Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

Pheww....finally, here i am...and i better scribble down something before i fall again into one of those emotional turmoils...ive been in such a state for like two weeks...and its been getting worse and worse each day...I thank God to the bits and pieces of sunshine he brought me today...i know they wont last for long...the upcoming periods wont allow it...but at least, for the time being, i need to enjoy it as much as possible...right?

and ill start today with one lovely and cheerful card from dear Sainara....well, its always indeed a pleasure to receive a card from the Netherlands Antilles...but its a double pleasure to receive it from dear people..

the card shows the Feeding time at the Donkey's Sanctuary...Sainara says how she remembers donkeys walking around freely while growing up. But then, with the growing population and increasing car accidents involving donkeys, a sanctuary was made and the majority of the donkeys reside there now.

Thats really cool actually...to have donkeys roaming around freely...or horses...or elephants...or some other animals...as long as they wont be able to do you harm. Its nice for them to have all that freedom in the world.
Here, in our ZOO, not only the animals cant walk around freely, they are even in danger from all those people with lack of consciousness, who feed them inappropriately, even though there are huge signs which say that its strictly forbidden to feed the animals...just recently one of the camels had died suffocating from a bag of crisps...totally miserable...and i dont get it how people can be so reckless...but they just dont seem to care...at all.

 

I suppose this stamp is issued regarding Christmas holidays...its from December 2006, but i dont have any further information about it unfortunately!

Sainara, thanks a lot again, not just for this, but for all the great cards you had sent me!

Haapsalu, Estonia

A great card from dear Janek, who sent me a train card just right after i had put them on my wishlist!! Thanks so much Janek!!! :D

Estonian Railway Museum is located in the Emperor's Pavillon of the historic Haapsalu railway station. Belonging Locomotives and railcars to the museum are exhibited behind the station building and can be visited free of charge. 10-18 Museum is open all year round from Wednesday to Sunday. Discount of 10% is available for groups over 25 people.

I think that if i ever get to Estonia, this will be on the top list of things id love to see...and id love to take my dad there too...as a gift for him.

and a set of amazing stamps!
the small one on the left is a definitive issued in 2006 under the subject of Flora, representing the Liverleaf. The two big stamps were issued in 2002 regarding the 10th anniversary of the reintroduction of the Estonian Kroon. This souvenir sheet features the portraits of the poetess Lydia Koidula and the journalist, writer and teacher Carl Robert Jakobson, key elements of the 100 and 500 kroon notes respectively.

thanks a lot Janek...as alqwa

Hong Kong

A shiny Hong Kong card that came as a surprise from Relie and Licia..

It shows brightly lit neons signs of Nathan Road in Kowloon.
It sure IS bright! Relie says that this is the land of neon lights, dim sum, loud people, congested streets and great shopping. And thats so much NOT me. Id only like to try the dim sum...but all the rest is just not my cup of tea...no no no, not even the shopping...i actually hate shopping and i dread when i have to do it...and even then i dont really put loads of efforts but try to buy what i need at the first/second/third shop possible...shopping annoys me...the only kind of shopping i like is postcard shopping or getting stuff from a huge supermarket (so that means food and coffee and such) provided i actually have enough money to put in the trolley all that i want. But when it comes to clothes and make up and such...then please, dont call me to keep you company....thank you :)

 

this bird stamp comes from a set of 16 definitive stamps issued in 2006 regarding the Fauna, where this one represents the Red-whiskered Bulbul.

Durmitor, Montenegro

One of the numerous cards i bought to myself during my stay in Montenegro this year.

And i really like this edition of huge cards they have...not only coz they are huge...but they have beautiful images as well!
This card shows the Lake Škrčko below the Bobotov Peak (2,523 m), the highest peak on Mt. Durmitor.
And Durmitor is also one of the two UNESCO whs in Montenegro, so now i finally have Montenegro complete...boy...this sounded as if Montenegro had 20 UNESCO whs and now, after loads of hard work, i had finally been able to collect them all.
Unfortunately, this is one of the places in Montenegro i didnt manage to visit even though i wanted to...but there were no excursions organized for there in particular, so unless you arrange it on your own, you dont have much of a choice of how to get there...so maybe next time ill be more lucky and have the chance to go there...it definitely is a beautiful place and more than worth seeing.

It's a nice day for a White Wedding....

So there we go...the day has come...and its just a matter of hours until the actual event takes place...well, ok...ill have one more extra hour to sleep due to the winter time change to which im thankful for...

oh...and no no no...its not MY wedding we are talking about, no panic :))
a friend of mine is getting married, and since we are/were kinda close, i just wanted to sort of commemorate it...and its also like an excuse for my absence in posting here too...so i better post something than nothing, right?
and honestly, its this card that had me inspired and i thought it would be VERY appropriate to post it today than any other day...if you are about to say that my OWN wedding would be more appropriate...well, i dont have the heart to keep this card in darkness till then honestly :P

personally im not a wedding fan...but its nice to attend some...the one that is about to come is still something i cant categorize unfortunately, and i dont feel like im going to a wedding at all nor that something important is happening...but i wont go into details...at least not in public coz it wont really be fair

why i dont like weddings? i dont know...im just not that kind of a social type of a person (im a complicated type of a person in case you hadnt figured out by now)...i dont like all that fuss revolving around the weddings and i most of all dont like the *i have nothing to wear* moment...which stroke me big time this time...and all that with the thanks to my awful eating habits lately, since ive come to the conclusion that nothing fits me...and i just feel ridiculous in whatever i wear...my only attempt to do something about it was to refrain from chocolate and sweets and stuff....for the past 3 days...a real sacrifice, no? and my body is craving for some cake, so i guess once the wedding is over, ill get my dosage with a less feeling of guilt...

and speaking of the card...those thoughts perfectly describe ME! i cant explain it in short terms, but how i judge things is often totally different from what my common sense tells me to do...and i often follow the 'my own judgment' than the 'common sense' thing...whether its a right or wrong thing to do, i dont know...but thats how i do it...and with no intention to actually switch to 'common sense'....oh well...maybe someday...one day....maybe :)

my biggest thank you goes to Chris for sending me this card...first of all for the reasons why he sent it to me, and second, for actually giving me a material to make today's post and for sending me such a handy and convenient card for this occasion :)
oh, and one more thing...its Chris to blame, why i have developed a soft spot for the Anne Taintor cards and why they are on my wish list now...yeah Chris, its your fault, shame on you! :))))

well...in order not to blame me that i totally rant of other stuff, here are the stamps from the card..

and...Marija dear...i wish this day to be the most memorable one for you and i hope you have a life full of joy and love and happiness...and we are sorry that we wont be able to attend the ceremony from the beginning, but we hope you understand (and you know who we all are...sorry! =[....)

Bulgaria

I know this will be surprising to many, but for me, postcard wise, Bulgaria is a rare country (esp. for written and stamped cards) even though its so close to here...but there, i have more Brazilian cards in my collection, than Bulgarian....ironic....

and i got this one thanks to the Slavic RR.....probably my favourite RR ever...
The only place i have been to from the places shown on the card is actually Sofia...and even that was time time ago (i cant count my visit in 2006 regarding the DM concert coz then i didnt see a single thing from Sofia except the Locomotiv stadium where the concert was held)
I was wondering...if Bulgaria hadnt imposed the visa issue, would i have been visiting it more often or would it have been the same as now...ive never been there on a summer holiday even though its a huge trend among Macedonians...id like to see the *new* Bulgaria though...or the one that developed after entering the EU...
Well, since there is also the Rila Monastery on these pictures, ill label this under UNESCO as well..even though its just a small image and not a single view card....i still have my doubts about this issue, and whether i should label such multiview cards as UNESCO...but for now i still stick to it.....the other day i tried to update my UNESCO list with the sites im having but its a bit tough, as counting my postcards is as well...and btw, im also sick and have an annoying cold and just feel f***** up in general coz of it with total lack of energy and desire to do anything...plus there are some other things in question which add up to it, but more about it some other time...

the huge stamp was issued in May this year and comes from a set of 4 stamps representing Fauna and Night Birds of Prey...Owls in particular, and here the Strix Uralensis is shown.
the other smaller stamp comes from a set of 6 definitives issued in 1999 representing Historical sites, fountains...

Arizona, USA

Cool card...both due to what it represents and to how it appears in MY eyes...

The Wave is located on the Colorado Plateau, about a half mile south of the Arizona and Utah borders. The arc is a gallery of gruesomely twisted sandstone, resembling deformed pillars, cones, mushrooms and other odd creations.

thats what the back of the card says...to me, this is like some cake all covered in caramel sauce....mmmmmm....yeah, as usual, certain card remind me of food...and ive just consumed a bunch of sweets, even though i promise to myself that since YESTERDAY ill go on a diet...but my depressed state of mind called for sugar...and had an extra dose of it...and of course, nothing changed towards feeling better...arent you actually fed up with my bla bla bla "my life sucks" rambling?

Russia

A great card coming from my dear Anastasia.....who knows how much i love map/flag cards...

And again a card coming from my favourite Slavic RR.....this time from the re-opened one, since Ksenia unfortunately couldnt keep hosting it....if you are asking me, personally id never be a good RR host...it may not be a hard task, but for people as disorganized and lazy as me, it certainly isnt something i SHOULD be doing...i mean, collecting addresses, arranging groups, sending addresses, making updates of sent/received cards....you really cant see me in that light...
btw, inside the map, you can see St. Petersburg on the left side and Suzdal on the right....and Anastasia actually told me about this card when we were in Budva this summer, and somehow i knew she was gonna send it to me sooner or later :P  yeah, that was a very self-centered statement...
oh, Anasty...do you actually know what arrived in my mailbox today?? :D :D :D yup, thats right...ill message you about it :)  But thank you soooo much dear!! I just love THEM!! Yes...THEM!!! :))

and as usual, great Russian stamps (where the one on the right has food on it!!!)
both stamps come from the EUROPA series....the one one the right is from the 2005 issue when the EUROPA theme was Gastronomy and the stamp is called "Bread & Salt", where guests are welcomed in Russia with these words for centuries. Both in old times and nowadays various delicious are put on the table and pancakes with caviar have been commonly served to feasts for many centuries.
the other stamp is from 2002 with the Circus as a primary EUROPA theme.

Happy 30th Birthday to Iceman a.k.a Kimi Raikkonen....

Well, as you can see, today is not gonna be a regular update day, but more like a shortish post since the day itself calls for commemoration...and on the other hand i have a bad mood-swing day, so its not really advisable that i ramble here....

As the title itself tells you, this boy here has celebrated his 30th birthday today! Who would have thought...honestly, he doesnt seem 30 to me, but looks can deceive you...and lately actually ive been well deceived by certain people and their age, who either appeared much younger than they actually were...or seemed older...and it was all men...which is odd...
Anyways...i hoped that this day might be a lucky charm for Kimi boy since today were the qualifications for the Brazilian GP...but i have to be satisfied with him finishing 5th...if you watched today's qualifications, you would have been happy if your favourites were among the first 10...2 and 45 minutes of drama...probably more interesting than most of the actual races this season....and i still hope for drama tomorrow...and i wish that Button scores zero points and that Barricchelo ends among the first ones, so that we can have an even more dramatic last race, which for the first time will be held in Abu Dhabi this year (and what a coincidence, Kimi has Abu Dhabi written on his cap...)

And i can just hope that next season will be luckier for Kimi, and that in general it will be a more interesting one, coz frankly, this was the most boring one i had ever watched...and lets see if Kimi leaving Ferrari will be a good thing or no...as for tomorrow's race....im honestly indifferent...even if Kimi wins (which i doubt), its not really gonna change on the overall for him...so he just needs a fresh new start....what im really concerned for tomorrow is the Nadal-Davydenko Final in Shangai....Davydenko can be a tough opponent, and he has proved to be so against Nadal....but i truly wish Rafa plays his best tomorrow...it has been an up & down season for him and i just really love to see him back on track....so, all in all, its gonna be a sportish day tomorrow....lets hope i wont regret having spent my time watching it actually :)

 

and here are the stamps of this card...i wasnt really gonna show them, but i thought they were really beautiful actually...

Ghana

Friday evening....freezing cold...lazy and anti-social mood...dreamy state of mind....makes a perfect mixture of ingredients to stay at home in the warm and post postcards :) though, i have to warn you...my mind makes sentences which make no sense...and there is just no natural flow of thoughts...so its gonna be one of those...*helllllooou, Earth calling Ana* updates...

and lets start off with something new in my collection....Ghana! which includes a map card! Yay!

back in time, i used to have a pen-pal in Ghana...but we didnt last long...he was too odd for my own taste...i was too young to understand his straightforwardness i guess...so after two or three letters, we stopped writing to each other...if i kept writing with him, so far i would have probably had bunch of postcards from Ghana...but then, on the other hand, its totally unfair to befriend someone, just to use them for the cards...and this is actually a totally unnecessary rambling, right? well, i told you..im in an awkward mood....

when looking at this map, i again realize that i need to get down to learning how Africa looks like in geographic terms, and of course, basics about it..otherwise, ill keep feeling ignorant and stupid...

did you know that the word *Ghana* actually means *Warrior King*? well, i got to learn it just now....Warrior King was the title accorded to the kings of the medieval West African Ghana Empire.

hopefully, by the time i get the next card, i will be much smarter, Ghana-related :)

Lofoten, Norway

Here is a picturesque evidence of why i so much love Norway!

this is just one of the most breathtaking spots on Earth ive seen...you know, its more of a tradition to have views of sandy beaches at some sea or ocean, with palms and coral reefs, to which people usually refer to as breathtaking and paradise on Earth...well, for me, this could be just one of those spots...even though its far up in the North...its just magnificent! and i got this card thanks to one of the kindest people i had come across on postcrossing, who absolutely satisfied my hunger with Norwegian cards...and its not just any kind of cards....its a pile of amazing cards...and hopefully one day i will manage to show them all! Sissel, if you are reading this, i hope you know how many times you made me grin and jump of joy and scream of pleasure when i found your surprises in my mailbox! thank you for everything! it has been a great pleasure to meet you, and i just want you to know that what i promised to send you, is still lying on my desk...*hides in shame*....yeah, im a party breaker, i know...but hopefully it will go into the mail really soon....i just dont want you to think i had forgotten you....its just....life...

and a few details about this extraordinary place....Lofoten is an archipelago (and traditional district) lying withing the Arctic Circle, and experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.
It is well known for its exceptional natural beauty! and you cant deny that....this card is here to prove it!

 

the stamp is also a very nice one...it is a part of a set of 5 stamps issued in 2006, portraying the Wildlife in Norway...and here you can see the Eagle in particular.

Nagoya, Japan

And another beautiful site for today!

the Japanese architecture never leaves me indifferent!
this is the famous Nagoya castle - originally erected in 1523 and it is showing the power and glory of Tokugawa regime and was rebuilt in 1959. The donjon is famous for a pair of dolphins on the top of its roof.......oh look, there really are two dolphins there!

mmm, i also really like the combination of colours here....makes some tranquil scene...

 

cute stamp as well...i suppose it belongs to one of those Animation Hero and Heroine Series...or i might be wrong...i wish the official site of the Japanese Post office related to stamps was available in English as well....would have been really helpful

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

A warm welcome from the cold cold very cold Skopje! The summer temperatures seem to be definitely over since Tuesday...on Monday i had my short sleeves, sitting in a cafe...at midnight...after several hours at 5 am, a heavy rain woke me up...when i left home, it was EXTREMELY cold, with a harsh wind blowing...i couldnt believe that such a drastic temp. change could happen in just 5 hours....i know i always complain about how hot it was here etc etc....but i never like such drastic changes, so right now im not really fond of this cold weather...so cold that i definitely have to wear gloves when i go out...oh well, i guess i can never be pleased as my ex loved saying over and over again...guess he was right

so, as usual, lets start the day with one of those so called rare countries...or at least rare in my stock of cards.
This is the Bibi Honim mausoleum in Samarkand, dating back from the 14th century. Samarkand is the second largest city in Uzbekistan and said to be the pearl of the country or the Gem of the East as stated in certain ancient Arab manuscripts.
It is one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world prospering from its location on the trade route between China and the Mediterranean, also known as the Silk Road. It was  founded circa 700 BC by the Persians  and was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BC.
This makes me wanna say that Alexander is the pride and joy of Macedonia, though i know it would come to a bunch of disagreements, when claiming whose is Alexander actually...you know, politics...Greece...Macedonia...

the only problem im having regarding this card is the mausoleum/mosque issue...somewhere it is referred to as a mosque...at other places as a mausoleum..and im not sure which is right, since when looking at some pictures, i cant make an exact comparison...and on the right side, there is also a building on the pictures, but on the card there is an empty space...so if someone can clarify it all for me, id be thankful...i know the complex had undergone a reconstruction, which can be seen from the card as well....so i guess thats what causing the greatest confusion with me...and i need to have it cleared up.

 

the stamp comes from a set of 8 issued in 2008, regarding classical architecture in Uzbekistan, and here the State Academic Big Theatre by Alisher Navoi is represented.

Terracotta Warriors, China

For quite some time ive been wanting to have a card with the Terracotta Warriors and there it is!!! I simply love this card and think that this site is just more than amazing!!

The terracotta figures (warriors and horses) of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China, which date back from the 210 BC,  were discovered in 1974 by some local farmers near the mausoleum of the first Qin Emperor.
The terracotta figures vary in height (183–195 cm)  according to their role, the tallest being the generals. The figures include strong warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.

The four pits associated with the dig are about 1.5 km east of the burial ground and are about 7 meters deep. The outside walls of the tomb complex are as if placed there to protect the tomb from the east, where all the conquered states lay. They are solidly built with rammed earth walls and ground layers as hard as concrete. Pit one, (represented on the card) is 230 meters long, and contains the main army, estimated at 8,000 figures. It  has 11 corridors, most of which are over 3 meters wide, and paved with small bricks with a wooden ceiling supported by large beams and posts. This design was also used for the tombs of noblemen and would have resembled palace hallways. The wooden ceilings were covered with reed mats and layers of clay for waterproofing, and then mounded with more soil making them, when built, about 2 to 3 meters higher than ground level.

this site is also a new UNESCO whs in my collection!

 

and here come 4 lovely stamps on the card! these represent the whole set of 4 stamps from the Zhuxian Woodprint New Year Picture series.
the first one is called "Gate Guardian General Standing with Cane". the second one bears the title " Give Her Son a Lecture". the third stamp is called " Come Back With Fruitful Result" while the 4th and last one is titled "Chivalrous Women"....cool!

Dutch Sticky Buns

A card which perfectly reflects me at the moment...my constant appetite and my huge crave for sweet stuff even though for a looong loong time i had no need for chocolate/cakes and stuff...right now i developed a big desire for it..and for food in general....i blame it on my way of life in the past month and a half...which still i must say, i totally love it!

So lets see what does it take to prepare these Dutch Sticky Buns....mhhmm mhhmm mhmm...

2 cakes yeast
2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
8 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1/2 lemon grated ring and juice
1/4 teaspoons nutmeg

and here how the process goes:

Break and soak yeast in water until soft. Scald and then cool milk. Cream together butter, sugar and salt. Add well-beaten eggs, lemon and spice. Add lukewarm milk to yeast and mix with half the flour. Work in butter and sugar mixture and enough flour to knead into a smooth dough. Keep it as soft as can be handled readily. Let rise overnight at about 80 degrees. As soon as dough is fully doubled in bulk, knead down and let rise again for an hour. Makes three dozen.
Roll 1/3 of the sweet dough into an oblong sheet, 1/4'' thick. Brush with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up and cut off 1 inch slices. Place cut side down in greased pan. Brush tops with butter. Let rise until double. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and chopped pecans or pour com syrup in the bottom of the pan. Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

i dont know if its me, or there is something uncompromisable in the syntax/semantic here....

 

two very well known stamps....

Venice, Italy

when i look at it, i regret for being a totally anti-artistic person and cant even draw a simple tree properly...

this is a part of the summer sand sculpture festival held in Jesolo Lido, on the coast 30 km from Venice. Each year it has a different theme, where this year it was Dante's Inferno! (if anyone has a postcard of it, please please, let me know!).
On the card you can see the festival from 2003, where the theme was The Ancient Rome.

actually, when i think about it, i would love to have all cards possible, showing each year of this festival! i just love this and love this sort of art! yeah, i call it art!

Gwangju, South Korea

Heeelooo.....and yes, im alive....in case you were wondering...but will get down to it later...or some other day...depends how spontaneous my posts end up...

this is called the Hwanbyeokdang Pavilion in Gwangju....is anyone willing to try the *Hwanbyeokdang* as a tongue twister?
It is said that this beautiful traditional Pavilion of Korea offers calm atmosphere at which scholars of the Choseon Dynasty taught their pupils.
It was built by Sachon (also known as Kim Yunje, 1501–1572) on the hill behind his house. A rough translation is 'a place surrounded by green trees and water.' It was also previously called "Byeokgandang".
The pavilion is known as a historical site related to Jeon Cheol, and has an anecdote regarding him. When Kim Yun-je took a nap in the pavilion, he dreamed that a dragon flew into the sky from a fishing spot. After awakening, he felt odd, so ran to the place and found a boy swimming there. Kim was so fascinated with the boy and his remarkable appearance, that arranged for his granddaughter to marry the boy. The boy was Jeong Cheol who later became a politician and famous literary figure.

 

this is one of those cases where im stuck with no info about the stamps...and on top of that, i feel too unwilling to actually get down to a into-depth search...

Hawaii, USA

A great surprise card that arrived from Glenn during his stay in Hawaii this summer...

The Diamond Head Lighthouse is built on the steep coast cliff of the extinct Diamond Head Volcano. The original lighthouse was built in 1899 and the original fresnel lens is still in use today. The current structure was erected in 1917. Built of reinforced concrete, the 55-foot lighthouse stands 147 feet above sea level and projects its light 18 miles out into the Pacific Ocean. The lighthouse is completely automated with a back-up battery in case of a power outage. The light keeper quarters were renovated and now serve as the residence of the 14th Coast Guard District Commander.
The fresnel lens atop the lighthouse has the intensity of 60,000 candlepower. The light shows a red sector to warn vessels away from the reefs of Waikiki Beach.

 

and i think you are already familiar with this nice stamp...just that, i find something confusing about it...in a way, it differs from the other 98c stamps showing the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming...it lacks the perforation, and more looks like a sticker than a stamp...

Switzerland

A really cool Swiss card!

here through the "Schweiz" letters (which is the name for Switzerland in Germany) are presented some of the most typical Swiss things, like the cheese, the cows, mountains, snow, mountain climbing....and should i add Toblerone as well?? for everyone who has tried it, you know what im talking about :)
I would also add the watches among a typical sign...not so much due to manufacturers, but more due to the fact that we have a saying here which goes "He is punctual like a Swiss watch"....when you want to refer to someone who ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS comes on time and is never, neither a second late...
personally, i used to be extremely punctual, or come before time...in the past few years i started being late more than needed, coz i always end up looking for my keys or my phone or something else i need before i go out...or i just lose track of time...i should work on it

Chernihiv, Ukraine

a great surprising card from my dear Ksenia, who has started her studies in Ukraine this semester, so unfortunately, i cant keep much track of her and what is she up to...but i hope she is ok

this card shows the Saint Assumption cathedral of Yieletsk Monastery from the 12 century.
Its a beautiful cathedral, and ive noticed that all Ukrainian sacred places are actually. And they al have some similar shapes in nice colours...here it is green for example...reminds me of the St. Sofia cathedral in Kyiv for example...

did i tell you that i am the Winner of The Month for October??!! yeahhh...after a week really scarce on mail, yesterday i found 5 great cards in my mailbox due to this win...in case you know what im talking about :)
i dont usually win things, so i was more than surprised to see that out of 20+ people, i was th chosen one...so yeah, yesterday was a great mail, thanks to this and a few other people who surprised me with their cards...they know who they are :P

 

the stamp is from the set of 7 definitives, issued in 2007, featuring art and antique objects.

Pafos, Cyrpus

It feels so awkward to have my Monday off and spend it at home actually..well, not entirely, i did have a number of things to finish which instead of running smoothly, had to be hectic and with problems totally UNNECESSARY! But i dont know...this is my first Monday in more than a month, to actually be at home...and you know what? I HATE it! And with that said, i can move on to the card....

The theatre at Pafos in western Cyprus lies in the north-eastern corner of the ancient town, diagonally opposite the harbour. It seems to have been built early in the life of the town, in the last years of the fourth century BC.
It seems to show close links with the architecture of Alexandria, as one would expect given that Pafos was the Ptolemaic capital of the island, and there is every chance that it reflects the style of the theatre of Alexandria, which is no longer preserved.

It seems to show several features that are important to the evolution of ancient theatre design, not least its semicircular form.

The theatre is only partially built into a hill and the rest was built up with an artificial earthen embankment on which stone seating was placed. To the south of the theatre a paved road was constructed parallel to the stage building in the third century AD. Excavations through part of it have revealed a series of closely-dated deposits which are proving to have far-reaching importance for the chronology of pottery and glass of the 3rd and 4th centuries.
In the 13th-15th centuries AD there was a sizeable farmstead over the area of the stage-building, and it is part of important medieval activity in Pafos, in the period of the Crusaders.

 

there are two stamps used on the card. the one on the right is from a set of 8 stamps issued in 2008, from the Cyprus Through The Ages series, with this stamp representing the Early Roman Period (30 BC - 324 AD). The other one is the 2009 Refugee Fund tax stamp....whatever that means...

 

and another "small" detail for the end....i received three written and stamped Cyprus cards at the same time...the other two were left untouched, but this one had to be ruined by some postal worker...they just HAD to stamp it and say that Macedonia is recognized by Greece as FYROM...why cant they just leave out politics from my postcards?!!! its frustrating!!! see how far this Macedonia-Greece issue is going to?? its just annoying =|

Czech Republic

This lovely adorable map card comes as my first official card from the Czech Republic...and even though its not a rare country, it always feels nice to receive a first official card from somewhere...and the extra thing is when its such a lovely card, carefully chosen according my wishlist :D

CZ-35654

You know, if it was some other situation, or someone else...everyone would have cheered for a day off, for a prolonged weekend...but me...i just saw it as a chance to actually finish some things i had to finish, but not once i was in the *hooray* im having my Monday off!
I dont know...i just got used to leading some sort of dynamic life lately, being occupied most of the time, being out of home...and problem is, not once i had this homesick feeling, regardless how things actually were (since they havent been so pink all this time). And this just makes me realize how incompatible i feel with this surrounding here and how much this is just not for me...problem is, i dont know whats for me anymore...if until recently i sort of had a new vision and some goals, now it has gone down the drain and due to certain events of recently, all that had changed...but instead of leading me to a new direction, it actually left me in the middle of nowhere, having no idea how to proceed and where to aim to...and it has only enhanced my animosity towards being home....i really wonder why that *Home Sweet Home* motto doesnt refer to me..

Was I supposed to talk of the card? Sorry...i sometimes get carried away...you know that sometimes i use this place for its therapeutic purposes....

 

the flower stamp on the left was issued in 2006 and comes from a series of Flower Growing-Cactii set of 4 stamps, while the other one was issued this year in honour of the children

Plymouth, USA

A lovely lighthouse postcard thanks to the Evans family, who always surprise me with something nice in my mailbox!

Plymouth more reminds me of the university days when we learned about the Pilgrims arriving in the US in 1620 and their Mayflower...and the lighthouse you see here is actually situated in the Plymouth harbour. It is called "Bug Light" and is said to have an unusual coffee-pot shape...which i cant see.
It was built in 1871 on the north side of the main channel in Plymouth Harbor to mark the dangerous shoal off Saquish Head.  The lighthouse contains three levels that were used as living quarters and a watchroom. Its original name is actually Duxbury Pier Light  but locally it is known as the "Bug Light" or simply the Bug.

either way, its a great card, and on top of that comes with two lighthouse stamps!

both lighthouse stamps were issued this year and come in a set of 5 designs of commemorative stamps under the name Gulf Coast Lighthouses...here you can see the lighthouse on Matagorda Island (Texas) on the left and the Fort Jefferson in Florida on the right. As for the 10c American Clock stamp...i think it has become more than familiar until now..

Gomel, Belarus

Its amazing how many train-related cards i had received ever since i mentioned in my wishlist that i love them!

I dont really know anything about this Belorussian town...and not much information are provided either...except that its situated in the southeastern part of the country, on the right bank of Sozh River, close to the border with Ukraine and in close proximity to Chernobyl. Uhmm...now thats not nice...esp. not when i take a look at how deserted the railway station seems...when i related to Chernobyl, it certainly doesnt leave a nice impression...

Although it has been heavily contaminated with radioactive debris following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster,  residents were never evacuated from Gomel and general population continued to grow.

ok....that was more than i ever wanted to know....

the stamp on the left comes from a set of 8 stamps issued in 2006, representing Garden Flowers, with this one showing a Tulip, while the other stamp, from what you can see, comes from the EUROPA series, issued in 2004, where this stamp bears the title Vacation Mushrooming......

Malta

Here I am, to fulfill one of my weekend tasks...i dont know if the following two weeks will be the same, or i may squeeze in during the week as well....but for now, i cant promise anything...

And ill start today with  a really nice view card from Malta, since its been a longish time since i had posted a card from there. In case you wonder what you are looking at, this is what the back of the card says:

Two of the look out towers built by Grandmaster Martin De Redin overlooking the beaches of Gnejna and Ghajn Tuffieha.
The Ghajn Tuffieha beach some hundreds of meters east of Golden Bay. It is much more quiet and is especially visited by the Maltese themselves. In order to reach this beach one needs to descend a hill using 200 natural stairs. On top of the cliffs west of Għajn Tuffieħa Bay there is an old defense tower built in 1637.
Some hundreds of meters to the east we find Gnejna Bay. This beach can only be reached by first going through Għajn Tuffieħa Bay, then climbing up a hill and finally making a descend along some rather steep paths between the rocks. The beach of Gnejna Bay is used as a nude beach.

the stamp is a really nice one but unfortunately, it hasnt been cancelled. It was issued in 2008 in a set of 3 stamps regarding Christmas holidays.

Zadar, Croatia

This has got to be one of the loveliest Croatian cards i have received!

I think that partly its coz of the way the sun reflects against the houses and the buildings...i LOVE the effect that outcomes from all that...then, there is the blue surrounding colour of the sea, and on top of that, a black frame around the card! just lovely lovely lovely! And a HUGE thanks to Goran for sending me such a card!
Personally i dont recall ever having been to Zadar (you know that the memories of my childhood visits to Croatia are sort of blurred). But from what i can see here, its a really nice city.
The entire district of present day Zadar has been populated since prehistoric times. The earliest evidence of human life comes from the Late Stone Age while numerous settlements have been dated as early as the Neolithic.  Before the Illyrians the area was inhabited by ancient Mediterranean people of pre-Indo European Culture. They assimilated with the Indo-Europeans who settled between the 4th and 2nd millennium BC into a new ethnical unity, that of the Liburnians. Zadar was Liburnian settlement, outlined materially in the 9th century BC, built on a small stone islet and embankments where the old city stands and tied to the mainland by the overflown narrow isthmus, which created a natural port in its northern strait.

the stamp was issued in 2005, under the title Croatian cities, representing the city of Rijeka.

Lithuania

A great addition to my flags collection....i only wish it didnt have the postmarks on the front...it really ruins such a perfect card =|

The first of the former SSRs to break decisively with Moscow, Lithuania adopted its old tricolour as its official state flag in March 1989. Like the other Baltic states, and indeed, the other captive nations of the former USSR, the flag had been used during Lithuania's previous period of independence from Russia - from 1918 to 1940. In the flag, yellow stands for grain, green for forests, and red for the blood shed in defense of the nation.
According to the Grossen Flaggenbuch, the first horizontal triband adopted as Lithuanian national flag after WWI had the proportions 3:2. The current national flag, with proportions 2:1, is therefore not strictly a readoption of the pre-WWII flag.

there are also 3 really nice stamps on the card.
The one on the very right comes from a set of 3 issued in February this year showing the Coats of Arms of Lithuania, on this particular stamp Krekenava.
The stamp in the middle comes from the WWF series issued in 2008, with 8 stamps in the set, and here you can see the European Roller.
The last stamp on the very left is also from 2008 portraying the Wooden Sacral Architecture of Lithuania. There are 6 stamps in the set and this one shows the Church of Inturke from 1855.