Tonga

Probably in the middle of the most hectic days...so my postcard sending and blogging has really gone hiatus, but I hope that, once the weekend comes, i can somehow catch up with many things ive fallen behind...well, i better...coz i have these crazy deadlines hanging over my head....but for now, some cards...and ill start of with something extra exotic (at least to me), and brag with a postcard from Tonga :D :D :D *grin grin grin*

And I got it from a dear ten year old girl! Which makes all this more special! Well, I think that all these cards are written by Farfum's students, while he is doing the collecting, addressing and the needed surveillance.

I guess you are wondering, what the hell this card is showing....but it is definitely a very unique one, since the front of the card is actually cloth...and that is genuine Tapa cloth, which was pounded and fashioned into shape from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree. It is a gift of high value in the culture and traditions of the Pacific Islands, and it is accepted with great appreciation. Traditional designs and pictures are then painted onto them with red, brown and black dyes which are made from bark of the Mangrove Trees.

Lovely!!! Dont you think so??!!! I dont really get postcards which have some special material incorporated into them...so far I think that in such a category would only fall the Vanuatu waterproof card and one wooden I have from Canada (which btw arrived in perfect condition and without a single scratch).

and ta-dadaam!!! here is the very important part of the postcard...the witness that it has been sent directly from Tonga itself! oh, come on...dont be so jealous!!! you have so many great cards from rare countries too!! Plus, it is holidays...it is really unfair to be jealous at this time of the year :P
This stamp is from a set of 15 definitives which were issued back in 1998. Here you see the friendly ground-dove.

And I love the clear cancellation!!

Yonah II, USA

Dear Chris sent me this great train card for my collection

This card says to show Yonah II, which is the newest of the steam engines on the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad line. A facsimile of one of the four engines that participated in the Great Locomotive Chase in 1862.

Now, before you jump at me, pointing out your fingers saying, but this CANT be the newest steam engine....let me clarify that im just sharing with you whats on the back of the card. This card can be called a real treasure since it is not a state-of-the-art one, but dates back from, I dont know exactly when...so how many copies have remained of this one, what do you think? surely not even close to how many copies you can find of a card printed nowadays. So thanks a million to Chris for sharing this one with me.

If you are wondering about Yonah..the current train is a 1940s replica, but there is a miniature golf course themed after the 1862 event.

the Grand Teton stamp...with Chris's own mailer postmark permit...darn, i would love one too!! Santa!! Can you hear me??!! Santa??!!!!

Thanks  bunch Chris!

Pécs, Hungary

Card showing Pécs in Hungary...and nice to have it in the collection since my variety of cards from this country aint big...so it is good to meet Pécs for a change :)

It is considered as the fifth largest city in Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia.
The name Pécs is of Slavic origin and means "furnace"(there is a town in Serbia with similar name – Peć).

hmmm....this is interesting...coz 'furnace' in Macedonian would be 'печка' (or transcribed in Latin alphabet, pechka)...funny...didnt really occur to me...even though when i tried to pronounce the name of this city, it did sound like that...but who would have thought that there could be a connection! Ahh, i just love these language stuff :)

Btw...ive been thinking something...and this past year i had mostly posted cards received during this year...but if you take a look at all my non-posted cards, you'll see that they date back from 2008 and 2009 as well, and a number of not sorted out cards received or bought before i started postcrossing. So now, in 2011, i will try to take those cards into consideration too and finally give them the chance to see the light of the day...plus, during the first month at least, i wont really receive that many different countries so that i post them according to my self-imposed rule...so dont take this as a new year resolution...but just as something i think it is about time to be done...and let you know i love all the cards you had sent me, and that if i hadnt posted them so far is not coz i dont like them :)

Tsubame, Japan

My last card for today comes from Japan, showing a high-speed train...which somehow reminds me of how quickly this year has passed =/ Each year time seems to fly faster and faster and faster.....

Please meet Tsubame....which is the name of the train services operating on the Kyūshū Shinkansen in Japan since 2004.
The word 'tsubame' in Japanese means "swallow", and has been used on a succession of limited express trains on the Tōkaidō and Sanyō Main Line in Japan since 1930.

I dont know what these swallow exactly...the space in front of them maybe?

These new modern trains definitely look elegant and compared to the old trains, are much more comfortable...however, i prefer the older ones...they just simply have the charm the new ones dont, and make this sound, that you cant hear with the new trains...even the sirens arent the same...ahh, me and my nostalgic moments...

some nice Japanese stamps which as usual give me a headache....the left one is from a set of 6 issued in 2006, under the name 'flowers from Kinky'...uhmm, ok, i wont get into meanings and ambiguities now...the other stamp is from a set of 3 definitives issued in 1997....I must say that Japan has just tooooo many stamps with flowers....makes me fee lost

well, anyways...Im pretty sure there wont be a chance I make another update in the next two days, so Id just like to wish everyone a happy new year, lots of health and lots and lots and lots of love...and the rest will come by itself...and of course, which i mustnt forget, many new great postcards in your mailboxes!!

Thank you for following me for another year to come and bearing with all my silences, rants, silly facts....thanks to all the newcomers for becoming a part of it....and hope to see you all, and many new ones in the year to come...coz after all, if it wasnt for you, this blog wouldnt have given me the pleasure it actually does!

a BIG BIG BIG HUG to you all!!!!! Enjoy the holidays!!!!

This big world we live in...and Merry Christmas to you!

Well, before I get down to any posting, first I wanna wish a very Merry Christmas to all my fellow readers, friends, passers-by, stalkers...of course, those who celebrate it today. I know this Orthodox-Cathedral difference can be confusing sometimes, but the wishes remain the same, and I hope you all will or already have enjoyed your Christmas eve and will have a nice Christmassy day tomorrow.
I belong to the second group who celebrates Christmas in two weeks, so today is just an ordinary day for me..ok, not so ordinary, coz it is Friday at last....it has been a VERY VERY busy week again, among which I again got sick and felt more than awful....I dont know if my immunity has been really affected but I seem to easily catch viruses and temperatures and just not feel like im able to move out of bed...so again, i barely had no time to do anything during the week, apart from the regular working assignments...but at least they keep m busy.
I also want to apologize for not sending Christmas cards to you this year, but I absolutely had no time to do it...and I didnt want to choose just a few people and send them one...even that would have been all rushed out...so I decided not to send any....Im really sorry for this...but hopefully next Christmas it will be better...or I will somehow make it up during the year :P

Anyways, I chose this card today coz apart from making it a good choice to address everyone around the globe and wish happy holidays, I also wanted to share something with you which is related to this big big world...I think that for every postcard/stamp collector this is something like a must see...maybe you should take a world map too and try guessing along...and guess with exact preciseness please :) And once you are done watching, you will other feel 'oh, that's piece of cake, whats all the fuss about' or 'oh boy, my geography knowledge sucks'...and compared to the 'contestant' in the video, im pretty sure that the majority would find themselves in the second category...no, this is not intended to make fun of anyone or ridicule anyone...i openly say that i myself fall into that second category too...yes...after all these years and all the postcards and letters received (plus naturally, my ability to read) I find myself into the second category.

so, here you meet Lilly...and please give her an applause...she deserves it...and she simply enjoys it when you clap your hands....she is just so adorable!!! :)

I mean....Djibouti??!!!!! :)

Predjamski Grad, Slovenia

Leon sent me this card coz he saw it in my favourites...and it is a really really great one!!

Predjamski Grad is a Castle, whose name literally means 'castle in front of a cave'...and indeed, half of this castle is built into the cave!

The castle became known as the seat of Knight Erazem Lueger (or Luegger), owner of the castle in 15th century, and a renowned robber baron. He was the son of the Imperial Governor of Trieste, Nikolaj Lueger. According to legend, Erazem came into conflict with the Habsburg establishment, when he killed the commander of the Imperial army Marshall Pappencheim, who had offended the honour of Erazem's deceased friend, Andrej Baumkircher of Vipava. Fleeing from the revenge of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, Erazem settled in the family fortress of Predjama. He allied himself with the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus, and started to attack Habsburg estates and towns in Carniola, turning into some kind of local Robin Hood.
The Imperial forces sent the Governor of Trieste, Andrej Ravbar, to siege the castle. After a long siege, Erazem was betrayed by one of his men and killed.

A secret natural shaft leads out of the castle, which Erazem ordered to be enlarged, and leads into Postojna Cave. This shaft allowed Erazem to secretly supply the castle with food in the time of the siege; he also used it to continue with his robberies

the stamp on the left has been issued this year, showing the National costume from Prekmurje region...the other two stamps are definitives from a set of 17 stamps issued in 2008

Meryemana, Turkey

A card from Turkey which shows something different from the usual cards I see from here...

It shows the Meryemana, or in English, The House of Virgin Mary....which is a Christian and Muslim shrine located on Mt. Koressos.
Some believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John and lived there until her Assumption (according to Catholic doctrine), or Dormition (according to Orthodox belief).

I guess another sort of appropriate card for today, coz it is related to Jesus...though honestly, it didnt even cross my mind about it corresponding anyhow with Christmas when choosing what to post today...im telling you, i have this odd random card-choosing that end up coinciding with something....

So next time you go to Turkey, I guess you should also put this on your to-visit list...I kind of like visiting those not so commercialized and advertised places, and this one, at least here, hasnt been talked about much...here you will mostly hear about those summer destinations, and Hagia Sophia, Pamukkkale....Ive rarely seen for example Cappadocia been advertised either...so thats why these places attract me and I want to see them....

the stamp is from a set of 16 issued this year, from the "Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture" issue, showing architecture in this ciry.

Torghatten, Norway

For the end, I will let you enjoy another one of my precious, breath-taking Norwegian cards :)

I had this card in my favourites for a long while...actually, I think this was one of the first Norwegian cards I had favourited...and my dear Norwegian fairy took care that I have it in my collection....thanks so much to her! :*

Torghatten is a mountain on Torget island, known for its characteristic hole, or natural tunnel, through its center. (yeah, it is there, take a better look!) And if you do take a better look, you will also see two people on the left, sitting on the ground by the fire, simply enjoying it all...I mean how can one not enjoy this beauty...it is just sooo tranquil!

According to legend, the hole was made by the troll Hestmannen while he was chasing the beautiful girl Lekamøya. As the troll realised he would not get the girl, he released an arrow to kill her, but the troll-king of Sømna threw his hat into the arrow's path to save her. The hat turned into the mountain with a hole in the middle.

This reminds me that I havent had my read of the Nordic mythology for a long while and I should get back to it...I just wish I had a real book about it and not having to read it while staring at the screen....but wherever ive asked around, no books on Nordic mythology available =/

The tunnel, with a length 160 m, width of 35 m, and height of 20 m, was formed during the Scandinavian ice age. Ice and water eroded the looser rocks, while the harder ones in the mountain top resisting erosion.
It is possible to walk up to the tunnel on a well-prepared path, and through it on a natural path.

If..no, WHEN I visit Norway, I think im gonna actually need an entire year to see it all :)

Two very nice stamps, where the one on the right is from a set of 3 issued in 1994, representing Tourism, while the other one is from a set of 3 Film stamps, issued in 1996...if im correct, it commemorates the 100 years of film...

Jerusalem, Israel

Weekend! At last!! Though with all things pending it's gonna be a busy busy busy weekend as well (punishment for my procrastination) but at least Ill have the coziness of home..coz with the -15 degrees outside and the icy slippery roads, doesnt really feel pleasant to be outside....and it's been such a hectic week..ahhhh...... i have so many messages to reply too, not being able to do so in this past week or two... i really wish the day lasted for 48 hours sometimes....

But lets get down to cards...thats what you came for here anyway :)
First for today we have Israel...and I really like this card coz it shows something different from the Jerusalem views that are most frequent to be seen around..this one shows the Mount of Olives.
It is is a mountain ridge in east Jerusalem, named for the olive groves that covers its slopes. The Mount of Olives is associated with Jewish and Christian traditions and has been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years and holds approximately 150,000 graves.
The necropolis on the southern ridge, the location of the modern village of Silwan, was the burial place of the city's most important citizens in the period of the Biblical kings.

Ever heard this Jerusalem song by Alphaville? You know, that band singing Big in Japan? :)

A lovely lighthouse stamp that has passed by without  cancellation. It was issued in 2009 in a set of 3, depicting lighthouses in Israel. This one is in Jaffa.

Hawaii, USA

After wanting to get one for a long while, finally here is a map of Hawaii! And I got it as a total surprise from Dede, along with a bunch of other cards she sent me! Thanks so much to her!!!

Highlights of Hawai`i

The Hawaiian islands feature special offerings - a spectacular active volcano, majestic humpback whales, delicious shave ice and Kona coffee, and countless, enchanting beaches. Each island has its own unique personality and provides a landscape full of adventure and sightseeing opportunities.

Would definitely like to try that coffee..and maybe the shave ice if im feeling really hot.

I remember it how years ago, it was huge fashion to wear an LC Waikiki t-shirt here...so many colourful people on the streets during summer....I never got one though....

Aletsch, Switzerland

A new UNESCO card for my collection sent by dear Caroline.

Yeah, i still havent updated my UNESCO received list. I tried the other day and got totally lost and gave up. I really need to put away a few hours so I could go thoroughly thru all my received cards and see what I have. But there are so many other things i need to do as well *sigh*

The Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps, with a length of about 23 km and covers more than 120 square kilometres in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais. The whole area, including other glaciers is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001

On August 18th, 2007, photographer Spencer Tunick used hundreds of naked people in a "living sculpture" on the Aletsch Glacier in a photo shoot intended to draw attention to global warming and the shrinking of the world's glaciers. The temperature was about 10 °C at the time of the photo shoot.

Here are a few pictures of the event in case someone's interested....not recommended for people younger than 18...lots of nudity displayed :)

Tunick's session at the Aletsch Glacier

Caroline used four stamps on this card....it includes 3 of the 4 cereals' stamps issued in 2008 (wheat, barley and rye) and a stamp issued in 2010, as a set of 4 Children and money stamps..these are special stamps with surcharge....

Slovakia

last card for today is another one of many Janek's surprises, a lovely map card of Slovakia.

the back of the card says, Despite its rather small size, Slovakia offers great diversity of landscapes, untouched nature, numerous magic castles and charming historic towns.

Ive been having this desire to visit Bratislava...coz everyone is talking about Prague...and im usually drawn to those less commercialized and less popular places...

a short picturesque presentation of the country....with some Slovakian music in the background :)

The EUROPA stamp from 2009...and I dont understand what's said in the cancellation :)

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Tristan da Cunha

Yippieee!! Yippiee!! Wohoooo!!! Yay yay yay!!!! What a country!!! Sorry to those making jealous faces right now, but im really over-excited and extra happy to be granted such a rare and special country in my collection...written and stamped!!! And yeah, to add more to the jealous reasons, i received in total 4 cards! All written and stamped!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

And it all came very spontaneously...a man came across me, and since among all my requests, I also had Tristan on the list, he kindly offered to help me since he said to have contacts on the island. And he did so! But i didnt expect that 4 cards would be coming my way, i was expecting one only...but of course, no way I would complain about this...just that I dont think i have the right means to show my excitement :D
The special thing about Tristan da Cunha is that it is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, having South Africa and South America as the nearest pieces of land, being away 2,816 kilometres and 3,360 kilometres from them, respectively. Can you imagine being somewhere so cut off from the rest of the world?
And another VERY special thing is that this island has no airport, so the only means of transport is by ship...one really has to have enough patience in order to arrive here or from the island to somewhere else.

The island has 264 inhabitants, with Edinburgh of the Seven Seas being its capital, is regarded as the most remote permanent settlement in the world, being over 2400 kilometres from the nearest human settlement, on Saint Helena. This is where the entire island population lives.

There are just so many fascinating facts and figures about this place on Earth...it is sooo amazing!

and here come 3 lovely stamps...the very right one and the one in the middle come from a set of 6 stamps issued in 2008, commemorating the 60 Years of Fisheries, while the other stamp comes from a set of 12 birds stamps issued in 2005. I have to say that Tristan issues some really lovely stamps, with great themes and picturesque images.

And something EXTRA special on this and the other cards I received, is the cancellation. Apart from being so clear,  I cant believe it that the card was sent on my birthday!!!! What a coincidence!!! Out of 365 possible choices during the year, this one got cancelled on that very day! Sooo thrilling!!!
As a side note, the cards travelled 4 and a half months until they reached me.....which is understandable when you take in account the means of transport...and they arrived in an impeccable condition!!
Im just sooooooooooo happy!!! Happy happy happy!!

I dont think I could ever properly thank enough Chris, the man behind all this, as well as the postal clerks on the island. Thank you so much to all of you for one of the most special treats my mailbox could have ever had!!!

Ħaġar Qim, Malta

A great UNESCO card from Malta, showing the Ħaġar Qim temples. That first word is a troublesome one to read :)

Some days ago I was thinking that I should update my list of received UNESCO's, but unfortunately, I havent been keeping track of those, and I would have to go through all my received cards, one by one, to make sure i dont miss something...and that would be really time consuming, so as usual, I put it off again....if only I had a magic wand to solve this for me :)

Ħaġar Qim, which in English means 'standing/worshiping stones', is a megalithic temple complex in Malta, dating from the Ġgantija phase (3600-3200 BC). These Temples are amongst the most ancient religious sites on Earth,described by the World Heritage Sites committee as "unique architectural masterpieces. They were inscribed on the UNESCO whs list in 1992.

The Ħaġar Qim complex consists of a main temple and three additional megalithic structures beside it. The main temple was built between 3600 and 3200 BC; however, the northern ruins are considerably older. The outside entrance serves as an interior passage and connects six large chambers. The right apse is constructed as an arch to prevent the upright slabs falling inward. The outside wall, built of huge upright blocks, projects inwards, thus creating an extremely solid building. This entrance passage and first court follow the Maltese megalithic pattern but as building progressed, this design was considerably modified. The northwesterly apse was replaced by four independent enclosures.

Belgrade, Serbia

Ive been wanting to post a Belgrade card for a while now, but I was waiting until all, or at least the majority of cards I sent from there, arrived. So that I dont sort of spoil the surprise :)

Well, Im still missing 10 people to cross out from the list...but hopefully they have made it to their end too.
I didnt want to say anything ahead, coz I didnt know if my plan to send cards will succeed...but well, for the first time, out of all my visits to this city, I managed to surprise some mailboxes....with a huge thanks to Ana, my namesake and partner in crime, and merciless drill sergeant :D :D :D (for those who know what im talking about)
You know I went to visit the book-fair, but of course, I cant spend all day there (I think that with the overall conditions, it is humanely impossible). So in the afternoon I met Ana, and we occupied this table in this cafe, straggled our cards, and stamps and papers with addresses, with people looking oddly at us and the waiter having no idea where to put the cakes, so he just handed them in into our hands....a fantastic hilarious afternoon, and too much cake...but what was most worth it is that I got to send out cards! At last!
Another great satisfaction was that after I dont know how long, I had the chance to use an actual mailbox in front of the PO, to mail out the cards instead of handing them at the postal desk. In Macedonia, these mailboxes are not really functional, and i dont feel secure at all with them...but here, in Serbia, or at least Belgrade, this option works! I wont tell you how many cards we sent, but they didnt fit at once through the opening of the mailbox :D
And of course, took my favourite ride back home...well, not exactly on this train, but this is the main train station, where my train takes off...I got this card from my previous trip to Belgrade, not long before the book fair...all my trips to Belgrade are arranged at the very last minute and last less than 24 hours, but are more than worth it and I love them...even though I end up travelling 1000km back and forth in one day.
The card is from a reprint series of cards called Editions Francophiles 2000. Couldnt be more perfect for me :)
Looking forward to my next Belgrade trip...though I dont think it would be soon...it is freezing cold right now!

Talasnal, Portugal

My last card for today is an official one from Portugal.

PT-128177

What I love about it, are the colours...such am amazing combination of blue and green, with the grey colour of the houses blended into all that.
The card shows a mountain village in Portugal called Talasnal...which is a small village made of shale houses, on the heart of the Lousa mountains, at 500 meters high, close to the market town Lousã...and as with the majority of my Portuguese cards, not much more i can tell you about it. I wish the Portuguese and the Brazilians had more of this info translated into English.

the stamp is a rather common Portuguese one, coming from a set of three stamps issued in 2008, representing city transport.

Bansko, Bulgaria

It is an ironic thing that, cards from some very neighbouring countries, are very rare in my collection...Bulgaria, even though it is my eastern next-door neighbour, is a country i dont have many cards from...and lets not mention how many of them are written and stamped...same goes with Albania, I think I told you about it in a recent post...

This isnt a written and stamped one, a friend brought it to me some months ago from a trip to Bulgaria...and thats when I realized that it's been a long while since i had gotten something from that country....plus she brought me a magnet too, so im really happy :D (My magnet collecting is not something from long ago actually...started out sometime last year and im wondering how could i have been ignoring it all these years...but of course, it is a rather expensive hobby, so im taking it gradually...in Macedonia it can be rather problematic when you go to the PO and want to send one, but i wont get into that right now).

Anyways, this card comes from Bansko....famous as a ski resort...sometimes can be confused with Bansko located in Macedonia, which is both a village and a spa, and people with all sorts of rheumatic and other health problems go there...i guess that since it is situated near the border with Bulgaria, hence the same name.

My friend said that in Bansko they had great saunas and spas, but awful barbecue.

Sylt, Germany

A fantastic card I got as an official.

DE-604572

I think that all the cards that come from this publisher, have something so special in them, the images are just so beautiful! This particular card comes from the Nordseeküste 2010 series. For their overall assortment, you can visit their website. WARNING: Too many beautiful things there :)

This here is the List West lighthouse on the Ellenbogen peninsula, on the Sylt island. This lighthouse was established in 1852 and it was the first german lighthouse built in cast iron. It was commissioned by the government of the Kingdom of Denmark, when Sylt was still under danish sovereignty.
Nowdays, Sylt is a well known touristic destination, with its sandy beaches and resorts. It is specially attended by the high society and famous personalities.

Some technical characteristics for those who understand them:

Latitude:                      55° 3" 7'
Longitude:                   8° 23" 56'
Format:                       DD DMS
Body of water:             Lister Ley Bay and the North Sea
Height Above Water:   56 feet
Light Characteristics:    White, red, or green light, depending on direction, 4.5 s on, 1.5 s off

quite a familiar stamp

Atomica Melancholica, Salvador Dali

A rather unusual kind of card to post....but some time ago, I got two cards representing Dali's paintings (picked them myself) and I love them!!

Well, I wont pretend im very art literate, coz im not, but I DO appreciate art a lot...at least some of it, coz nowadays EVERYTHING is art...everyone can just get an inspiration, scribble something over the canvas and you get a piece of abstract art, and no one can deny it..I dont say we should appreciate only the big names, but some sort of a line should be drawn.
As for Dali, I like the way he represents things, and the colours he uses and his odd style ( a reason why I LOVE Vladimir Kush as well, but it is impossible to find cards with his works)...
And i think that the title of this one so much describes the picture...Dali got this picture as a gift to the Spanish state. The painting dates from 1945 and is one of the few where Dali had used the elephant theme.

B&O Railroad Museum, USA

A fantastic card I got in a RR just recently..showing the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad museum, or B & O in short.

The story of the American railroad begins here, when Charles Carroll laid the first stone for the B & O Railroad on July 4th, 1828. In 1830, Peter Cooper's efforts produced America's first steam locomotive here. Inside the roundhouse is a famous collection of 50 antique locomotives, Imlay coaches and replicas. In the yard is an impressive display of larger, more recent equipment.

Well, the RR itself was Trains vs UNESCO, so I simply had to sign up...thanks to Jasmin who pointed out at me, otherwise I NEVER would have noticed it...but now im all vigilant when it comes to that RR, in order not to miss something great again.

And I totally love the stamps!! Apart from the 'star' one, which is rather familiar, at the top, first on the left you have a stamp issued in 1994 in a set of two crane stamps, while the other two come from 2000, from a set of 5 Hubble stamps, showing Hubble space images. Arent they all just lovely??

Well, it is a non-working day here...so i better use it wisely...though i have some pending work to do and deadlines to catch.

Vall d'Incles, Andorra

Sorry for the post-less week, but it has been such a busy, tiring and stressful one, in so many aspects...when you just try to get through the day and meet all your obligations in time and as appropriate, i simply had no time for something else...so hopefully now, ill manage to use this rainy cold Saturday morning to post some cards...ok, it is far from morning, it is past noon...but for someone who has gotten out of bed, less than an hour ago, it is still sort of morning...yeah, im trying to compensate for all the sleepless hours i had during this past week :)

I got this card time ago...somewhere at the beginning of the year..but i dont know why i kept avoiding it...not really on purpose...but anyways, here's my second ever Andorra card....here is my first one, and unfortunately, none of them are written and stamped, but hopefully ill get such one day...both cards are just great and it would be a pity not to have them in the collection just coz they are lacking the stamp and cancellation.
This card shows a view of the Incles village, or if im not wrong, 'vall' means 'valley'. It is located in the parish of Canillo, in the north-eastern part of the country.
Looks so beautiful and peaceful...

Finland

Believe it or not, it was over two months that i didnt receive an official card from Finland...I really dont know why, but they simply avoided me...and then this week, i received a fantastic one, from my favourites! Thanks a million to Anne for sending it to me!

FI-956437

The card shows the Santakari beacon (or in Finnish, Santakarin pooki), where the word 'pooki' means a lighthouse or another big landmark without any light.
It was built in 1857 by G.T.Chevitz and belonged to the Maritime Department. When it became the property of the town, it was renovated in 1997. The building is a symbol landmark for nationally valuable cultural environmental sites Niemi-Santakari.
The tower rises 21.5 m from the sea level. It is octagonal and its area is 7x7 metres.
Pooki was not suitable for a lighthouse, because when the ships grew bigger, they gradually moved from the southern passage to Valkeakari passage. There the ships were well guided by the Kylmäpihlaja lighthouse. The Santakari landmark was only serving the users of the Rihtniemi passage. It was, however, still meaningful for the ships coming from further away.

Finland has issued such lovely Christmas stamps! I wish ours were at least half this nice! These were issued on 5 November, showing Santa and reindeer, and both are self-adhesive.

Newfoundland, Canada

Glenn sent me this very cute card few months ago.

These are called puffins (or Fratercula Arctica) and are inhabitants of Newfoundland. They have very interesting colourful beaks, and this happens during the breeding season.
All puffin species have predominantly black or black and white plumage, a stocky build, and large beaks. They shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique under water. In the air, they beat their wings rapidly (up to 400 times per minute) in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface.
They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil..
They are just too cute!!! :)

Apart from the already included pre-paid stamp, Glenn used another one, commemorating the Canadian Navi from 1910 till 2010. Dont know the name of the guy on the stamp but he's quite handsome ;)
Btw...the cancellation is rather interesting too...

Thank you so much Glenn!!

Odessa, Ukraine

Ukraine, as with the majority of former USSR countries, makes it hard for me to grasp that they have lighthouses...but they do.

This is the Vorontsov lighthouse in Odessa, which is a famous red and white 27.2 meters high landmark in the Black Sea. It is named after Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, one of the governor-generals of the Odessa region.
The current lighthouse is the third lighthouse to stand on the same spot. The first one was built in 1862 and was made of wood.
The lighthouse was built with iron tubing and lead gaskets. It has a one-million watt signal light, and its signal can be received up to twelve nautical miles (22 km) away. The Morse code call signal of three dashes the first letter is "O" which stands for Odessa. When there is a severe storm or fog, the lighthouse also sounds a foghorn.
The lighthouse is connected with the port's shoreline by a long stone causeway and jetty. The jetties protect the port from the southern high seas.
The port is protected on the east by huge concrete breakwaters (ramparts), built on rocks, rising above the water.

you should be rather familiar with the stamps by now....the left one is a definitive issued in 2007, while the other one is a definitive issued in 2009.

Pennsylvania, USA

The last card for today is an official from USA

US-876909

This is the Comet Roller Coaster, which crosses Spring Creek twice during its 3.360 foot journey. A total of 248,919 feet of lumber was used to build the double out-and-back coaster. The coaster was built so close to town that riders' screams can be heard on Chocolate Avenue.

Have I ever told you that I absolutely LOVE roller-coasters?!! They are one of the most fantastic things ever invented! The scarier and more adventurous, the better! I would simply go on any of them, even though I may know ahead I might get sick to my stomach from all the ups and downs and such....i just love that adrenaline!!

you know the stamp ;)