My World of Postcards

Volcán Masaya, Nicaragua

2012-01-26T23:55:00.000+01:00

Last year I received a number of Nicaraguan cards. This one should have arrived then as well, since it was also posted last October...but it decided to take a different route and arrive this year. But as they say, better ever than never :)

the card is a lovely surprise from dear Sissel and from one of her stops during her awesome trip last summer!

here you can see the Volcán Masaya, and in particular, the Santiago crater, which is one of the earth’s most accessible volcanic craters – and one of the most active.

The volcano itself is a shield volcano located 20 km south of Managua, and is Nicaragua's first and largest National Park, and one of the country's 78 protected areas. Its lava pool is one of only four in the world that has a constant level, neither receding nor discharging but perpetually threatening cataclysm.

the funny thing about it is that Local folklore of the Masay Volcano revolve around the belief that the volcano is a gateway to Hell

here is even an episode about it....in case you understand Spanish, you may want to take a look at it

another great part of this card are the fab stamps!!

the souvenir sheet is just AWESOME and is a part of two issued in 1994, showing the Graf Zeppelin over the Pyramids and the Sphinx in April 1931, while on the stamp of the s/s you can see Dr Hugo Eckner, manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin for most of its record-setting flights. The stamp next to it was issued in 1999 but i cant find some details about it except that it has something to do with a Japanese school...

thank you sooo much Sissel!!

New Orleans, USA

2012-01-26T23:52:00.000+01:00

this more reminds me of a Hawaiian means of transport than a tram in New Orleans

...and this is actually a St. Charles Avenue streetcar at Christmastime! It just looks so lovely! Though I must admit that for someone living here it is always hard to visualize celebrating Christmas or New Year in such an atmosphere....we are used to the cold and the snow, which in a way is an association to Christmas....I cant imagine celebrating New Year at the beach in a swimming suit...that's just not it...as it would be weird for Australians maybe to celebrate it while freezing cold...though I do think that secretly they would also wish for a snowy Christmas...that's just the spirit of the holiday :)

the clock stamp is more than famous....the other two are both Forever stamps issued in 2011 - first is a Garden of Love stamp from a set of 10, while the other is a Send a Hello stamp, showing Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story

Posázavský Pacifik, Czech Republic

2012-01-26T23:51:00.000+01:00

Here is a lovely official card I received!

CZ-156381

The card shows the Posázavský Pacifik train, which according to the sender is a very famous and old train that runs through the romantic valley of the river Sázava.
So it is not really something you would take for a long trip, but it would be nice to have a chance to get on it for a nice scenery exploration.

Here's a summary what you might expect....just dont forget to wave to the passers-by :)

The A-stamp, at the top left, was issued in 2011 in a set of 2, representing Folk Architecture. The one next to it is a Soldier Schwejk stamp (this reminds me of my childhood) issued in a set of 3 in 1997, while the flower one is a definitive from 2010

Cups and Mugs

2012-01-26T23:50:00.000+01:00

I decided to close this update with something nice and colourful..

a really GORGEOUS postcard showing various coffee-cups and mugs (of course, you can use these for tea as well..)
Did you know I collect mugs? Yup..that's one of the things which causes HUGE problems regarding free-space around the room, since i have more or less, around 200...can you imagine keeping 200 mugs at one place? I often struggle with it and often end up having nowhere to put other stuff somewhere coz of it (and i must add that postcards give me the same headaches too :P). And just like with postcards, i cant get enough of them and keep getting more and more...though of course not with the same intensity as before...I cant pick a favourite....often it depends on my mood and on what im drinking....some feel perfect for coffee, others for tea...some feel good on rainy days, others have a sunshine personality....and of course, it is good when you have actually plenty to choose from...you will always find something to match up the current situation.

as for the ones on the card....they are just all sooooo lovely, i cant pick a favourite...would love to have them all!!

The Imagine Peace Tower, Iceland

2012-01-21T20:09:00.000+01:00

So...work has been really busy lately, plus some other daily chores...and somehow didnt have the time to dedicate to posting here or even writing cards in general...which makes me really behind in both...yeah, not a good way to kick off the year....not to mention the awful cough i caught...fortunately it has calmed down, so i can at least sleep more properly at night and talk without consequences...otherwise it was getting really unbearable..

Anyways, without further ado, let's see my choice for today. First is a lovely Icelandic card that Genek sent me for the favourites tag. And while i loved this card coz it represented ICeland, and had Northern Lights on it, i didnt really know it represented something else...and if it wasnt for this card I wouldnt have known that there is a memorial to John Lehnon in Iceland! You are surprised too maybe?
So turns out that Yoko Ono dedicated this artwork to John, and it is said to be a Tower of Light which emanates wisdom, healing and joy.It communicates awareness to the whole world that peace & love is what connects all lives on Earth. It symbolizes Lennon’s and Ono’s continuingcampaign for world peace - which began in the sixties, was sealed bytheir marriage in 1969 and will continue forever. The Tower is located on Viðey Island in Kollafjörður Bay near Reykjavík, Iceland. It consists of a tall "tower of light", projected from a white stone monument that has the words "Imagine Peace" carved into it in 24 languages.

One of the mesmerising features of the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is thatthe strength, intensity and brilliance of its light continually changeswith the prevailing weather and atmospheric conditions unique to Iceland- creating a clear pillar of light on a cloudless night,beams irridescing with rainbow refractions in rain or snowfall,and brilliantly reflecting off and through any moving layers of cloud.

The Tower was unveiled on October 9th 2007,John Lennon’s 67th birthday.

Really admirable....and not such a usual location to pick....as if Yoko wanted this to be not so known about yet do something for her husband..I mean, if they talk about Iceland they either talk about volcanoes or economic crisis....i haven't seen this mentioned before, yet im glad to have learned something new.

Thank you Genek!

And here is the so very famous anthem (which honestly sometimes gets annoying to hear it very often on the radio. )

Unfortunately, nowadays is really difficult to imagine all the people living life in peace...

Pompeii, Italy

2012-01-21T20:08:00.000+01:00

a great official card arrived the other day in the mailbox!

IT- 162161

Ive ben wanting a card from Pompeii for a long time, and there it is at last! Plus it is a new contribution to my UNESCO whs collection!

I simply love such old non-existent places nowadays...there is something really appealing and fascinating about them, making you wonder about the people who had lived there, their way of life and everyday work. And more than often im fascinated with the architecture in these places and what has been achieved in that sense taking in account the available means and resources.
The specific thing about Pompeii is that it was was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in the year AD 79. Believe it or not, the city was completely lost until accidentally rediscovered in 1749. Can you imagine how it is for a whole settlement to be wiped away? And wonder what has happened to all the inhabitants?

the card shows a number of famous places and things in Pompeii, and if anyone from Italy could send me a single view of these, id be really happy...im especially interested in the Temple of Jupiter, the main Forum, the amphitheatre, the House of the Faun and the Garden of the Fugitives.

Grazie!

Vincenzo, the sender, also used some really nice and not so usual stamps...or more specifically, rather older ones and also a number of these are Vatican stamps, not Italian. The top right one is from a set of 6 stamps regarding the Second Vatican concile, while the three next to it are a set of Christmas stamps. All these were issued in 1966. The bottom stamps are Italian, where the left one was issued in 1960 and is a part of a 9 stamps-set commemorating the Olympic games in Rome, while the stamp next to it was issued in 1962, representing a Counting court. Unfortunately, there is no cancellation, so i cant tell where this card has bee mailed from, whether Vatican or Italy...and if someone actually knows maybe...are Italian stamps valid in Vatican and vice-versa?

Holland

2012-01-21T20:07:00.002+01:00

A great card Peggy sent me for her cultural RR.

the card shows a typical Dutch way of eating herring. (personally, not very fond of it). The herring is raw, and apart from how it is shown on the card, another way to eat it is to hold the whole fish above you and let it slide in.(yuck!)
The specific-type of herring which is the first young herring suitable for consumption is called Holandese Nieuwe. It is prepared in a traditional Dutch way after it's been caught. The first day these new young herrings are being caught is celebrated in the town of Scheveningen with flag-day. The harbour is decorated with flags and the first barrel of herring is auctioned and the money goes to charity. It can go up to 70.000 euros!

there are two stamps on the card and the left one is really nice. It was issued in 1988 commemorating the Australian Bicentenary which was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent European settlement. The other stamp is from a set of four Tourism stamps and was issued in 1996

Polatsk, Belarus

2012-01-21T20:07:00.001+01:00

my last card for today comes from Belarus...actually it is two cards...and I received them both as officials, but I guess the second sender didnt know I already had it...so hence, sometimes you end up with duplicates :)

BY - 281619/BY-307758

The left side of the card shows St. Sophia's Cathedral, while on the right, as the back of the card says, "Dramatized knights' fights in Polatsk"

Polatsk is said to be the oldest city in Belarus, and one of the most ancient cities of Eastern Slavs, mentioned in ancient manuscripts dating back from 806.

Im just not sure what the symbol behind the knights' fighting is, so contributions are welcome.

as i said, i got two copy of the card and both with different stamps. the first one has 3 different stamps. The hare stamp is from a set of 5 stamps issued in 2008, showing wild animals. The one next to it is a Christmas stamp from a set f two issued in 2010, while the one below is another 2008 stamp from a set of 8 Garden Flowers' stamps, this one showing a Narcissus.

here we have more or less the same issues, just different stamps, which is good. the left one is from the Wild animals series, showing a Forest Marten, while the Garden Flower stamp shows a tulip.

so, that would be it...enjoy your weekend :)

Tunisia

2012-01-05T23:00:00.000+01:00

Well, HELLO and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all of you!! Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year...whatever you celebrate. I know it is a bit late and that ive been absent for a long while, but you know how life gets around holidays....and I have to admit that I have been in a low mood in general, and now matter how much I forced myself to, in the end I just couldnt get myself to make at least another update before the end of 2011, even though I had already had the cards prepared....but well, lets see how will 2012 go and if Im gonna be more disciplined or things will go even slower...

well I hope you've enjoyed the holidays (except for the ones celebrating Orthodox Christmas - me included - which is yet about to come). I hope this 2012 will bring you the joys of the world you've been desiring whatever that it may be...and of course, many great new postcards from places far and away...postcard-wise, my year started not that bad, however, for this update I will stick to some older cards which had already been foreseen to be posted.

And we will start with Tunisia...one of those countries I have several postcards from thanks to Judit...however, I always realize too late that it's been TOO long between two Tunisia posts.
So here are two great map cards I have.

the one above represents Tunisia in a more cartoon-esque, while the one below in a more picturesque manner...the latter I guess is more helpful in regarding what to see. However, I do in a way prefer the above type of map cards...they are just too cute :))

Never been to Tunisia as you had probably read in some of my previous Tunisian posts...never really been attracted to these Northern African countries...however, right now I sort of regret it coz with all the events around there, I wonder if I will have the chance to pay a visit....you know me...i may not have a huge desire to visit a certain place...but if I get a chance to go there, i would certainly take it, and most probably enjoy it...you just need to know how to make the most out of it and see as much as possible, even if that meant waking up at 7 am and coming back to the hotel after midnight...which was some sort of practice during my holiday in Spain this summer...but it was more than worth it :)

btw, in case you end up receiving a blank postcard in the following days/weeks...it might be from me....ive been rather absent-minded lately and I ended up both sending the same thing twice to someone as well as sending out a totally blank postcard, except for the address and the stamp....embarrassing....

Strasburg Rail Road, USA

2012-01-05T21:19:00.000+01:00

a great train card I received from Laura...the blue tone in the background against the green and the black is why it is so extra appealing to me.

the back of the card says: Strasburg Rail Road, Route 741. Daily runs to Paradise include a stop at Groff's Grove where passengers may enjoy a quiet picnic......catching a later train to complete their trip.
some postcards are really generous with information, no? :)

The website of the Strasburg's Rail Road says it was founded in 1832 and the earliest timetable found to date indicates Strasburg trains were scheduled as of December 1851.
With its ups and downhills over the years, today the Strasburg Rail Road is one of Lancaster County's most popular tourist attractions - and recognized as one of America's most significant examples of early 20th century railroading

always pleased to see some different stamps on my US postcards....the one on the right is from 2001 and shows the McKinley mountain, while the balloon stamp is from a booklet pair from 1991...nice and colourful

Stonehenge, England

2012-01-05T21:17:00.000+01:00

believe it or not it was this year that I received my first two Stonehenge postcards...being so popular I dont know how it had slipped from my collection until now...

the first Stonehenge card was sent by dear JP and as the back of the card says Stonehenge is one of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe believed to have been built for religious and astronomical purposes between 3000 BC and 1500 BC.

It is indeed a fascinating monument and it is also an addition to my UNESCO whs collection. And speaking of such monuments....did you know that Macedonia also has one? It is called Kokino and is situated in the north-eastern part of the country and has been put on the list of NASA's ancient megalithic observatories, along places such as Stonehenge and Angkor Wat.....so we are pretty proud of it....we are just still waiting for it to be officially declared as a UNESCO whs...I know some of you already have a postcard of it...if you dont and you'd want to...just let me know...ill try to obtain the Kokino stamps too ;-))

JP used three stamps on the card...the two definitives are something you are familiar with, but the third one is something i rarely get to see and really like it...it is from a set of 10 stamps commemorating the Diamond Wedding Anniversary (1947-2007)

I got this other Stonehenge card in the favourites tag....the colours are just amazing and the moon gives a special effect to the image...though i do wonder if it is real or a bit photoshopped...either way, the card is just AWESOME!

Viaduto Carvalho, Brazil

2012-01-05T21:15:00.000+01:00

my last card for today is a train card from Brazil...

I think this is one of the most beautiful train cards Ive seen from Brazil and the railroad itself counts as one of the State's most beautiful attractions (this is in the state of Paraná) The card shows the Carvalho Viaduct. It received this name in honor of the President of the Province of Paraná at the time, Carlos de Carvalho and is over 100 metres high. Looks rather scary too...but that's where the adrenaline lies :)

a short video about it when the train is taking this particular turn

well, that would be all for now...short is better than nothing :) Hope to see you soon! Im off to deal with my cold and sore throat...

Kampong Ayer, Brunei Darussalam

2011-12-16T23:59:00.000+01:00

Last time it was Bahrain, now it is Brunei, another "B" country gets ticked off the list :)

I was lucky enough to enter the Brunei group in the Vacations RR..and here is what I got, an AWESOME card (I think actually that all of the Brunei cards ive seen are not less fantastic). Plus it didnt take to travel long, like two weeks....
The card here says to be showing Kampong Ayer, the largest water village...and at the front you can also spot a water taxi.
This water village is actually an area of the Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. All of the Water Village buildings are constructed on stilts above the Brunei River.
Although it is classified as one village, it is actually a cluster of 42 smaller villages, interconnected by 18 miles of foot bridges.
In the background you can also see the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque whose most recognizable feature, the main dome, is covered in pure gold. Well, with the Bruneian golden era, this comes as no surprise.

boy, stamps with no year printed on them give me a real headache...as if I didnt already have one...I dont know if it is coz of the weather or something else, but ive been enduring headaches two days in a row now...
Luckily, I managed to locate this one...a definitive from a set of 12 issued in 1985....im often surprised to see such stamps still being in circulation.

Thanks a million to Kate from Russia for enriching my collection!

Oma, Norway

2011-12-16T23:12:00.003+01:00

Here is something EXTREMELY beautiful!

and so soothing...as the card says, "the island of calm".....and who could oppose to that?
This small beauty with just several houses is the island of Oma situated in the Norwegian Hardangerfjorden, which is the third largest fjord in the world and the second largest in Norway (Sognefjorden is the largest...)
This is like an ideal place to live...as long as I have a boat for transport from and to the island...so far away from the every day stress and chaos...so much fresh air...and I would be able to grow my own fruits and vegetables....ok, depending how much this soil and weather conditions would be supportive but something must be able to be harvested here.

as the cancellation says, a card I had received in 2009. the large stamp was issued in 2008 representing the New Opera House in Oslo...wow! To me it appeared more like an observatory in the Antarctic region!
The small stamp is a definitive but I cant tell from which year exactly it would be.

thanks a million to Sissel for this beauty of a card!

The First Postcrossing Meeting in Belgrade

2011-12-16T23:10:00.000+01:00

well, ok...you should all know by now about the first postcrossing meeting that was held in Belgrade on 29 October 2011...if you dont know about it, you should probably blame your postman :)

It came too spontaneously, but turned out great...the only remark would be the lack of time :)
And one of the most special things about this meeting was the special postcard design we had, done by Renato. A really unique card, representing all the participants (by their usernames) and all that nicely arranged according to the country they were coming from! Can you spot me? :P
Personally I addressed way too many cards...and I have no idea how many we signed in total, but it was a LOT LOT LOT!!! Well, after all, it was the first meeting :)
Unfortunately, I didnt manage to send as many cards as I had originally planned...the time simply didnt allow it, and funny but after the postcard shopping, I ended up writing out ALL of the cards, even though I planned to bring back some home...so do the math :)
If you hadnt gotten a card from this meeting and you are sure your postman is the most reliable guy on Earth, then let us know for next time :)

and somehow this post was perfect to present this fantastic map card of Yugoslavia...it was sent to me by Renato as well, a few months before the meeting. Here all the former republics of Yugoslavia can be seen with their respective flags...and this is somewhat what our meeting was about...postcrossers from different parts of former Yugoslavia...unfortunately, Montenegro, BiH and Slovenia were missing, but we wholeheartedly hope that on the next meeting, at least one representative from each republic would be present. Ill do my best to fill in the Macedonian spot :)

Renato used a really nice definitive from a set of 8 issued in 2007 with this one representing Kopaonik.

A big hug to all my PC meeting friends, and of course, to the ones who couldnt make it this time :)

Route 66

2011-12-16T23:07:00.001+01:00

wow, been so long since Ive posted a Route 66 card here! (actually ive realized that ive been overlooking some particular countries too even though i have a good number of postcards from there, so I should be working on those too..)

Anyways, this is definitely the most fantastic Route 66 Ive received! It is actually like a real metal licence plate!! Fantastic!! And it arrived undamaged and in perfect condition!
The huge thank you for this goes to dear Goran. Once he surprised me with a Route 66 magnet and now this great card/licence plate!
What I especially love about this one is how the US states through which this Route ran are represented on the both sides, with the US flag in between. And I cant forget the old-timers too...perfectly fitting in the image :)
Hvala ti puno puno puno Gorane!!

well, unless you've forgotten, since it's been a long long while, Route 66 cards are accompanied with a Depeche Mode song....this time it is one of the songs from Exciter which I constantly used to skip until I heard the live version of it on the One Night In Paris DVD...it became one of my all time favourites ever since and i got totally hooked on it...the genius called Martin L. Gore strikes once again...

...indeed =/

The Old KhamisMosque, Bahrain

2011-12-12T19:05:00.000+01:00

4th December....the date of my last post....uhmm...could have sworn, I made an update just yesterday :)
Well, without further ado, let's see what do we have for today...and I cant help it but start with something I received recently...a new w/s country...:D :D :D

when someone from Bahrain asks you for a swap, you certainly can't say no, right? I mean, it would be silly to refuse such a proposal :P So here it is, my first card from the Kingdom of Bahrain!! Yippie!!! :D

And it is a really great card, since the Khamis mosque is believed to have been the first mosque in Bahrain, built during the era of the Umayyad caliph Umar II, some say around 692 AD; some mention the 11th century as the time when its foundation has been established. The mosque has two identical minarets in the front and is also considered as one of the oldest relics of Islam in the region.

there are two stamps on the card...the right one is from a set of 16 stamps issued in 2002 portraying the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The other stamp is said to be a charity stamp...Im not really sure what falls under 'charity' here...if someone's familiar with these Bahrain stamps, please tell me a bit more about them

Calgary, Canada

2011-12-12T17:39:00.000+01:00

Here is something pulled out from the 2009 box...2010 is not so bad, but 2011 is as big as both of them, yet, has not enough room for all the cards, so there is a pile that needs to be stored separately...that is an indicator that ive been pretty lousy with updates here since I had allowed such thing to happen...should I make a New Year resolution about it? :)

the card was sent by Glenn who wanted to share with me this Tower in Calgary. A pretty impressive structure I must say...completed in 1968, it rises nearly 191 metres in the air.
My first thought regard such buildings is always related to the view from above....and this one must be offering a great view over the city and further beyond (just make sure you are not caught up there during an earthquake :))
Personally, would love to have a cup of coffee up there, and a slice of cheesecake (hopefully they have them on the menu)
Did you know that here you also have the highest 360° observation deck in the world??? Cool, no?

Glenn used a whole set of stamps here issued in 2009 featuring the Canadian Recording Artists. What can I do, I only know of Bryan Adams *blush*

thank you Glenn! Though you might have forgotten you had ever sent me this one :)

Texas, USA

2011-12-12T17:37:00.001+01:00

so, if you have started feeling like a couch potato during these cold winter days, here is something to get you moving....just make sure you have good running skills :p

Bryon sent me this great card....which is like a refreshment to my overall collection...I cant say I have a lot of cowboy cards in my collection or cards related to people/animals in general when it comes to the USA.

The back of the card says: Cowboys roping Texas longhorn cattle. Uhmm, seems like they haven't heard of animal welfare :) Though I highly doubt there is any sort of inspection or control out here in the field....pardon my professional damage here, please, but I cant help it :)

On the side note...I have never been able to get into the Western movies....but I liked this Lucky Luke cartoon...

and Im pretty sure you've watched Tom the Cowboy Texan :)

Great stamps from Bryon as usual...this time, we have two ship stamps from a set of 4 Forever stamps issued this year honouring the US Merchant Marine, while the other 22c stamp is from a set of, erm, 50 fauna stamps issued in 1987. The stamp represents the Monarch Butterfly and is perhaps best known of all the North American butterflies.

thank you very much again Bryon!! :)))

Malokarpatská vínna cesta, Slovakia

2011-12-12T17:35:00.003+01:00

A card Janek sent me from his trip to Bratislava....

which got me to realize that I have no card from Bratislava in my collection...uhmm, so I am working on changing that....hopefully it will work out :)

This cute map card here says to be showing the Wine Route of the Small Carpathians....so a really nice card for all the wine lovers out there....you know who you are ;)
This route has been established to promote the small and medium size wineries from Bratislava to Trnava, which actually covers the southwestern wine region of the country.

Twice a year, in November and May, all winemakers along the route open their cellar doors to members of the public, who can learn more about the craft and sample the best wines from the previous season. (The May event gets its name from St. Urban, the patron of vineyard workers, whose feast day is May 25.)There are around 80 wineries participating in the wine route.

That is a lot of wine on the overall :) I am no wine expert but I like wine festivals....the last one I attended to some months ago was really fun...but of course, not only coz of the wine, but also coz of the fantastic company I had :)

Janek used the 2009 Europa stamp regarding astronomy.

thanks a lot Janek!

And wishing you all a great week ahead! Hopefully will see you again in a few days :)

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2011-12-04T23:59:00.000+01:00

so, it's been a rather silent week...just felt on the down side in general....actually the entire of November was rather low...so I hope December will bring me something nicer on the overall...i wasnt that busy as usual, but somehow time flew away....and when i think of the fact that another year has almost gone by, i simply shudder at it....

My first Puerto Vallarta card was posted like over two years ago. This one here I received several months ago by Erin who spent some time here.
The card shows a sculpture called "The lovers". Having in regard the country it is coming from, I find this pretty ironic and sad at the same time....
this is one of the several sculptures that decorate the 'malecón', which is a word used in Spanish-speaking countries for a stone-built embankment or esplanade along a waterfront.

there are three stamps on the card actually, but until i realized i had scanned it all wrong, it was too late and im honestly rather lazy to be doing it all over again :) anyways the third stamp is at the bottom and is the same as the reddish one. Both are definitives issued in 2010.

Cumbres & Toltec Railroad, USA

2011-12-04T23:33:00.001+01:00

A really great card coming from New Mexico!

as the back of the card says: Built in 1880 and little changed since, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the fine example of steam era mountain railroading in North America. Its equipment, structures and vast landscape exist today as if frozen in the first half of the 20th century.

It is considered as a precious artifact of the American West. According to the card, it definitely offers a great scenery to be seen during the ride....plus the 'steam locomotive' adds a lot to the charm of it :)

of course :)

Formula 1

2011-12-04T23:30:00.001+01:00

sooo....it's been a while since I had posted a card related to Formula 1....but time to change that.

FI- 1212021

Mainly, it is coz i havent been following it for a long while so I couldnt really post something about it when i didnt really know what was going on....lost the interest since Raikkonen left (the races were already boring, yet i had someone to cheer for, so I watched it).
But...just this past week, it was announced that Ice-man had signed a contract with Lotus Renault GP and is coming back to F1 the following season!!! Yippie!! Yippie yippie yay yay!! Must be one of the greatest news ive heard in a long long while!! I can hardly wait!! I dont care in which team he is and if the season is not as fun as it should be...I really missed the F1 adrenaline and now i have the reason to get my dosage...I miss the waking up at 5 am to watch the Australian Grand Prix...cheering and biting my nails.
I know there have been quite some changes in the F1 so it's gonna take me a while to get a hold of it all, but im in no hurry :)

btw, i cant tell the exact driver this card represents, however, it came in handy :)

and speaking of good sports' news....Spain won the Davis Cup today...after a nail-biting match between Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro. I really like Del Boy, so i felt sorry for him in the end, but Rafa is Rafa and after a crappy season, this was like the perfect closure :P Yay yay yay!!

Lighthouses, New Zealand

2011-12-04T23:27:00.001+01:00

As for my closure today, I picked some NZ lighthouses...beautiful as always!

the first one shows the Waipapa Point - the lighthouse is located at the southern end of the Catlins region and marks the scene of New Zealand's worst civilian shipwreck. On 29 April 1881, 131 people were drowned when the passenger steamer Tararua was wrecked on a reef off the point. Tararua was on one of its regular trips between Otago and Melbourne, via Bluff.

The first lit was in 1884 and the lighthouse was automated and demanned in 1974. It is 13 metres high.

the backside is rather gorgeous and happy with the stamps and the stickers. The two big colourful stamps are from a fantastic sheet of 25 stamps issued in 2010, called Slice of heaven. The small stamps at the left side come from a set of 6 definitives issued in 2009, while the 10c one, at the bottom right is from a set of 7 definitives issued in 2007.

the second card here shows three different lighthouses so i wont go into details about each one, just name them....and if one day i receive a single view of any of these, id be happy to share their stories :)

From left to right you have: Cape Campbell, Akaroa Harbour and Taiaroa Head. Im pretty confused about the middle one, coz it looks the same as the Waipapa Point one, though the surroundings may be different, but still...I keep wondering if this might be the same lighthouse actually, and if there is some mistake in the explanations or these are indeed two different lighthouses and Akaroa Harbour has nothing to do with Waipapa.....

the cute stamp was issued this year in a set of 4 "year of the rabbit" stamps.

Have a fab week ahead everyone! :)

Kebabs, Bosnia and Herzegovina

2011-11-28T23:30:00.000+01:00

You know I love doing thematic updates from time to time, esp. if I have a number of cards on a particular subject...and im not sure why i picked food this time, but I do have a soft spot for delicious foodstuffs, even though I try to stay on the healthy eating side

first comes a dish im absolutely familiar with since it is very popular here....Kebabs with onion and this flat type of bread called 'lepinja'. Not really the healthiest of meals but absolutely delicious! Of course, if you get the right kebabs...not all of them are good. First of all, depending on the country....the ones on the card are just like the ones we have here....but for example, Ive tried kebabs in Bulgaria...and sorry, but it had nothing to do with the deliciousness of ours. And even in Skopje for example, not all places make good kebabs....the most famous place, which is simply the first association to kebabs and is even like a trade mark, is the place called Destan...the kebabs there just have this particular taste, unlike other kebab-restaurants...there are a few in the city, but the most charming and authentic is the one in the Old Bazaar....ever since ive been little, this has been the best place to eat kebabs...the usual order is a "Ten with onions" though of course, you can order less or more, as many as you like..

Since I havent tried the Bosnian kebabs, though im pretty sure they are as good as ours (after all, we have a lot of contact points, since our country has been widely influenced by the Ottoman cuisine...), ill post a few pics of the Destan's restaurant in the Old Bazaar...and if you ever come here, this is a MUST!! Im serious, a MUST!!!

The place is small and far from fancy, but it is cozy and the atmosphere goes perfectly with this type of food

and a glimpse over the plate.....makes me hungry at an instant!

courtesy of the photo: http://volanskopje.blogspot.com/

Sabina is the one who surprised me with this card, and she had made an EXCELLENT choice! The stamp she used is from 1999, commemorating the 105 years of the meteorological observatory on the Bjelašnica mountain.

Pikakala, Finland

2011-11-28T22:19:00.001+01:00

next we have a Finnish delicacy

this is called Pikakala and is considered as a typical fish dish that includes salmon medallions garnished with dill and served with mushroom stew and potatoes.

definitely looks delicious to me, plus it is a light meal, and probably easily prepared.

there is a recipe on the backside about a trout file...but it is in Finnish unfortunately, so I am not able to share it with you...

there are two stamps on the card....the left one is from a set of 4 of those oddly shaped imperforated stamps, this one representing water, while the other one was issued this year in a set of 5 'mailboxes' stamp. Really lovely!! This is a 2nd class stamp. Here, we have no such division of 1st and 2nd class stamps....

Irish Breakfast, Ireland

2011-11-28T22:18:00.001+01:00

Here comes something, which if you are in Ireland, is something you will supposedly get for breakfast......hmmmm???

im having my doubts about this one....for lunch or dinner maybe....but breakfast??? you really eat this for breakfast?? Odd, in the least hand! Oysters are such a tough food, even if not eaten for breakfast you may feel sick at the stomach....and in combination with dark beer (the stout), i really wonder how your day is gonna be :P

The back of the card says (something that has absolutely nothing to do with the front): The unique beauty of Ireland's landscape and its rich historic, literary and artistic associations have long made it a favourite resort for tourists. Encompassing a wealth of natural beauty within its modest dimensions, Ireland boasts a landscape which is as much diverse as it is gratifying. The scenic grandeur is set off by Ireland's position. Standing in the path of both the prevailing westerly winds of the Atlantic and the warming currents of the Gulf Stream, Ireland enjoys an equable climate which gives the country its unique fresh appearance.

Speaking of breakfasts, here is a link with a variety of those throughout the world...some are awesome, some id never eat...and some...I just dont know how people can consider as breakfast??

Breakfasts from around the world

The Irish breakfast presented here is rather different, so nowadays you can just trust no one :)

My tops: Spain, Hawaii, Portugal, Italy, Wales, France, Russia, Pakistan. Btw, Pakistan says to be using Ghee...which I would recommend as a butter substitute in your cooking.

The stamp is from a set of 8 animals' automat labels issued in 2010, with this one showing a Sea slug

Belgium Specialty, Belgium

2011-11-28T22:16:00.001+01:00

well, my first association to Belgium when it comes to food is chocolate....but here we have some real food to show :)

this is what the Belgians call a national meal: beer, french fries and mussels. Uhmmm..ok, not really my type...first, coz i dont like beer...second, im not so fond of mussels...and third, I actually prefer baked or boiled potatoes to the french fries....just too much oil in it and not really nutritional values. (Sometimes I think im annoying people regarding food and what's healthy and whats not and all the labels' checking of products...). Just yesterday, I put back this cat-food on the shelf coz it simply contained too many food colourings...some considered really hazardous...

however, garlic and onion... I love adding them to my meals, esp garlic in raw form....one of the best antiseptics you could get and help your immunity during the cold winter days.

The stamp is from a set of 3 issued this year, showing the House of Erasmus. A really nice one!

Dim Sum, Hong Kong

2011-11-28T22:15:00.001+01:00

as for my last delicacy today, I picked a Hong Kong card...with a bunch of different foodstuffs....some look sooo yummy, even though I have no idea what they are.

the Dim Sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Dim sum is also well known for the unique way it is sometimes served in some restaurants, where fully cooked and ready-to-serve dim sum dishes would be pushed around on steam carts by servers who go around the restaurant offering the dishes to customers and marking orders on a card on each customer's table.

I like that tradition of the Chinese cuisine, eating small portions of food....at the Chinese restaurants here, you are given nothing but a small portion...I guess they've adjusted it to the Macedonian standards :)

the traditional dim sum includes various types of steamed buns and rice noodle rolls which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options. Dim sum can be cooked by steaming and frying, among other methods.

well, i think this card is really convenient if you are in China or Hong Kong....just take it with you to the restaurant, and even if you dont know a single word of Chinese, you just point to the meal you'd love to have and voila! :)

the stamp is from the set of 16 definitives issued in 2006 representing birds...this cutie is the Red-whiskered Bulbul.The card was sent from Licia, whom I havent heard from for a long while...in case she reads this, thanks so much again for the great card, and I hope she is doing ok! So....hungry anyone? :)

Belize

2011-11-23T22:32:00.000+01:00

well, here comes another small update, on a foggy Wednesday evening....we've been having fog for days now and doesnt look nice at all...

so, "torn" between work and writing the delayed postcards, ill squeeze in some postcards here too...as I say, my keyboard is aching to write about them :)
and the first comes as an amazing surprise from my dear Sissel, who ticks off another of my missing countries with this lovely MAP card from Belize!! Dont wanna brag, but she actually sent me a few more Belize cards..:D

this one here is such a perfect addition to my map card collection!! The back of the card says, Belize: 8,866 square miles packed with adventure!

And it is just soo green! It is said that over 60% of Belize's land surface is covered by forest while some 20% of the country's land is covered by cultivated land (agriculture) and human settlements. Its biodiversity – both marine and terrestrial – is rich, with abundant flora and fauna and the country a leader where it comes to protecting its biodiversity and natural resources.

*thumbs up* for Belize....if only more countries had followed this principe.....

and now, look at the lovely stamps here!! the top left one is a definitive issued in 2009 (it also appears in the set of 12 definitives issued in 2005) from which the other two stamps come from.

thanks so much again Sissel!! What would i do without you!

Taklamakan Desert, China

2011-11-23T22:31:00.000+01:00

my next card is a great official I received from China....

CN-410694

The card shows camels in the Taklamakan Desert, which is situated in the northwest of China, in the XinJian region.

The vastness of deserts has always amazed me....as well as the fear of 'would i be able to find my way if i ever get lost in one'. It is a public secret that i am terrible in orienteering myself..even with a map and buildings around which serve as key points..you know that saying "Why men don't listen and women can't read maps?"...well it is perfectly applicable to me, so if you let me lead you somewhere which is not my hometown, make sure, you're gonna get lost...so it's up to you to take the risk :)

now, looking at this map and the journey on it, reminds me of something i watched not so long ago, about a group of Chinese students going to school and the road they take in order to get there....you don't need to understand Chinese in order to understand the video....and after you watch it, maybe next time you complain your way to school/work is difficult, think about the kids here....and if you had ever actually had to endure something even close to this to get to where you had set off....and lest not forget, it is children we are talking about here

there are four great stamps on the card...ok, the right one is already preprinted, matching the postcard. as for the other three..the one next to it was issued in 1993 in a set of two camels' stamps. The birds are definitives from a set of 3 issued in 2002, while the last stamp was issued in 1998 and is a joint issue with Switzerland

White Pass & Yukon Route, USA

2011-11-23T22:27:00.000+01:00

next come two awesome train cards from my beloved Alaska! Both show the White Pass and the Yukon Route, so im posting both.

The White Pass & Yukon Route Railway boards passengers in Skagway near their cruise ship. This narrow gauge railroad built in 1898-1900 during the Klondike Gold Rush is one of Alaska's premier attractions.

The beautiful Sawtooh Mountain Range provides a perfect backdrop for this train.

the view is just amazing....and gets me "another train ride i must go to" on my list...there are getting just too many :)

the first card has two stamps, one with the Indianapolis, commemorating the 100 years of racing, was issued this year, while the cute dolphin stamp is from 2009.

the second card bears 3 copies of the Owney, the Postal dog stamp, issued this year, plus bearing a First Day of Issue cancellation!!

thanks so much to A.W for these lovely cards!!

Paiwan tribe, Taiwan

2011-11-23T22:25:00.000+01:00

as for my last card today, I chose another fantastic official i received just recently, showing a woman from the Paiwan Tribe, which are an aboriginal tribe of Taiwan, and are considered to be the third largest tribal-group.

TW-378991

Im not sure when exactly I fell for cards like this, but it must have been something with the indigenous people in Asia which got me so interested in cards like this.

Unlike other tribes in Taiwan, Paiwan society is divided into classes with a hereditary aristocracy. The Paiwan are not allowed to marry outside their tribe. On the day of their "five-yearly rite," "all marriage-seeking Paiwan men try to cut down as many trees as possible and offer the firewood thus procured to the family of the girl they want to woo.

ha ha, charming indeed :)

the stamp is from a set of four flowers' stamps issued in 2009.

till next time... :)

Bender Fortress, Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic

2011-11-19T23:08:00.000+01:00

well, of course, again 10 dates with no updates...lots of cards and messages to be sent piled up...blame it all on work this time...such a hectic week, that i just couldnt get enough sleep today....but it is good to be able to finally relax a bit and write cards and not worry if im about to break through a deadline within few hours...pheww, that's just too stressful =[

anyways, i received a LOT of awesome mail in the meantime, among which is this fantastic surprise that arrived from Bender, a city in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, or maybe more known to people as Transnistria....oh yeah!! :D

this gem was sent by Herbert from Spain, who had travelled around Eastern Europe and the Middle East and decided to surprise me with some stuff missing in my collection! And you dont really get the chance for someone from here to send you a card, so im more than thankful to him!!

Funny though, when the card arrived i didnt really know who sent it, just made a wrong assumption and in the end even got paranoid, coz of the way my address was written (it was the correct address, but not the way i give it out to people, so I just panicked how could someone know this way of writing it!!) Thank God Herbert messaged me just after that, and the jig-saw fell in place :)

Now, a few words about what's on the card....it shows the Bender Fortress in the city of Bender. The fortress was first built during the reign of Stephen III, to defend the settlement from Tatar raids and later, following the Ottoman occupation, the initial fortifications were developed into a full fortress, and the Ottomans used it to keep the pressure on Moldavia.the issue of Transnistria is a fragile one, as all issues with unrecognized territories/nations are, so i wont be going into details. Just in short words, Transnistria (or Pridnestrovie) is an an unrecognized state which claims the territory to the east of the river Dniester, the city of Bender and its surrounding localities located on the west bank. It declared its independence in 1990, after which (and especially after the War of Transnistria in 1992, it is governed as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Of course, Moldova obeys to this...

since it is an unrecognized territory, it doesnt have its own stamps, but uses the Moldovan ones...however, the cancellation clearly says 'Tiraspol, which is the capital of Transnistria, and that's what matters, that the card has indeed been sent from Transnistria :D
as for the stamp, it is from a set of 2 stamps issued in 2009, called Winter celebrations.

thank you so much again for the kindness and the thought Herbert!!!

Lesnovski Manastir, Macedonia

2011-11-19T21:30:00.001+01:00

To my horror, i realized that it's been a shamefully long time since I had posted a Macedonian card here....shame shame shame shame on me!!!

So to fix that mistake, i picked this card that Dani sent me a few months ago, showing the Monastery of St. Gavrilo Lesnovski, located in the vicinity of the city of Probištip (in the eastern part of Macedonia)

And this is one of the place that I had the chance to visit something like two years ago, and absolutely loved it!!
Not only the monastery, but its surroundings are amazing! As you go up the road, there is this space with rocks, it even reminds you of an observatory coz of the way the rocks and stones are set. Anyways, we stopped there and I think I could have stayed there like forever....just sitting on the rock, enjoying the wind and the sun, and the endless view in front of me (the altitude is rather high, so you feel like you hold the world at your hands...really really beautiful and just so tranquil!)
The origin of the monastery is related to the life of Gavril Lesnovski, for whom a number of hagiographies exist according to which the monastery had existed when he lived, where he became a monk. The monastery is first mentioned in some writings from 1330, and reconstructed later by by the ruler Oliver 1st.Some of these things this monastery is famous for are for housing one out of three iconostases made by the famous Macedonian woodcarvers Frckovski and the Filipovski brothers. (The other two are found in the church of St Spas in Skopje and in the monastery St Jovan Bigorski in the Mavrovo National Park - I think ive sent to some of you postcards of the latter - if not and youd like one, let me know). The other thing it is famous for its manuscript-writing school and also for being considered as the centre of the Christianity in this part of the country.Apart from the monastery, if you ever come here, i strongly recommend visiting its surroundings, including the Cave church, the millstone caves and the eco-paths. Im SURE you're gonna love it!!! Not to mention what the fresh air is gonna do to you :)

Dani used a definitive stamp from a set of 12 issued in 2010 showing cities in Macedonia, and this one shows the city of Probištip indeed...how convenient!! I have another card Dani sent me, showing the city itself, but ill show it to you some other time!

xie xie Dani!!

The Subway, USA

2011-11-19T21:28:00.001+01:00

I once posted a card from the Zion National Park. But this one is a must-see....it is just sooo beautiful!! I dont know if it's coz of the blue-predominant colour, but i totally adore this card!!

this is what the back of the card says:
Excavated by the Virgin River eons ago, Zion Canyon is a deep cavern in the earth showcasing fantastic rock formations in concert with water in motion. The Subway is a powerful example of this theme.The Subway is so named for its tube-like, undercut slot canyons. This segment of canyon is less than a quarter-mile in length, but long approach and exit hikes are necessary for access.

Tina always sends such great cards for her RR groups!! Thank you so much Tina!

the stamp shows the famous Grand Teton...but the cancellation is just fantastic!!

Babele, Romania

2011-11-19T21:27:00.001+01:00

last for today we move to Romania and a great card sent by Danut

the card shows the Babele (or the old women), which is a formation of rocks in the Bucegi Mountains with a particular form caused by erosion and varying hardness of rock layers.

They seem so impressive! Esp in a snow scene like this! No wonder the series of the postcard is called "Unique places in Romania", and is considered as one of the countries seven natural wonders.

the stamp is from a set of four stamps issued in 2007, from the Romanian Pottery sets, showing pots and cups. This is a pot handcrafted in Transylvania.

Thank you so much Danut!! And to everyone for reading!

now back down to the messages-sending.....

Bulgaria

2011-11-08T20:52:00.005+01:00

well, ive been out of the blogosphere for like over two weeks (hope you missed me :P)

reasons for the absence, several...mainly work-overload...and the bad fever i got over a week ago, and which is still lingering with me...i mean, im not feeling dead-beat as i used to, but i still dont feel well...i cant really explain it, but in general, i feel a bit crappy

well, of course, work piled up...partly my fault, i shouldnt accept assignments whenever and wherever but i always realize that too late...anyways, one of the two im currently working on is one of the most illiterate English texts ive seen...syntax? grammar? word order??? what is that? Even google translate provides better stuff! I got so annoyed with it that i just had to put it on hold, even though the deadline is Thursday plus another 80 pages (of normal English thank God) for next Wednesday...and time is running out...but i just really got fed up and...the thought of postcards brightened me up..so here i am :D

well, i had already picked today's cards time ago, so will post them today, and hopefully, wont take too long till next update...coz my postcard boxes are getting fuller and fuller....and something should be done about it...esp since 2012 is about to come, meaning new box for those postcards, and my room being one huge mess.

ok, enough chatting....

First ill start today with two great Bulgarian map cards.

BG-10008

the first one arrived as an official (yay, my first official from Bulgaria) and the map card represents Bulgarian national costumes. I had enlarged the card for you to see better, coz the national costumes have numbers assigned according to the region, so in case you are interested, this is how they go:

1. Sofia region
2. North-Western region
3. The Middle Danube Plain
4. North-eastern Region
5. Thracian Lowland
6. South-eastern Region
7. Eastern Region
8. South-western region
9. Rodopi District

Cant pick a favourite....but number 7 really cracks me up coz of all that variety of colours and patterns :)))

the second map card is fantastic in shape, and is rather big too...this one represents the Bulgarian cities with some more significant sites of the regions. Yana, the sender, even wrote to me in Macedonian and told me that I will never get lost now in Bulgaria, coz i have a map...really sweet :)

Well, i havent been to Bulgaria for years...last time i did was at the Uni when with two other colleagues we went to Sofia..ha ha, that was one trip of a kind...but we would have had less reasons to laugh at nowadays if it wasnt for that trip.
Unlike many Macedonians, ive never spent my summer holidays in Bulgaria...for the Macedonians it is convenient since it is not far, and is cheap....but personally ive never been attracted to it...and not to get misunderstood...i have nothing against it, just that for me, the Adriatic Sea is irreplaceable, as well as the smell of pines along the Croatian coast....ok, the Mediterranean Sea in Valencia was fantastic too, but Adriatic remains number one for me (until I maybe get the chance to taste the ocean...)

and Yana picked great stamps too!! The train stamp is from a set of two stamps issued in 2008, commemorating the 120 years of Orient Express. The other is from a set of four butterflies' stamps issued in 2004.

The Hill of Crosses, Lithuania

2011-11-08T20:52:00.004+01:00

an amazing card sent to me by dear Inga

At first glance, it may not seem unusual, but if you take a better look, it gives you shivers!

This is the Hill of the Cross near the town of Šiauliai, where people freely erect crosses when they wish to thank God for some favours or to ask something from him.

Apart from crosses, here you can find giant crucifixes, statues and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries.
The exact number of crosses is unknown, but the estimates say there were around 100,000 in 2006.

Wow!

Pilisvörösvár, Hungary

2011-11-08T20:52:00.003+01:00

next card was sent by Peter , showing his hometown of Pilisvörösvár.

Pilisvörösvár is a small city in the Pest County, and here you can see several sites in the city, but unfortunately, i dont know what they are, nor i can give you more info about the place in general....google is really mean sometimes =[

but there are plenty of amazing stamps on the back! the stamp on the very right is from a set of four stamps issued in 2006 commemorating the Centenary of the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts. The one next to it is from a set of 4 definitives issued in 2001, representing chairs (Hungary seems to have a lot of chairs on the definitives). The big stamp next to it is from a set of 7, representing Dutch paintings, with this one showing Antonis van Dyck. The last stamp is from a set of 3 Poets' stamps issued in 1955, with this one representing Mihály Csokonai Vitéz.wow, such a variety of stamps!! I wish I could buy such old stamps here too!! though, on the other hand, Macedonia has been issuing its own stamps for like 20 years, so it is not like i can go back in time that much.thanks a lot Peter!!

Red Barn, USA

2011-11-08T20:52:00.002+01:00

the last card for today shows a nice tranquil snowy view....speaking of which, the weather forecasts say it is going to snow on Friday...uhmm, i dont know if I should be looking forward to it or what...

US-1258126

the card arrived from Eddie, whom I had previously met in some of the forum sections...it is always cool to receive or send a card to people you already sort of know :)

anyways, this card shows the Red Barn, and as Eddie says, these are like a part of the landscape in Connecticut and all of New England. Once you see something like this, you know you are at home.

How cool!! Which makes me wonder, what is it so special to tell me *I* am at home

Eddie used 3 nice stamps. First is the adorable Owney the postal dog stamp issued this year from the FOREVER series. Next to it is another stamp from this year, from a set of four scientists' stamps. This one shows Melvin Calvin, a chemist. And of course, one of the trade marks of the US cards, the clock stamp :)

btw, postcards feel like a therapy indeed....just in case you didnt know ;-)

till next time....

Doha, Qatar

2011-10-25T22:33:00.000+02:00

Well, I planned to make an update yesterday since I had a day off due to a National Holiday, meaning, an extended weekend...but I just got carried away with a bunch of other stuff...so here we are today, with a mix of old and new stuff...first comes the 'old' or more precisely a card I received in 2009...

my second written and stamped card from Qatar here, which to my wild guess, shows a scene in Doha...it just seems logical to me, for this to be Doha, without any intention to look down on any other city or place in Qatar...
the card shows an offshore drilling platform, which i guess is quite common here since Qatar is an oil producing country

did you know that just last week the Emir of Qatar was here for a visit? Yeah, it was quite the news, except that I didnt get the chance to see him...neither his son....neither at one moment i had the impression a guest of such rank was here....Im just really curious to know his impressions from here...I know he had visited the Old Bazaar (my absolutely favourite place in Skopje) and since the place has been in general influenced by the Ottoman architecture, and has a lot of mosques and hammams, he might have felt like home....

on the side note, if you ever come here, the Old Bazaar is a must....if not, im gonna drag you there :)

the stamp is from a set of 20 insects' stamps issued in 1998. Again, under the address, it said 'via Itay' (I guess they meant 'Italy', though i dont know why via Italy? and it was added additionally by a postal worker, not the sender...

Colmar, France

2011-10-25T22:32:00.000+02:00

for a looooooooooooong while i was in platonic love with this scene...until recently, when it arrived in my mailbox...so now we have made a step forward in our relationship...

seriously, this is one of the LOVELIEST views ive seen! this scene from the old town in Colmar just screams with happiness and positive energy and love! I would LOVE to live here...probably in the blue building if possible :) But just look at it...who would have thought that something like this is not just a fairy-tale neighbourhood, but something that really exists! It so great to sit here, with a cup of tea or coffee and just gaze at the beauty, with the sun rays tickling...and i just also love the windows-style...and the curtains....and the flowers...and the street light....just so dangerously charming!

the back of the card says 'Alsace, a region of unspoiled countryside and traditions, offers a wide variety of scenery and places to visit. It is rich in historical and cultural perspectives and has an exceptional rich heritage in cuisine'.

the stamp was issued this year with regards to the G20-G8 Summit

Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine

2011-10-25T22:27:00.000+02:00

Ukrainian cards are often really beautiful...and often cause me trouble with what's on the picture...as now...

so, if im not mistaken, this is the wooden church at the ethnographic museum in Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi. it looks interesting, and actually i keep seeing it as caped with snow and not that actually the 'roof' is white..

if you can see it, there is also a black circle in the middle...I dont know if they stamped the card on the front side too, or this is a mark from the card or letter below/in front of this one...

funny though, while browsing the net, I learned that this city is a sister city to the Macedonian town of Коčani....small world, isn't it? :)

a few nice stamps...the first one is a definitive from a set of 18 flowers issued in 2006 ....the one in the middle is another definitive from a set of 13 issued in 2008, while the last one is from 2009 set of two stamps commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Birth of Mykola Hohol (1809-1852)....behind this actually hides Nikolai Gogol, and this stamp portrays the Night Before Christmas, the first story in the second volume of the collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka. Simply an AWESOME stamp!

New Jersey, USA

2011-10-25T22:23:00.001+02:00

well, ill close today with a New Jersey map...I have another one here. Can someone tell me how many different map cards publishers are there in the US? coz there are so many different series, it is hard to keep track :)

well, i wont be talking about NJ again...i actually wanted to share something else with you that I came across today...not that I couldnt share it with you with some other card, but since it was NJ involved in the story, i thought it would be the most appropriate to post it along today

a short but lovely and touching story in a way

I just absolutely love it!!! Usually i read stories how dads help their sons or give them their wisdom and unconditional love....i rarely, come across things being the other way round...hence i so much appreciate it.
Hope it got you thinking, at least for a moment...

apart from the clock stamp, there are two other nice ones here from a set of 4 Cowboys of the Silver Screen stamps, issued in 2010.

Saludos!

Antigua

2011-10-20T23:57:00.000+02:00

My tongue fell out the other day when I found this gem of a card in my mailbox...not only it is a map card (and seems it's been a while since ive posted a map card here), but look the country it is coming from!!

a fantastic surprise (one of a dozen Ive received in the past week or so) from my dear Sissel....who has been visiting some awesome places lately and always drops me a card or a few in the mail...and since my postman sometimes loves to bring me all at once, I end up having a small Christmas in the mid-October :)

Here is what the back of the card says: The larger island of the nation of Antigua and Barbuda, Antigua boasts 365 beautiful beaches, one for each day of the year (** I got a deja vu here and I wonder who is the copy cat....is it Antigua who had copied from us about the 365 churches of Ohrid, one for each day of the year, or vice-versa?)
It lies roughly 17 degrees north of the equator in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean. It is about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide. The capital is St. John's.

At the bottom left you can see the Old Road, of which I had already written once...so now you have a better idea where it is exactly :)

and the most important part of this is, that it comes written and stamped, which makes it my first written and stamped card from Antigua! Wohoo...one more down! Though with all the new countries being born, I always seem to be holding around the status quo...

the middle stamp is from a set of 13 flora definitives, with this one depicting a coconut (mhm mhmm mhhm), while the birds' stamps are from another set of 15 definitives, issued in 1995

thank you sooo soo sooooooooooo much dear Sissel!! Thank you!!!!!!

Semmeringbahn, Austria

2011-10-20T23:56:00.000+02:00

next comes a lovely train card I received as an official earlier this year.

AT-69102

It presents the Semmeringbahn, which is also a UNESCO whs.The Semmering Railway represents an outstanding technological solution to a major physical problem in the construction of early railways. The railway, built over 41 km of high mountains between 1848 and 1854, is one of the greatest feats of civil engineering from this pioneering phase of railway building. The high standard of the tunnels, viaducts and other works has ensured the continuous use of the line to the present day. Furthermore, with its construction, areas of great natural beauty became more easily accessible and as a result these were developed for residential and recreational use, creating a new form of cultural landscape.

well, you know pictures are better than words....so ill let you enjoy

i just wish the music was different...i find the one used here rather annoying...for me, doesnt really fit into the atmosphere...

the stamp is from the 2010 EUROPA series of Children's books.

Haceta Head, USA

2011-10-20T23:54:00.000+02:00

next is an amazing lighthouse card sent by Geoff

the card shows the Haceta Head lighthouse, which is located 12 miles north of Florence on Oregon's picturesque central coast. The lighthouse was completed in 1894 after two years of construction. Made from local and imported materials, this lighthouse was built to withstand the harsh storms of this remarkable region.

Remarkable view for a remarkable region! I love the lights and colours!

...and the stamps too! Apart from the clock stamp, there are two other 44c stamps, coming from a sheet of 10 birds stamps, from the Hawaiian Rain Forest. The sheet itself is fantastic!

Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland

2011-10-20T23:53:00.000+02:00

Ive already posted about Auschwitz, but I wanted to show this card too, since it comes from my favourites

i dont know why, cards from places like this induce some mixed emotions....maybe due to such deeply-buried mysteriousness is why i find such cards so appealing...i mean, im not a freak or anything who is fascinated by death and concentration camps...I just find such places so surreal and can never really know what actually happened...coz the media and all the other sources will serve you different sides of the story...which one you end up believing in, is totally up to you...

Might be coz of the rails why I also really love this card :)

the stamp was issued in 2009, commemorating the World Postal Day

Mariefred, Sweden

2011-10-20T23:52:00.001+02:00

ok, one more train card for today...sorry :)

this one came as a surprise by dear Susan who visited Sweden this summer.

The card shows the train station in Marifred, and the focus here is the Lessebo, a Mallet locally built in 1891 following the design of the original Mallets built by Decauville for the Great Exhibition in Paris in 1889, whose system had a major influence on the development of Sweden’s 600mm gauge railways. Engines of this design were used around the Eiffel Tower during the Paris exhibition of 1889. By the early years of the twentieth century the shortcomings of the design had become apparent and most of them were replaced by more modern machines built in the country. “Lessebo” led a charmed life, continuing to serve the Kosta Lessebo Järnväg (on the card), its original railway, until the line closed in 1948

the stamp is from a self-adhesive booklet of 5 stamps issued this year, representing Industrial Environments.

thank you sooo much Susi for the lovely card and for thinking of me in the first place!

until next time, and more great cards :)

North Korea

2011-10-13T23:51:00.000+02:00

well, i didnt quite plan to make an update today, but sometimes some things happen, and after your postman ignoring you, you just receive such mail, that you remain speechless and then burst in excitement....and you just cant sit still...so in order to sleep better (and have the caffeine evaporate too), ill give you a few cards....starting with one which arrived today...to my greatest surprise....not more not less, but North Korea!!! The country on my top 5 places to visit (if I ever get the chance to) One of the most fascinating and most intriguing countries to me, yet so mysterious....so one of the reasons why i would love to visit it is to see what is all the fuss about it...

well, i cant possibly understand what's written here, but would I be wrong if I relate this image to 'revolution'...or 'uprising'....or 'truce'?? If anyone could help me with the translation or maybe an explanation of whats really behind this image, id be really grateful :)

this is such a gem in my collection, that I have no idea how to store it...as clumsy as I am, it would be soaked in coffee....so once done with this update, i need to put it safe and sound, below other cards...keep it as treasure...if you're wondering why im so much dreading it...take a look below!

oh yes!! North Korean stamps!! Pyongyang cancellation....coz this card was INDEED mailed from North Korea itself!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Im still shocked honestly and find it hard to believe that I got a written and stamped card from THE Korea!
Thanks so much to Jean-Luc for this magnificent surprise! Not being on the initial list, I didnt really expect a card at all...so thats why im so thrilled and happy and thankful about this! Yay yay yayy!! Wohoooo!!! And it has taken exactly a month to reach me, which i must say is a decent time for travelling...actually, it is more than decent it had arrived in the first place! I just wonder if the NK Government has me on some list now after seeing my name here :)

two different stamps have been used on the card...both are definitives from a set of 12 issued in 2002.

well, this has been a real treat! and watch your mailbox! who knows, you might be one of the lucky ones as well :)

thank you soooooooooooooooooooo much Jean-Luc! I owe you a BIG one on this!

Estonia

2011-10-13T23:46:00.000+02:00

well, after North Korea, we are moving to Estonia. I was browsing my cards and realized I have 3 from the same set, all received in 2009 as well...so I thought it would be appropriate to post them all.
they all show different Estonian counties, with some particular traditional clothes for that county, as well as a map and some landmarks...pretty neat!

first is a card showing Harjumaa, situated in northern Estonia, on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. The capital Tallinn is also in this county. The traditional clothes presented are of the Kuusalu Parish...and you can also see the Jägala waterfall and the Open-air museum in Viimsin.

the stamps are lovely too, corresponding to the traditional clothes moment. the left one is from a set of two costumes' stamps issued in 1995, while the other one was issued in 2001 in another set of two costumes stamps.
Thanks a lot to dear Janek for the card!

the second card here comes from two dear ladies, Katy and Kriszti from the time they met back in July, 2009...wow, it's been that long since?! Time is really freaking me out sometimes =/
They sent me a lovely card of the Läänemaa county, which is located in western Estonia and borders Baltic Sea to the north and is said to be with a long coastline, meadows, forests and bogs.
The traditional clothes on the card are ones of girl and boy of Lihula. You can also see the Episcopal castle in Haapsalu and at the bottom right corner...a train at a train station!!! LOVELY!!

the stamp was issued in 2009, depicting the Estonian flag.
Thank you so much to both of you!!!!

and the third card of the series, comes again from Janek and shows the Põlvamaa county which is situated in south-eastern part of the country.The card shows traditional clothes of a man and woman of Setumaa; the Taevaskoja Sandstone Cliff in Põlva; the Kiidjärve Water Mill in the Põlva County and the Piusa Caves.

some more lovely stamps here...the one on the left is from a set of 4 stamps issued in 1992 portraying the Baltic Sea, while the other two are from 2001 from a set of 8 fairy tales' stamps.
Thank you again Janek!!!

Los Angeles, USA

2011-10-13T23:45:00.000+02:00

ive always liked the image on this one...and I could never be 100% convinced if it is photoshopped or not...the sky I mean...

the back of the card says "The Griffith Park Observatory overlooks the sprawling glitter on the L.A. Skyline"

and it seems it has been featured in a BUNCH of famous movies and series, and most probably I had seen it but had no idea it was this observatory in question...just to list a few...Terminator, Charlie's Angels, Transforms, 24, Mission Impossible, Beverly Hills, Melrose Place, the Wonder Years, Star Trek....and so on and so forth....
In case you want to visit it, it is open 5 days a week, and in general free of charge, except for some shows for a minimal price at the planetarium

so, definitely a MUST see!

the card bears three nice stamps...the clock stamp comes first...in the middle is the 'celebrate' stamp from 2009, while next to it is the Bob Hope stamp, also from 2009.

This reminds me of some dark humour lately...it says "we had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash...now we have no Jobs, no Hope and no Cash"....ironic?

Ayvalik, Turkey

2011-10-13T23:42:00.000+02:00

I cant say im a collector of doors/windows cards, though ive seen some really nice ones out there...and I like this one too...

again coming from 2009...well, I was simply in the 2009 box....:)

this door is somewhere in Ayvalik which the sender says to mean 'quince garden'. It is a seaside town on the northwestern Aegean coast of Turkey.

well, quite different from the majority of Turkish cards I have...and my one and only from Ayvalik :)

the stamp is from a set of 16 definitives issued in 2005, showing provinces in Turkey. this is the Aydin province.

well, thanks for following and hope you have a great weekend ahead! :)

Maputo, Mozambique

2011-10-08T13:57:00.003+02:00

It is an awfully cold and rainy day today...temperatures drastically dropped over night...weather changed...and rather ruined my plan to go to the PO (and I have bunch of pending mail ....)
well, weather like this calls for staying at home....so before I get down to cleaning, and do stuff for work (yeah, even though it is the weekend), ill show you some cards.

And I like making thematic updates every now and then (depending on the cards I have available, and if I realize I could do it in the first place).
For today I decided to show you some lovely markets....a really great way to take an insight into a country's way of living...

and Ill start with the central market in downtown Maputo, Mozambique's capital and its largest city as well.
The stands remind me of the markets we have here, though this one displays much more exotic fruits, plus believe it or not, it is cleaner!
This market is a hub of activity selling all kinds of goods, from handicrafts, basketware and carvings, to fruit and vegetables, a variety of seafood and many household items needed for everyday use.
Similar to the markets here, where apart from fruits and vegetables, you can buy a plethora of other stuff including clothes, shoes, gadgets, cosmetics, tools....

If i ever get the chance to visit Maputo, this market would definitely be somewhere high on the list.

Thanks a lot to Goran who had arranged for this lovely card to be sent to me (along with another card and a lovely cover :))

Germany

2011-10-08T13:57:00.002+02:00

next i have some market cards from Germany

DE-935373

The first card came as an official and shows a man selling potatoes. The sender says that this scene is typical in summers and autumns near highways, where people sell potatoes and apples and sometimes blueberries, strawberries and honey.
I absolutely love this card! We have such 'markets' here too, where people sell also potatoes and tomatoes, onion, watermelons etc. And i actually admire when, esp. old people, spend all day long at their improvised stands, waiting for customers...doesnt matter if it is cold or hot, rainy or sunny...they sell their goods, and often it is like their main source of income....so i do like to support these people, and if i have the chance, buy something from them instead at the local super/hyper market...these street vendors often sell fresher and much more natural goods than compared to the store bought ones...

the stamp was issued in 2009 and portrays the Leipzig Universtiy...

now off to Nürnberg...

I bought a BUNCH of cards when I visited the city back in 2009...and a number of them show the Christmas Market...

we had a really bad timing, coz the week we went there was when they were setting up the place, and it was supposed to open the week after....really a pity, coz from the cards, im SURE I would have enjoyed it and that the atmosphere was AMAZING!

we only had the chance to see a few stands selling some Christmas goods, with vendors dressed in some Christmas-alike clothes....but of course, it is not even near to what the actual market would offer...where there would probably be some nice cinnamon cookies...I LOVE cinnamon cookies...they are so tasty, and they do feel perfect for cold winter days, with or without tea...

The market is in the middle of the city, on the Nürnberg Market Square, and it opens its 'doors' at 5.30 p.m. on the Friday before the first Advent Sunday. Usually, the market has more than 2 million visitors

there are about 180 wooden stalls, festooned with red-and-white cloth, which have given the Christmas Market its name of "Little Town from Wood and Cloth".

well, in general all the cards here are more or less the same, just maybe showing the market from different angles, and the cards' colours are somewhat different :)

Market Day, Malaysia

2011-10-08T13:57:00.001+02:00

next is another official, this time coming from Malaysia...

MY-57478

the card is called 'Market Day - Malaysian Style'.
such a great variety of products....and organized in such a nice way, that you could just enjoy your time by walking around, satisfying your visual and smelling senses....having difficulties in deciding what to actually buy ...an absolutely stunning place for me!

and a fantastic matching stamp...with a lovely cancellation too! these two se-tenant stamps are a part of 8 issued in 2010, showing local markets. Here on these two, you can see the Pasar Siti Khadijah in Kelantan.
The cancellation corresponds to the stamp and actually shows the date when this set was issued! Im pretty amazed that the sender could have done this, since I got this card this year, not in 2010. And it is frustrating that such cancellations are not really available here :(

Spain

2011-10-08T13:57:00.000+02:00

and as a last post, some Spanish markets!as most of you know, I went to Spain this summer....and I actually wanted to make an update only Spain-related, regarding each place ive seen, but ive realized it's gonna be way too time consuming, and an endless post, so I would go step by step, and talk about it through the Spanish posts here in the future.

Our first stop in Spain was Barcelona...the lovely Barcelona, with which I fell in love with, and i could definitely live there!
Now Barcelona is all in the name of Gaudi, but also has dozen of other things to offer, among which is the La Boqueria Market on La Rambla....this must have been one of the MOST FANTASTIC markets ive seen in my life!! So captivating! The colours of the market are amazing, esp. at the fruit stalls or ones offering fruit drinks! The colours of these are soooooooo vivid and arranged in such a way that it captures you at an instant! You feel like a small child at the greatest toy store and you just dont know where to look first!
The nuts, sweets and spices sections are a story for themselves as well.

Here I would like to share with you a few of the pictures Ive taken there...

yum-yum-yummie!!!

if you notice, the name Macedonia is hanging in there...for 2 euros :)

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

i dont think ive seen such colourful peppers at one place :)

well, Valencia was our last stop....another place I fell for...must be something coz of the Mediterranean Sea :)
Valencia has its central market as well, which we unfortunately didnt get the chance to see , but at least i have this lovely postcard from there

on the overall, I didnt really bring many cards from Spain...or at least not as many as i expected to...but they are good enough to tell the stories of what I have and have not seen :)

have a great, and not such a cold and rainy weekend!

Arinsal, Andorra

2011-10-04T21:07:00.002+02:00

It's been a rather crazy and overloaded start of the week...and apart from hugging my cats, another way to relieve all that stress is post some cards, of course :)

well, my first card for today came as a surprise last week from JP (the generous fairy you've all heard about so far I think :)....my first written and stamped card from Andorra! I have several Andorra cards, but finally one sent from the country itself!!

The card shows the village of Arinsal, located at the head of a valley, close to the border with Spain. In summer is home to hikers and bikers, while in winter, the skiers take the floor.

the card is mailed using a stamp issued by the French Postal administration (bugger...this means ill have to add the Spanish one as well on my list now).
The stamp was issued this year in a set of two Flora stamps.

Thanks a lot JP, as always!

Poreč, Croatia

2011-10-04T21:07:00.001+02:00

ive posted a number of Croatian cards here, but not one from Poreč....so here it is...

I got this card from dear Rumi, back in 2009, when I more actively participated in RR's.
Well, despite the weather has been really nice here lately, sunny and not so warm...I do long for something like this...the sea (esp. the Adriatic one) is irreplaceable to me..and it is really helpful for the overall state of mind to relax by the sea for a few days...well, i relaxed by the Mediterranean this summer, for a day and a half...and even though it felt great, it just wasnt enough = /

Ive been trying to recall my visits to Croatia from when I was little, but I dont think ive ever been to Poreč actually...and now ive just read that the city has a UNESCO whs as well, the Euphrasian Basilica...i have to dig through my Croatian collection and see if i actually have this...though i think the answer is no, but I really have no idea anymore about what I have and what I dont...and I stared hard at this picture, but i didnt manage to spot the Basilica...well, had to try :)

im not sure how much you can see the label....it has withered away with time...just pity that the postal workers didnt bother much to use stamps....

thank you Rumi for the great card!

Double Falls, USA

2011-10-04T21:07:00.000+02:00

back in 2008 I received a bunch of Montana cards...and if im not mistaken, this is the last one of that batch...

....showing the Double Falls...or as the back of the card would say, inside the Glacier National Park are one of the many spectacular scenes that visitors might find when hiking the trails from the Logan Pass visitor centre on the Going to the Sun Highway (n.b: it is the only road through the heart of the Park)

ive said it before and ill say it again...Montana has some really fantastic places!.

Fyn, Denmark

2011-10-04T21:06:00.003+02:00

been a while since ive posted something Danish...no wonder I still have cards from Denmark from 2009...

this one shows some bits and pieces from the Danish island Fyn (or Funen in the English speaking world...), which is the third-largest island of Denmark and the 163rd largest island of the world. (ok, not really something to brag about...I mean, 163 is not even in the '100 best')
The main city is Odense (now, ive heard of it, but hadnt really known it belonged to an island..)
Now, the card also shows Tåsinge, an island south of Funen, then Svendborg - the second largest city on the island, then Fyns Hoved - the outer part of the peninsula Hindsholm, the cities of Fåborg and Nyborg and the Lillebaeltsbroen bridge

well, nice compliation...

a very cute Danish stamp coming from a set of 8 stamps issued in 2009, called "Plays in the snow". Just adorable!!!

well, hope you are having a nice week...I mean Wednesday is at the door, so the weekend should be here soon :P

Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross, Tristan da Cunha

2011-09-30T23:59:00.000+02:00

after a tiring day (or if we are to be more precise, after tiring several weeks), one of the coziest ways to rest is write cards....in real and post some here...plus, today, was a big day for me, coz I managed to survive a press conference...and I survived it pretty well...I dread the media...esp. when the majority of participants will rely on what YOU tell them (or in other words depend on your interpretation)...plus, it was the National Translators' Day today...so it really fit in well....and due to that, ive decided to give myself a treat here, and show you my second (out of the four) Tristan da Cunha cards i received last year...In case you want to recall the first one, here it is

Im really honoured to have such a rarity of cards..and such beautiful ones indeed! If the previous one showed Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, this one shows a lovely Yellow-nosed Albatross....or as the back of the card says: "known on Tristan as "Molly", this albatross is endemic to the Tristan group. Isnt he adorable????

The IUCN list this species as Endangered, with an occurrence range of 16,800,000 km2, and a breeding range of 80 km2. Efforts to help conserve this bird are underway. The largest threat is from longline fishing, as harvesting of chicks and adults has been outlawed. The Tristan da Cunha population is being remotely tracked and counted, and the South East Atlantic Fisheries Commission has passed a resolution that all fishing vessels use a tori line and drop lines at night

I truly hope the efforts will be efficient and this wont become one of the many extinct species in the world.

two lovely stamps on the card....with two great cancellations! The right one is from a set of four folklore stamps issued in 2009, while the other one is from a set of 12 birds issued in 2005, and it represents the Antarctic Tern.

Happy Translators' Day to everyone concerned by it!!! :)

Alki Point Lighthouse, USA

2011-09-30T23:58:00.000+02:00

this lovely lighthouse came as a surprise from dear Maggie, coz she saw it in my favourites!

Apart from being a lighthouse, i just love the whole picture here; the snowy mountain in the background and the sun reflection against it, compared to the white as snow lighthouse and the light glowing inside....I just LOVE the comparison here!!!

the back of the card says: "the Alki Lighthouse portrays the beauty of the Pacific Northwest"....I wonder how many lighthouses are actually there in the US and how is it possible to determine which one of them EXACTLY portrays the beauty of this or that coast....to me, they are all just outstanding!!!

Maggie used a se-tennant issue from 2010, representing the set of Negro Leagues Baseball, which pays tribute to the all–black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960.

Thank you so much again Maggie!!

Orlík nad Vltavou, Czech Republic

2011-09-30T23:55:00.000+02:00

a card I received back in 2008...huh, what a long time ago..

the card shows the Orlík Castle, near the Orlík nad Vltavou village (meaning, Orlík upon the river Vltava). The castle is surrounded by a huge castle park and a game preserve. It belongs to the house of Schwarzenberg, but normally during the summer it is open to public.

looks like a really lovely scene, and probably one of the most perfect views to greet you in the morning when you open your eyes and look out the window...

Traditional Zulu Kraal, South Africa

2011-09-30T23:50:00.000+02:00

well, just one more card for today (coz im dead beat)

this great card shows a typical village in the rural KwaZulu-Natal countryside where dancers rehearse for a tribal ceremony. KwaZulu-Natal prior to 1994

The Zulu term is umuzi and consists of two concentric palisades of thorn trunks. The huts are located inside the outer palisade and the cattle in the inner circle with a smaller enclosure there for the calves.

The kraal is usually built on a slight slope with the main entrance at the lower end. This enables rainwater to clean the cattle kraal, the ground dries quickly and any foe has to fight uphill. Small huts on poles act as storage huts or watchtowers.

The largest hut, opposite the entrance, is that of the chief's mother. The chief's hut is to the right, the first wife is to the right of the chief's mother, the second wife is to the left of the chief's hut, the third wife to the right of the first wife and so on.The unmarried girls live on the left of the entrance, the unmarried boys, to the right. The two elder sons also vet any visitors and man the entrance around the clock. Visitors are either rejected, expected to wait for an appropriate length of time or ushered in immediately depending on their relation to the family. Those that are allowed in experience the siyakuleka ikhaya display where the gatekeeper sings the praises of the chief. The function of gatekeeper is also very useful in another way in that he will assume the role of chief on his father's death and will be familiar with all those who visited his father and their treatment.

to be honest, i couldnt help but laugh at this kind of division...now i just need to memorize it :)

well, wishing you all a great weekend...and more relaxed than mine :)

till next time...

Australian Antarctic Territory

2011-09-25T11:56:00.001+02:00

it is just unfair how quickly weekends go by....I just dread at the THOUGHT of Monday =/
Plus for some reason(s) I have this surge of negative thoughts....so I thought it might help if i come here and get distracted for a while from all that.....

Im rather stunned at the maxi-cards that are circulating around from the AAT! They are just amazing and so breathtaking most of the times! On a side note, i dont know if ive told you, but ive grown really fond of collecting maxi-cards...they just feel so beautiful...too bad i cant respond by sending them as well =(
AAT is the largest territory of Antarctica, claimed by any nation....in this case, Australia, of course.

Regarding the postage stamps...it is Australia that has issued postage stamps for the AAT since 1957. All have been Antarctic themed, and are also valid for postage in Australia, so in practice they are just Australian stamps with a different inscription. So this in a way explains why these are commonly seen among the Australian traders.I was sort of in doubt if I should post this maxi-card, since just last time I posted an Australian one....but i decided to go for it, since it does fall as a separate item in the philatelic catalogues and this one in particular is from a set of 4 stamps issued this year, called Icebergs. The mini-sheets of all the AAT stamps are just jaw-dropping!

Taal Volcano and Lake, Philippines

2011-09-25T11:56:00.000+02:00

a lovely card from the Philippines!

the Taal Volcano is a complex volcano (a volcano with more than one feature) located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
Permanent settlement in the island has been prohibited by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or PHIVOLCS, declaring the whole Volcano Island as a high-risk area and a Permanent Danger Zone. But despite the warnings, poor families have settled on the island, risking their lives, earning a living by fishing and farming crops from the rich volcanic soil.
There have been 33 recorded eruptions at Taal since 1572.

Really ironic....such a beautiful place, yet so dangerous....

the bottom stamp is from a set of 9 definitives issued this year, showing marine life...while the one above is from 2010 from a set of 12, another 'marine life' definitive

Graubünden, Switzerland

2011-09-25T11:55:00.003+02:00

A card which came as a great surprise from dear Caroline, since it is an official card!! Always so excited to receive officials from people I know :)

CH-87339

And she has chosen such a beautiful and perfect card for me!Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland and this is Matterhorn-Gothard-Bahn which is said to be an Alpine adventure railway par excellence. The line is 144 km long and leads from Zermatt to Disentis and from Andermatt to Göschenen, covering a difference in altitude of 3300 m, passing through 33 tunnels and galleries and crossing 126 bridges and viaducts en route. The lowest point of the journey is Visp, at 625 m above sea level, and the highest the Oberalppass at 2033 m above sea level.

I think it is pretty obvious that id love to go on this one too....

you are quite familiar with the cereals' stamps....the third one, at the top right corner is from 2009, from a set of 3 'wedding' stamps.

Thanks a lot again Caroline!!!

Surin Beach, Thailand

2011-09-25T11:55:00.002+02:00

A fantastic surprise from JP! The postcard fairy all over the postcard-sphere :)

He sent this card from the Phuket island, and this card in particular shows the Surin Beach. A few more words about Phuket, in an older post I have here.

Surin is on the west coast of Phuket, known as 'Millionaires Row' due the the top-end celebrity haunts as well as the many US$ 1 million+ houses that sit proudly on top of the hills overlooking the Andaman Sea.Although popular with tourists it's not a busy resort town but more like a coastal village.
As it is usual with these kind of beaches, it has crystal-clear waters and white sandy beaches...just lovely, no?

And JP definitely has his way of finding great stamps as well...all the stamps were issued in 2010...the middle one is from a set of 10 definitives portraying H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX), while the two long stamps are from a set of 4 representing the 50th Anniversary of Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Sanibel - Captiva, USA

2011-09-25T11:55:00.001+02:00

and another fantastic surprise from JP....this time from Florida

Sanibel is located on the Gulf coast of Florida and with Captiva they formed as one island over 6,000 years ago.
It is said to be a shell-collectors' paradise. One of the reasons for the accumulations of shells is the fact that Sanibel is a barrier island which has an "east-west orientation when most islands are north-south. Hence, the island is gifted with great sandy beaches and an abundance of shells.It is also due to the fact that Sanibel is "part of a large plateau that extends out into the Gulf of Mexico for miles. It is this plateau that acts like a shelf for seashells to gather.
To be honest, im quite lost with the explanations....but well, hopefully, you know what it wants to say.

3 lovely stamps on the card....2 from the 'adopt a shelter pet' issue from 2010 and one from the "Sunday Funnies" issue of 5.

Thanks a lot JP!! For everything!!

Moonlight Iceberg, Greenland

2011-09-21T00:23:00.001+02:00

Hello to all my dear readers...I had planned to post earlier, but last week was just so chaotic, in every single aspect, that I couldnt possibly manage to make any updates...sorry for that...but now with the rain outside (and the tonz of work backlog) feels like a perfect time to show some cards here...

as I already mentioned, we are having rain here....after the constant heat (even though it is late September already) we finally were treated with some refreshment! Well, on one side it feels perfect....but on the other, it quite interferes with my everyday schedule...you know, im a person who calls the bicycle a best friend...so now im pretty annoyed coz i need the daily dosage of a physical activity and coz the public transport is worse than a turtle....really, today i more felt like the bus was on some sightseeing tour, moving sloowly and slooowly in order you dont miss something from left and right....ugh...it took 50 minutes till I got home...by bike it takes 30...so do the math now why im so frustrated!

anyways, this aint a rain card, but it certainly is a chilly one :) And it is just so lovely!! It shows a moonlight iceberg in Greenland where the ice is said to be polished by the wind...and if you take a better look, this all feels like some small piece of art!! Amazing!!

this fantastic card was sent to me by dear Johanna who had seen this card in my favourites and decided to share it with m...and yeah, she went to Greenland actually, where she had stocked herself with cards....lucky her...Greenland is one of those places on earth id really LOVE to see!! After Norway of course :)

Kiitos Johanna!!!

Nova Gorica, Slovenia

2011-09-21T00:23:00.000+02:00

A great card from Slovenia showing Nova Gorica and the Solkanski Bridge...

I love these type of bridges, high over rivers or crevasses or canyons, esp, when trains are also able to pass...this is a 220-metre long stone bridge over the river Soča in Western Slovenia. With an arch span of 85 metres it is the second longest stone arch in the world and the longest stone arch among train bridges. It was built in the time of the Secession, between 1900 and 1906Solkan also represents the last stone bridge constructed in the world, because the first large concrete bridges were already on the horizon.

Of course, it had had its sufferings and reconstructions during the wars....but nowadays, it offers a simply fantastic view to bee seen!

a flower stamp from 2007 from a set of 17, showing the Saw-wort.

thanks a lot to Ivana for this fantastic card!

Kuranda Train, Australia

2011-09-21T00:22:00.002+02:00

A fantastic card from dear Heather! Not only coz it is a train...but just look at those amazing surroundings! And the panoramic size really fits in here, capturing such a great length of the train!

Here is what the back of the card says: The classic scene of the Kuranda Train at Stony Creek Falls as it makes its way up to Kuranda. On its way the train will pass waterfalls, travel through tunnels and pass many dramatic views to finally arrive in the rainforest town of Kuranda; settled in the mountains behind Cairns".

The Barron Gorge National Park is a part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, so I think this card is eligible to be labeled as UNESCO as well, no?

This brings the issue of why is it so hard for me to collect and keep track of my UNESCO received cards....coz in the UNESCO list you have one item called: Wet tropics of Queensland...but that item consists of a bunch of places....so i just dont know how it is possible to collect ALL the UNESCO sites in the world...I mean, same is with Macedonia...you have Ohrid and its region on the list, meaning the Lake, the city and the entire historical and cultural area belong to this list...and do you actually know how many such places Ohrid has?? A LOT!! So seems that now I have to disappoint some of the UNESCO collectors out there, but maybe you dont actually have the complete UNESCO regarding Macedonia....sorry =/

and as usual Heather uses lovely stamps!!! all the stamps were issued in 2010....the left one is a self-adhesive from a set of 4 representing the 150th Melbourne cup - Carbine 1890. The middle stamp portrays the Canonisation of Mary MacKillop while the third one is from a set of 4 self-adhesive stamps showing Australian Kingfishers and this is the Red-backed Kingfisher...so cute :)Thank you so much Heather!!!

Delft, The Netherlands

2011-09-21T00:22:00.001+02:00

this is an official card i received back in 2010

NL-307113

The card gives us a view of the city of Delft, which I must say looks like a very cosy, tipically Dutch place :)

Aunt wiki says that Delft is primarily known for its typically Dutch town centre (with canals); also for the painter Vermeer, Delft Blue pottery (Delftware), the Delft University of Technology, and its association with the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau

uhmm, except that I had somewhere, sometime heard about the University, I dont think I could relate Delft to any of the other things....shame shame on me.....

well...you know it...

Louisiana, USA

2011-09-21T00:21:00.000+02:00

my last card for today is another official one, showing a map of the state of Louisiana

US-680226

well, I would like to use this card in order to dedicate this post to a guy called Lester Bo McCalleb, as well as to the entire Macedonian basketball team. Those who have followed the European Basketball Championship, already know why.

Personally, ive never really followed basketball...Im a racing and tennis kind of person...also gymnastics, ice-skating and such...but never really been into the '-ball' sports, unless given a good reason....and here I was given that good reason. Considered an outsider by almost everyone (neither WE had any high hopes), Macedonia managed to reach the semi-finals and end in the fourth place....along with the greatest basketball names of Spain, Russia, France....the day we beat Lithuania, on their turf, with 100 Macedonian supporters against the 14.000 Lithuanian ones, was one of the days the entire country will remember...I could never truly describe you the atmosphere here, but it was proved that the way sports can genuinely unite people (in the most spontaneous way) politics and political parties can NEVER do....so i would really wholeheartedly want to thank the Macedonian basketball team along with the fantastic coach for giving our country such a thing....something we had needed for a long long while....

And why I chose Louisiana? Coz Bo was actually born there....and Bo has the fantastic contribution to our team....Bo who in the end was ranked among the 5 top players of the All Tournament Team...and who had the Macedonian flag on his shoulders when accepting the award....Bo who grew to the hearts of many....

we lost to Russia in the semi-finals in another tense match, but our players simply had no more strength...yet, we are more than happy and grateful for what they had achieved.....

here are the highlights and the key moment of the match against the host Lithuania....i still shiver, each time i watch it....

Bo with the Macedonian flag over the shoulders..

If you fulfill the hearts of the Macedonians, this is how they're gonna welcome you when you decide to go back home :) (I was among there....somewhere....)

Cyprus

2011-09-11T19:44:00.000+02:00

I was really astonished when i realized that it's been like two weeks since my last post....dont know how I managed to lose track of time....I mean, I knew that my last post didnt happen two days ago, but this was rather shocking.....but life has just given its own reasons...so postcards had to come second or third...

so without further ado....

here is a lovely but undefined card from Cyprus..I have absolutely no idea where this is, and it could be just anywhere in the country...yet the combination of white, blue and purple is beautiful.
recently ive found myself digging into the older boxes of cards, so i somewhat have decided to focus on them more...so today again, all the cards you will see are ones I had received back in 2009....ive realized that among those older cards, i have some rather rare countries as well, and it is really a pity to keep them all hidden..,,

the big stamp is from a set of eight 2008 stamps, named Cyprus through the ages, while the smaller one is the Refugee fund tax stamp...the one that seems to be commonly used on the Cypriot mail

Sanbō-in, Japan

2011-09-11T19:41:00.003+02:00

next is a UNESCO card showing the Sanbō-in temple in Japan

as the sender said:
- Sanbō-in is a Buddhist temple in southern Kyoto, known today primarily for the quality of its garden.
Sanbō-in was established in 1582 - 1615. It was a sub-temple of Daigo-ji, which is a Heian period temple founded in 902. The temple complex had fallen into disrepair during the Sengoku period. The garden is designed as a stroll garden with a large pond and several paths and bridges.

definitely looks like a nice retreat from the daily chaos im facing...

and of course, the Japanese stamps are always a challenge for some who doesnt understand a bit of it....surprising how many HK stamps Japan has...this one is from 2008 from a set of ten stamps...the other is that definitive ive shown before, from a set of 3 stamps, issued in 2007

Virgin Komi Forests, Russia

2011-09-11T19:41:00.002+02:00

and another lovely UNESCO card here, this one sent by my dear Nastya.

you will have to agree that the nature here is just so tranquil and beautiful....

some terminology clearing up first: virgin forest stands for a forest in its natural state, before being explored or exploited by man. Yeah, sorry for spoiling the fun and if you find the term rather boring, but it DOESN'T mean something else :)

The forests are located in the Northern Ural mountains of the Komi Republic, covering 3.28 million ha of tundra and mountain tundra.This vast area of conifers, aspens, birches, peat bogs, rivers and natural lakes provides valuable evidence of the natural processes affecting biodiversity in the taiga. Dominant tree species include Siberian Spruce, Siberian Fir and Siberian Larch, while the most prominent mammals are the reindeer, the sable, the mink and the hare.The site corresponds to Russia's Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve and Yugyd Va National Park. Its World Heritage Site status was recognised in 1995, making it the first natural World Heritage site in the country

however, people wouldnt be people, if they didnt attempt to ruin everything...

Nastya used two lovely EUROPA stamps (the ones which make me dread when it comes to Macedonia).
The left one is from the 2008 issue related to letters, while the right one (and absolutely delicious) is from the 2005 issue dedicated to gastronomy...yummie!

thank you dear Nastya!!!

Dolphins, Portugal

2011-09-11T19:41:00.001+02:00

Ill close the update today with this lovely lovely dolphin card...ive always loved these animals, but having the chance to see them live recently, they absolutely captured my heart for good!

I won this card in a lottery hosted by Joana and this lovely creature here is supposed to be swimming somewhere around the shores of Azores.
Have you ever swum with dolphins? I havent, but i think that it must be one of the most calming things one could do, when you just forget about all the stress and all the problems, and you just let yourself be charmed by one of the most intelligent and friendliest of animals....i wish i lived somewhere near the ocean, and everyday i could go and play with them, feed them, take care of them....but where i live, im stuck with my cats only :)

a city-transport stamp, issued in a set of 3 in 2008.

thank you Joana for the lovely card...and to everyone else who's guilty for making my mailbox happy :)

till soon...

Purmamarca, Argentina

2011-08-29T21:58:00.003+02:00

I love days like these....just when the working week has started, you have a day off coz of a National Holiday....on the overall makes the entire working week much easier...that calls for an easy-going relaxing evening..and why not some cards too?

It's been a while since ive posted something Argentinian, so here is a lovely card dear Viviana sent me.

The card gives us a glimpse of the town of Purmamarca with the Cerro de Siete Colores (or the Hill of Seven Colours) looming above, with its lavenders, oranges, and yellows. People are usually able to find four out of the seven hills....they say that the colours are most clearly visible in the mornings, when the sun reflects the appropriate light on the mountain so that none of the pigments goes unnoticed by the human eyeResulting from a complex geological history, the layers of various colors have been formed by the accumulation of sea, lake and river sediments which have been deposited on the region for over 600 million years and which have later influenced the apparition of these mountains in the location they have today as a result of tectonic movements.

just lovely...and those small shops along with the cafeteria just look so cozy and authentic...wish i could visit this place one day...

Tennessee, USA

2011-08-29T21:58:00.002+02:00

I dont think ive posted a Tennessee map card so far here, so here we go...

not much info on the back of the card as it usually is with the US map cards.

Visit the beautiful state of Tennessee!

There's much to see and do in Tennessee from Memphis, the home of Elvis, to Nashville, Country Music U.S.A., to East Tenn. and the beauty of the Smokey Mountain Range.

believe it or not, the postcard was initially published in 1981!

no need to explain, right? :)

National Jenevermuseum, Belgium

2011-08-29T21:58:00.001+02:00

A really great official card I had received from Belgium!

BE-78495

This card shows the National Jenever museum in Hasselt.

It is said that the French have their cognac, the Scots their whisky, the Germans their schnapps, and the Russians their vodka. And the Belgians… they have genever and have been drinking it for more than 500 years. In the English speaking world it is known as the Dutch gin, the juniper-flavored and strongly alcoholic traditional liquor of the Netherlands and Belgium, from which gin evolved. Believed to have been invented by a Dutch chemist and alchemist named Sylvius de Bouve, it was first sold as a medicine in the late 16th century. In the 17th century, it became more popular for its flavour.In its long life, genever has taken on many different forms. In good times it was made from corn, in not-so-good times from molasses. In some regions it was spicy, in other regions it had a neutral taste. Some loved it and other loathed it, it was a source of joy, but also of intense irritation. The government had a love-hate relationship with genever, which on the one hand was a great source of income but on the other, represented a danger to public health.

and i ABSOLUTELY love the stamp on this card! maybe it is not a jenever, but it really matches the topic, and still, such a lovely picturesque stamp it is. It comes from an m/s of 5 stamps issued in 2010 depicting the La Hesbaye region in Belgium.

Someone feels like doing a *cheers* with a glass of wine? Or jenever? :)

Baiana, Brazil

2011-08-29T21:58:00.000+02:00

we started with South America, so lets finish with it as well

If you are to google the word 'baiana' you may come across some confusing and some totally unrelated definitions or websites.
But I think that the right one (or that relates to the card) is that the word 'baiana' actually means 'a woman from Bahia' where the old spelling used to be 'bahiana'. It is said that people from Bahia have a distinct culture and are very influenced by their african ancestry.

well, if we are to believe what google says :)

Jalousie Bay, St. Lucia

2011-08-27T10:47:00.002+02:00

It's been such an AWFULLY HOT week!! So inhumanly hot! Some say that this has been like the hottest week all summer....which is really unusual since it is like the end of August and the sun shall not be as strong as it was in July for example....but well, the world has gone crazy and the weather as well....I need to think of means of survival for next week if this hot tendency continues...

well, before I get carried away with some stuff i have planned for today, lets post some cards along with the morning coffee.
My first card comes from Mandy who is lucky to live on this beautiful island of St. Lucia...im pretty sure that the heatwaves there are not as harsh as here...and you can always just go for a swim...

Now this may not be my very first card from St. Lucia...there is one over here Glenn surprised me with few years ago...but this one here is my first written and stamped one from this country!! Yayyy!!!Well, I received it months ago..but you know the lazy me....
My previous card was about Marigot Bay, and this one here shows the Jalousie Bay....quite a lot of bays there :)
And this Jalouise Bay is situated between the Pitons....no not the snakes (that was the first association i had at first too..) But the Pitons are actually two volcanic plugs, the Gross and the Petite Piton, and...they are a UNESCO whs!! So, this card is like an *almost* UNESCO whs...but I dont think the Pitons are sufficiently visible so that I label this as UNESCO....or can I? well, I will be waiting for a confirmation from someone who is much better in identifying UNESCO sites than me...really, they can be so confusing coz one item in the UNESCO list may consist of a bunch of places...and not always you may know what exactly falls under a certain place...hence I can never fill in my UNESCO list properly....

Mandy used a 2005 stamp coming from a set of 14 fruiting trees' stamps, with this one showing a Custard Apple.
Thank you sooo much again Mandy!!

Amish, USA

2011-08-27T10:47:00.001+02:00

A great Amish card I received for the Jun-Nov RR I took part in...one of my favourite RR's on the forum!

Ever since I got to know about them, I got somewhat fascinated with the Amish people and their way of life....though I still dont have many Amish cards in my collection...just the ones posted here and a few more...
This card shows the Amish Country in the state of Ohio....or as the back of the card says, A picturesque farm in northeastern Ohio's Amish country. The Amish, in the tradition of their forefathers, depend mainly on horse-drawn buggies s their means of transportation.

When i look at this card, I cant help it but think of the fresh clean air they must be having in these lovely green surroundings...

and apart from the familiar clock stamp, there are two other, that I dont really see often around....both issued this year....the one in the middle is a lovely dog stamp showing Owney, the postal dog...the canine mascot of the Railway Mail Service. Beloved of clerks on mail-sorting trains at the end of the 19th century, Owney was hailed as a symbol of good luck. Today he is an icon of American postal lore whose story highlights the historical importance of the Railway Mail Service. Is there a postcard out there featuring Owney??? This stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate. The phone stamp is from a set of 12 (Forever stamps again) depicting The Pioneers of American Industrial Design, which honour 12 of the nation's most important and influential industrial designers. This Desk Telephone stamp honours Henry Dreyfuss. Thanks a lot to Tanya for the lovely card and stamps!

Crno jezero, Montenegro

2011-08-27T10:46:00.003+02:00

here comes something from not so far away....

I have to admit that from the bird's perspective, many Montenegrin lakes seem the same to me...the shapes and the wood surroundings....so unless it is written on the card or the sender tells me about it, I highly doubt I would be able to distinguish them.
And this lake here is Krupačko jezero (jezero=lake) which is in the vicinity of Nikšić.....where a monster lives, in case you didnt know....maybe the Montenegrin version of Loch Ness :)))))))))))))))))))))))) Sorry R., couldnt resist it! :D

Unfortunately, the internet is rather stingy on giving some more detailed information about this lake, so I will leave it up to the natives to tell you more about it if they want.

edit: well, i should trust my sixth sense next time...and instead of thinking that all lakes in Montenegro are alike, that THAT is actually the lake it reminds me of and that it is not another one...but see how wrong information on the back can mislead you...so this is the Black Lake on the mountain Durmitor as I initially thought...funny thing is, at first I wanted to post a Durmitor card (all covered in snow) but then I thought, ok, I already had one card posted related to it, lets bring something new....well, I guess, Durmitor was destined to appear here :)

and due to the nature of the post, I wont delete the above information :)

thanks a lot to Rajko for clarifying my doubts on this one!

the two stamps on the card are from 2008. The left one is from a set of two stamps called Radost Evrope (or, the Joy of Europe), while the other one is from a 'mixed issue' set and says to depict 'historic heritage'.

Thanks a lot to Maria for sending this one!

Lake Namtso, China

2011-08-27T10:46:00.002+02:00

My last card for today is one fantastic view of Lake Namtso...

I even wonder at times if this is a real photograph or a painting...but when I take a better look, it does look like a real photo....and i just LOVE the stillness of the image...and the chilling feeling it gives....yeah, nowadays I love chilling images, when I cant have them for real...but you are aware that once winter comes i will be striving for sunshine cards and such :)

This lovely lake is a mountain lake on the border between Damxung County of Lhasa Prefecture and Baingoin County of Nagqu Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and is renowned as one of the most beautiful places in the Nyainqêntanglha mountain range (go pronounce that one).

Would definitely want to go and see this one by myself...

well, the card arrived in an envelope with a number of others, so no stamps for it.

wishing you all a great lovely and not-so-hot weekend.

Saba

2011-08-19T12:44:00.000+02:00

Finally Friday, and a weekend ahead! A rather tough week....getting back to reality wasnt as easy as i had expected to be, plus it has been such an awfully hot week....equally to unbearable....I really need to take another week off and go to the mountains until this crazy heat passes by....

well, since i really dont have much will to do something outside the house at times like this, lets post some cards....not a bad idea, right?

and the first one, as usual reserved for some rare place in my collection, comes from another of the NA born children, the island of Saba, which is also the smallest special municipality of the Netherlands....its area is 13 km².
As the back of the card would say: Unique architecture. A unique aspect of the typically Saban architecture is the small-mesh Gingerbread woodcarving in markers, pergolas and fencing.

As dear JP would say, a very unusual place for those who love nature, hiking and diving, nothing else.
Does it also include people who would go anywhere just to get away from the annoying heat?

lovely stamp on the card...and great cancellation..just that somehow i misplaced the scanner frames, so it ended up like this, cut out on the left side....and i noticed it right after i had uploaded it so im honestly rather lazy to scan it all over again :)
the stamp was of course issued in 2011, but i couldnt find any other details about it...

Thank you JP!!

Oulu, Finland

2011-08-19T12:35:00.000+02:00

a train card i had in my favourites for a long long while....and as it usually happens with this, first you dont have it at all, then you get it twice within less than a month :)

FI-1082170

One arrived as an official, the other one for the Surprise me RR. Im thankful to both thoughtful senders! :)
The thing about this card is that, next to the name of Oulu, stands the year of 1967....so it is very logical to think that this shot was taken back then...which in a way i find it surprising, coz to me it seems like a very modern image...but you know, looks can really fool you sometimes :)

still, whether it was taken nowadays or centuries ago, this is still more than a fantastic card and i LOVE it!

as i said, i got this card twice, and one of them (the official one) arrived with the Kimi stamp! (great combination, no...train card plus Kimi stamp!) Btw, im really mad at Kimi for not going back to F1....not that it matters, anyways :)

the other card came with the 2008 Christmas stamp called "Frosty night"

Sand Island, USA

2011-08-19T12:31:00.000+02:00

One more of the set of lighthouses sent by Bryon....

funny, if i wasnt about to post this card, i wouldnt have realized im missing the 'Alabama' tag in this blog....i dont know if this is really my first Alabama card, but it certainly isnt something you see often here then.

The card shows the Sand Island Lighthouse, first lit in 1873. It was an active aid to navigation for 60 years. Once the central attraction on a 400-acre island off the coast of Alabama, this conical tower made of local brick, now stands alone, its foundations completely surrounded by water.

It is said that an earlier lighthouse on Sand Island was destroyed during the Civil War, on February 23, 1863 by Confederate John W. Glenn since Union Troops were occupying it. He reported the destruction to Confederate General Leadbetter, who was the original builder of the lighthouse.

People.....

along with the self-printed matching stamp, there are two other great ones on the card...the top one is from a collection of 10 "Garden of Love" stamps issued this year...the panther was issued in 2007

thank you again Bryon...and sorry for the Grand Teton equivalent you'll have to deal with, but it was the only int. stamp available all over the country...unbelievable! (yes I got the lovely Mount Baker card today...thank you so much!! And wishing you great upcoming trips!)

Riga, Latvia

2011-08-19T12:25:00.000+02:00

well, as for my last card today, i chose this lovely one from Latvia

im really thankful to Elena for being so kind and sending it to me...I absolutely love this card...not only coz it is railway related, but the colours feel so special too...the skies have some spectacular colour and i love the black wires crossing all over...they just give such a special touch to the overall image.

On this card you can see a railroad close to the centre of Riga while in the background is a medieval church and a modern office building of Swedbank....what a combination in total :)

thank you all for following and for giving such great contribution to my mailbox, and of course to this blog. Have a great weekend!!

Mongolia

2011-08-16T21:38:00.000+02:00

so after a longish silence, here i am back with posting....i just had to take a break from everything if i can name it that way....some of you already know about it, some are about to find out sooner or later...but in general, the break was more than good.

Of course, a lot had piled up in the meantime, and added to the mountain of postcards from before, makes me dread at the thought when am i going to actually post all those stuff?!! :)

well, without further ado, lets start today's update with what but a new written and stamped country for my collection.

and what an amazing card it is! I absolutely love this view!!
It was sent as a surprise by dear Johanna who went on a trip to the fascinating country of Mongolia....Johanna makes such trips that it makes me EXTREMELY jealous :P Mine are not even as close as exciting.....

the back of this card says: "In the higher and colder regions of the mountains, the nomads prefer yaks instead of cows. Yak's milk is very fattening".

well, as a no-milk drinker, i cant tell which one i prefer, and i havent tried yak's milk before, and being very fattening, i highly doubt id love to use it.. i mean, imagine...2 or 3 cups of coffee with milk per day and im gonna look like a barrel before you can even blink! Though I assume due to the fats, it does give a special taste to the coffee and makes it feel real smooth....

btw, i dont know why, but im somewhat fascinated with the Tibet and Mongolian people....ive seen them portrayed on other cards, and there is just something really particular and unique in their facial features that i love....esp in children....

btw 2, the blue skies in the background, at the right end of the card are just amazing!

here comes the stamp, issued in a set of 4 animals' stamps in 2004....quite appropriate for the card I must say! :)

thank you sooooooo much dear Johanna for thinking of me....I totally love this card! Thank you!!

Matera, Italy

2011-08-16T21:31:00.000+02:00

this card arrived as a surprise from Silvan's trip to Italy in 2010

the card comes from the city of Matera, located in southern Italy. In particular, here you can see Sassi di Matera (or Stones of Matera) which are prehistoric cave dwellings, composed of the Sasso Caveoso and the later Sasso Barisano. If you take a closer look, you will indeed find the whole concept very interesting and rather unique.Many of these "houses" are really only caverns, and the streets in some parts of the Sassi often are located on the rooftops of other houses.Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast to be still living in the same houses of their ancestors of 9,000 years ago.
It is also on the UNESCO whs list.

there is a great stamp along, showing the icon known as Luciano Pavarotti. The stamp was issued in 2009 in a set of 3, "Italia 2009 - Music Day" stamps.

Thanks a lot Silvan!

Longstone Lighthouse, England

2011-08-16T21:29:00.000+02:00

an official card I received in 2009

GB-89633

It is a great lighthouse card, coming with an interesting story as well. The lady you can see at the top left is known as Grace Darling, and the story goes that her father was a lighthouse-keeper near Bamburgh. In 1838 Grace rowed out in a great storm and rescued five shipwrecked seamen.
She had unfortunately died very young, at the age of 26, four years after her heroic actions.

the stamp is from a set of 8 definitives issued in 2009

Ocracoke Lighthouse, USA

2011-08-16T21:24:00.000+02:00

Here is a North Carolina lighthouse

from the back of the card: "Built in 1823 on Ocracoke Island near the reputed hideout of the pirate Blackbeard, Ocracoke Lighthouse is one of the oldest active lighthouses on the East Coast."
It was built it in 1823 by Noah Porter and is 23 m. tall. Its diameter narrows from 8 m at the base to 3.7 m at its peak

the US postal service seemed to be lazy when instead of a stamp used this sticker.

The St. Mary Nativity Orthodox Convent, Belarus

2011-08-16T21:18:00.001+02:00

the last card for today is another official one from 2009, this time coming from Belarus.

BY-341186

the card says to show the St. Mary Nativity Orthodox Convent built in 1720-1751 by the architect I.Fontana III.

and unfortunately that is all I can tell you about it...so if anyone from Belarus or elsewhere has more information about it, would be more than welcome to contribute. Thank you!

the card arrived in an envelope, so no stamps...

btw, i must confess that due to the number of cathedrals and such that ive seen while i was away, i wouldnt want to see one in a while...

Cove Bay, Anguilla

2011-07-24T13:02:00.001+02:00

so another Sunday passing by....way too many errands that need to be done, but somehow I dont feel at the best shape for it...plus I have this huge urge to post some cards, finish some letters and books, write some cards as well...so lets start doing it one by one...and for starters, another brand new country in my collection...starting with my dear letter 'A'....ladies and gentleman, please be introduced to the country of Anguilla!!!

A card which is the treat for the eyes with this sandy beach and blue waters...and what I love most about it is that it is soooo empty...meaning no others'-towels intrusion...no people screaming over your head...no naughty children running around or yelling their lungs out....no mobile phones' ringing from all sides..just a lovely peaceful time....could kill for it me thinks!

And this beautiful paradise in the Caribbean is called the Cove Bay and is located on the west end of Anguilla which is the only major beach in the area not populated with hotels (that explains the lack of crowds). Definitely the perfect kind of beach for me.

And the acknowledgment again goes to JP....honestly, Im ENDLESSLY jealous regarding all these places he's been to!

lovely stamps and a very nice and neat cancellation! The right one is from a set of 6 wild flowers' stamps issued in 2009 while the other one is from a set of 12 definitives issued in 2003, showing ships.

merci beaucoup Jean-Pierre!!

Thailand

2011-07-24T13:02:00.000+02:00

Next comes a map card I received back in 2009.

It is one of those very nice antique-kind of maps and this one shows the Kingdom of Siam, which is actually the name of Thailand before 24 June 1939 and again from 8 September 1945 to 20 July 1949

Here you can also see shown the Islands of Sumatra and Java as well as the Kingdom of Cambodia...as well as a glimpse of the Kingdom of Pegu (in what today is supposed to be Myanmar), China and Tonquin (which are both considered as part of Vietnam) and the K. of Chiampa (which is a region somewhere between Cambodia and Vietnam).
Quite a division they have had.....confusing for someone who doesnt actually have a good hold of today's geography and history...yeah yeah, I know...skipping lessons and not paying attention thereto in school.
But I have my cards to give me an insight and enlighten me...so see why postcards' collection is a valuable investment? :)

Biloxi, USA

2011-07-24T12:59:00.000+02:00

This next fantastic card comes as a great from Bryon who has been one of the great contributors to this blog and has been pretty much spoiling me...though if I am to be honest, I do not mind that :P

and recently he sent me the fantastic set of lighthouses' cards issued along with the same set of stamps in 2009....there was another lighthouse set of stamps and cards in 2007 and I have them as well, thanks to dear Addis in Puerto Rico.

When choosing which of the lighthouses to post today, I was rather surprised to notice that so far I have no Mississippi card yet posted on my blog...I thought it might be a mistake in tags, but neither in keyword search I found a Mississippi card..

So im happy to add another US state to this blog, showing this beautiful Biloxi house. As the back of the card says: Of all the lighthouses that once stood in Mississippi, Biloxi lighthouse is the only one still standing. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, the white, conical tower was built in 1848, making it one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South.

one very interesting thing about the lighthouse's history is that light was civilian operated from 1848 to 1939, and is notable for its several female lightkeepers, including Maria Younghans, who tended the light for 53 years. So it is not like everyday you come across such info about women operating a lighthouse. Worth admiring!

And I just must add that I absolutely love the colours...such nice shades of blue!

and here come the stamps...the matching lighthouse one which is already pre-printed...while the one next to it is a 2011 stamp from the issue called "Garden of Love" which consists of 10 self-adhesive stamps. The one below it is a panther stamp issued in 2007. And look at that lovely cancellation!!

thanks soooooo much Bryon! For the kindness and thoughtfulness!