Northern Europe

 See It On A Postcard's Thursday Postcard Hunt is visiting the cities of Northern Europe

St Petersburg and The Bronze Horseman (Peter the Great). The statue is mounted on the massive Thunder Stone originally weighing 1500 tonnes which was carved down during transportation to its current size of 1,250 tonnes.  Noticing the woman in white I discovered that Alexander Gardens is a popular place for wedding photos.  Lots of background interest for the photographer including the red lighthouse just making it onto the postcard. This is one of a pair on the Neva River that once guided ships into the port, the bowl on the top was filled with oil and lit. Today they are supplied with gas and only lit on special occasions. Technically they are called rostral columns and decorated with nautical images and have statues at the bottom. Russia Beyond shows them in all their glory.

 The main square in Krakow, the text translates as Old Town Market Square. The Cloth Hall is a renaissance era market hall. The gothic church is St Mary's Basilica.