Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

well, despite feeling rather unwell, i hope to manage to do this update...coz if I keep postponing it, there is a great chance it won't see the light of the day for one more week at least....so here we go :)

First comes a fantastic piece from a very rare country....I didnt really believe I would get a card from Papua New Guinea, but then somehow the stars collided, and one arrived in my mailbox! Happy, happy happy!!! :)

btw, recently I created a FB page to share updates or for anything mail related...I just needed to distinguish it from the actual profile...so feel free to follow us there if it is of any convenience for you:

the Facebook Page

Anyways, the card comes from Port Moresby, the country's capital, where you can see the National Parliament House, whose construction started in 1980, and was completed and opened in 1984.
The main feature is a tall façade in the haus tambaran style of Sepik Art. On one side there is a circular building in Eastern Highlands style with conference rooms and facilities for the members of parliament.
The small plane picture shows Air Niugini, the national airline of Papua New Guinea, which operates both on domestic and international flights (Asia, Australia and Oceania). Im not sure what is the aircraft type, but maybe Glenn could help me out on this one :)

and i really love the stamps! The top left stamp was issued in 2012 in a set of 4 stamps + 2 additional sheets, representing sports' legends, and here you can see Stanley Nandex, also known as the PNG pride, the Headhunter and a kickboxing champion.
The stamp below shows a PMV truck and comes from a set of 9 public transport stamps issued this year. And then, at the right we have the adorable dolphins! I sooo much love dolphins, i just cant explain it!! The stamp was issued in 2003 in a set of 6 dolphin stamps. On this one, you can see the Bottlenose dolphin, which is the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphin. Love it!!!!

Norway

Next comes a fantastic surprise from my dear Sissel!!

what a perfect combination of a bicycle card, coming from Norway!
Dont know where exactly this is in Norway, but it doesnt really matter...the card is just sooo brilliant!
Now im not sure how much the cycling culture is developed in Norway, it is usually Denmark or the Netherlands we keep reading about when it comes to this buddy, but I came across an interesting article which says that: It is often said that Norwegians are born with skis on their feet. But perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they are born attached to pedals: three quarters of them own bicycles "
And surprisingly or not, you can find both Sandnes and and Trondheim on the list of 11 most bicycle friendly cities in the world. Being on this list with not one but two cities, while Netherlands and Denmark for example are just represented with one (Amsterdam and Copenhagen respectively), is really a huge success!
Just adds to the reasons of why I so much love this country! :)
Did you know that in Trondheim there is something called a bicycle lift, where you could just be sitting on your bike and it will carry you uphill...really convenient for steep uphill paths...or lazy people :)
What a dreamy adventure it would be to cycle across and along the Norwegian fjords....mmmmmmmmm

the stamp is also pretty special. It is a Hurtigruten stamp, sold only on the Hurtigruten ships. There are in total only 5 designs of these showing iconic places along the coast, and on mine here you can see the beautiful North Cape, the northernmost point in Norway.

It is really a special card, isn't it? :)

Thanks so much Sissel!!!

Morris Island Lighthouse, USA

Just like the last US card, here again we have a lighthouse, this time coming from South Carolina. Been a while since Ive posted a South Carolina card, so here is a good reason to show this one.

US-2124574

This beautiful card arrived as an official, showing the Morris Island Lighthouse, and as the back of the card says, the original Charleston Light, which is the sixth oldest station in the United States. With the original lighthouse of 1767 destroyed by the Confederate Army in 1861 to take a reference away from Union ships, the Morris Island Lighthouse was rebuilt in 1872. Standing 161 feet tall, when lighted it could have been seen 19 miles out to sea.

well, if you've been receiving mail from the US lately, probably you've seen this stamp...it seems to be used rather often...it is one of the latest Forever stamps, showing our beautiful planet Earth.

Kak Kazaki, Ukraine

well, my last post for today may be unusual to some, but when some time ago I discovered that these cards existed, I was thrilled to no end!!!
I absolutely LOVE those old cartoons I used to watch as a child, coming from the former USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia etc...there is simply something magical about them that no modern cartoon of today can come close to it.
And one of those cartoons was this one coming from Ukraine, or back then, the USSR, about the three guys called Kak Kazaki, or Cossacks, showing the adventures in their every day life.
Regarding the word Cossacks, it refers to a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military and semi-naval communities in Ukraine and Southern Russia.

Here in the cartoon we have 3 guys, called, Грай, Око and Тур. All the cartoon series are short, and last no longer than 20 minutes, each with its own title...and so the postcards seem to be issued according to the cartoons...and here comes a card from on of my favourite Cossacks cartoons called, Как Казаки Невест Выручали, or As the Cossacks rescued the brides.
This one dates back from 1973, with Vladimir Dahno as its director. The cartoon has won an award at the VI International Festival of Documentary and Short Films in Nyon ( Switzerland )

You dont really need to understand the language to be able to understand the plot (there is barely any talking either way)...but do turn on your speakers or put on your headphones, i highly recommend listening to the beautiful traditional accompanying songs, music and sound effects. These are the cartoons I can keep watching over and over again and never get bored, with the music always creating beautiful emotions.



I hope you liked it at least a bit :)
And lets not forget the stamps of course :)

The first card here came with the following stamps:

the first stamp, top left was issued in a set of stamps in 2011, under the title Generous Ukraine - Spring. The one below it is a definitive from 2012, from a set of 13 stamps showing trees and fruits (here you see an Acacia). While the stamp at the right is also from 2012, from a set of two, commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Birth of Taras.

the second card came with two stamps from the above mentioned Generous Ukraine-Spring series

I love it that both cards have a print of the card-image on the back as well...and that both senders were really thoughtful and hadn't placed a stamp over it :)

Traditional Wood Carvings, Rwanda

been quite here again for a while.....sorry about that...things just happen and time just flies...sometimes i really think i should take a break with postcrossing and all coz it becomes stressful...and it shouldnt be...it should be fun...but sometimes when you dont manage to keep up with it properly, it simply doesnt feel as it should feel and it is more like a burden than something to enjoy...and most of the time I just havent had the right mood for postcards either...so, we'll see how things develop.
Ive been wanting to make an update for a while, esp, since I have some really cool things I wanted to share with you, but due to a number of reasons I havent managed to do so until today...and well, without any further ado, lets take a look at a few cards that have arrived over the past few months...

And first, as the protocol goes, will dedicate my attention to a brand new country, and this time we have a great card coming from Rwanda!!

I was lucky to get into the Rwanda group at the Vacation RR, and am happy to have received my very first written and stamped card from this really rare country!!
Rwanda is this not that big country, located in the heart of Africa, but very densely populated.
The Rwandans express their ingenuity in traditional art through basket making, wood carving, pottery, sculpture and house decorations...and on the card we can see one of those pieces of art, that is, traditional wood carvings. Im not sure what exactly the carvings on the card present, but it is said that since more and more tourists visit this country and buy carvings, there should be an increased awareness of the beauty and durability as well as the cultural and historical values of wood carving, despite it has not brought substantial income for the carvers.

and we have two lovely stamps...unfortunately, not cancelled...but well it was sent from Rwanda indeed :)
the stamp on the left was issued in 1983 in a set of 10 Agriculture stamps, while the other one is from 2010, from a set of 5 paintings, representing the art and culture of Rwanda.

Our Saviour's Church, Denmark

next comes a fantastic swap card from Denmark! I was thrilled when Chris offered to swap...apart from not receiving Danish cards that often, this one has been in my favourites too for a while, plus it has bikes on it...just love the image! Esp. the winter charm of the snow-covered-bikes :)

well, besides the bikes, the card also shows Our Saviour's Church in Copenhagen, which is best known for its corckscrew spire with an external winding staircase that you can see at the top, from where you have a fantastic view over the city.
It is also noted for its carillon, which is the largest in northern Europe and plays melodies every hour from 8 am to midnight.
Chris says that despite the picture, it rarely snows in Copenhagen and that 40% of the people there commute to work on bike...hmmm, actually I thought it was much more, but lets not get disappointed. Coz Copenhagen is one of those places I admire coz of the bicycle culture and habit people have and ride their bikes in sunshine, rain, snow...you name it.

and I think this is my first EUROPA 2013 stamp...which this year represents postman vans...or other postal means of transport.

Guia Lighthouse, Macau

next comes a beautiful card from Macau. Funny that I have received a number of Macau cards lately but even funnier is that most of them have been sent from China, which is really disappointing...even more that you cant really complain coz people get so thrilled to send you a Macau card, but are just not aware of my teeth-cringe when i see the card-stamp discrepancy...luckily, this one does not fall into that category :)

And this is my first ever Macau lighthouse...I must admit I had no idea Macau had lighthouses actually until I received this card.
As the back of the card says: Built in 1864 which is high above atop the Guia hill. It is the first modern lighthouse on the Chinese coast. The geographical coordinates of the Lighthouse also mark Macau's geographical location on the World's atlas.
It is a part of the Guia fortress, a historical military fort, chapel and lighthouse complex, which is also a UNESCO whs as a part of the Historic Centre of Macau.

both stamps were issued in 2010. The left stamp is from a set of 5 stamps showing antique telephones in Macau (just beautiful!!!), while the other one is also from a set of 5 stamps, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Macau food festival. This one in particular, shows us the Xiao Long Bao, which is a type of steamed bun or baozi from the Jiangnan region of China, especially Shanghai and Wuxi and is traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets.