Westport, Ireland

A card showing the Irish town of Westport, in the Mayo County. It arrived as a surprise from Lynda, for the FB Surprise Group.

With its urban population is around 5500 people, Westport is also a popular tourist destination and scores highly for Quality of Life.  It has won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition ( never knew competitions like this existed...we would score pretty low on it) three times in 2001, 2006 and 2008; in 2012 it also won the Best Place to Live in Ireland competition run by The Irish Times.

In the back, you can see the Croagh Patrick Mountain, which is a famous pilgrimage mountain.

Westport's name in Irish, "Cathair na Mart", has the meaning of "stone fort of the beeves".

An adorable stamp!! (quite expensive postage that is...)
It shows a very cute otter from a set of 4 definitives issued in 2015.

Thanks a lot Lynda! :)

Dublin, Ireland

Moving on to some Dublin stuff..

This first card came from Andy not so long ago from his trip to Dublin last December. Lucky, lucky guy! :)

The back of the card says" Dublin city is spread over the broad valley of the river Liffey, with Wicklow Hills sheltering it on the south. In addition to its splendid public buildings, Dublin is particularly rich in domestic architecture of the 18th century. It's one of Europe's most beautifully situated capitals with pleasant beaches and mountains only a short journey away.    

this stamp was issued in 2014 as part of two Marine Life stamps and on this one you can see the Fireworks Anemone...

the second Dublin card arrived as a surprise from Lynda...a great view of the city..and here you can see the Liffey river as well as some (important) buildings, that I  have no idea if I can identify properly...I guess the first bridge you can see is the Ha'Penny Bridge, built in 1816...and in the back on the right, that might be the Four Courts...well other than that I really dont know...that's why I included that last map card you can see below

again the fireworks anemone stamp....

and here is the Dublin map card, to help out lost and totally confused tourists like me with no sense of orientation. The back of the card has names for each of the numbers shown here, so with this, I really shouldnt get lost...all it takes now is to figure out how to get to Ireland...

nice colourful stamp from 2012 from a set of four stamps showing Myths and Legends....Id be thankful if anyone could tell me what the myth on this stamp is all about....

Passau, Germany

My last post for today (yeah, sorry, but that would be it) shows two cards from the beautiful Passau in Germany...and both cards were received thanks to Martina!

First you have a gorgeous aerial view of the city of the three rivers because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Out of the 50,000 people who live here, around 11,000 are students so it must be all lively and nosy and cheerful to be around here :)

a nice German stamp issued this year, showing a view of the Baltic Sea and its Bodensee (or as they call it in English, Lake Constance).

On the second card you can see St Stephen's Cathedral, a baroque church dating back to 1688, that over time time has acquired the largest cathedral organ in the world (it has has 17,774 pipes and 233 registers).

I guess I should put it on my list of places to visit one day....

issued in 2013, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Fehmarnsund Bridge.

So the time has come to part again...till next time....which I don't know when it's gonna be but for some reason I think I won't be able to post anything before Easter (Orthodox Easter), though I wish I could prove myself wrong.

Either way, stay well, and hope you are still taking a peek from time to time :)

Wishing you all a great week ahead and hopefully, nice spring days!

Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan

Two cards from Taiwan, which, if I figured out correctly, show the same lighthouse...I'm saying this, cos the second card doesn't bear a name of the lighthouse, but according to the structure and layout and all, it must be the same one :)

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The first one arrived as an official and is really cool cos that small square in the right up corner is actually a small window, which turned out to be showing the image perfectly when scanned! 

The Cape Eluanbi lies at the it is the southernmost point of mainland Taiwan and nowadays it is called "The Light of East Asia", because its intensity is the most powerful among Taiwan lighthouses.

Btw, I realized that this is some kind of series of Taiwanese postcards called "Love Taiwan" and that Glenn has received a fantastic one representing the Alishan Railway! 

the stamp on this one is from a set of four stamps showing lakes, issued in 2014.



The other lighthouse card arrived for the FB surprise group from Elva. Btw, I was somewhat convinced I had another card showing this lighthouse...but then again it might be I've seen it too frequently on postcrossing...but frankly, I really have NO idea and I feel like my mind is playing tricks on me =/

The lighthouse was built during the Qing Dynasty in 1888 and according to Wikipedia, is the only armed lighthouse in the world, with a trench surrounding it and many gun holes on the wall. The extra fortifications were required at the time it was built because of frequent raids by local aboriginal tribes

the stamps are definitives issued in 2013, representing different kind of berries - the one on the left (in two copies), shows us a Ribes formosanum, while the other one shows a Hylocereus undatus (or White-fleshed Pitahaya)

Oaxaca, Mexico

Ok, one more post for today...

this card arrived recently as a surprise from David, who sent me this gorgeous card showing the Tlacolula market in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Tlacolula (de Matamoros) is the main commercial center for the Tlacolula Valley area, and best known for its weekly open air market held on Sundays. This market is one of the oldest, largest and busiest in Oaxaca, mostly selling foodstuffs and other necessities for the many rural people which come into town on this day to shop

the two stamps are part of a gorgeous mini sheet containing six stamps issued this year, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Heroic Deed in Veracruz.

Soooo....that would be all for now...frankly I feel a bit out of shape with regards to posting and writing and all, but hope to get back on track
Wont be making any promises about when the next post is going to happen...whether it will be soon or not so soon...but either way, hope you are all well, and thank you for still dropping by every now and then. =)

Till next time....

Los Gigantes, Spain

A great card I received as a surprise from Veronica, showing the town of Los Gigantes (or "The Giants" in English) on the island of Tenerife.

The main feature are the giant rock formations, Acantilados de Los Gigantes, that rise from the sea to a height of 500-800 metres after which the town has been named.

looks like a nice typical resort town to me. Wouldnt mind spending a holiday here one day...

you know the guy on the blue stamp, dont you? Juan Carlos, King of Spain from 1975 to 2014. The other stamp says "I need Spain"....hahahaa...well, I don't know if I need it, but I certainly love the country...issued in 2013

Košice, Slovakia

mmmm, been a while since I've posted a Slovakian card, so here comes one...

I was supposed to go to an SOL seminar in Slovakia at the beginning of August...but obviously I didn't...giving myself a number of excuses...and now when I look back, none of them seems relevant...then a friend and I wanted to make a trip to Bratislava...but that failed as well...so for now, Slovakia and I are still not meant to meet...

the card isn't about Bratislava though, but it shows the Chess Square in Košice, the biggest town in eastern Slovakia...and I love it! And if I'm not mistaken, this is my only card from Košice so far so that makes me extra happy :D
Funny though, finding information on it was like a mission-impossible...to the point where I started wondering if the card really is from Košice, or I'm seeing things wrongly...and I still doubt the correct answer.....

the stamp got a bit torn during its journey...it is a definitive from a set of 11 stamps issued in 2009, representing the Cultural Heritage of Slovakia...if I got it right, this one shows the Premonstratensian Monastery of Virgin Mary in Bina.

Zürich Railway Station, Switzerland

ok, one more for today...a lovely surprise from Andy!

you may wonder, what the hell is this...yeah, it seems a bit bizarre...but this is The Guardian Angel sculpture inside the Railway Station in Zürich.  Giant and really colourful!
Weighing 1.2 tonnes and more than 11 metres high, this guardian angel protects passengers day and night...I hope it is well fixed...otherwise...

both stamps were issued in 2008...and I think you are rather familiar with both the grain and the bird stamp...

well, that would be all for today...hope you liked one or maybe more of today's posts....until next time, stay well!

Bali, Indonesia

I received this lovely card from Irien as a surprise for the FB surprise group! an absolutely great card!

the image is somewhere in Bali, showing two ladies that according to the caption are relaxing before going for a prayer...well, the place seems to be ideal for relaxing indeed...love that misty, chilly atmosphere they are surrounded with..

the stamps are from a set of 5 issued in 2012, representing Historic Buildings of Worship...the top stamp shows the Masjid Agung in Palembang, while the bottom one shows the Pura Beakih in Besakih.

Dresden, Germany

Well now get ready for an attack of Dresden cards... when I chose to post about Dresden it was cos just recently I received a card for the FB surprise group and i knew I had like one or two more...but when I started gathering them from all the years it turned out it wasnt just one or two, but there was no turning back...Dresden was chosen, Dresden it's gonna be =)

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Well, Dresden for quite some time has been on my list of places I would REALLY love to visit one day and looking at the postcards I have, the desire just grows bigger. I feel this city has some special charm that Im gonna love straightway! Plus it's not really big, around 500,000 inhabitants, so we are really like made for each other :)

the card arrived as an official from Stefanie, just this March and probably one of the loveliest views of Dresden I've seen...thought there is still one in my favourites that is my ultimate favourite and still waiting for someone to send it to me :)

Stefanie used this stamp from the joint issue with Japan, featuring UNESCO whs sites. It was issued in 2011 and shows the old town of Regensburg.



the second Dresen card came as a swap with Lothar, who sent me this multiview showing the Dresden Frauenkirche, or the Church of Our Lady.

Built in the 18th century, it is considered as an outstanding example of Protestant sacred architecture, featuring one of the largest domes in Europe.
The Frauenkirche is often called a cathedral, however it is not the seat of a bishop. Hmm, ok now I think this would clarify it for me why something is a church and why a cathedral...pardon my ignorance but these religion-related issues have never really been my strong side...

the stamp is the same as the one above....


Another card showing the Frauenkirche, this time a single view and as seen from the Neumarkt..

received this one as an absolute surprise for the Facebook Surprise group and I love it! And just look at those surrounding buildings..they look so lovely, all the same, just differing in colour...

two definitives - the yellow tulip and the crocus, both issued in 2005, and a lovely stamp issued this year, commemorating the 1250th Anniversary of Lorsch Abbey

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an official received back in 2010...on the card you can see part of the old town, the Brühl's Terrace, the cathedral, the Semper Opera House...and I think that would be it...oh, of course, how could I forget the Elbe river :)

boy, it's been so long since I've seen this stamp on a card....I remember how annoyed people used to be for constantly receiving this one on their mail...but see, after a few years, it feels nice to see it again - issued in 2006 btw.



a card that is a result of a swap with Dieter...and showing Dresden from a totally different perspective...and I love it!

well, again you can get a glimpse of the Frauenkirche,  but the clouds and the foggy atmosphere surely bring a different feeling about it all...well, the back of the card also says to be showing the German Hygiene Museum, but from this angle, I have absolutely no idea which one is that...this is the first time I hear a museum to be named like that...sounds so strange....

ok, again another definitive, this one issued in 2005, and an EUROPA stamp from the last year's topic of postal vans



ok, moving on to the last card,, another multiview....yeah, I do admit im not a huge fan of multivies but I do not mind them that much...I know sometimes people just do not have a choice :)

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Received this one as an official somewhere at the beginning of the year, and here you can also see the Zwinger Palace, the Academy of Arts, the Royal Palace (or the Dresden Castle), and some painting of the Elbe river...

2013 stamp commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Fehmarnsund Bridge

So, do you feel like travelling to Dresden now? I certainly do!

Cincinnati Museum Center, USA

damn blogger is again causing me troubles and often doesn't want to save the post until i try for like zillion times...grrrrr!!
I hope it manages for at least two posts before I give him a break...though with such behaviour twice in a row, it doesnt really deserve it.

This card came as a surprise from Laura for this Surprise me group on Facebook! It is a really cool one, but the postal service has made sure none of my surprise cards to have arrived so far, despite some being sent at the end of November/beginning of December! I hate that Christmas chaos...add the Macedonian postal service to it, and there you have lost mail or missing mail or endlessly delayed mail..ugh!! So im starting to feel really guilty now with so many cards not having reached destinations yet =/

Anyways, on the back of the card it says: Cincinnati's magnificent art deco style railroad terminal building, now the home of Cincinnati Museum Center, was dedicated on March 31, 1933.
(im a bit confused with the word 'dedicated' here...does it make sense in that sentence? is something missing? Im really not sure I get it right....*feeling embarrassed*

it is a cool Forever stamp in the Christmas spirit, showing an Evergreen wreath.