Newfoundland, Canada

A really cool card....in the literal sense of the word...coming from the East meets West RR.


I love these kind of cards, showing icebergs, glaciers, or such.....there is something amazing about these creations...there is something very appealing to them, at least to me....

"Gigantic icebergs can be seen in late spring and early summer along Newfoundland's spectacular coastal shores".

Can you even make an estimation of how huge and heavy this iceberg is?
It does feel good for a chill up in these hot summer days...even if its on a postcard only....though i always wonder, how does it feel to live in a place like this....where its cold most of the time...i know i always complain of how hot it is here and how i wish id go somewhere where the climate is cooler and all...but i dont know then if id actually like it if its constantly cold, or then id rant how i want some sun and warmth and all.....

Japan

Another one from the East meets West RR.....coming from Japan this time


ok, i really cant tell much about the card, except what the sender has written....and she says that she had visited this hot spring resort the previous weekend, and that it was very great and that the landscape was beautiful.

well, which hot spring are we talking about here, i dont know...probably the Japanese name answers it, but since my skills in Japanese are...khm, 'awesome', i cant provide you with any translation unfortunately.

Antwerpen, Belgium

A UNESCO card coming from Belgium


Well, you certainly wont find it under "Antwerpen" if you go to the UNESCO whs list....but you fill find it under the "Belfries of Belgium and France"...and if you click on it, you'll see that it contains 56 different sites in total....and as a group they are one..56....thats A LOT....so, i cant actually count i have the Belfries of France and Belgium until i collect all 56 of them! oh boy.....

Anyway, this is the town hall in Antwerpen....situated on the Grote Markt (main square). Erected between 1561 and 1565, incorporating both Flemish and Italian influences. The richly ornamented center section, which rises above the eaves in diminishing stages, holds female statues representing Justice, Prudence and Virgin Mary and bears the coat of arms of Duchy of Brabant, the Spanish Habsburgs, and the Margraviate of Antwerp.

Finland

My FIRST Aurora Borealis card!!!!!!


Ive been wanting for so long for someone to send me a card with Aurora Borealis, and finally here it is....

"The Northern lights are flaming in the frost nights on the northern hemisphere"

Auroras are natural colored light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar zone, typically occurring in the ionosphere.
They are named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas.

Now, when i find an explanation of how and why they occur in SIMPLE English, ill elaborate it here as well.....a VERY SIMPLE English.....maybe if someone draws it to me in detailed steps...i dont know....but photons, protons, electrons, molecules etc etc, have NEVER been my strong side....unfortunately...

Shiraz, Iran

My second card from Iran....


Shiraz is the 5th most populated city in Iran, and the capital of Fars Province. It is located in the southwest of Iran, on the Rudkhaneye Khoshk seasonal river.

What you see on the card is the Hafez Tomb. Hafez was a Persian mystic and poet. His lyrical poems known as ghazals are noted for their beauty and bring to fruition the love, mysticism, and early Sufi themes that had long pervaded Persian poetry.
Unfortunately very little credible information is known about his life.

Happy Birthday.......To Me! :-D

Sorry....no regular cards today.....
But i came across some of old birthday cards i have, and couldnt resist post this one....relates my sense of humour :)




It was given to me by one of my friends few years ago...for some, they may take the greeting wrong if given such a card or so...but since its someone ive known almost all my life...the joke is right on its place.....or maybe it aint a joke :)))))

either way, i just wanted to do something to commemorate the day...no parties, no cakes or stuff, im not that kind, plus ive got old for that...this is...well, perfect :)

see you soon!

Lijiang, China

This is the night view of a street in the old town of Lijiang, a UNESCO whs since 1997.


Lijiang city is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Yunnan province, in China.
The Old Town has a history going back more than 800 years and was once a confluence for trade along the old tea horse road. It is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. The old town of Lijiang differs from other ancient Chinese cities in architecture, history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhi people.

Prague, Czech Republic

A nice map showing the town of Prague...well, not whole of it, just a small part..


Well, from the things here, im familiar with the "Karlov Most" or Charles Bridge in its English version...probably one of the most beautiful i had seen...so far on cards only, but would love to be able to go to Prague one day...

im just confused of what those green/red/orange dots represent....with the "M" letters....are they showing an underground line maybe? I dont know, im just taking a guess here...

Gramado, Brazil

A card coming from Brazil where there was a strike for some weeks, but this card arrived despite that..;-)


Here is a view of the St. Peter's church in Gramado Town. It was inaugurated on 29th June, 1942, built with 63.073 basaltic stones. Its tower stands on 46m and it is located at the Major Nicoletti Square in the downtown Gramado. The town has about 30.000 inhabitants and was settled by German and Italian immigrants.. It's one of the most touristic towns in Brazil, especially wanted for winter vacations.

there is an interesting detail....the light which is on the street, the one coloured in red, with two small pots of flowers on each side....i keep seeing it as a red ribbon in which the church is wrapped up...just gives me that impression when i look at the card

Gelsenkirchen, Germany

An official from Germany....again

DE-189689

The town is called Gelsenkirchen, and as far as a know, 'kirchen' meant something like 'churches'....but i couldnt come across any info about its etymology having to do something with 'churches'....the sender says that it is the home of the Footbal team Schlake 04.....hm, well....im totally a non-football person, so this Schlake 04 is something i hear for the first time....but im learning :)

California, U.S.A

Another one from the set of lighthouses


St. George Reef Lighthouse

Perched on an exposed rock off the coast of northern California near Cresent City, St. George Reef Lighthouse took 10 years to build, From 1892 until its deactivation in 1975, the light from this concrete and granite tower warned vessels away from hazardous reef hidden beneath the surface.



and here is the nice matching 26c. stamp

Imola, Italy

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!
My very first F1 circuit card!!!!!!!!!! And I have it thanks to Roberta in Italy, who actually lives in Imola! How cool!

It feels awkward to actually see the circuit empty....im used to seeing it with the garages built up, with lots of people, cars, equipment etc etc.....and this is how it actually looks like when there is no race....thats the pit lane you can see on the card, where apart from where the garages are, the cars enter to add fuel, to change tyres or any other part if necessary, or in worst cases, to have a drive-through penalty, or end their race..

The name of the circuit in Imola is "Enzo e Dino Ferrari", named after Ferrari's late founder Enzo and his son Dino. It hosts the Grand Prix of San Marino, since San Marino is nearby and is too small to host an F1 race...at least thats what the official excuse is :)

Unfortunately, the last race here was held in 2006....so 2007 and 2008 werent on the calendar, but i hope, after all the imrovements they do, esp. regarding security, the races will get back there...the last one to win here was Michael Schumacher.

Some severe accidents have happened here, among which in one, the legendary Ayrton Senna died in 1994.

Australia

From my Slavic countries to the rest of the world RR


I like the scenery on the card from outback Australia (thats how the sender called it).

There are several theories. but no-one can be certain why the only other close relatives of Australia's boabs are found in distant Africa and Madagascar. The name 'boab' is an abbreviation of the African word 'baobab'.

-thats what the card says on its back....

Wroclaw, Poland

This card from Wroclaw shows what he Century Hall looked like when it was built in the beginning of the 20th century.

There is a funny thing regarding these kind of cards...or black/white cards and movies in general.
I find it hard to actually add real colours to it, and when i was a kid I actually saw that world in black and white only, in the sense that i thought everything was like that..buildings or the way people were dressed...for some reason i couldnt get the notion of those things being in colour, so i thought that at the beginning of the last century things were plain and boring and whatever not...I thought Charlie Chaplin was also a man who lived in a world of black and white esp. since he was a mimer, that world of 'silence' really related well to things being black and white only.....well, with shades of gray as well.....i still find it hard actually to see black and white pictures/movies in colour...but i do see life as something in black and white with loads of shades of gray in between....

Taos Pueblo, USA

A new UNESCO whs in the collection...coming from New Mexico in the US


The northern most tribe of the 19 Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, Taos Pueblo members are culturally oriented toward the native life and have established an environmental office to maintain and protect the natural resources of the 89,000 acre reservation. The Pueblo, built in the 13th century, is located 2.5 miles north of Taos.

Taos Pueblo's most prominent architectural feature is a multi-storied residential complex of reddish-brown adobe divided into two parts by the Rio Pueblo.

Canada

I am not feeling ok, i feel like i spread around some really bad karma, and i almost was gonna leave you without any updated cards again....but i made myself a nice big mug of coffee, so i hope ill manage...well, i have to...i received a BUNCH of new cards today (23 to be precise), and I still have some left, so if i dont keep up with this properly im gonna end up not doing it at all eventually....and thats not what i want...and i hope thats not what YOU want either ;-)


Well, if you wonder what kind of flags i like, here is a great example....a flag which is covering the whole card...the bonus comes its on a blue background :P

The Canadian flag has a maple-leaf on it....I have never tried maple-syrup, but now i recall how in movies they often use some syrups with pancakes, doughuts, or such...probably some of them was a maple-syrup.....they say it tastes good...Kristen, the sender, says she loves it as well...
My idea of maple-syrups is actually related to diets...and all those commercials they've shown us around here of how you should drink maple syrup and blah blah blah, and how you're gonna lose xx kilos in x days .......propaganda.

something about the origin of the flag and why it has a maple leaf on:

On 21 August, 1860, the Prince of Wales was visiting Canada (i.e. Ontario and Quebec at that time, I assume) - the first real royal visit. People lined the streets of Toronto to see him - those of English origin wore a rose, the Scots wore a thistle, but what were the Canadian-born to wear? Canada's emblem had long been the beaver. 26 years earlier the Saint Jean Baptiste Society in Quebec had adopted the maple leaf as its symbol (apparently the first time the maple leaf was used as a symbol), and it was decreed that for the prince's visit the Canadians should wear a maple leaf. The idea took root.

In 1867 as Canada was becoming a country, a call was put out to write a patriotic song. Whatever song was chosen has since been lost to history, but the second place winner was Alexander Muir who wrote "The Maple Leaf for Ever", a song which became very popular, although today is downplayed a lot as it is not inclusive of the French Canadians.

In World War 1, Lester Pearson noted that almost every battalion from Canada included the maple leaf in its insignia, and vowed he would campaign to put it on the flag, and of course 50 years later as prime minister of Canada he was part of the 33-day debate that resulted in the maple leaf as the Canadian flag.

Hawaii, USA

Here is something which came as a great surprise...in 5 samples....and ill give you one each day in the following updates...

the treat comes from Addis, who was the one to send me my first Puerto Rican card as well...she says she had bought a postcard book about lighthouses featured on US stamps and she sends me all the 5 designs to expand my collection! I think that "Thank You" is not even close enough for that kind of thoughtfulness but i have my ways ;-) :P

The one here is called the Diamond Head Lighthouse, and it stands at the base of an extinct volcano on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Established in 1899, the original tower was replaced by a new lighthouse in 1917. Today the light from this concrete sentinel leads vessels safely into the harbour of nearby Honolulu.


Now, im not a stamp collector and dont usually feature stamps here, but with this set of lighthouses, ill make an exception since each of them has its own matching 26 c. stamp....i find that VERY neat!

Santiago de Chile, Chile

My first card from Chile!!!!


This comes from Giulia, who went on a holiday there.
There is a recipe on the back!

Pisco Sour, a flavour from Chile

Ingredients: 70 cc. pisco 40°, 30 cc. lemon juice, 2-3 spoons of powder sugar, 4 ice-cubes, 1/2 egg white. Mix in the mixer at moderate speed pisco, lemon juice, sugar ice and the egg.


well, it doesnt say what to do with it afterwards, surely you're not gonna leave it in the bowl :). Since this is a liquor, you should serve it as appropriate for liquors....I guess.

Portugal

Here comes the other map of Portugal.



And yes, it has been confirmed...I have personally asked for BOTH of the maps...so i have definitely gone astray at a certain point or totally infatuated by maps since i asked for two without being aware of it.Not that I mind...I mind my forgetfulness :)

The card shows the towns in Portugal, and important sites in some of them...i like it how they are linked, and how the sites are put aside, so they dont make much crowd on the map itself.
One thing about Portugal is, that when i was little, i was convinced they spoke Spanish as well....not only they didnt speak Spanish, but the first time i actually heard real Portuguese, i was like 'what???!!!'. I didnt understand a single thing, and it sounded sooooo totally different from Spanish....in some sense, and dont laugh, but it more resemled to Turkish to me, than Spanish.....i dont know if it was in the way they spoke or the accent or what....

hey, now i spotted where Marta lives!! :)

Lake Toba, Indonesia

This is unfortunately the last card of the Indonesian set I received, but i hope ill get more in the future :)

Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world. It is 100km long, 30km wide and 505m at its deepest point. It is situated in Northern Sumatra, with a surface elevation of 900m.

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

A beautiful RAS card i had received today, thanks to Brenda


She first sent me the map of the US Virgin Islands, and then, totally unexpectedly, a card from St. Thomas, since i said i wanted an exotic card from there.
So first I have no cards from the Virgin Islands, now I have two :D
Thank You Brenda, A LOT! Really surprised me in the nicest way possible!!!

and here is a new recipe coming!

Taste O' the Tropics Rum Punch

1 bottle (750ml) light rum, 3/4 cup pineapple juice, juice of 6 oranges, juice of 6 limes, 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1 and a half quarts ginger ale, orange slices and/or maraschino cherries for garnish. In a large punch bowl, combine rum, pineapple juice, juice of oranges, juice of limes and confectioners sugar. Add ginger ale just before serving. Chill, serve over ice in glasses and garnish. Serves 20-24

now, the shark and the okra recipes may not have been edible for everyone, but dont tell me you dont like this one! I do! And feels as perfectly refreshing for these terribly hot summer days!

Holland

Here comes one of my favourite issues with the postcards, Holland vs Netherlands!


And here we have a map of the WHOLE country, BUT it is labeled as Holland!
And then you wonder why i get confused or why millions of people out there get confused?! :)

I dont mind its labeled as Holland one single bit...it just again opens a room for discussion of why native people keep referring to it as Holland when its The Netherlands. I feel it would be as if I dont really make a difference whether i call my country Macedonia or FYROM....and i totally outcast the latter, for the simple reason its Macedonia...but lets not get political now.

regarding the card, i cant say anything else, except that i love it...just my taste! :)
I dont know all the buildings which represent their own town, but one step at a time...

I just wonder what exactly the picture at Volendam stands for....

Baguio City, Philippines

Well, all the Philippines' cards i was supposed to get, are finally here...


This shows Baguio City and as the sender says, it is their summer capital coz during summer months, while tourists go to their beautiful beaches, a lot of Filipinos go here because of its cool climate.

Thats kinda cool...we should have something like that to go to when the summer comes, coz in my town, summers are just awful...40 degrees and more, heat, air which feels stiff and tough....

though at the time of writing this, i see a storm is coming!! the clouds have got really dark...i hear some thunder in the background!! could it really be???
As The Cure would say "infectious sense of hopelessness and prayers for rain..." Yeeeeyyyy...RAIINNN!!

So long ;-)

Grand Marais, USA

Its been some time since ive shown a lighthouse....well, here is one....a very beautiful one


Grand Marais is a city in Minnesota, in the US. It is located on the north shore of Lake Superior and this lighthouse, which was built in 1922, is its landmark.

Apart from being a lighthouse, the thing i love most about this card, is its colours....regardless if they are natural or photoshopped.....they look good

Barra Honda, Costa Rica

and.....ta-da-da!!! A new country! Costa Rica!


If you had told me a few months ago that i was gonna have a postcard from Costa Rica, written and stamped from there, i dont think i would have believed it :)

What you can see on the card are the Barra Honda Caverns...whenever i see stalactites or stalagmites, i think of the Postojna in Slovenia...the only reason for that is that when we learned about stalactites and stalagmites in primary school, we learned that they existed in Postojna in Slovenia...and we had repeated that over and over and over and over again, mainly so we learn to say the words correctly, since they were a bit different from all the things we had learned so far....plus we had to learn which are the stalactites and which are the stalagmites...so there was no other way but to have the name of Postojna engraved in my head when it comes to stalactites/stalagmites....

there is a nice text on the back of the card, both in English and Spanish and i think im gonna write them both...i do need to get back on track with my Spanish....of course, you dont have to read them both ;-)

- Barra Honda Caverns, Barra Honda National Park (Peak, Cavern and Stalactites). Barra Honda is the most important cavern system discovered until now in the country. It is 300m high and one of the many calcareus hills in arched form, located in the Guanacaste Province. 19 caverns have been explored, with independent development. These caverns present massive formations of stalactites and stalagmites of singular beauty.

- Cavernas de Barra Honda, Parque Nacional Barra Honda (Cerro, Caverna y estalactitas), Barra Honda constituye el mas importante sistema de cavernas descubierto hasta ahora en el pais. El cerro Barra Honda de 300m de altura, es una de las muchas colinas calcareas en forma arqueada que se localizan en la provincia de Guanacaste. Se han explorado 19 cavernas, con desarrollo independiente. Estas cavernas presentan formaciones masivas de estalactitas y estalacmitas de singular belleza.

Now, i cant say about the Spanish, but the English version had several mistakes...couldnt help but fix them :P

btw, the sender wrote a quote:

"When Mother Teresa received the Nobel Prize, she was asked: What can we do to promote world peace?" - She answered: "Go home and love your family"

Thats nice...if everyone was aware of that or knew how to do it...unfortunately, the more time goes by, the more i can see people and families get alienated....

I just wonder...is it just a coincidence the quote is by Mother Teresa or purpose? :) If we have in mind where she was born, thats why i got curious :)

Wroclaw, Poland

A very interesting and unusual card from Wroclaw.....

The card shows one of the medieval buildings on the Cathedral Island, which is one of the 12 islands in Wroclaw. (it feels odd to have the word 'island' related to a town :))

On the very site of Ostrow Tumski, sometime in the 9th Century, the first permanent settlers of Wroclaw, the Slavic Slezan tribe, built their stronghold. In those days Ostrow Tumski was an island, and a perfect place to built the heart of a settlement, with the protection of the river Odra running around it.

However, as far as its importance as the religious centre of Wroclaw is concerned, the date 1000AD is the key one. It was then, on the turn of the first millennium, that King Boleslaw the Brave earned the favour of Holy Roman Emperor Otto III and was able to establish a bishopric in Wroclaw. He chose to build a cathedral on this very promontory and the name Ostrow Tumski was born (literally 'Cathedral Island' in Old Polish). Ever since that day Cathedral Island has never ceased being the centre of religious life in Wroclaw - although it stopped being an island back in 1810, when a northern arm of the Odra was filled in.

History can be really interesting sometimes :)

Zeeland, The Netherlands

I think that this is one of my favourite flags i had ever seen....coz of its combination of colours, and the tone of the blue colour...feels just perfect....


This is the flag of Zeeland, a province in the south-west of the Netherlands. It consists of a number of islands, so thats why its called Zeeland (Sea-Land).

The flag of Zeeland was adopted on 14 January 1949. In the centre of the flag the coat-of-arms of Zeeland is depicted. The wavy blue lines represent the waves, and the constant struggle against the sea.

I like the story behind what the flag represents....i like things with a story and menaing behind them in general.

Portugal

And the map of Portugal arrived :)))


There is just one funny thing regarding this...i open my mailbox on Friday, and a nice pile of cards there....i start going through them and I see this map and I cheer widely....i go to the next card and there.....another map of Portugal!!!
Im somewhat confused and i turn the back and...nope, it aint an official card...its a swap...which makes things interesting, since I CANT at all recall i have asked for two map cards...I KNOW i was supposed to get one map card, coz i had written it down....but shoot me dead, i had no idea i had asked for the other one as well...Im thinking that maybe i hadnt requested it, but the sender herself sent it to me since i like map cards, but on the other hand, the more i think about it, the more im convinced i saw the other map card in some album and chose it....though i may be wrong...im totally utterly absolutely lost and confused about it....

well, both of them are different, and i dont mind one bit i have two Pourtuguese maps....i can have 10 as well, as long as they are different.....but i start to worry about myself and my forgetfulness and how i cant at all recall if i had asked for the card or left it up to the sender...and she is on a vacation, so i cant get an answer :)

Esfahān, Iran

I still find it hard to believe i have a card from Iran (well, two actually, but ill post the other one some other time)


And the view here is just amazing!
This is the Shah Mosque, situated on the south side of the Naghsh-i-Jahan Square, which is one of the everlasting masterpieces of architecture in Iran and all over the world. Both the mosque and the square are registered as a UNESCO whs.
The Shah Mosque is said to be the most glorious sign of flourishing architecture during the Safavid dynasty.

The sender says that Esfahān is the most beautiful city in Iran and she had been there 11 times!

Well, if we are to judge by the view here, than i dont doubt at all!

Stuttgart, Germany

Stuttgart....another German town in my collection!!!


The first thing that caught my attention was the horse in the top left corner coz it looks like Ferrari's logo and at first i thought it had something to do with Ferrari in Stuttgart...well, it actually is Stuttgart's coat of arms...whereas Ferrari's is just sliiightly different...so i dont know who copied from whom :)

This horse motif comes from the origins of the city's name: it comes from Stutengarten, an ancient form of the modern German word Gestüt, which translates into English as stud farm and into Italian as scuderia.

So yup, there is a relation....and no wonder i was confused, they really look the same....though on the other hand, when i think a bit more about it...Stuttgart is in Germany, Ferrari is Italian....absurd to have thought that Ferrari had something resided in Stuttgart...

Toledo, Spain

A new UNESCO added to my collection ;-)


It was declared a UNESCO whs in 1986 for its extensive cultural and monumental heritage as one of the former capitals of the Spanish Empire, and place of coexistence of Christian, Jewish and Moorish cultures. Also it was the place of important historic events such as the Visigothic Councils of Toledo.

One of Toledo's residents was El Greco, who among his other work, had painted View of Toledo. I am not much of an art-person, but this painting left a very positive impression on me.
I love its gloomy, dark, somewhat spooky and horrendous atmosphere.

Picton Harbour, New Zealand

Here is my last card for today....


What a serene atmosphere.....ideal to just relax and let your mind get carried away....

I wonder how many postcards exist which say New Zealand Wide....it would be nice to have them all as one collection...

Picton Harbour: The main South Island terminal for vehicular ferries from the North ISland, Picton is located well up the Marlborough Sounds (wasnt Marlborough some brand of cigarettes?)

btw, for some reason, I kept typing "Piction" instead of "Picton".....dont know why....

Cat and Mouse

My first cat-card......the sweetest, cutest, most adorable card in my collection


Now, lets see why is this card so special for me and made me open a label of 'cute cards'

- I love cats....i love animals in general, but cats rank the highest along with dogs
- I dont actually have 'animal cards' on my wish list, but there are certain kind of those, i would love to have, esp. cats
- I love this card coz the cat on it looks like mine! So i LOVE cards which have a cat that looks like mine

thats why this card makes me melt on the inside....my first cat card, and above that a cat that looks like my Kimi....how can i not love it??!!
Yeah yeah, im getting very soft here, but i cant help it....i have totally melted ever since i saw this card for the first time...cant express my reaction when it arrived in my mailbox...my cat is one of my softest spots, something i absolutely adore....
though i think the one on the picture is a bit chubbier than my own, or has more fur, i dont know...but its paws are definitely a bit bigger, in a cute way :) and i love the way it looks at the mouse....i wonder if my own one, would do something like this...

there are some commercials as well, which i love and where there is a cat resembling mine.....here is one of them....well, ill save the others for some other cat cards :)
My favourite part would probably be the end, when the cat stretches sooooo nicely.....its as if am looking at my own cat :)

Thank you Naomi soooooooo terribly much for this card....

DHL Cat Commercial

Glen Muick, Scotland

My first card from Scotland after soooo many years!!!


Definitely Scotland is one of the countries to which i can relate beautiful and amazing nature! Well, every country actually has that, but for some reason, some of those countries have it more emphasized....Macedonia for example has numerous of breathtaking places....but there is not a single damn postcard from those places...which is totally totally wrong...but to whom should i tell this, if the ones responsible for those stuff are not aware of it?

The scenery on the card looks sooo peaceful and so quiet and lovely.....its as if its far away from all the noise, all the pollution, all the everyday stress....if i happen to be at this place, im more than positive it will bring me peace of mind....just sitting on the ground or maybe lying down and enjoying the soft sun-rays, probably with my feet in the water....listening to the birds singing, listening to the water flowing...feeling the breeze....feeling the stillness all around...
how can you not enjoy it?

Karlštejn, Czech Republic

mmmmmm.............mmmmmmmmmmm.....another breathtaking view of a castle


This is the Karlštejn castle, in the Czech Republic.

It's a large Gothic castle, founded in the 14th century by Charles IV. he castle served as a place for safekeeping the Empire coronation jewels, holy relics and other royal treasures. Located about 20 km, southwest of Prague, in the Karlštejn village it is one of the most famous and heavily visited castles in the Czech Republic.

What I particularly love about this one is its setting in the woods, and how its surrounded by them......the castle itself is fascinating as well!

USA

Here is a very interesting card....well, one that got ticked off from my wish list :)


Well, i dont think some additional description is needed...here you have the flags of all the 50 US states....alphabetically ordered, while on the back of the card, there is a small square with the states' abbreviations, where they are ordered by seniority....starts with DE, ends with HI ;-)

Btw, i know that flags can be a subject to change sometimes, so if you are from the US and the flag of your state aint exactly like the one here....dont jump at me...i am just posting this here...all the complaints should go to the publisher!

Kamchatka, Russia

Why do some cards keep reminding me of food?


this one here looks like some chocolate cake, with some frozen yoghurt (apple probably) and striped with whipped cream over it......

well, in reality its nothing close to a cake, of course...this is one of the volcanoes of Kamchatka, in particular, this is the Maliy Semyachik volcano, and the "frozen yoghurt" is actually a hot lake formed in the crater of the volcano with its bright turquoise colour, caused by the minerals in the water.

the view is just....amazing

Earth

a really interesting, not usual, cool card..

Represents planet Earth...the 3rd rock from the sun (if you havent watched this series i HIGHLY recommend you do so) and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar system in diametre, mass and density.....a home to million of species, Earth is the only place in the Universe, where life is known to exist (unfortunately). I dont really believe in ailens, at least not in the small green creatures as they represent them....but it would be really super cool if there was life on another planet indeed with some beings who may be not like us, but who are yet normal (in appearance and reasoning) and who maybe also have built houses and buildings and live in cities and villages (though they all maybe called differently there)....and who knows, they may have postcards as well....so then we can also exchange cards with them....I just hope they dont have c.900 UNESCO' to collect as well :P

the card reminded me of this Duran Duran song, which was actually their first, debut single....and since I love Duran Duran, here is the video :)

"...this is planet Earth, you're looking at planet Earth, bop bop bop bop bop bop bop bop this is planet Earth..." :)))))

Wroclaw, Poland

My second card from Wroclaw and a new UNESCO card :)


This here is the Century Hall (later its name was changed into People's Hall, nowadays both names are used). It's not very old, built in 1912-14, but it influenced many other modern concrete buildings so thats why it has been a UNESCO whs since 2006.

I like it when the sender writes something about the card, so apart from some googled info, i can include that as well

It was erected by the architect Max Berg as a multi-purpose recreational building, situated in the Exhibition Grounds. In form it is a symmetrical quatrefoil with a vast circular central space that can seat some 6,000 persons. The 23m-high dome is topped with a lantern in steel and glass. It is a pioneering work of modern engineering and architecture.

Maryland, USA

You probably know by now how these cards make me feel and i got this one thanks to Tracey :)


Maryland is a US state located in the mid-Atlantic region. According to some most recent information, it is the wealthiest state in the United States, with a median household income of US$65,144! (should i pack my bags?!)
It bears two nicknames, the Old Line State, and the Free State.......I prefer the former...

This nickname is, according to some, a reference to the Maryland soldiers who fought courageously in the Revolutionary War, the Maryland Line. It is said that General George Washington referred to these soldiers as "The Old Line." Maryland was the only state that had regular troops "of the line" and these soldiers were ranked among the finest and best disciplined in the army. Another origin is given that goes back further in history. It is said that Maryland is referred to as "The Old Line State" because it was the dividing line between the land grants given to William Penn and Lord Baltimore.


and you know, i actually thought that 'the old line' referred to some old railroad line, and thats its nickname coz there were maybe the first railroads or the oldest rail lines are still preserved and used....boy, was i wrong!

Sigmarigen, Germany

the last one for today is a card i got in a lottery....obviously im a castle-magnet when it comes to lotteries :P


This castle is called Schloss Sigmaringen, for which its town, Sigmaringen is renowned. It was the seat of the Vichy government-in-exile during the closing months of the WW II.
There is LOADS of history which i think goes into really unimportant details, so ill skip that part now :)

Its an interesting castle....and in general, i like them, so its nice to have actually been able to get this card :) Thanks!

Doubtful Sound, New Zealand

How beautiful and tranquil.........btw, 'tranquil' is one of my favourite words in English...sometimes i think i overuse it...

One funny thing....just last night i dreamt i had received a bunch of postcards and among them was a postcard from someone in either Australia or New Zealand, dont recall that part correctly...BUT, the postcard actually showed MY own town and it was a card from the early 80's or so....can you imagine my reaction? An oudated card from your hometown, postmarked from a totally different continent....
Well so far, not a single postcard in the mailbox....which somewhat lowers the chances of the dream coming true :P


Here is whats said about Doubtful Sound....

Doubtful Sound located in a World Heritage Area, is an overwhelming place. You can feel the power of nature here - the remoteness, the wildness and the peace.Known for its wilderness and wildlife, Doubtful Sound is the second largest of the 14 fiords in Fiordland National Park and it is three times longer and 10 times larger than Milford Sound. In Maori legend, the godly figure Tu Te Raki Whanoa created this incredibly beautiful fiord with the assistance of four young sea gods who carved out its sheltered arms. Today Doubtful Sound remains an unspoilt wilderness of many moods; one minute clear blue and sun-drenched, the next mysterious and mist-cloaked.

I guess thats why its called 'doubtful'...

St. Petersburg, Russia

I absolutely love this view...it just amazing!!
Its my third one from the "hometown begins with 'S' -RR...have one more to go


This here is the Palace Square, Alexander Column in St. Petersburg.
What I especially love about this view is from where its shot, how it shows the entire square, and how at the time of shooting there were very few people there so you can see the vastness of it...plus it gives me some feeling of desolation...partially coz of that, partially coz of the colours...the clouds contribute a lot to it.
I love postcards which invoke feelings in me like this.

There is an interesting thing Katerina says about it : "As the new 7 wonders of the world, in Russia, we have similar voting - 7 wonders of Russia. Results will be in July but as I know, the Palace Square is on the first place".

Well, i dont know whats the criteria to enter or win something like that, but this place here DOES deserve a win of some kind.

Jamestown, St. Helena

You know....i had the wrong idea that islands ALWAYS had to feel exotic and with some beautiful nature and with crystal-blue water etc etc...well, at least on cards :P


Jamestown is a harbour and the capital of St. Helena, founded in 1659 by the East India Company, when they built a fort and established a garrison at the site on James Bay, naming it after the Duke of York (later James II)

Jamestown consists of a little more than a single street, running up a narrow, deep-sided valley for a mile, to a height of 150m.

Its population is c.1000 .......hey, my neighbourhood has more people!

Philippines

A very very vibrant and lovely multiview from the Philippines, thanks to Bea who didnt listen to me when i told her NOT TO re-send me a card :) Well, i must admit this is one of those times when i dont mind at all someone went against me :P


Here is what you can see on the card, starting from top left...going to the right and at the last top right picture, you go down and when you get to the bottom, you move to the left...hope i didnt complicate it :)

1. Batak Tribe, Palawan (here i have to make a small notice, since language similarities always amuse me....'batak' in Macedonian means "a leg of poultry"

2. Boracay Sunset

3. Beautiful Lagoon of El Nido (its inexplicibly beautiful!)

4. Chocolate Hills, Bohol (sorry to disappoint you, i was disappointed myself. but there is NO chocolate "growing" on the hills :D Its named like that coz the green grass they are covered in, turns brown during the dry season). Hahahhaa.....it would have been nice if there was a place like that which "produced" on its own all kinds of chocolate :))))

5. Moriones Festival, Marinduque

6. Perfectly-coned Mayon Volcano, Legaspi

7. Limestone Cliffs of El Nido, Palawan

8. Banaue Rice Terraces

I just have a question that bothers me....when you get a multiview card and one of the small pictures shows a UNESCO whs, do you count it as a UNESCO or do you need a single view card from the site, so you can actually label it as UNESCO.....I know i had done this, but hoenstly im not sure if its right....

Mount Bromo, Indonesia

Another one of the set of Indonesian cards

Mount Bromo is one of the most popular tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. It is an active volcano, and part of the Tengger massif, and even though at 2329 meters it is not the highest peak of the massif, it is the most well known.

A Legend

According to a local folk tale, at the end of the 15th century, princess Roro Anteng from the Majapahit Empire, started a separate principality together with her husband Joko Seger. They named it Tengger by the last syllables of their names. The principality did prosper, but the ruling couple failed to conceive children. In their despair they climbed Mount Bromo to pray to the gods, who granted them help, but requested the last child to be sacrificed to the gods. They had 24 children, and when the 25th and last child Kesuma was born Roro Anteng refused to do the sacrifice as promised. The gods then threatened with fire and brimstone, until she finally did the sacrifice. After the child was thrown into the crater, the voice of the child ordered the local people to perform an annual ceremony on the volcano, which is not held today.

Tahiti and her Islands, French Polynesia

Thats how the card is named, Tahiti and her islands, so I labeled it like that as well....and it wasnt until I actually opened this post that i realized i have a card from French Polynesia!
I really amaze myself sometimes, how i switch off at certain times....

And this one belongs to the set of map cards...well not as the kind you are used to see here, but still it counts as a map card ;-)
Its composition reminds me of third grade, primary school.....there was this project we were supposed to do, make a relief of our country (just as the islands on the card), out of paste (you know, mix flour and water, get a paste and shape it as our country seen from above). Of course, we also had to paint it with water colours to distinguish mountains from valleys and rivers....and i had a "masterpiece" which made me realize im never gonna be good in arts...my mum and dad did help me though (in preparing the material) but i had to do the main part....and what i managed to shape out looked like everything but Macedonia from above....not to mention how my watercolours spreaded all over, so it was hard to figure out whats what....on top of that, i dont know if the paste was too dry, but eventually it started to crumble....the following day was one of those days when youd pretened you are sick just so you dont go to school, but unfortunately, i had to....and i hated it how other children's projects (most of them) looked soooo lovely and so neat and precise.....while mine was just....well, something that made me wanna be away from everyone and everything....and for a 10 year old kid that can feel pretty frustrating and affect its self-confidence......

Funny how this brought memories........