Guadeloupe

I know that just recently I promised I wont brag any time soon with some rare country....but then THIS arrived in my mailbox...and how could i possibly ignore it and leave it for some time later :)

And I can also classify it under my map card collection :D
Seems like a lovely place, where it is hot all throughout the year! The 'calendar winter' has only just began, and im already sick and tired of it! In summer, even getting soaked in the rain can feel nice.....which reminds me, i DO need to get a bigger umbrella...mine are mostly those which can fit into a purse or a bag...but i want one which even may not be very convenient to carry it around, at least it will cover you whole....and id love one with a transparent blue colour..i know ive seen it with some of my friends, so its not non-existent...i just need to look for it.
Guadeloupe itself is an archipelago in the Eastern Caribbean Sea, and is an overseas department of France, which also makes it a part of the European Union but doesnt actually fall under the Schengen Agreement. Which means that the visa liberalization that has been in force here since 19th December, wont really help me to travel here. Btw, im really annoyed with all the fuss and euphoria that has been created here due to this visa liberalization. They made it seem that as of now, we'd be able to travel absolutely everywhere within the Schengen Zone. I mean, POR FAVOR!! Do they deliberately avoid the financial issue?? Really....all those people who had travelled so far, will keep travelling...the visa issue doesnt play much role for them...while for the rest of us, mortal people, visa or no visa, its pointless to think about it if i dont have the required finances. Moreover, each country had imposed some rule about the proof you need to have that you have enough financial means in order to get inside the country...and they have requirements on daily basis....so if I want to go to Germany, i need to have around 40 euros per day...if i want to stay ten days, thats equal to 400 euros....if i want to go to Norway, i need 60 euros per day!!! And if I want to go to Slovenia, I need 70 euros per day?!! I mean, lets get realistic here...so stop making the visa liberalization as the greatest triumph you could have achieved. Take care of the unemployment first, increase people's salaries, and then tell me that i can travel more freely within Europe!

there is this song that has been repeatedly played on the radio lately....rather annoying one...i dont like this sort of hawaii-sound songs....but by some coincidence, the song 'arrived' along with the arrival of my postcard...and i doubt there will be any time soon an appropriate card to post the song...plus they mention Christmas as well...so here we go....

Happy Birthday Guadeloupe =)

and now the stamp....from what I read, Guadeloupe for many years now has been using the French stamps...so even though this card has a French stamp, there is no discrepancy in the postcard-stamp relation. So i can say that this card was originally sent from Guadeloupe. However, im a bit confused about the cancellation...shouldnt something Guadeloupe-related be there? Im more than sure that the lady who sent me this card, mailed it from Guadeloupe indeed, not France....but i still need some clarifications here from someone who has more knowledge in this :)

Nicholas II, Russia

I got this card not so long ago....and i immediately got another favourite topic on my wishlist....the Russian Royal family....im not quite sure if id be interested in some other Royal families....but this one has captured me from the first card :P

Nicholas II (or Николай II) was the last emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland and titular king of Poland.
His official title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is currently regarded as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
He ruled from 1894 until his abdication in 1917, which followed the February Revolution.

The portrait here was taken somewhere btw 1900 - 1910.

Its hard for me to sort of imagine how it is to live in a country which has a king and a queen...someone which is more important than the president of the country. Its always interesting and fascinating to read about the emperors and royal families in general. When I was little, in many of the books i would read, there were kings and princes and queens and princesses...and the evil ones who threatened them....this mainly revolved around Kingdoms in Asia....but it was even more interesting to read about it due to the culture and traditions that are followed in this part of the world. Hmmm, I think id love cards from Emperors from this part of the world as well...and id definitely look for those series of books i used to have and re-read them.........resolutions resolutions...if only for once i really got down to them...

Ponce, Puerto Rico

A bit more of the summer atmosphere during these annoying winter days....it has just started to rain AGAIN a while ago =[

Ponce is a lovely provincial city and is known as 'the pearl of the south' and 'the city of lions' and also 'the majestic city', and it still maintains its 19th century feel.
It's Puerto Rico's  second largest city (after San Juan). Its flag reminds me a lot to the flag of Papua New Guinea. And speaking of flags, you should check out the next post ;)
On the card you can see the La Guancha beach, which is one of the three salt-water beaches in Ponce.
Makes me long for the summer.....yeah,  i know....im annoying :))

Portugal

Well, here is a card which enriches my flag card collection!

Portugal!
The portuguese national flag is a 2:3 rectangle divided vertically into green at the hoist (2/5 of the flag’s length) and red at the fly (3/5). Centered in this partition a coat of arms consisting on an armillary sphere charged with the traditional Portuguese shield.
there are few versions regarding the symbolism of the flag.
According to one of them, the flag means to symbolize Hope (the green colour) and Sacrifice (the red colour).
According to another one, the green and the red colour were adopted by the republicans without this symbolism, which was added later to give the flag more "dignity". It is a typical case of symbolism emerging from the design.

Eilat, Israel

Well, before anything, I would like to wish a very Merry and Joyful Christmas to everyone celebrating it today! I hope you are enjoying your time and that you love the presents you had received! :)
My Christmas is on 7th January, so I wont really post anything Christmassy today...but i guess ill come up with something appropriate for when the time comes :) And thats when YOU can wish me a Merry Christmas as well :P

Ill start with a card from Israel...which in a certain way may seem ironic or absurd, being that first i wish you all a Merry Christmas, knowing who celebrates Christmas today and then posting an Israeli card, having in mind the religion of the majority of Israeli people...but its nothing on purpose to invoke some arguments or to make anyone feel bad in case someone sees it like that...lest not forget...today for me is just an ordinary day as any other, so no mixed feelings regarding the card...im not sure when Hanukkah is celebrated exactly...
Eilat is a popular resort in Israel, at the Red Sea....which apparently turns out to be completely blue...when i was still little though, i DID have this idea that the Red Sea was totally red, and that the Black one was totally black...and the Dead Sea caused infinite confusion...

hmmm, lets not get too much astray...here is something which has been going through my mind, since its Christmas, and I also mentioned Hanukkah....this seems like perfectly appropriate to be posted today....I just wonder what religion Superman is :D :D :D

the stamp is a really great one, issued this year in a set of 3 for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 - showing Gravitational Lensing. And I also love love love the cancellation! One of the nicest neatest i had ever received on a card :)

Thanks a lot to Marina for sending me this one from her stay in Israel!

Pinsk, Belarus

This card is showing Pinsk by the river Pina....and its a logical guess that the name of the city derives from the name of the river...

While googling for some basic info about Pinsk, in general i came over quite a dry matter....AND..articles about Jews in Pinsk...ok, I really didnt know about it, but seems that by accident, i post two Jewish related cards on a Catholic Christmas day....Hopefully i wont go to Hell for this :)
Well, i dont feel like getting into religious issues here...so ill stick to the dry matter
Pinsk is said to be one of the oldest Slavic settlements, since it was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1097.

Two main sights of the town are lined along the river. These are the Assumption Cathedral of the monastery of the greyfairs. (1712-30) with a campanile from 1817 and the Jesuit collegium (1635-48), a large Mannerist complex, whose cathedral was demolished after the World War II....the Jesuit collegium is the one you can see on the card..

the stamp is from a set of 5 issued in 2008 from the Wild Animals series. Here you can see the European Mink.

Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand's capital....and as the card says "A bird eye view over Bangkok in the evening"....looks really nice.

Did you know that the full ceremonial name of the city given by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, and later edited by King Mongkut, is:

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.

It is a combination of two ancient Indian languages, Sanskrit and Pali, and can be translated as: The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reins the reincarnated God, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarm.

Errrm.....I'll stick to Bangkok....

Møysalen National Park, Norway

So, today winter officially starts....and we are having even snow...well, ok, whats left of it..and the leftovers cant even be compared to the beauty we had on Saturday, but thats how things with snow always are...too good to last....well, if you thought i was gonna post some snowy pictures today, you are quite wrong....but i think that this may even be better than snow....see it for yourselves....

This has got to be one of the MOST magnificent cards i had ever received, EVER!!! Its so amazingly beautiful that at times it makes you wonder if this is actually real...the atmosphere is just so serene and breathtaking, that i dont even wanna write anything....just leave you enjoy it....and then you wonder why i so much love Norway? One of the pure examples lies in front of you!
This is the Møysalen National Park, located in Hinnøya, in North Norway and is said to preserve undisturbed coastal alpine landscape. The scenery is characterized by peaks jutting out of the ocean and fjords, the highest point is Møysalen, 1,262m.
Lovely lovely lovely!!!! And thanks a million to Sissel, my absolutely favourite Norwegian, for surprising my mailbox....as always! 

the stamp on the right is from a set of 4 issued in 2008, regarding Transportation (History of Communication), where the S/S Oster steamship is portrayed.

Lake Mono, California, USA

A card which caused some great confusion, being that it arrived from Germany....but Lake Mono is indeed situated in the US...the only results you will get about Lake Mono in Germany is about some music label company or so....

DE-462941

It  is an alkaline and hypersaline lake in the Mono County in California. It has an unusually eco productive system and is a critical nesting habitat for several bird species.
Some quick Mono Lake facts:

DEPTH OF MONO LAKE
-Maximum = 159 feet.
-Average = 57 feet.

AGE OF MONO LAKE
At least 760,000 years old and probably 1-3 million years; among the oldest lakes in North America.

LAKE LEVEL
The lake level before the diversions of Mono's tributary streams was 6,417 feet above sea level (asl). The current lake level is 6381.4 feet asl (1,946 meters), its volume is approximately 2.6 million acre feet, and its surface area is approximately 45,133 acres. It is expected to take over 20 years to reach 6,392 feet asl, the Water Board-ordered stabilization level. Once it reaches 6,392', it should usually fluctuate about 6 feet in elevation and occasionally rise as high as 6,400', and during extreme drought, drop as low as 6,382'. The yearly evaporation rate is approximately 45 inches per year.
Without restrictions on stream diversions, the lake would have eventually stabilized at approximately 6,355 feet asl with fluctuations of 21 vertical feet. During periods of extreme drought, the lake might have fallen as low as 6,336 feet asl.

as i said, the card arrived auf Detuschland, hence the German stamp....showing Mendelssohn

Malaysia

Well, we started off with lovely landscapes, so i guess we'll finish like that...

And these beauties came as a direct surprise from Malaysia from my dear dear Lyan....who by the way just launched her perfume selling webpage, so please, click here in order to see what's she offering :)
I dont really know which are the places shown on the card...on the back of it, it says: Exotic beaches, sun, sea and the natural beauty of Malaysia.
It is all very beautiful indeed...however, Malaysia has no snow, so i dont know if id ever trade my weather for this...even though im always complaining about it, i still prefer to have all the 4 seasons (even though spring and autumn have become sort of non-existent).

I think the stamp is quite appropriate to the card, representing a summer motif. Its from a set of 5 stamps issued in 2008, simply representing Seashells of Malaysia....this one is called Triton's Trumpet.

Pyongyang, North Korea

If anyone has some extra snow, can you please send it to me??? Its getting awfully depressing here...its cold, gloomy and rainy....no sun....no snow....i think that some brightness would cheer me up...even the postman has been really ignoring me lately...last week he didnt come at all...this week came only once...

And i promise that after this card, i wont be so much bragging with some rare countries...at least for a while...and even though this card wasnt sent written and stamped from NK...a North Korea card is rare by itself i think...so its a small gem in my collection...and hopefully, one day i WILL get the written and stamped version, from NK direct!!! :)
I love all that mystery veiling this country, its seclusion...the regime they allegedly have there is intriguing and always makes me search for more info about it....not so long ago, it was all over the news how they had introduced Pizza in the country for the very first time....and i just cant imagine living in a country where everything is so state-controlled....if those people living there, crossed the border to go somewhere else, they would probably be shocked of how this world really is...or at least thats the image being created about NK
Did you know that the currently mobile cellular telephone services are available in Pyongyang only?
Scary....and the glance on the card, showing some urban area in Pyongyang, looks sort of scary as well...with all those huge buildings that look like a copy of each other, with all that vast space among them...really gives the impression of how strictly NK is ruled and how everything is strictly controlled, the people, the media....I would like to visit it one day, just to see by myself how things are going on there....and of course, send you postcards....im sure you're gonna love that :D I just wonder what all sorts of inspections my cards may go through...esp. since im gonna send a real bunch of over 50 cards probably.....its gonna look awfully suspicious i guess :)  Well, as long as they arrive, its ok..

as for a closure of this NK post, id like to share this letter with you, written by Sean McLachlan  and aimed to   Kim Jong II

You can read it here: A Letter to Kim Jong II......in case you are not afraid that the NK government will track you and come after you :P

Croatia

A very nice Croatian map...I love the sea image....brings such lovely memories....*sigh*

Well, apart from that, that you can see some of the most important Croatian places, you can also see what certain places are important for (regarding food, animals and crops for example)
I havent been to most of these places unfortunately...coz you know, when you go to Croatia, you focus on the sea-resorts, not much on whats inside the country, which is a pity....maybe if i get enough money, id get to see more of it (I also want to see some places in all the other ex-yu countries).
Funny, but when i look at the pictures of Dubrovnik and Varaždin, shown on the card, i realize I have the exact same postcards of those places :)
And i love those storks...and the wolf picture...and the bear one :)) And i wish it was summer and i was lying in the sun somewhere here by the Adriatic Sea....but no, its winter...and i dont even have snow to be joyous at....

the stamp is from 2007, from a series of 3, representing Croatian Cities.....where here, Omiš is represented.

Thanks Jelena for the lovely map card!!! :)

Luoyang, China

For the end, an interesting Chinese UNESCO card.

Here you can see a part of the Longman Grottoes or Longman Caves, located near Luoyang, the Henan Province. They contain the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). These works, entirely devoted to the Buddhist religion, represent the high point of Chinese stone carving.
While the cave sculptures of the Tang Dynasty are of a vigorous, elegant and realistic style, the stone statues in Fengxian Cave, carved under the edict of Empress Wuzetian (reigned 690-705), can be considered as the most typical of the period. These are composed of a 17.14-meter-high statue of Vairocana Buddha, and a series of pairs of Bodhisattvas, heavenly kings, protectors and worshippers. The huge statue of Vairocana Buddha is today praised as being the quintessence of Buddhist sculpture in China.
On November 30, 2000, the Longmen Grottoes were approved by the 24th UN Heritage Commission to be put on the List of World Cultural Heritage.

the stamp on the left is from 1997 from a set of two of a joint stamp issue with New Zealand called "Flowers" to promote the friendship between the two countries.
The green one comes from a set of two stamps as well, issued in 2002 under the subject of Protecting the common homeland of mankind, while the stamp on the very right is from 2001, from a set of four stamps of an issue called "A Tale of Xu Xian and the White Snake---A Folk Story", and this stamp in particular shows the Meeting at the Broken Bridge.
I dedicate this card to Daniela, the absolute Chinese lover.....in case she is reading this :)

till next time....

Asmara, Eritrea

Time for some cards and another post....written from under the blanket....i love the convenience and commodity lap-tops offer....though due to lack of physical activities lately and having to do all tasks seated, my back has started to hurt....its not very pleasant....but problem is, with this weather we are having outside, i dont have much of a chance to move around....except round the house....maybe ill take a walk tomorrow....

And as you already could read, here is an Eritrea card....oh yeah!!! :D Sent by my new friend Sami who along with his letter wanted to surprise me with a card as well...yippie!! You dont get Eritrea cards every day, no?

Its just that i still owe him a letter....have gotten EXTREMELY behind with all that due to work lately...but im slowly trying to catch up...and who knows, maybe ill be able to clean all that backlog of letters by New Year....which leaves me two weeks to go....i might be just too optimistic and overestimating myself...but we'll see

I honestly dont know much about Eritrea, but im surprised with the efficiency of the postal service, since African countries (except for S.Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco maybe) are a bit infamous when it comes to mail, since it either takes too long to arrive (we are speaking of months here) or it never arrives....well, i have had good experiences with Mauritius and Nigeria as well....so i guess you never know

Asmara is Eritrea's capital, and there are several interesting stories related to it.

It was known to be an exceptionally modern city, not only because of its architecture, but Asmara also had more traffic lights than Rome did when the city was being built. Asmara was an early example of an ideal modern city created by architects, an idea which was introduced into many cities across the world, such as Brasilia, but which was not altogether popular. Features include designated city zoning and planning, wide treed boulevards, political areas and districts and space and scope for development. Asmara was not built for the Eritreans however; the Italians built it primarily for themselves. One unfortunate aspect of the city's planning was separate areas designated for Italians and Eritreans, each disproportionately sized.
The city has been regarded as "New Rome" or "Italy's African City" due to its quintessential Italian touch, not only for the architecture, but also for the wide streets, piazzas and coffee bars
Asmara is also highly praised for its peaceful, crime-free environment. It is one of the cleanest cities of Africa.
And another thing is that it has been proposed as a UNESCO whs for its outstanding examples of 20th century architecture and town planning. Many of these historic buildings are not currently being taken care of and there is a serious risk that this heritage could be lost. Thats a pity......not taking care of the cultural and historic heritage. But if it does get accepted into the UNESCO whs list, then im already covered with this card and can immediately tick it off the list :P

the nice stamp was issued in 2000....if im not mistaken, its a set of 10 stamps, called Millenium, representing the Eritrean flag and local scenes. On this stamp of 7 nafka, along with the flag, you can see the state emblem as well.

Kaunas, Lithuania

I like this card....has some artistic tone...and i apologize for the card not being straight... guess i didnt pay much attention during the scanning...

Its my first card of Kaunas as well...I have some Lithuanian multiview cards where Kaunas is shown among the other places, but this is my first single view of it.
Kaunas it Lithuania's second largest city and a former temporary capital as well.
How the city got the name according to one of the legends:

Kaunas was established by Romans in ancient times. The head of this Romans group was the patrician Palemon, who had three sons: Barcus, Kunas and Sperus. Palemon went away from Rome, because he feared emperor Neron. So, he with his sons and other relatives came to Lithuania.  After his death his three sons shared out all Lithuania's land and  Kunas got the one where the city of Kaunas is standing nowadays.He also built the Kaunas castle, near the confluence of Nemunas and Neris rivers.

and i love the train related stamp :D
It was issued in August this year to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Railway in Lithuania.

South East Queensland, Australia

A surprise card that arrived with a bunch of others...just coz i like maps :P

Maybe Australia is too far away, but right now, it would be nice to be there...coz summer is there...and its nice and warm...i know that during summer here i complain about how hot the weather is, but i dont like this cold either...makes me so sleepy and depressed in general....
A short explanation about the pictures on the card:
On the left side:
- Tee Trea Bay, Noosa National Park
- Lake Wabby, Fraser Island
- Urangan Pier, Hervey Bay

On the right side:
- Brisbane
- Main Beach, North Stradbroke Island
- Pineapple fields and the D'Aguilar Range, Dayboro

off to eat something...check on my cats....and write a letter to Sami....and one or two more...so i can post them tomorrow

so lonh....

Mantenga, Swaziland

Well, my entire biorhythm has gone hiatus...and consequently, so has everything else....posting cards included...so at times i should sleep, i dont...at times i should be doing my tasks, i dont, coz of course, if you havent had a proper sleep for days, eventually it starts to haunt you....and whenever i try to do something about it, it all goes in vain....so yeah, i have a problem....

But if i let that problem rule things, then im not really gonna post anything here...so i decided to make it vica versa and be the one to rule the problem...heh, if it was only applicable for all other problems in life...

Anyways, today i have this great card to brag with....coz i can tick off another country in my collection....Swaziland!!! And here you can see the people of the Mantenga cultural village which is called an interactive village and is located in the heart of the awesome Mantenga Nature Reserve, Ezulwini Swaziland.It  is a mini-complex of sixteen huts, each with a specific purpose.,It is something like a living museum of all things traditional and represents classical Swazi Lifestyle during the 1850’s.
Here you have the opportunity to view traditional dancing and take a tour of the village giving you the experience and understanding of traditional life in a Swazi homestead.

Something amusing i read about the people in Swaziland is their structure....so, out of the entire population, in the age category of 0 - 14 year olds, there are 223,420 male and 219, 420 female....BUT....right afterwards this totally changes, so at the age category 15-64, there are 308,251 male and 331,623 female, while in the last category of over 65 year olds, there are 15,261 male and 25,938 female people!
Being a woman, i honestly, wouldnt want to ever live in Swaziland...period!

Polish Folklore

A really lovely card that came as a real surprise from Ania in Poland...and do you wanna take a guess how many folklore cards i actually have???  *blushes*

Folklore is one of the things im not very familiar with (and which i regret not being more interested before in it....).
Here on the card are shown various traditional clothings, depending on where in Poland you are. So you have Krakow and Lublin and Tatry and Zywiec and Lowicz and Szamotuly and Kujawi and Nowy Sacz. Except for Krakow, Tatry and Lublin, the other names are absolutely new to me.
I really love all these, so nice and colourful! I think that my absolutely favourite one is the man dressed in the blue coat, from Kujawy...it doesnt even look like he is wearing traditional clothing but more like being a prince or a duke or some other high-ranked person....and i definitely also love the one on its right side, the woman on the horse...just looks so interesting with that *hat* on her head....if its a hat....but either way, its a great card, and i must say im really happy to have it....and i must admit something else...i might probably add folklore related cards to my wish list...*khm khm khm*...well, what can i do, they are really educational :)

well, first i thought of giving some video which will depict something from the Polish folklore....but since im not so familiar with it...i wanted to post something else which i think is one of the things that has left a great mark on the Polish culture...something that many generations will remember, me included....here is one of my favourite cartoons from the time when i was a kid...it may not be dealing with folklore, but still, i wanted to share it with you...plus, its dubbed in Macedonian (which i thought might be interesting for non-Macedonian speakers to listen to) with the voices of some of the most remarkable people here...the voices which will linger in the memory of many people, as a reminder of their childhood...in case there are cards with this cartoon or some other Polish/Czechoslovakian/Russian ones from the 70's/80's, id love to have them...

this great elephant stamps is from a set of 4 issued this year, under the name of "Animals of Africa".

thanks Ania a lot for sending me this card, and for actually enhancing my interest in the folklore related cards :)

New Jersey, USA

A very nice addition to my lighthouse collection.

back of the card:

Barnegat Lighthouse

Long Beach Island, N.J

Spectacular view of the Barnegat Lighthouse, located on the northern point of Long Beach Island. The lighthouse was built in 1857-58 and was first lighted on Jan. 1, 1859.

Nice.

Oh, before I forget....it happens that every now and then everyone of us receives not such a pleasant surprise in the mailbox in the form of an unattractive, plain postcard...sometimes it cant even be called a postcard....anyways, in case you have such a precious item at home, which you havent thrown and dont feel like throwing due to guilt of consciousness,  you may take part in this contest over at Glenn's and on top of that even win something....so, receiving that *makes my hair go up* card, might turn not to have been THAT bad after all :)

You can participate with either the worst or the ugliest card...you can read the more detailed rules here....personally, i still cant make up my mind, mainly because i cant draw the line between the ugliest and the worst....so im pretty stuck....and funny, but even though there are several cards i absolutely dont like, i cant entitle them as the worst or ugliest, coz im one of those people who try to find a good thing even at a worst hopeless situation...yeah, im naive....i know....but either way, you may just try your chances with this contest, and at the same time get rid of some cards you so anxiously have been hiding at the bottom of your drawer.

quite a different stamp from the common US ones...this is a self-adhesive stamp issued in 2003, called -Wisdom - APS Ameristamp Expo Biloxi MS-.

I should go to sleep...or maybe write some cards...or...*sigh*...I dont know, ill see..

Weddell seal, Antarctica

Dont you just have the itch to hug it and cuddle it??!!!

this feels like a perfect thing to tuck yourself in on a cold winter night....well, provided you are not spending that night in the open air in Antarctica, otherwise, I think you would be all icicles when you wake up...

This cutie here is the Weddell Seal, the most southerly-breeding mammal of all. It lives on inshore ice around the Antarctic Coast. The playful pups grow a staggering two kilograms a day while suckling and weigh up to 600 kilograms when fully grown. They can live to over 20 years of age.

heh, there is someone who gains weight at a bigger ratio than me....2kg a day...i feel relieved :P

they are called Weddell because they were discovered by James Weddell in 1820s, when he was on a sailing expedition within the Weddell Sea, also named after him.

I love this card!! And its probably gonna enter my list of all time favourite postcards!

Franz Kafka, Czech Republic

Another GREAT GREAT card, sent as a real surprise from dear Janek...i do like cards with famous people...but not all famous people...but writers....oh yeah!! I absolutely LOVE those!! Esp. when it comes to such significant ones like Kafka, who had left such a great mark in the history of literature...

On this car you can see Franz Kafka along with Felice Bauer....Franz's fiancée....twice! Their relationship is said to have finally ended in 1917 (when this photo was also taken) after Franz was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
I dont feel like giving that dry matter of facts about his life and work...feels boring (and also, that was the part i always hated when having to study about a particular writer...esp, when i had to remeber in which year a certain work was published....lets say you have 10 writers, each with approx. 10-15 books....and you have to memorize the year when each of those books was published...). Just couldnt get into it..so thats why i dont feel like bringing that matter now.

Anyways, I think i should re-read the Kafka's works i had already read, like that most famous "The Trial" or "The Castle"...and find some of his short stories as well...and if possible, his letters, written to his father and as well Felice, and a few other people....well, I just feel like enlightening myself right now...

there is something interesting i read about Kafka's attitude towards love and sex...I think ill get into a in-depth reading about that later..

the stamp is an amazing one...dating back from 2001, from the series of "Works of Art on Stamp" if im not mistaken...presenting the work of Cyril Bouda (1901 - 1984): The Sans-Souci Bar in Nimes (1934), Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic...hope you could figure it out...

Fort la Latte, France

My last great card for today again comes as a surprise, this time from the postcrossing meeting that took place in Paris not so long ago, and Valerie was kind enough to remember me and send me a card...signed by 10 other members as well...LOVELY!

the Forte-la-Latte or the Castle of la Latte is a famous tourist attraction on the Cote d'Émeraude in the northeast of Brittany. This impressive castle was built on a small piece of land at the Baie de la Fresnaye in the 13th century. Various films have been shot at this site, including "The Vikings" with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis (from 1958).
In the past it was called Roche-Gayon, and belonged to the lords of Matignon.
The castle has also been classified as monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1925.

I think that the view is just amazing and breathtaking!

the stamp on the right is very very cool! It is a self-adhesive one, coming from a series of 14 stamps called Smiles - Little Nicholas, issued this year. The other stamp is from 2008, again from a set of 14 (what a coincidence!), called Marianne and Europe, under the National Symbols theme.

well, hope you liked it all :)

Cape Verde

Who would have thought that one day I would have a flag card of Cape Verde! Even though its not mailed from there, its still a great card and im more than happy to be an owner of one and to actually tick off Cape Verde from my flag card list...coz unlike maps, flag cards are much harder to get, so thats what makes this card really valuable to me....

there is an interesting meaning hidden behind the design of this flag:

The rectangle of the flag is seen as a large blue field symbolizing the infinite space of the sea and sky.
The ten yellow stars represent the 10 islands.
The circle of the stars symbolizes the Cape Verdean Nation and its unity.
The circle in a certain sense, is the world to which we are opened and that is opened to us; is the line of horizon which limits our freedom, that is the world map, but is also the mariner’s compass and the helm of the navigators.
The strips are the road to the construction of the country.
The blue is the sea and the sky.
The white is the peace we want.
The red is the effort

Cool!

and I have to say that this is one of the cards i received due to the WOTM or Winner Of The Month...or more precisely, i was the lucky winner for the month of October, and was delighted with all the wonderful cards i received (i may have mentioned this already, I dont know...but it wont hurt to repeat myself).
And this treat came from Gilles  who was kind enough to send me this flag card, knowing that i collect them...thanks a lot Gilles!! :)

Brčko, (BiH)

A surprise card that came from Goran...he always send me some nice surprises....

this is my first one from Brčko. and yeah, well, since my knowledge about it is not something i can be proud of, i just wanted to take some information from Wikipedia or other sites, and in case something was wrong, i hoped that Goran would correct me :) I honestly dont take criticism easily, and i hate being wrong and ignorant, but then, how can i otherwise learn something unless my mistakes are pointed out? The only problem is that the majority of articles out there revolve around the war and politics and i can say they all have some biased tendencies...they all mention the Dayton Peace accords, they all speak of "all that could have been", they all put the blame on someone....there is no one nice post describing Brčko from a touristy point of view...so im pretty stuck...and frankly, the things i could tell about Brčko are the ones i recall from years ago, when this was a hot issue due to the war going and and being that they talked about it on TV all the time...but thats pretty much it....

well, at least i know something about the stamp....comes from a set of two commemorative stamps issued in 2008, for the edition of Monasteries of Repblika Srpska - Tvrdos and Gračanica. On this stamp Tvrdos is featured. And I havent been here, but i have visited the other monastery of Gračanica actually....

Helsinki, Finland

This picture is taken in front of the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on the Independence Day....which is actually today, so thats why i decided to post this card today, thinking it would be the most convenient moment to do so.

The 6th of December is celebrated in Finland as the day of declaring independence from the Russian Empire.The movement for Finland's Independence started after the Revolutions in Russia  caused by the disturbances from the defeats of the WWI. This gave an opportunity for Finland to withdraw from Russia. After several disagreements between the non-socialists and the social-democrats about the matter of who should have the power in Finland, the parliament  finally declared Finland as an independent state, on 6 December 1917.
well, i would like to use this opportunity to wish a Happy Independence day to all my dear Finnish people, Essi, Markus, Micaela, Essi (another one), Anja, Marja, Katja, Johanna, Kati, Henrikka etc etc etc.....and of coursem Tiina, the sender of this card, without whom i probably wouldnt have made this post today...or at least not with such a perfectly appropriate postcard.

a self-adhesive stamp issued in March 2009, called the Rose Blossom...

ok, i really think i should get down to work....though i so much feel like doing other stuff....

Macedonia

A card that feels really special to me, and which is one of the Macedonian cards i REALLY like...coz in general, i dont think we have some magnificent choice of postcards here....and there is a story behind this card as well...which is about to follow below...

I bought this postcard not so long ago at a store here which started selling this series of postcards...they differ quite a lot to all the Macedonian postcards I have seen before...in design, quality, places they depict...and of course, price :) But i just cant resist buying some of them, so in case you have or will receive a card from this 'Macedonia' series from me, it means i consider you special ;)
As for this card, the moment i saw it i knew i had to get it, for myself...not because the image is just beautiful, but because it is also railway related..and gives so much to think about...
Anyways, the more i kept looking at this card, the more i felt something was being incomplete about it....and then it dawned on me...it was blank....probably at this moment you might be having an assumption how i solved it..so yeah, since i was having the right stamps at home, i did what i probably never really thought i would do, and i wrote and addressed the card to myself...I mean, i do send cards to myself when i go away, and thats not really odd...but to send a card to yourself from your own town...now i know thats a bit...ok, that it is VERY awkward and probably crazy to a certain extent...but i just couldnt resist it...and either way, i dont actually have many written and stamped Macedonian postcards...only a few actually, and since i developed this philatelic interest to a great level, means that im also interested in having written and stamped and CANCELLED cards from my own country as well...so i had to help myself, no? :P
well...here comes the *fun* part....i mailed the card on 28th November....thats last Saturday....at a post office thats like 40 minutes walk from my house...and wanna take a guess when did the card arrive??? YESTERDAY!!! 4th December!!! 6 days!!! Amazing 6 days it took this card to arrive to me sent from Skopje to Skopje!! It would have literally arrived faster if someone from the postal service walked from there....im still astonished about this...so if a card takes 6 days to arrive sent from my own city, then how can i possibly have faith in our postal service about all those internationally sent cards! I wrote about this on the forum, and there was this comment which said "its good that they havent sent it via Indonesia" :D :D :D :D

So yeah, there you go...thats my adventure with our postal service....though honestly, i think im gonna keep doing this in the future as well, coz otherwise i dont stand much of a chance to receive a written and stamped Macedonian postcard...call me crazy :)

I also love it what the image represents....the road to nowhere...or the road to the unknown....the rail just goes into the distance until a point where you cant follow it anymore...you dont know whether its gonna turn right or left, or if it goes beyond those mountains...you just cant tell whats ahead of you, until you actually get to the point...just like life is....though this calm atmosphere is one which gives hope along the winding-life-roads...

and here are the two stamps i used...the one on the right is from a set of two stamps issued in 1996 under the subject of  "Children - joy of the world". The other one is from 2006, from a set of 6 definitives which depict traditional copper ware from the 18th-19th century...and this in particular shows a šamdan. Whats its name in English, i honestly have no idea...

Barcelona, Spain

Card I received as an official time ago....love it!

ES-48206

I just regret not having seen this during my trip to Barcelona...i love this building! Well, we saw Sagrada Familia, and of course, only from the outside...but we didnt even pass by this one =[.
This is the Casa Batlló, built in 1877. The local name of the building is House of Bones (Casa dels ossos) and it does 
indeed have a visceral, skeletal, organic quality .
The building looks very remarkable — like everything Gaudí designed, only identifiable as Modernisme or Art Nouveau in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, is rather astonishing with tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work.
Much of the facade  is decorated with a mosaic  made of broken ceramic tiles  that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. The roof is arched and was linked to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. 
 A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the sword of St. George - patron of Catalonia.  

the stamp is from a set of two issued in January this year, depicting flora and fauna

Wisconsin, USA

All the time i keep hearing this voice inside of me, saying "work Ana work!"...but i keep ignoring it...yeah well, i know im gonna hear it very loud and clear by tomorrow night when struggling with a deadline and wondering, oh why oh why did i procrastinate again....

here is another addition to my map card collection and more precisely, to my US map card collection...

Nickname: The Badger State
1999 Population: 5,274,827  (boy, thats twice as Macedonia!)
State Capital: Madison
Entered the Union: May 29th, 1848 (30th)
State Flower: Violet
State Bird: Robin

a definitive stamp first issued in 2007, and then re-issued in 2008, under the title Forever, which depicts the Liberty Bell, which is considered to be the most prominent and recognizable symbol regarding the American independence.

Festival of Postcards - White

Festival Headquarters

Anticipating the snow to start falling...well, nothing has been on the forecast, but a view outside my window makes me think that its gonna start snowing sooner or later...though with my luck, its gonna end up raining...and until i get the chance to play in the snow for real, ill settle with some snow on postcards....

I had a post regarding Kalemegdan once, in case you want to have a look....well, unfortunately, i havent had the chance to witness Kalemegdan with snow, coz if we are to judge by this card, it seems to be lovely...this in particular is the so-called Despot's Tower, built in the 15th century, which dominates the north-east side of the fortress. Today it hosts the Astronomical Observatory, which has all the necessary equipment for sky observation.

Im trying to make a parallel here, between Belgrade and Skopje, and see which of our places could be our Kalemegdan..the first, and unfortunately only thing that comes to my mind is the Kale Fortress....but for some reason im not at all satisfied with my choice of comparison...from both places you can enjoy the view over the town, both places are fortresses...but I think that Kalemegdan can serve as one of those places where you can go to when you so much feel mad at the world and everything...and while sitting there in silence, watching the glimmering city lights, you feel how all your bad feelings seem to wither away.....and you just realize that life is beautiful and how much you love the city you live in.....the problem with our Kale Fortress is that due to the circumstances and the environment, you cant just go there and enjoy life alone in silence...esp. not at night (coz truth told, there is something special invoked by the glimmering city lights, esp from a distance...)

i sometimes wonder if i sound way too biased towards Belgrade and way too antagonistic towards Skopje...as if im always trying to find all the bad reasons why i dont like it here and why this place doesnt offer me any good reasons to stay here anymore...coz here, neither the whiteness of the snow seems to be able anymore to just wipe away those bad moments and emotions and leave the soul and mind clean and peaceful...neither the sound of the snowflakes can bring that purity of mind, but even worse, it only brings reminders of some better times that will never come back....i miss the snow of my childhood...i wonder if the snow had turned to be the same in the entire world, or is it just me, stuck and clinging to things ended long time ago and just find the offenders in everything else but me.......there is a lovely book i would recommend you to read during a cold winter night, covered under the blankets....Snow by Maxence Ferman....a book as simple and delicate and pure as the snow itself....i wholeheartedly recommend it...

My Son, Viet Nam

Rain rain rain....and is there something better to do on such a day but update postcards? Well, yeah...work for example....maybe later....for some reason ...im just so not in the mood for it...so with a nice big mug of coffee and the sound of the rain outside, lets show some cards...really nice ones, let me tell you ahead :)

I have one Vietnamese card already, but this is my first written and stamped....and then again, its of a great quality compared to the other one...and its a UNESCO....and last, but not least, sent from a very dear person of mine...
At first i got a bit confused when i read the text on the back, coz it starts with *This is My Son*....I wasnt sure if i had read it right, so i read it again and then actually turned to the front of the card to see her son....i feel like a real retard now....it is even stated at the front what the name of the place is, but i overlooked it...well, at least someone's gonna have a laugh on my account and laughing is healthy and extends your life, so there is some benefit out of my ignorance..


My Son is the major site in Vietnam from the ancient Champa Kingdom which flourished between the 2nd and 15th centuries. Descendants of the Champa civilisation still live along the coast of Vietnam though they are now fully integrated in Vietnamese society.

The Kingdom at My Son dates back to the 4th century and remained fully occupied through until the 13th century which makes it the longest occupied of all the major monuments of SE Asia. It served as a religious and intellectual centre where Champa kings were crowned and buried. In 1999 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

and there we go again....another card missent to Indonesia...i really dont know whats so appealing about Indonesia that my cards first urge to go there and then be brought to me....probably on force or if some tsunami had scared them out....
but there are two great stamps, both issues in 2008...the top one is from a set of 4 representing Ceremonial Lanterns, while the one below it was issued regarding the Centenary of Tran Quy Cap's Death (1870-1908)