Reykjavik, Iceland

Next beauty comes from Iceland (I don't think there can be something else but beauty if it comes from Iceland btw :)), sent by Alvin two years ago (yeah, today I'm kinda into older cards - cos of all my procrastination throughout the years of course...and frankly speaking I don't think I will ever be able to catch up...)

Speaking of Alvin, today, I realized that Heleen knows him too! It is such a small world! Ok, they are both Dutch, so nothing strange about it, but it is just one of those nice surprise feelings you get that when you don't expect it, you come across a familiar name :)

And the beauty here shows Winter's soft light over Reykjavik....it just hurts how beautiful it is! It hurts!!
Alvin says that on the card you can see the house where the Icelandic president lives, right next to the church...yeah, those buildings in the front...Reykjavik is in the background...and another funny fact added by Alvin is that Iceland is very safe, and there is almost no security at the president's house...heh, I don't think many presidents in the world can brag with that....

the stamp is from the 2013 EUROPA issue from a set of two stamps showing postal vehicles.

Another huge thank you Alvin!! And yeah, I envy your last trip too :)

Strokkur, Iceland

The magnificent Iceland!! And a stunning card received from Alvin's trip there! Awesome surprise from him as always!!!

This is Strokkur - the junior geyser that erupts approximately every 5-6 minutes. The area surrounding Strokkur is rich with many smaller bubbling hot springs as well as the great Geyser. Geothermal activity in the area has increased since an earthquake shook the south of Iceland in the summer of 2000.

The glimpse of the sun in the background just adds to the spectacularity of the view! Love it!

Alvin apologizes for the ugly stamp...but actually I think it is not a bad one at all...plus definitely nicer than the usual stamps I stumble upon when I go on trips...issued in 2012 in a set of 2 stamps from the EUROPA series of "Visit Iceland"...well, I really hope I will one day...I really do!

Thank you so much Alvin!!

Reykjavik, Iceland

Yay! Reykjavik!! I have a number of postcards from Iceland, but this is my first and only one showing Reykjavik! (Good evening Stockholm, Reykjavik calling! - for those watching Eurovision. I stopped time ago, but still sometimes tune in for the votes...and for some reason, Reykjavik calling is something that keeps going thru my mind when thinking of Iceland's capital...and then you have this lovely lady/cool guy in the studio, with some dimmed city lights in the background, and you just get this nice warm feeling...don't know why

Anyways, Iceland is one of those countries that I would absolutely love love love to visit, so if someone plans visiting this country soon or not so soon and needs some company...don't hesitate to contact me! Though more and more I've been considering the idea of travelling alone sometimes...seriously...cos it is more and more difficult to manage to arrange a trip with someone else..and I am not really complicated when it comes to travelling (at least that is what I want to think of myself) but I do not mind long bus/car/train journeys when possible, cos it is cheaper than a plane...I do not mind staying in not so fancy hotels/hostels, as long as it is clean and I have a shower...I do not mind walking from dawn till dusk in order to see as much as possible...and I also do not mind having some lazy days and just chilling out in a cafe...the only thing one would have to bear with me is the time I usually dedicate in the hunt of postcards/post offices, and writing them =)

love the stamp! comes from a set of two Tourism stamps issued in 2013, representing the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall.

Thanks a bunch bunch to Patrik for this fantastic card and stamp!

Garðskagi Lighthouse, Iceland

next we have one more surprise from dear Sissel from her trip to Iceland earlier this year, from where she made sure she fed my hunger for Icelandic postcards...coz really, i rarely get the chance to receive a card from Iceland...

it is a lovely card, and as the back of the card would say, nature adds its impressive effects as Northern Lights spread above Garðskagi Lighthouse in southwest Iceland, on the Reykjanes peninsula.
There are two lighthouses on Garðskagi, and if im not mistaken, this should be the older one of the two...


and again, we get down to the stamps...when I look at what Sissel is putting on my cards, makes me think i should really really really try harder on my trips and get some nice, not so every day stamps to use on my cards, coz usually, what they give me at the PO is something regular...

this time we have another s/s, showing the Icelandic EUROPA issue for this year...you see, again it is a rather matching stamp, we have a ship here, where the Garðskagi  lighthouse, probably guided it thru the rough seas to reach the shore :)
the small green stamp next to it was issued in 2007, commemorating 100 Years of Forestry in Iceland, while the third stamp is from 2009 and is another commemorative one, of Reykjavík Water Works 100th Anniversary.
Just lovely!!

and another huge thank you Sissel!!!

The Imagine Peace Tower, Iceland

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 continuing campaign for world peace - which began in the sixties, was sealed by their 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 that the strength, intensity and brilliance of its light continually changes with 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...

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 :)

Iceland

No I shouldnt be blogging, should be doing other more important stuff...but oh well...it is not gonna be the first time i go astray....and my mind feels astray either way..

And with all the latest chaos the Iceland-issue has caused i just had to post this and sort of ciommemorate the event.
Well, I love Iceland and unlike many people, i cant go with all those sarcastic comments regarding it...of course, i havent been stranded at some airport for days....maybe if i have, i would have been bitter....but it is not like Iceland did it on purpose, no?
What amazes me is the speed and the extent to which this volcanic ash has spread to...they say it will affect our country as well...
Nature is such an amazing thing and so terrifying and destructive as well...this issue with Iceland honestly amazes me...as long as im on the safe side of course :)
And then there are the endless debates over whether the flight bans have been justified or no, whether it is safe to fly or no, ...whether i should mail my overseas mail or no...Europe mail goes by land either way...and of course, the issue of the amount of money losses....it is always about the money in the end...
They say that back in the 19th century, when this volcano erupted, the whole thing lasted for 2 years....can you imagine the nowadays world with a 2 years flight ban?

Pingvellir, Iceland

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm............

I think you could guess why my *mmmmmmmmmmmmm* reaction :)
And i finally have a WRITTEN and STAMPED card sent from Iceland directly!!! And all that thanks to Sonja who was kind enough to help me with it...Sonja, thanks a real lot again! I really really love this card and it makes me so happy to have it in my collection. And above all, its not just a card, but its a UNESCO whs as well!
Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland, situated in the southwestern part of the country.
Þingvellir National Park was founded in 1930 to protect the remains of the parliament site and was later expanded to protect natural phenomena in the surrounding area. Þingvellir National Park was the first national park in Iceland and was decreed "a protected national shrine for all Icelanders, the perpetual property of the Icelandic nation under the preservation of parliament, never to be sold or mortgaged.
The Parliament was established at Þingvellir in 930 and remained there until 1789.
Geographically it is also a very special place because it is located in both continental places of Europe and North-America.
Mmmmm...its such a lovely lovely place! I really MUST...and i underline the MUST....I MUST visit Iceland one day....

The stamps arent any less beautiful...and simply fit into the theme of the card.
The stamp on the left was issued in 2005 in a set of two, showing birds...and on this stamp the Graylag is shown, while the other stamp comes from a set of 5 issued in 2005, showing Glaciers....and on this stamp "Eystri Hagafellsjökull" is shown


just amazing!

Snæfellsnes, Iceland

Icealnd!!! My first ever scenic view from Iceland!!! The more i think about it, the more i have no idea what to write....not coz i have nothing to say, but coz there is too much i want to say...i mean, it is ICELAND!!! Do you know what that means for ME??

And i actually got this one totally unexpectedly from dear Ana. I guess i ramble too much around about how much i love this part of the world :) And i was just stunned when i found this one in my mailbox last Friday...oh yeah, the good mail day :)
I have no other scenic views from Iceland, (but i do have the flag :)) so i just cant stop looking at this one, analyzing it, admiring it..
This Icelandic card in particular shows "Views from the Snæfellsnes peninsula: Stapafell and the Snæfellsnesjökull glacier, archlike rock formations at Arnarstapi, the tiny harbour at Arnarstapi, Lóndrangar rocks, and an old style restaruant at Arnarstapi.
That restaurant is just sooo cool! At first i thought those were houses for living, and i was particularly interested in their roofs covered with grass...ive seen another card around, which shows a close-up of totally similar buildings like this, where  you can see only the roof and they are all covered in grass and seem as if they had also sunk into the earth...i love that image!
Well...if you ever want to make me happy....send me a card from Iceland or Norway, or Faroe Islands...or Shetland...or the Arctic Circle..or Alaska...or Arctic/Antarctica...or just anything with the similar nature/climate/scenery...you will really really nail it right on the spot :)

And Ana...a million thank you-s to you! :)

Iceland

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! My First Icelandic card!!! And its a FLAG!!

Love it love it love it love it!! Absolutely love it!! Not because I love flag cards in the first place, but also because the Icelandic one has absolutely a beautiful combination of colours, plus Iceland is one of my very favourite countries, even though ive never been there....plus the card itself is sooo perfect, the flag covering it all....Thank You soo much Sabrina
If anyone from Iceland is reading this...here is a 'hint'....I would LOVE to have more and more cards from there....:)

and there is a really nice brief description about the flag on the back of the card:

The Icelandic Flag

The flag of Iceland was officially described in Law on June 17, 1944, the day Iceland became a republic. Describes of the Icelandic Flag as follows: The Civil National flag of Icelanders is blue as the sky with a snow-white cross, and a fiery-red cross inside the white cross.

and....hah...the same description is given in Icelandic as well (well, i guess its Icelandic, coz it makes mostsense to be like that, no? :) And I got tempted to put that down as well..dont ask me how I managed :P

Íslenski fáninn

Íslenski fáninn er þjóðfáni Íslands. Hann var opinberlega tekinn í notkun þann 17. júní1944. Fánalögin voru samþykkt sama dag, Fáninn er svokallaður krossfáni eins og fánar allra hinna Norðurlandanna. Hann er heiðblár með mjallhvítum krossi og eldrauðum krossi innan íhvíita krossinum.


Hehhe...I enjoyed this!!! I should do it more often! You can send me cards like this, written both in English and your mother tongue..its so fun to try to write the language I dont understand :)