Yangon, Myanmar

Hello hello! And kicking off today with a card from Myanmar!! Ok, before you go green of envy, let me tell you that the card aint written and stamped....the sender didnt want to take that chance due to a number of security reasons the postal service goes through when someone sends a huge number of cards (and you can imagine what a huge interest for Myanmar it might have been!) But sent in an envelope like this, works perfectly fine for me right now....I will get the written and stamped version one day...I think that even the unwritten versions are not seen so often around :)

The card in particular shows the floating Karaweik Restaurant on Kandawgyi (Royal) Lake and is one of the landmarks of Yangon (former capital of Myanmar). This modern architecture was named after a sacred mythological bird and was constructed in 1972. This whole building was gilded with gold about 20 years ago.

I think it looks rather impressive!

Helsinki, Finland

I dont know about you, but compared to lets say one or two years ago, I feel that the number of my received Finnish cards in general has greatly decreased....

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This is an official card sent back in May (FYI, the FI id has already surpassed the number of 900,000! Wow! For comparison, Macedonia has just gone over 700 only....what a difference!).

Anyways, the card shows Korkeasaari, which is an island in Helsinki, Finland where the country's biggest zoo is situated.
The zoo is located on a 22 hectare rocky island. It's connected to mainland via a bridge, where there is access to the zoo all year round. A ferry and water buses take visitors to the island summertime from Kauppatori and Hakaniemi.
Korkeasaari is one of the most popular places among visitors in Helsinki. The animals on display are divided geographically to Amazonia, Africasia and Borealia. Animal species number about two hundred, and plant species about a thousand.
The main collection comprises mammals and birds, but even reptiles, fish and invertebrates are on display. (The Amazonia building has an aquarium department.) No big mammals (elephants, giraffes, hippopotamus) are on display, as all warm climate animals must be indoors for wintertime. The collection of big cats is quite good, and the snow leopards born in Korkeasaari are famous.
Two or three times a year the zoo organizes night walks, when visitors can see the big cats and other nocturnal animals in their natural waking hours

So, if you happen to be in Helsinki at the right time, I would surely recommend one of those night visits...I really believe they are worth it!

The nice Aurora Borealis stamp from 2009.

Great Southern Rail, Australia

An update wouldnt be an update if there is no train card to bother you with :D

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And this fantastic maxi card came as an official from Australia (boy, I love the 'official' people who pay attention to someone's wishes).

The card shows the Great Southern Railway (GSR), which operates interstate passenger trains aimed at the tourist market:
The Indian Pacific (Sydney-Adelaide-Perth)
The Ghan (Adelaide-Alice Springs-Darwin)
The Overland (Melbourne-Adelaide)
The Southern Spirit (various routes from November 2008)

The Ghan, Indian Pacific and Overland were operated until 1997 by Australian National Railways. As a Government enterprise, it was always unprofitable. The Australian Commonwealth sold ANR Passenger and Freight in 1997. GSR took over the operation of the Indian Pacific, The Ghan and The Overland passenger trains, and has operated them profitably since that time. Costs were reduced by renegotiating staff pay and conditions, and by extending the Ghan, which originally ran from Adelaide to Alice Springs, so that it ran once each week from Sydney and once each week from Melbourne. With completion of the railway from Alice Springs to Darwin, the Ghan now runs from Adelaide to Darwin. While GSR owns the passenger car fleet, Pacific National provides hook and pull (locomotive haulage) services.
The Southern Spirit is a luxury cruising train service, launched by Great Southern Railway on 17 June 2008, with the inaugural service running on 25 November 2008

Ahhhh, I wanna go I wanna go!!!!

Btw, due to some assignments lately, I had to attend this office, which believe it or not has a direct view onto the railway tracks which come in and out of the Main Railway Station in Skopje! Do you know what a feeling it is to be able to watch the trains from so close?!  I wonder what was the impression the people got, who noticed the absolute fascination in my eyes and the way I stared at the trains and followed them as they were moving along....

Cappadocia, Turkey

A Fantastic card I got from the Turkish Postcrossing meeting in June, which among else was signed by two very dear people of mine, Pinar and Leslie.

And they sent me a great UNESCO card, showing Cappadocia, which is a region in Central Turkey in the Göreme valley. The name was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage.

and just please take a look at these very very very special stamps chosen just for me! Trains!! The comprise a set of stamps issued in 2006 regarding the 150th Anniversary of Turkish Railways.

Thank you sooooooo much my dear ladies for this fantastic card and thanks to everyone else who had attended the meeting and signed it as well! I love it!

Marblehead Lighthouse, USA

Well, along with trains and maps, I think lighthouses are one of the most inevitable part of this blog :)

This time Ill show you the Marblehead lighthouse which is the oldest continuously operating light on the Great Lakes and it is located on the northeastern tip of the beautiful Marblehead Peninsula which divides Lake Eire and Sandusky Bay.

Have a great weekend ahead everyone!

Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland

After some silence, here I am again...stuck into some period of chaos and uncertainties...hence the fact i havent had the chance nor time to post here for a week...i cant tell how things are  gonna develop in the future, but for today ill post a bit more cards than usual...not coz i wanna catch/make up...but i just have really some nice cards to show.

First one comes from Iceland....a card I was more than lucky enough to win in a lottery! And it shows that (in)famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano, of which im pretty sure you have all heard about...I dont think there is a person who is mail-involved, that hadnt heard about this since your mail was rather delayed...if you had to travel somewhere during this time, there is a great chance you were stranded at some airport...and some business wouldnt have been business if out of this, people didnt think of a way to earn money....this volcano became so popular (even though the majority of people cant pronounce it properly) that it had to be put on postcards, and postcard collectors had to have it! Me as well...and it finally came as a great surprise!
Ha ha, this card is so lovely that it is hard to believe this volcano is capable of being guilty for so much troubles all over :)

there is even a matching stamp, issued this year, in a set of 3 stamps, showing volcanoes of course :)

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

A UNESCO card from the Philippines

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 kilometres north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The National Park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the northern coast of the island. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park was nominated for the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" Competition.
From what I know, it has entered the Finalists list.
If you want to vote, you can do it here.

The two bird stamps were issued in 2009 in a set of 40 different ones.

Fichtelberg, Germany

A great train card I received from the August Surprise me RR.

It shows the Fichtelberg Railway, which is a 750 mm gauge narrow gauge railway that leads from the standard gauge international line at Cranzahl to the ski resort of Oberwiesenthal in the Erzgebirge mountains in eastern Germany. It takes its name from the Fichtelberg mountain near Oberwiesenthal
To make it clear, narrow gauge railway (or narrow gauge railroad) is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the 1,435 mm of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between 914 mm and 1,067 m.

the well known flower-stamp from Germany.

Latvia

I cant brag with having many cards from Latvia, but I do get one every now and then...

Unfortunately I dont know much about the place on this card except that it shows a sunset over the Baltic Sea...doesnt tell much, does it? The Latvian Baltic shore is a rather longish one too, so all I can say about this card is that it is just a lovely one and probably the most romantic souls would enjoy :)

the stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 1994, showing Coat of Arms.

Colorado, USA

And another fantastic train card today coming from Colorado!

The back of the card says:

Make way for the train! - Smoke billows into the stormy sky above, near Silverton in Colorado.

Here is one train-related song (no actual trains in the video though :))....coz I cant help but regret not having gone to this band's concert in Thessaloniki last week....better organization and planning next time Ana...and do act in time and not when it is too late

"Trains" - Porcupine Tree

And Dede, the sender of this card, made it all really special by using 3 fantastic train stamps!
They were all issued in 1999 in a set of 5 great train stamps. Here you can see 3 different locomotives, "Daylight", "Congressional" and "Super Chief"! Ahhhhhhhh......

Twyfelfontein, Namibia

A lovely, great, fantastic, awesome card came from Anja! Namibia...UNESCO...written and stamped! Pleasure all around! :)

At first the name reminded me of some of those Welsh places, but this one aint situated even close to Wales but in the far far Namibia. Twyfelfontein (doubtful fountain) is 75km west of Khorixas.
The site has been inhabited for 6,000 years, first by hunter-gatherers and later by Khoikhoi herders. Both ethnic groups used it as a place of worship and a site to conduct shamanist rituals. In the process of these rituals at least 2,500 items of rock carvings have been created, as well as a few rock paintings. Some thousands of years old, other of the 19th century. Displaying one of the largest concentrations of rock petroglyphs in Africa, UNESCO approved Twyfelfontein as Namibia's first World Heritage Site in 2007.

and a great stamp, coming from the 3rd joint SAPOA issue, which consists of 9 stamps, regarding the 2010 FIFA World Cup of South Africa.

Malta

dear Silvan surprised me again with something thats more than a fantastic card! A map card of Malta! <3

the card shows the Maltese islands and is simply lovely...shows you the warmth and the sunshine and simply calls you to come and visit and enjoy yourself.
Recently I sort of started exploring the Maltese language a bit and it seemed rather odd to me, esp. since when I was looking at the alphabet I came across letters I didnt expect I would find...some which you will actually find in the Serbian/Croatian...and the coinage of words just wasnt something I expected....but thats what makes it interesting for me...it is a Semitic language descended from Siculo-Arabic, with influences by Sicilian and Italian, to a lesser extent French, and more recently English.

the stamp is from a set of 3 Christmas stamps issued in 2009

Grazzi hafna Silvan!

Bald Head Island, USA

A card coming from the so-called Historic Lighthouse Series.

The Bald Head Island Lighthouse, lovingly referred to as "Old Baldy", stands proudly on Smith Island (another name for the Bald Head Island) guiding the travelling ships up the Cape Fear River and past the "feared" sand bar that just far into the ocean from the lower Cape Fear.

Sabah, Malaysia

The closure for today will be with another fantastic map card which came as a lovely surprise from dear Caroline.

The card shows the Sabah state, and the colours distinguish places where you have Parks, Wildlife Reserves, Virgin Jungle Reserves, Protection Forest Reserves and a Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.

Ive been trying to count my cards lately, and ive come to a conclusion that so far i have acquired 293 map cards, and a rough estimation of over 2600 cards in total....which aint bad, aint bad at all...I just have a feeling that the postman has been avoiding me lately...or at least doesnt come as often as he used to...something should be done about it :)

Nassau, Bahamas

My dear dear Katie gave me this splendid surprise and thought of me during her stay in the Bahamas! Can you imagine my delight? A written and stamped card from the Bahamas?!!! Not an everyday treat, thats for sure!

From the back of the card: "Whether you prefer quiet, private beaches or lively public ones, Nassau on New Providence Island offers the crystal clear water and powdery white sand that you are looking for".

Ahhh, private or public, id take either....how can I resist a sandy beach like this with crystal clear waters! Yeah, I am desperate for a holiday by the sea or ocean, but unfortunately, with the season coming to a closure, and me still having lot of unsolved issues here, I could still just dream of one....maybe ill be more lucky next year...

The stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2010, called Friends of the environment.

Thank you so much dear Katie, again and again! You really made me happy!

Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

Another lovely surprise, this time from dear Earney who visited the Czech Republic not so long ago.

And she chose such a great card for me, with so many coats of arms all over the card! And my first card on the blog coming from Český Krumlov, which is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle. Old Český Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was given this status along with the historic Prague castle district.
This here is the main square and from what ive seen in the UNESCO gallery, it does fall under the UNESCO!

the stamp was issued in 2007, regarding the The World Postage Stamp Exhibition - Praga 2008, and this is the Logo of the Exhibition.

Thank you so much Earney, for this and all the other lovely treats you've given to my mailbox!

Rønne, Denmark

My last card for today comes from the favourites tag and dear Genek sent me this one.

I think that this card is better when left without words....the image is just too beautiful to be disturbed by talking about it. This is a street in the city of Rønne, which s the largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. This kind of houses are typical for Rønne and one of the things which attract visitors...and make deltiologists admire at the postcards.

the stamp is from the 2010 EUROPA issue, representing Children's books...this one shows Frogeater Orla.

Chişinău, Moldova

Yaaay, my very first card from Moldova! And a written and stamped one!

I dont know about the average Moldova cards, but this one is pretty unusual, regarding the size...i dont see cards of this format very often...actually i almost never see them...but it is not a bad card at all!
It shows the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Chişinău, built during the years of the Soviet Union. The theatre has superb equipment and facilities; and it has established itself as one of the leading ballet companies in Eastern Europe. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, this theatre was one of the few to retain its own ballet, opera and orchestra, with its own soloists and chorus.

And what a lovely stamp! Gogol!!! It was issued in 2009, in a set of 4 stamps, commemorating the anniversaries of famous people (the other 3 stamps show Eugen Ionescu, Eufrosinia Kersnovskaia and Darwin.

Tallinn, Estonia

My dear Katy sent me this FANTASTIC train postcard!! As lovely as it can be!

It shows a photograph taken back on 19 August, 1924 and if im not wrong, it can nowadays be seen at the Nõmme Museum which is located in one wing of the historical Nõmme Railway Station, and it introduces the history of Nõmme as an independent town in the period 1926 – 1940 and also the earlier years of the area from the foundation of Nõmme by Nikolai von Glehn at the end of the 19th century. The exhibits have been gathered from the inhabitants of Nõmme and received from Tallinn City Museum, where some of the collections of the first Nõmme Museum were stored. In addition to permanent exposition temporary exhibitions are also held at the museum.

and for the complete pleasure, Katy added train stamps too! <3. It was issued in 2000, representing the Viljandi-Tallinn railway.

Thank you so much Katy!!

Slovakia

Another FANTASTIC surprise here, this time from dear Janek, who knows I love flag cards and sent me this lovely one from Slovakia!

The current form of the flag of Slovakia was adopted by Slovakia's Constitution, which came into force on 3 September 1992. The flag, in common with other Slavic nations, uses the white, blue and red colours. Slovakia's flag in its current form (but with another coat of arms on it or without any arms) can be dated back to the revolutionary year 1848. . It was also used semi-officially in Czechoslovakia before World War II, by the Slovak Republic during WWII, and finally adopted (without the coat of arms) on 1 March 1990 as the flag of the Slovak Republic within Czechoslovakia. Since the Slovak flag without the coat of arms is identical to that of the modern flag of Russia and it can also be compared to the modern flag of Slovenia, the Constitution of Slovakia added the national coat of arms in September 1992.

The stamp is a EUROPA one, from the 2009 Astronomy series.

Thank you so much Janek! I just LOVE this card!

Oregon, USA

My last card for today shows another of my favourite topics, lighthouses!

The sender says that here, all the Oregon lighthouses are shown, except one, which is privately owned.
So here you have:
Top row, from left to right: Heceta Head Lighthouse, Umpqua River Lighthouse, Cape Meares Lighthouse, Coquille River Lighthouse, Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.

Bottom row, left to right: Cape Blanco Lighthouse, Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, Cape Arago Lighthouse, Lightship Columbia, Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

the well known stamp showing the Grand Teton National Park. I think Im seeing this stamp as often as I used to see the 94c one showing the St. John Island from the US Virgin Islands....gets boring eventually :)