A card with such beautiful colours...I like that contrast of the buildings against the sky
Here is a view of Birgu, also known as Vittorioa, an old maritime city situated in Malta's Grand Harbour. The building with the Clock Tower is the Maritime Museum and behind it is St. Lawrence's Church.
The colourful Maltese boat or "Dghajsa" ferries tourists across the historical waters of the marina where the mighty fleet of the knights of St. John once berthed.
the stamp is great too....from a set of 5 issued in 2009 regarding the XIIIth Games of the Small States of Europe, with this one representing Shooting and Archery.
thanks a lot to Silvan for adding this one to my collection
One more US state to tick off from the list...honestly, im not exactly sure which are the ones i already have so far...need to find the time and make a list
Established in 1864, Nevada is a diverse state offering visitors such attractions as gambling on the Vegas strip, alien sightings near Area 51 and skiing around the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe.
For some reason, i can never relate Vegas and Tahoe to Nevada...I always feel that Vegas is in California and Tahoe is somewhere up north near Canada...
the 2009 stamp showing Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming
A card I got as a surprise from dear Micaela....and which obviously had a nice trip to Macedonia.
I dont really mind it much it got into this condition...still its in one piece still, and its nice to feel a card has really travelled....I WOULD prefer though if postal workers were a bit more careful when handling mail and cards which are out of the regular postcard range.
Here you can actually see a collection of a number of different postcards related to the Northern Lights, and I do own half of them I think :)
here is something to enjoy....you can turn on the speakers as well....the music is nice and interesting
a self-adhesive stamp from a set of 3 issued in 2009, depicting Northern Lights of course. Just makes me wonder, is Finland completely turning towards self-adhesive stamps? What about people who collect used stamps, you cant take these off from an envelope, unless you just want to keep the piece of paper along with the stamp as well, which personally i dont like much....
And its such a great card! Showing the Sajama National Park in Bolivia, which features spectacular Andean landscape, with elevations ranging from 4,200 to 6,542 m. Here you can also see the snowy cone of Nevado Sajama, an extinct volcano located on the highest peak of the Nevado Sajama mountain (which is also the highest mountain in Bolivia).
the stamps are great too. The first and the second are a stamp issued in 2009 called The Bicentenary of La Paz Revolution. The other stamp is also from 2009, titled 50th Anniversary of BID (InterAmerican Bank of Development)
Im not very fond of shrimps...actually never tried them and i dont have some urge to do so in any near future...but for those who are into such food, here is something you may try out.
Ingredients:
1 pounds large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined.
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons natural brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Caribbean hot sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 egg whites
1 bottle premium beer
Sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook shrimp in salted boiling water and beer for 1 minute. Drain and allow to cool. Mix garlic, green onions, soy sauce, brown sugar, Caribbean hot sauce and olive oil in bowl. Whisk until blended well. Dip cooled shrimp into egg white, then into seasoned olive oil. Place shrimp onto two wooden skewers to make turning easier. Place on grill. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of shrimp. Salt and pepper to taste. Grill for 1-2 minutes, turning frequently. Serves 2.
I like the sesame idea...I love sesame on whatever it can be used on...but still, ill pass this time. If you have ever tried this or intend to do so, do let me know how it was :)
the famous Simpsons' stamps, Homer and Maggie in particular, and the clock one...
The Eckmühl Lighthouse, 213 ft high. A flight of 307 steps leads to the light which carries 49 nautical miles. It was inaugurated in 1897 and dedicated to General Davout, prince of Eckmühl.
I feel like i have so many things to say, yet i dont know where to start....hopefully, the choice of cards will help me with it...
well, after a while, here is a precious Mexican card. actually I have several of them now, but i dont know why it took me so long to make the choice for a one....i guess i was keeping them possessively to myself.
It wouldnt have been THAT much of a great deal to post this card, but once more, something happened which makes me believe that there are no coincidences......there is something out there which makes things happen with a reason.....I actually picked the cards for this update (whenever I would have the chance to make it)....but I had way too much work to the in the meantime, so not until now I was able to post them...anyways, I pick the cards last Sunday, deciding to finally show a Mexican one....and then on Monday I wake up and Im left in disbelief with something that happened...after all this time...was i supposed to pick a Mexican card in order to invoke the spirits and make the world turn the way it did so the thing that happened, to happen? I know that this post will make a certain person cringe and hate me for this post, but oh well...
I know that right now you are probably dying of curiosity to know what happened.....but sorry, wont tell it :)
Its one of those things that you just find it hard to believe really happened, and you feel that if you talk about it loud, you will just disturb the good spirits and it will burst the bubble....but I just couldnt post this Mexican card without actually bringing this issue up.....
As for the card itself, its a very cool one! And its even a UNESCO, since it shows the historic part of Guanajuato. Here is shown a cemetery which is quite well-known for the mummies produced by unknown means. About 1 in 100 bodies buried here experienced natural mummification. In the late 1800s the town instituted a "burial tax" for the families of the deceased. When some of the poorest families were unable to pay the tax, their relatives were dug up and placed on public view in a purpose-built museum. The museum holds 111 corpses resting on velvet pillows. Today, it is reported that the proceeds from the museum help fund the city's coffers to a considerable degree.
This card actually came from Rosa, who had already sent me this official amazing Mexican map card. And apart from another great card, I totally love the stamps too!
the stamps are more than great, esp the train ones! Though unfortunately, i couldnt manage to find the exact info why or when they were issued...there is this confusing thing about these Mexican stamps, since they have two years indicated on them, and unfortunately, i couldnt find them in either section. As for the two stamps on top,, they are rather familiar I think....the Mexican post office issues these definitives each year, representing Arts and Antiques and Handicrafts....the ones on the card are from 2008
A really nice view....I like the colours of the card, so bright and clear.....gives some happy image....a warm summer day when you just feel the freedom all around you....
and of course....a card which raises my eternal Holland - Netherland battle....and the ironic thing is that Holland is persistent and keeps winning...I really dont get it...why do they keep insisting on calling their country Holland when im trying to be so nice and respective and refer to it as The Netherlands?
anyways, i would really love to be at some peaceful place like this right now....my mind feels sooo tired from all the work and all the lack of sleep due to it....this would be like a battery recharger....there is this line from an AIR song (sang along with Beck) which is stuck in my head...."Im running after time and I miss the sunshine....summer days will come happiness will be mine"....it really feels so.....I end up seeing the sun just through the window, since I constantly battle with time and deadlines and Im always falling behind....
and a rare occasion to see some different Dutch stamps.....not really fancy ones, but honestly ANYTHING is better than that omnipresent eurocent one
well, here is a deliciously looking card...with a small story behind it....which i know will leave a bunch of you in disbelief but yeah, its true....or it WAS true would be more appropriate
Not so long ago, Ana made a decision to quit coffee....yeah, Ana the coffee addict decided to give up on it....at first gradually, in order not to feel shocking, and than to completely remove it from the daily routine....so Ana bought a number of different tea (yeah, she actually decided to transfer to tea too) . At the beginning Ana was on a one cup/mug of coffee on daily basis, which compared to the three or so before, was a success....and then Ana stopped drinking coffee at all...and Ana was extremely fine with it, since Ana didnt even crave for coffee nor felt in crisis for it...and that lasted for like 10 days or so....until Ana got this huge working assignment which required tons of time and nerves...and Ana got back to her coffee....not so much in order to keep her awake as in order to calm her down and give her the boost to work on rather annoying subjects.....and Ana has a mug of coffee right next to her right now, even though she finished with the current assignment....and Ana really hates herself for being so liable....but there you go...Ana realized any other attempt wont be successful unless Ana can have a normal daily routine...which honestly Ana doesnt like to have since its boring and tedious and not so fulfilling as a hectic day full of errands and assignments to finish and impossible deadlines to fulfill...yeah, Ana is a bit insane...and coffee wise...how can you possibly resist this one on the card?.
My last card today comes from dear Beatriz....which I also chose in order to share some other news with you...
well here we go....after so much wanting to do it, but being prevented to do so, I signed up for Spanish classes :D :D :D Yaaay!!! At last!! Since my self-study didnt lead anywhere....well, i got quite some knowledge from it, but im not disciplined enough to go with it all the way and honestly, i like working in a group, since its gives you the chance to actually communicate and of course, you can have things explained at first hand, plus get to learn that pronunciation...and I dont know, just feels more productive for me....plus I know I have it as an obligation Im paying for, so I WILL force myself to go to class even if i feel tired or lazy...if im self studying it at home, i will 99% dodge it and do something else...so for the sake of it, i signed up for Spanish classes..... I just hope it will last coz you know how it is with people....they sign up for something and eventually they realize they have no time for it or are too lazy and all....and the group goes to hell and I end up nowhere...so I really really hope this will remain....
Speaking of signing ups....I also continued with my German classes, and Ive been going to aerobics for about a month as well...and then I complain I have no time? Of course I dont...I just hope one day i wont mix up things and go to the wrong class :)
Well, im sorry i often misuse the cards and I actually use them to speak of something totally different, but you know I like it when i can relate a card to a real story and ramble about it :)
Jo sent me this card as a surprise just before she left Kazakhstan......and thanks to her, i have all my 3 Kazakhstan cards in the collection
Im still surprised to see how beautiful the Kazakh cards are. This one shows the Schuchye Lake (im still not sure if i had spelled that correctly), situated in the Northern part of the country.
The funny/odd thing is that if you go to google maps for example, it doesnt return any search results about it...on google either...it keeps giving me reference for some Kurgan region in Russia, or about some chemical weapons destruction plant. ...I wonder if there might be some mix up (Kazakhstan borders Russia after all), or from the starters im searching for the wrong thing.
Either way, the card is still a beautiful one, and of course, any clearing up about the above issue is more than welcome
the Golden eagle stamp was issued in 2008 in a set of 4 definitives under the subject of Fauna, while the other one is from a set of 8 definitives showing Astana, which is the capital and second largest city in Kazakhstan
As i told you last time, my next Belgrade post will be dedicated in order I ramble a bit about the concert....what, you thought i would have forgotten and spare you from it??!! He he, sorry....
well, the concert itself was great..however, i cant say the same about the journey from Skopje to Belgrade...if Tuesday was a lovely sunny warm day, Wednesday was the cold, windy one with snow! Unbelievable! Such a rapid change in 24 hours JUST when i had to get down the road on a 450km trip....i honestly dreaded we wont get there in time. On our way, it was freezing cold outside, and the more we approached Belgrade, the worse it got...a real blizzard with a strong wind and icy roads....if you just put your head outside the window, you would encounter this totally unpleasant harsh wind blow into your face, and you would just rush back inside the car. I really wonder how out of all possible days it had to get like this on this one....
We arrived in Belgrade at 8pm, just in time...for the first time im thankful that there are other bands which perform before the main one, so that we didnt miss anything....believe it or not, i even got into the first row!! My all time dream when going to concerts is to be in the first row, and so far, I didnt manage to do it in just one....well, not coz i didnt manage, but coz my friend had to stand in the middle of the hall...which while the hall was half empty, seemed ok, but once it got full, it wasnt so ok anymore.....that was a Moloko concert...as for the rest, Depeche Mode, Placebo, Massive Attack, Kosheen, Pet Shop Boys and now AIR, had the delight of being in the very very front! Its good out of practical reasons as well...being im only 1.60, its not very convenient to stay somewhere in the back, since ill always have other people's backs in front of me, so i wont see much, or better said, I wont see anything.
As with every great concert, this one lasted too short....i wish they could play for hours and hours...they were just great on stage and for the first time I realized how awfully charismatic Jean-Benoît Dunckel is on stage.
They played some of their top songs, like Kelly watch the stars, Sexy Boy, Talisman, Remember, Venus, High School Lover.....the funny thing was, somewhere in the middle of the concert, Nicholas asked the audience if we spoke French....of course, the majority said NO...and then he said, well, since you know French, you would be able to sing the next song....are YOU ready??!! - Noooooo!!! And THEN they start playing Alpha, Beta, Gaga....now, you really need to know the song in order to get the joke :))
When i first got to know I was going to the concert, I planned to stay a bit more in Belgrade and meet up with Ana for some cheesecake, but as you could notice that was almost impossible...and on top of that I caught a cold....I just had to leave with some souvenir afterall
I loved AIR before the concert, but now they definitely climbed up on my favourites list.
here are some pictures i managed to take...not of the greatest quality, but I mainly blame the light for it..
there are no good quality video shots from the Belgrade Arena, so ill just give you a few regular AIR videos.....
and here is the Alpha Beta Gaga one...so if you know French, please sing along :)))
ok, i know you are fed up with me, but just a few words about the stamp.....it is a definitive from a set of 2 stamps issued in 2009 under the subject Art and Antique Objects and here you can see a ring from the 18th century.
Sorry for so much AIR, but they are definitely worth it, esp. since they are so underestimated as well
I dont know about you, but im rather frustrated with the USPS
this card was sent before Christmas and I received it just last week.....and I have two envelopes travelling to the US, sent in the mid-December and none has arrived yet....its really annoying, especially when it comes to letters....I hate it when they get lost since re-writing them is never the same, plus it always takes me eons to do so....and I know im not the only one with the USPS problem...I see other people complaining about it as well....I just hope that my mail towards there aint lost and that it will show up sooner or later.
Well, nevertheless, I really want to thank my dear Chrissy for sending me such a lovely lovely card...she knows I love maps, so this was simply the perfect choice...it would have been a real pity if it got lost somewhere...
oh, btw...I have some news! I finally got my laptop back!! wohooo! So no more switching/sharing pc's...Im finally on my own again, and I can type it from my bed, under the blanket....I just hope there wont be any problems this time...
you are already familiar with the clock stamp...as for the other two, they are a part of a 4-set Christmas stamps issued in 2009...
well, I know I have another passion to focus on, but lets not neglect this blog either :) And I just ended with another part of my work, which has stretched out for daaaaaaays, and I really got fed up, but I finally did it! So now I can steal a few minutes off at last!
this card came as a huge surprise from Daniela, who noticed how i had complained about Liechtenstein, wondering if their cards show ANYTHING else but their Vaduz castle! Well, from what she had told me, there is no variety of choice, but there still IS something different and she sent it to me!! And this is the.....ta-ra-ra-raaaaa....the St. Florin cathedral in Vaduz!!!! Yeah, it has to revolve around Vaduz anyhow :) But im really really happy to have this, esp since it came due to such great thoughtfulness!
The St. Florin's Cathedral is situated on the site of a medieval chapel. It was built in Neo Gothic style in the late 19th century by the Viennese architect Friedrich von Schmidt who also designed the City Hall of Vienna.
Vaduz became an independent parish after the consecration of the then church.
what makes this postcard the most special one is that it was actually mailed from Liechtenstein itself!!! so i can say that I am the proud owner of a card with a stamp and a postmark from Liechtenstein!! Which I consider to be quite rare. And the postmark itself is such a clear one...I love it!!!
The stamp was issued in 2009 in a set of two stamps called Four Seasons of Chateau Vaduz.
A very cool card that used to be on my wish list, but now is on my *I have it* list with a huge thanks to Jane!
I admire people who are capable to build something like this...first of all you need to get the idea itself...than you need to make a plan of that idea...its like being really an architect, you cant just put piles of sand wherever you feel like...and of course you need to have the touch, so that you dont make a mess out of all this and that what you make looks so nice and sо exquisite. And I so much wish i could be somewhere warm right now....but actually I have another reason to be excited..in like 10 hours im taking off to Belgrade to an AIR concert!! Wohoo! cant wait!!! So yeah, expect a Belgrade card in my next update, as id be able to ramble about my trip till there and back :P
This lovely card came from dear Earney who often thinks of me and my mailbox and throws me such surprises! Thanks a lot Earney, for everything!
Göttweig Abbey situated on the Göttweig Mountain, is - because of its location - sometimes called the Austrian Montecassino. The Monastery sits on a hill 449 m above sea level in the Dunkelsteiner Forest south oft the city of Krems, on the eastern edge of the world-famous Danube Valley called the Wachau. Togehter with the Wachau, Göttweig was in 2001 placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Due to its premises and the enjoyable surroundings Göttweig Abbey has proved to be the perfect place for the European-Forum Wachau.
I was convinced this was a castle when I first looked at it....looks can literally trick you sometimes :)
I dont know if Earney put the stamp on the right on purpose or no, but she definitely made my day! An F1 related stamp!! Even if its Bernie....I totally love this stamp....especially since I dont have many F1 related ones. It was issued in 2009 in a set of 4 stamps representing Formula 1 legends. The other 3 stamps are dedicated to James Hunt, Gilles Villeneuve and Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips.
As for the stamp on the right, it comes from 2007 from a set of 5 stamps representing flowers.
Thanks again Earney..for the card and for the F1 stamp! I love it!!
Well, before I get the decent time to post some new cards, just wanted to share some news with you...I have finally created my new blog dedicated to philately...the idea has been roaming in my head for quite a while and there we go...it finally happened.
Still no actual posts there, except for the welcome....and it will still need some remodeling and adjusting....but as for now, maybe you would just like to have the link :)
Im not really sure until which number i have arrived but its not as if its something of crucial importance either way.
As a country, Iraq is abundant with many Muslim mosques and shrines and these are the golden shrines of Imam Hussein & Abbas in Karbala. These two are located one across from another.
Karbala is considered to be as one of the holliest places after Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem and Najaf. The city (unfortunately) is best known as the location of the Battle of Karbala. I dont like it when the impression of a certain place is something with a negative connotation...
There are several theories as to the origin of the name Karbala. One traditional hypothesis is geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi's belief that the name is an alternate Arabic feminine version of karbalah "soft earth". Another theory is that the name came from the Aramaic root Karb or Qarb; meaning "Near", and Alah; meaning God. Hence, the word 'Karbala' signifies 'Near God'.
According to Shī‘ah belief, the true meaning of the name Karbalā was narrated to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel as being, "the land which will cause many agonies (karb) and afflictions (balā).
the stamp is from a set of 3 issued in 2008 called One Nation
А card I picked up at the airport on my way back home....
I couldnt really see much of Frankfurt itself except for the airport....but I think for the time being, it was more than enough. Thats NOT an airport...thats an entire city....I was absolutely enthralled by it....it takes several minutes by bus to actually get from the plane itself to the terminal building....with traffic lights and pedestrians....and a whole labyrinth of streets....no wonder it is the biggest one in Europe...
The building itself on the inside is also enormous....like a huge shopping centre...you just actually need to know ahead whats all in there so that you can know what to focus on and in case you have enough time, whether you should pass the customs and get stuck at the gates or maybe take a look around the stores BEFORE the customs....well, I was one of those who didnt explore much around coz I actually thought that I could find the shop I needed afterwards as well, but I turned out to be wrong.
Here is the one I was looking for
and honestly I have absolutely no idea where exactly this is :)
well, what I liked about this airport is that you have coffee for free...and there is a plethora of choice! I took 3 different ones...not because i so much had a need for coffee, but just because I had to try them...
One of the greatest reasons why I love this card is coz its train related....unfortunately, my desire to take a ride on a high-speed train wasnt fulfilled....partly coz of the lack of opportunity, partly coz of the insane ticket prices....very very budget-unfriendly :)
but on the overall, I miss Germany soooo much, and so many things related to it, esp. the people from our group...they really are the best!
A card called, The Early Morning Splendour of Denver.
US-505369
Well to me it seems more like an afternoon on a hot summer's day but I guess thats only the impression the card gives due to its print....and it was printed way back in 1985....I dont know if these cards are actually still sold nowadays or some people just have some left overs and then send them...
Anyways, I was having this idea for a few days now, and Im pretty much sure Im gonna realize it...the only question is WHEN...and I need to work a bit on the details...but however, I plan that to happen.
Well, its nothing spectacular...I just wanted to start a new blog, presenting covers only. Coz apart from the postcards themselves, I receive often postcards inside envelopes, and I receive letters too, and I have sooo many letters from long long ago, that i thought its actually a pity not to show those since some of them have suuuch lovely stamps...and it would also make it easier for me to actually make a classification of all the stamps I have in my collection.
I have the idea of showing lets say, one cover on daily basis....it shouldnt take much work since I dont plan to ramble about other stuff but stamps there...
If you have any suggestions or ideas, they would be more than welcome....
As for the stamps on the postcards, I plan to keep showing them here, since they do make a whole....but in the other-blog-to-be I will also probably show covers with stamps Ive already shown here, where the cards came inside that envelope....
well, i hope im not complicating it too much...its just that im making a decision to start doing this at the time i have WAAAY too much work to do....but well, I cant help it...I just love it :)
Lighthouse stamps!! Lovely!!
They were issued in 2009 in a set of 5 stamps. The lighthouse on the right is Biloxi in Mississippi, while the other one is Sand Island in Alabama.
the other 5c stamp is a bit confusing since it says it was issued in 2007 but in the catalogue I found it under both 2002 and 2004 but not 2007. It depicts an American Toleware and is under the "Art and Antique objects" classification
