I was expecting it to take a while - a month at least. Patrick mailed the postcards 24 Apr, 2014. I received them in less than 3 weeks. And he received my mail a few days earlier than I received his postcards :)

About the postcard, Patrick shared that Murree is the most popular hill station in Pakistan. It is also referred to as the Queen of the Hills. Because of its beauty and lush greenery, a pleasant weather during the summertime, and snowfall during the winter - Murree is a favourite tourist destination.

My first postcard from Pakistan

Faisal Mosque in Islamabad

12 May, 2014 | From Patrick of Pakistan

POSTCROSSING SWAP

I was in my Holy Week vacation (April 16~20) when Patrick sent me a message through Postcrossing. He was asking for a postcard-stamp swap. He would like to swap two Pakistani postcards for the 2014 Year of the Horse Philippine stamps. Luckily, I still have copies of those stamps at home.

This is one of the postcards Patrick sent me - a picture of the Shah Faisal Mosque. According to Patrick, it is the largest mosque in Pakistan. It is located in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. It is named after the late King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia who supported and financed the project.