Curaçao

Well, finally, this long weekend is coming to an end unfortunately....in general, it was a really nice and relaxing one, with lots of sun and fun and im thankful to my friends for making it such...
From tomorrow, things are going back to reality and my teeth cringe when I think about how much work is waiting for me...well, next weekend will be another longer one due to Labour Day...but the week after...uhh, dont even want to think about it from now...ill deal with it when the time comes...
and since im enjoying a nice relaxed evening, i decided to share a few more cards with you....and i am starting with a new country in my collection!!! and not just in my collection, but in reality, this country is a rather new one, not even one year old...

And this card comes from Glenn as a memorabilia to his cruise (of which im HIGHLY jealous! :P) If only you know what are all the places he had visited, youd be envious too...;-)
Well, one of Glenn's stops was Curaçao.....a country which used to be part of the Netherlands Antilles until last October and nowadays is considered as a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
And as I had already said before, im happy to actually have cards from the former Netherlands Antilles...something that now is no more possible to happen....
I dont know where in Curaçao this place is, but feels rather touristy, though empty in a way....just like Skopje was this past 4 days! So empty and so tranquil, it was a real pleasure to actually spend time in this city for a change..but unfortunately, the chaos is coming back from tomorrow...

now down to the stamps...the left one was issued in 2010, and is called New Constitution...which is pretty self-explanatory I think...the other stamp is from the Netherlands Antilles times (I guess these still can be used as long as you use a Curaçao stamp too). The NA stamp is also from 2010 from a set of 10 definitives representing fruits.

Thanks so much again Glenn!! It is always such a pleasure to find your cards in my mailbox! 

Serbia

Well, my next card is one sent to me by dear Ana back in 2008....yes, you know that im VERY behind with some of my cards *blush blush blush*....but im trying to cover cards from all years now, so slowly, im catching up..in a way...

and this card is part of a great series of Serbian cards...I have already posted the Old Mountain card, the North, the Monasteries,  the West and the South-Southeast...and this time it is time for the East :)
Ive said it before and ill say it again...it is such a pity that Macedonia hasnt issued cards like this...they are so beautiful and also they are a sublime of certain regions...in Macedonia, the cards usually show just one place, whether it be single or multi-view...but you cant really find cards that summarize several Macedonian places for example....

Here, the upper picture shows a Fallow Deer in Vratna while the bottom, Natural Gates in Vratna River Gorge.
The picture on the right shows the 'Prskalo' Waterfall in the Južni Kučaj Mountain.

There are three large gates (natural stone bridges) over the Vratna river...they are a unique phenomenon, a specific phase in the evolution of tunnel caves and river meanders.  
It is always interesting to see and learn about unique phenomena in the world.

and a great card goes with a great stamp! being a huge tennis fan, i always appreciate tennis stamps (even ones with Roger Federer...when the collector in me starts to speak, the fan in me goes silent :P)
For those who are not familiar with tennis, this stamp shows Jelena Janković, one of the best female tennis player Serbia has produced. The set was issued in 2008, consisting of 5 stamps in total, which actually represented the Serbian Olympic tennis team.

hvala ti još jednom Anči...da ne misliš slučajno da sam zabatalila ove starije razglednice :)

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Another FANTASTIC card from dear Heather. She simply knows to hit me right on the spot with her choices! 

The back of the card has some info...not quite usual for the backs of the cards, but Ill share it with you.
Low Isles. Port Douglas. "An island of paradise. A twenty minute boat trip from Port Douglas. With coral reefs surrounding this island, a clear blue sky, warm tropical waters and where sailors anchor and spend a few days." Tech: mid-morning, polarising filter, 1/125 sec., 100 ASA.

You, photographers, know what this last sentence is all about :)

And lest not forget, that the Great Barrier Reef is actually a UNESCO as well!

and apart from sending fantastic cards, Heather enjoys playing with great stamps too and often adding ones from Christmas and Cocos Islands. So here, at the very right is the Australian LIGHTHOUSE Stamp! It is from a set of 6 Island Jewels stamps issued in 2007, where this one portrays the Rottnest Island, WA.
Now regarding the other two stamps...the middle one is from Christmas Island from a set of 14 issued this year, commemorating the Year of the Rabbit; while the very left stamp is from Cocos (Keeling) Islands and was also issued this year in a set of 4 stamps portraying boats.

Thank you so much again Heather for all the splendid cards and stamps you've sent me!  

150 years of railways in Olomouc, Czech Republic

Apart from sending me this fantastic cover I had featured in my stamps' blog, Radim also sent me an amazing card as well!

I thought that only Royal Mail and USPS issued stamp cards like this, but obviously I was wrong, coz here we have on from the Czech Republic. And it shows, not more, not less, but a TRAIN!!!
The card commemorates the 150th anniversary of the first arrival of a train in Olomouc (and to avoid confusion, that refers to 1995, not today). But still it makes more than a great card for my collection and im EXTREMELY happy to have it!

and the card comes accompanied with a perfect train stamp...issued in 2009 commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Former Pardubice-Liberec South-North German Junction Line. Sounds a bit complicated, no?
The other small stamp was issued this year in a set of two, representing Folk Architecture.

Thank you again Radim! It was so great to trade with you! 

São Marcelo's Fortress, Brazil

My last card for today is one again received back in 2008...told ya Im catching up ;-P

This card shows the São Marcelo's Fortress at night.

Under IPHAN’s protection, this fort was built with stones, in triangular shape, in the beginning of the XVII century, on the reefs in Salvador’s port entrance. Reconstructed with stones, after the Dutch invasion, in 1624, it got a circular shape and the mission of protecting the city from the foreign attacks.
If I had figured it out right, IPHAN stands for "Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional."

Seems like an interesting place, though from this perspective (plus being a night view) not much can be seen, but still, it is a nice card :)

Well, thanks for reading...and I hope you have a nice week ahead (in case you had this Monday off, like me)...and if not, I hope you are managing pretty well so far.

Until next time....
  

Marina Promenade, Singapore

So here comes that long weekend everybody was talking about (due to the Easter holidays) but seems that wont be such a long one for me, due to....oh well, working duties. But at least I can get some extra naps during the day....and hopefully by Monday will get more sun and fresh air....
But now, onto some cards....and for today I chose some panoramic ones....and these are all some BIG panoramic size...which makes them even more awesome!

The first, rich in blue card, comes as a surprise from Jean-Pierre. I am aware that the Singapore-skyline cards are fantastic, but this one seems to be one of the most amazing ones ive seen!
The Marina Promenade is a walkway along marina bay. It is a greenbelt from the Esplanade to the Singapore Flyer and is considered an important part of the The Garden at Marina Centre project.
Did you know that the English name of Singapore is derived from its Malay name, Singapura, which means 'Lion City'?
I am not sure if maybe I had already mentioned this before, but you know 'repetitio est mater studiorum' ;-)

and some lovely colourful stamps....ok, im not sure about the one of the left, if it is a part of a regular issue or not...the one on the right is from the set of 4 issued in 2010 for the Youth Olympic Games...but the left one, does refer to the Youth Olympic Games in 2010, but the picture does not coincide to any of the stamps in the set plus bears the year 2009 on the side....so if anyone can enlighten me here, ill be really thankful :)
And thanks to Jean-Pierre for the amazing surprise! 

Karakol Lakes, Russia

Another amazing view....this time coming from Russia, showing the Karakol Lakes

The back of the card has some great text, so Ill refer to it here:

Karakol Lakes are a cascade of seven tarns connected by streams. They are situated on the north-western slopes of the Iolgo Mountain Ridge, about 30 kilometres from Elekmonar village. The Tura River, a tributary of thee Karakol River, flows out of the lowest lake. Karakol means "Black Lake". The Altaian people use this name for pure water that originates from the black interior of the earth.The upper lakes are at an altitude of 2100 metres, while the lower lakes are at 1800 metres. The banks of lakes are home to various plants. Siberian Pine, fir, Arctic birch, honeysuckle, cowberry and bilberry grow on the banks of the lower lakes; Arctic birch and lichen - on the banks of the upper lakes. Globe flowers, gentians, adder's-tongue and many other flowers bloom here at the beginning of summer. Upward from the lakes there is a cirque filled with snow, which does not melt even in summer. The average depth of the lakes is shallow - from 1.5 metres in the upper lakes to 5-7 metres in the lower lakes.

I have quite a lot plants to google now and see what they actually are...

Thanks a lot to Natalia for this lovely card!  

Germany

Here is one FANTASTIC official card I received!

DE-808533

I cant tell at which city this photo has been taken, but my wild guess is that this station is in Frankfurt.
This is a Deutsche Bahn train, and just look at how lovely it is....so smooth and shiny...I can only imagine how cosy it is on the inside. Even though I still prefer the old classic trains, I just cant say 'no' to these either :) They are irresistible!
Btw, speaking of officials....it's been more than 24 hours that the main site is down...probably the longest time in my entire postcrossing history, and doesnt seem it will be back any time soon...and all this is Amazon's fault! Just type 'Amazon' on google news, and you'll get more details about it. I really hope it will be back soon, coz I have cards to register...and im wondering if some of mine are waiting to be registered as well...I miss the 'hurray' emails....

and apart from the boring yellow flower, this card also came with a great train stamp! Issued in 2010 to commemorate the 175 years of railways in Germany. Sometimes it is hard for me to grasp that trains have been around for almost 200 years. 

Paris, France

The last fantastic card for today is another surprise from Jean-Pierre, this time coming directly from Paris, showing the Triumphal Arc.

Well, the Triumphal Arc in Paris is something normal...but the Triumphal Arc in Skopje is one of the most ridiculous things ive ever heard of, yet it is happening...and it is frustrating me to an extent I could never explain....not just the Arc, but the entire Skopje 2014 Project.
Whoever is interested, can take a look here what this project foresees...the explanations are in Macedonian, but however, I think that the images speak for themselves....such a waste of money...in a country with over 30% unemployment,  and hundreds of schools and hospitals in disastrous state....but monuments are more important...doesnt matter if living conditions are miserable

and some more amazing stamps...they come from a set of 4 issued in 2010 representing European Capital Cities...here the above mentioned Triumphal Arc is shown (the right stamp) and Opéra Garnier (the one next to it). the third one is just a sticker :)

thanks a lot to JP again and to you for reading.

Happy Easter to all! 

Bahla Fort, Oman

Hello everyone! We are having a rainy gloomy cold Sunday here....perfect for postcards since I cant use my weekend and go out in fresh air. Well, it's been a crappy weekend in general....you know, the ones when things just go the wrong way or you feel surrounded with this bad karma...but lets not get down to that, there are lot of brighter things to talk about, like for example, my very first card from Oman :D :D :D

My new Austrian friend Susanne was already very kind to send me the Armenian postcards, and this time she actually remembered me during her trip to Oman and sent me a postcard from there!! Im just sooooooo thrilled and happy and honoured! The thoughtfulness and generosity of people never ceases to amaze me!
And moreover, this is a UNESCO site! Wohoooo!!!
This card shows the Bahla Fort. It is an outstanding example of the characteristic military architecture of the Sultanate of Oman. Not far from the capital of Oman, the oasis of Bahla owed its prosperity to the Banu Nabhan who, from the mid-12th to the end of the 15th centuries, imposed their rule on the other tribes. Only the ruins of what was a glorious past now remain in this magnificent mountain site. Built on a stone base, the adobe walls and towers of the immense fort probably include some structural elements of the pre-Islamic period, but the major part of the constructions dates from the prosperous time of the Banu Nabhan, with the latest reconstruction dating from the beginning of the 16th century. At the foot of the fort, to the south-west, lies the Friday Mosque with its beautiful sculpted mihrab (prayer niche) probably dating back to the 14th century.
These monuments are inseparable from the small town of Bahla and its souk, palm grove and adobe ramparts surrounding the oasis, a remarkable work with towers, doors and underground irrigation channels.
The monuments of Bahla were in a critical state when it was inscribed on the World Heritage List. It had never been restored (thereby conserving a high degree of authenticity), and was not protected by any conservation measures. The terrace of the Friday Mosque had not undergone maintenance work, and it collapsed between 1981 and 1983, causing the arches to cave in and the wall plastering to be torn away, thus endangering the mihrab (prayer niche) in the building, which the Ibadite community had abandoned in favour of the new mosque. A detailed survey was made in 1977 by the Omani Archaeology Department, but restoration work did not make any headway until 1988. This was entirely financed by the Omani Government, with photogrammetric recording by the Mining Museum in Bochum (Germany). By 2005 it was virtually complete

the two stamps on the card are definitives from a set of 4 issued in 2001, representing the Al-Khanjar A'Suri.
Thank you Susanne soooo sooo much!!!! You made me really happy with this! <3  

Slovenia

Dear Tanja from Slovenia sent me this lovely surprise with one of her letters!

The card shows a steam museum train 25-026, property of Slovenian Railways (Slovenske Železnice), manufactured in Vienna in 1920.
Not much written information can be found about it, but thats why there are some videos so Ill share those with you instead....enjoy :)

Shanghai, China

Well, next we move to another train :)

CN-140324

the back of the card says: From Nov. 22nd to 28th, Shanghai International Originality Industrial Week attracted 150,000 visitors. Luwan, the main venue of this meeting, was where creative people fully demonstrate their ideas. The creative products from all over the world gathered here in the "Originality Avenue" - Yandang Road, to bring new lifestyle concepts to city residents.

So I guess this train is a product of creativity too.

the stamp on the right is from a set of 4 issued in 2004 representing Folktales, where this stamp represents Liu Yi delivering a letter. The other stamp is from a set of 4 ceramics' stamps issued in 1999.

Lastres, Spain

I like the colours on this card...the contrast of the blue against the other colours.

this card shows the city of Lastres, in the Autonomous Community of Asturias.
Milenna, the sender of the card, says that this city is very famous all over Spain coz the most popular TV series have been filmed there.
Well, speaking of Spanish TV Series (or Soap Operas as they are known better)....ive never been fond of those, and honestly, when they first started to be shown here, like over 10 years ago, people went mad for them, and all of a sudden, everybody wanted to study Spanish just coz of them...and with me such things have an opposite effect, and back then, I am sorry to admit this, but I hated the Spanish language. I just never like being a part of the masses blindly following something. And we were simply bombed with all sorts of Spanish, Portuguese, Latin/South American soap operas. Each TV station had a few of them and it was getting too much! Nowadays, things have calmed down, and when i have the chance sometimes, I turn on the TV and just listen to the language....but nowadays, I cant seem to find enough Spanish series...they seem to have lost their popularity on behalf of the ones coming from Turkey and India. So I guess Ive wasted my long-term chances to listen to the Spanish for free....ah well :)

the stamp is from a set of 2 Fauna stamps issued in 2010, showing butterflies. This one shows the Zygaena rhadamanthus. 

Denver, USA

My last card for today comes as a surprise from a friend who visited USA earlier this year. He tries to send me a postcard whenever he travels somewhere, but for some reason, just two have made their way to my mailbox so far.....

And he picked such a great one! A train station!!!!
Denver's first train station was constructed in 1868 to serve the new Denver Pacific Railway, which connected Denver to the main transcontinental line at Cheyenne, Wyoming. By 1875, there were four different railroad stations, making passenger transfers between different railroad lines inconvenient. To remedy this issue, the Union Pacific Railroad proposed creating one central "Union Station" to combine the various operations. In February 1880, the owners of the four lines agreed to build a station at 17th and Wynkoop Streets and the station opened in May 1881.
During its heyday, the station was served by 80 daily trains operated by six different railroads; however, most of this was terminated at the time of the formation of Amtrak, which has since operated only one train daily between Chicago and the Bay Area, routed through Denver.
Current passenger services include:
- Amtrak's California Zephyr
- C Line and E Line light rail routes.
The station also serves the once a year Cheyenne Frontier Days Train, usually pulled by Union Pacific's steam locomotive 844, the last steam locomotive built for the UP. The train runs between Union Station and Cheyenne, Wyoming for the Frontier Days Rodeo event.

and a rather different US stamp compared to the ones I usually see on my postcards/letters. It was issued in 2010 and is part of 4 Holiday Evergreens (Forever) special stamps.

Thank you all for reading, for the postcards and see you soon hopefully :) 

Wallis and Futuna

¡Hola a todos! And huge apologies for the long silence....longer than the usual week-time to which you've probably gotten used to lately. But things have been extremely busy at work lately...and ive been so tired in general that Ive barely had time for anything else....postcards included....and if you are waiting a postcard or postcards from me, they will probably be late coz I havent had the time to write those properly either...sorry sorry sorry =/
But I grabbed some time today, so here are a few cards coming up....where the first one has arrived as a huge surprise and im still rather speechless about it :P Actually, im speechless and endlessly thankful with all the surprises Ive received recently....but anyways..

the first card for today comes from Wallis and Futuna!! Havent heard about it? Well, it's time to have a word or two with Google then :)
Now, Im not sure to what extent the coconut is native for this country, but my experience with the coconuts has been rather disappointing.....ive always imagined that they had this creamy delicious coconut milk inside them....but it's not even close to it coz inside there is this whitish rather transparent liquid...totally opposite from creamy....and not even closely tasting to the coconut taste ive expected...with brown pieces of the outside shell...not to mention how complicated it actually is to open this fruit on the picture....so since then I stick to the coconut products, esp. chocolates and ice-cream completely filled in with coconut mass...yumm yumm yummie!  

And..oh...did I mention this card is written and stamped? From Wallis and Futuna? No?!! Sorry...I didnt want to brag so early ;))))))))))))) But oh yes, here I have a card with Wallis and Futuna stamps and cancellations thereof! Hope you are not jealous :P
The stamp is from this year, showing 'la cigale' or in English, a 'cicada'..well, all I can tell you it is an insect...but for the accurate translation in your language or for more details about it, aunt 'wiki' may be more helpful than me, coz this is the first time ive heard of this buddy.

thanks a million to J.P for this one!

Bucharest, Romania

Second card for today is an official one from Romania (im happy coz I dont get many officials from there) and it shows the Eroilor Aerului monument, or in English, The Romanian Airmen Heroes Memorial.

RO-18461

It is situated in the Aviators' Square in Bucharest and was built between 1930 and 1935.
The bronze structure is 20m high where bronze sculptures resting on an obelisk-shaped stone pedestal. On the top of the obelisk is the statue of a flying man with his wings outstretched. Three aviators, each in a different stage of flight attempt, are depicted around the base of the obelisk. On the pedestal are the aviators' insignia, helmet and equipment, as well as engraved plaques with the names of Romanian airmen who had crashed to their deaths by the time the monument was built. These men died pursuing various goals: skill development, performance, adventure and fighting in World War I. The first name is that of Gheorghe Caranda, killed on 20 April 1912 on an airfield during a training flight; the last is that of Sava Rotaru, killed on 29 May 1934 in thick fog in the hills around Cernavodă. After the official dedication, 99 additional names have been posted on the North bottom side of the pedestal.

I love such cards....they may be sad in nature, but they tell some great stories as well.

The stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2007 representing Romanian pottery, and here you can see a pot handcrafted in Transylvania. 

Oregon, USA

A very nice lighthouse postcard.

This is the Yaquina Head lighthouse on the Oregon Coastline, more precisely in Newport. It is said that it can be a spooky place on a dark, cold, windy night. Ghosts lurking, ship compasses not working.
The history of Yaquina is as shrouded in mystery as the cape is in foul weather. A persistent myth is that the lighthouse was mistakenly constructed in the wrong location, but mislabeled government survey documents seem to be responsible for this historical inaccuracy. In any case, Yaquina Head Light was built just north of Yaquina Bay Light, dooming the smaller tower to obsolesence.

Today the lighthouse is the centerpiece of Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, and is one of the most-visited lights on the west coast, with over 400,000 visitors each year.

well, in strong winds and rough seas, this definitely doesnt seem as the most comfortable place to be stuck in...but I guess thats what makes it even more beautiful and appealing....

here come the famous clock stamp, while the other two were issued in 2009, depicting playing cards....so here are the queen and the king...of hearts :)

Finland

Well, one more card for today....sorry if you expected more, but there are just so many other things I have to finish...and half the weekend is almost gone =/

FI-1009871

this is a fantastic official card I received, showing train drivers in Finland back in 1908...or 103 years ago! So precious!
Im just not sure where exactly in Finland this is located...my guess would be Helsinki, but I dont really have something to support my assumptions....either way, it doesnt really matter, coz the card itself is just fantastic. So nostalgic too....and somehow back in this time, men so much looked alike....with the mustache most of them were wearing and the way they dressed...and I love these old locomotives...they may be outdated, but they are still so charming, arent they? :)

well, here is this new Finnish stamp that I would never guess it's a stamp if I saw it somewhere at random...probably the most unusual shape of a stamp ive received so far...and I think it is a rather problematic one coz it cant fit just anywhere...however, they are really cute...they are self-adhesive and come from a set of 5 issued for the Valentine's Day this year...called Branches of Friendship...well, it is nice to see Valentine's Day considered as Friendship also and not just as for boyfriends/girlfriends....