Volcán Masaya, Nicaragua

Last year I received a number of Nicaraguan cards. This one should have arrived then as well, since it was also posted last October...but it decided to take a different route and arrive this year. But as they say, better ever than never :)

the card is a lovely surprise from dear Sissel and from one of her stops during her awesome trip last summer!

here you can see the Volcán Masaya, and in particular, the Santiago crater, which is one of the earth’s most accessible volcanic craters – and one of the most active.

The volcano itself is a shield volcano located 20 km south of Managua, and is Nicaragua's first and largest National Park, and one of the country's 78 protected areas. Its lava pool is one of only four in the world that has a constant level, neither receding nor discharging but perpetually threatening cataclysm.

the funny thing about it is that Local folklore of the Masay Volcano revolve around the belief that the volcano is a gateway to Hell

here is even an episode about it....in case you understand Spanish, you may want to take a look at it

another great part of this card are the fab stamps!!

the souvenir sheet is just AWESOME and is a part of two issued in 1994, showing the Graf Zeppelin over the Pyramids and the Sphinx in April 1931, while on the stamp of the s/s you can see Dr Hugo Eckner, manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin for most of its record-setting flights. The stamp next to it was issued in 1999 but i cant find some details about it except that it has something to do with a Japanese school...

thank you sooo much Sissel!! 

New Orleans, USA

this more reminds me of a Hawaiian means of transport than a tram in New Orleans

...and this is actually a St. Charles Avenue streetcar at Christmastime! It just looks so lovely! Though I must admit that for someone living here it is always hard to visualize celebrating Christmas or New Year in such an atmosphere....we are used to the cold and the snow, which in a way is an association to Christmas....I cant imagine celebrating New Year at the beach in a swimming suit...that's just not it...as it would be weird for Australians maybe to celebrate it while freezing cold...though I do think that secretly they would also wish for a snowy Christmas...that's just the spirit of the holiday :)

the clock stamp is more than famous....the other two are both Forever stamps issued in 2011 - first is a Garden of Love stamp from a set of 10, while the other is a Send a Hello stamp, showing Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story

Posázavský Pacifik, Czech Republic

Here is a lovely official card I received!

CZ-156381

The card shows the Posázavský Pacifik train, which according to the sender is a very famous and old train that runs through the romantic valley of the river Sázava.
So it is not really something you would take for a long trip, but it would be nice to have a chance to get on it for a nice scenery exploration.

Here's a summary what you might expect....just dont forget to wave to the passers-by :)

The A-stamp, at the top left, was issued in 2011 in a set of 2, representing Folk Architecture. The one next to it is a Soldier Schwejk stamp (this reminds me of my childhood) issued in a set of 3 in 1997, while the flower one is a definitive from 2010

Cups and Mugs

I decided to close this update with something nice and colourful..

a really GORGEOUS postcard showing various coffee-cups and mugs (of course, you can use these for tea as well..)
Did you know I collect mugs? Yup..that's one of the things which causes HUGE problems regarding free-space around the room, since i have more or less, around 200...can you imagine keeping 200 mugs at one place? I often struggle with it and often end up having nowhere to put other stuff somewhere coz of it (and i must add that postcards give me the same headaches too :P). And just like with postcards, i cant get enough of them and keep getting more and more...though of course not with the same intensity as before...I cant pick a favourite....often it depends on my mood and on what im drinking....some feel perfect for coffee, others for tea...some feel good on rainy days, others have a sunshine personality....and of course, it is good when you have actually plenty to choose from...you will always find something to match up the current situation.

as for the ones on the card....they are just all sooooo lovely, i cant pick a favourite...would love to have them all!!

The Imagine Peace Tower, Iceland

So...work has been really busy lately, plus some other daily chores...and somehow didnt have the time to dedicate to posting here or even writing cards in general...which makes me really behind in both...yeah, not a good way to kick off the year....not to mention the awful cough i caught...fortunately it has calmed down, so i can at least sleep more properly at night and talk without consequences...otherwise it was getting really unbearable..

Anyways, without further ado, let's see my choice for today. First is a lovely Icelandic card that Genek sent me for the favourites tag. And while i loved this card coz it represented ICeland, and had Northern Lights on it, i didnt really know it represented something else...and if it wasnt for this card I wouldnt have known that there is a memorial to John Lehnon in Iceland! You are surprised too maybe?
So turns out that Yoko Ono dedicated this artwork to John, and it is said to be a Tower of Light which emanates wisdom, healing and joy. It communicates awareness to the whole world that peace & love is what connects all lives on Earth. It symbolizes Lennon’s and Ono’s continuing campaign for world peace - which began in the sixties, was sealed by their marriage in 1969 and will continue forever. The Tower is located on Viðey Island in Kollafjörður Bay near Reykjavík, Iceland. It consists of a tall "tower of light", projected from a white stone monument that has the words "Imagine Peace" carved into it in 24 languages.

One of the mesmerising features of the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is that the strength, intensity and brilliance of its light continually changes with the prevailing weather and atmospheric conditions unique to Iceland - creating a clear pillar of light on a cloudless night, beams irridescing with rainbow refractions in rain or snowfall, and brilliantly reflecting off and through any moving layers of cloud.

The Tower was unveiled on October 9th 2007, John Lennon’s 67th birthday.

Really admirable....and not such a usual location to pick....as if Yoko wanted this to be not so known about yet do something for her husband..I mean, if they talk about Iceland they either talk about volcanoes or economic crisis....i haven't seen this mentioned before, yet im glad to have learned something new.

Thank you Genek!

And here is the so very famous anthem (which honestly sometimes gets annoying to hear it very often on the radio. )

Unfortunately, nowadays is really difficult to imagine all the people living life in peace...

Pompeii, Italy

a great official card arrived the other day in the mailbox!

IT- 162161

Ive ben wanting a card from Pompeii for a long time, and there it is at last! Plus it is a new contribution to my UNESCO whs collection!

I simply love such old non-existent places nowadays...there is something really appealing and fascinating about them, making you wonder about the people who had lived there, their way of life and everyday work. And more than often im fascinated with the architecture in these places and what has been achieved in that sense taking in account the available means and resources.
The specific thing about Pompeii is that it was was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in the year AD 79. Believe it or not, the city was completely lost until accidentally rediscovered in 1749. Can you imagine how it is for a whole settlement to be wiped away? And wonder what has happened to all the inhabitants?

the card shows a number of famous places and things in Pompeii, and if anyone from Italy could send me a single view of these, id be really happy...im especially interested in the Temple of Jupiter, the main Forum, the amphitheatre, the House of the Faun and the Garden of the Fugitives.

Grazie!

Vincenzo, the sender, also used some really nice and not so usual stamps...or more specifically, rather older ones and also a number of these are Vatican stamps, not Italian. The top right one is from a set of 6 stamps regarding the Second Vatican concile, while the three next to it are a set of Christmas stamps. All these were issued in 1966. The bottom stamps are Italian, where the left one was issued in 1960 and is a part of a 9 stamps-set commemorating the Olympic games in Rome, while the stamp next to it was issued in 1962, representing a Counting court.  Unfortunately, there is no cancellation, so i cant tell where this card has bee mailed from, whether Vatican or Italy...and if someone actually knows maybe...are Italian stamps valid in Vatican and vice-versa?

Holland

A great card Peggy sent me for her cultural RR.

the card shows a typical Dutch way of eating herring. (personally, not very fond of it). The herring is raw, and apart from how it is shown on the card, another way to eat it is to hold the whole fish above you and let it slide in.(yuck!)
The specific-type of herring which is the first young herring suitable for consumption is called Holandese Nieuwe. It is prepared in a traditional Dutch way after it's been caught. The first day these new young herrings are being caught is celebrated in the town of Scheveningen with flag-day. The harbour is decorated with flags and the first barrel of herring is auctioned and the money goes to charity. It can go up to 70.000 euros!

there are two stamps on the card and the left one is really nice. It was issued in 1988 commemorating the Australian Bicentenary which was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent European settlement. The other stamp is from a set of four Tourism stamps and was issued in 1996