Maldives

greetings from the rainy rainy, freezing cold Skopje...im still waiting for some decent snow...it's been snowing heavily in many parts in Europe already...I like those snowy days when you dont need to go anywhere particular so you dont have to worry about how you are dressed and whether you'll look like a mess in the end...but when you can just go outside and walk and walk and walk in the snow...just beautiful....
but while waiting for the snow, one can be as usual dreaming of something more exotic, and definitely warmer than these zero degrees...and one such place is this absolutely fantastic view of one of the Maldives' atolls...dont know which one in particular, but it doesnt really matter...i just love love love those shades of blue!

and this fantastic surprise came from dear Sissel, who is/was yet on another interesting trip to a number of really fantastic places...I wish i could travel the world at least half from what she has travelled :) Youd be jealous if you knew all the amazing spots she has seen in this world :)))
And im really happy she thinks of me during her travels and drops me cards...yes, cardS - plural! she makes sure me and my mailbox get a nice dosage too :)
and what makes this card even much more special  is that it is actually my first written and stamped card from the Maldives!! Yay!! (actually, I have 3 in total for now, all from dear Sissel :P)
I actually had a hard time deciding which one to choose for my post...most probably coz of the stamp...not that the stamps of the other two are anything less beautiful...but this one simply stands out...

actually, it is not even a stamp, but an entire souvenir sheet issued in 2001 in set of two different s/s, portraying shipwrecks and ship mysteries of the world, with this one showing L’Astrolabe and La Boussole.

They bear an interesting story....L’Astrolabe was one of two ships chosen for Jean-François de Galoup, Comte de La Pérouse’s expedition to the Pacific. After seeing Captain James Cook’s success with a former collier, the French decided a large supply ship would better afford the room needed to carry five years worth of supplies as well as house scientific experiments. In addition to supplies, L’Astrolabe was fitted with guns. The expedition set sail from Brest, France, on August 1, 1785. Paul-Antoine-Marie Fleuriot de Langle was in command.
La Boussole, was originally used as a supply ship for the fishing industry, but was converted to be the flag ship of the expedition. The ships cruised the Pacific from the modern-day Alaskan coast to Russia and Japan.
In December 1787, the expedition landed in the Samoan Islands. When a party went ashore, they were attacked and de Langle was among those killed. La Pérouse then appointed Robert Sutton de Clonard to command the L’Astrolabe as they sailed to their last known stop of Botany Bay. They were never heard from again. Historians believe that the L’Astrolabe and *La Boussole *wrecked on a coral reef off the island of Vanikoro.

it is even complementing the image of the postcard...i mean, in such vast waters, there must be some ship mysteries! :)

thank you sooooo much dear Sissel! I love, both the card and the stamp! Im sure you've enjoyed it here!

Boa Vista

so, has the weather been acting weird on your side of the world? here it has...going to extremes of too cold and too hot....luckily we havent had snow at least, though it has occurred in some very neighbouring places...and such weather simply makes you dream of something like this....

which makes it also my first written and stamped card from Cape Verde!! The first one i had received was not mailed from there...and on the other hand, now i see how long it has been since then...huh...

I owe this beauty of a card to Michaela who was lucky to spend her holidays there, and kind enough to spread some joy around the world :)
This beautiful view comes from Boa Vista, which is the eastermost island of Cape Verde (which consists of 10 islands in general). Btw, Boa Vista means 'good view' in Portuguese...well, deserved!

the stamp was issued in a set of 4 in 2006, showing famous people, with this one portraying Francis Drake, a captain, navigator, politican of the Elizabethan Era.

Fyn, Denmark

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

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

well, nice compliation...

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

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

Sanibel - Captiva, USA

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

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

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

Thanks a lot JP!! For everything!!

San Giulio, Italy

A very nice official card I received from Italy

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Ok, I cant say im longing for snow and cold weather...ive honestly had it for this winter...but I do long for a tranquil scene like this, somewhere outside the urban jungle, where you can go and just relax, totally disconnected from everyday life. This feels like nutrition food for the senses and a recharger for the mind.
In case you were wondering and maybe want to pack your bags and head right here, this is the San Giulio island within Lake Orta in Piedmont, northwestern Italy. To avoid confusions, the island is the thing which you can see in the distance, through the fog, and the place from where this pic was taken is the village of Orta San Giulio.

there is a legend connected to this place, which says that the Island of St. Giulio was dominated by a big serpent that destroyed everything. But when St. Giulio, that had the power to command over the waves, the storms, the wild animals and the human beings, arrived near the lake , waving his hand he chased away the dangerous menacing animal. He reached the Island journeying over the water on his cloack guided by his staff. The big reptile disappeared and St. Giulio, tired and near to his death, thought that the island was the right place to build his hundredth and last church dedicated to the Holy Apostles.

the stamp on the right is from a set of 3 stamps issued in 2009, regarding the Italian Masters of the 20th Century and here a piece of art by Giacomo Manzu is shown. The other stamp is a definitive issued in 2010 in a set of 3 stamps.  

Kaali Lake, Estonia

Ive written about Saaremaa before, but this Estonian island doesnt cease to amaze me,

This time im presenting you Kaali, which is a group of 9 meteorite craters. Formed in the 7th century BCE, it is one of the most recent craters created by an impact event and the only known major impact event that has occurred in a populated area.
The crater on the card is referred to as the main and the biggest one.

And to my liking, some mythology interfering too!

One day a young man stepped up to the God of Sun and claimed that he was Phaeton, the son of the God of Sun himself and an earthborn woman Klymene. The young man had doubted his high parentage and demanded affirmation. The God of Sun admitted it, and, as an affirmation, promised to carry out his fondest wish. The boy, who had often admired sun disc's journey across the firmament, uttered an unexpected wish: he wanted to drive the sun chariot across the sky.

Hearing that, the God of Sun regretted his easily given promise. He tried to persuade the youngster to wish for something else, but without success. The boy, taking no heed of the menaces he was told about, had his will. At first the drive came off quite well and Phaeton felt himself almost the lord of the sky. But then the things took a tragic turn: the spirited horses, feeling that the reins were in weak hands, became frisky and sheered from the right direction. The youngster lost power over the horses, who now dashed up to the skies, now turned right down to the Earth so that forests and fields there caught fire, rivers and fountains evaporated and dried out.

When the cries and lamentations from the Earth reached Jupiter's ears, the latter, in this emergency, seized his lightning bolts and punished the irresponsible charioteer. The blazing Phaeton shot through the air and fell on the Earth into the mysterious river of Eridanos, which no mortal eye has seen. Phaeton's sisters Heliads, daughters of the God of Sun, Helios, sought out their brother's grave to bemoan him there. The mourning sisters were turned into poplar trees on the banks of Eridanos

and some very nice stamps...the first one is a definitive from 2007, showing a Wig Knapweed. The second and the fourth one are from 1997, a Christmas stamp and one with Folklore costumes respectively. The third stamps is from 1994, representing the International family year.

Ischia, Italy

Here is a very nice map card I got some months ago as an official card.

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Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples. There are a number of sites worth visiting on the island, among which are: Aragonese Castle, Gardens of La Mortella, Gardens of Villa Ravino, Villa La Colombaia etc.

Ischia's history is as rich and as varied as its climate and natural properties, beginning with the Greeks, who colonised the island in the eighth century B.C. naming it Pithecusa which translated means "monkey", in reference to the prevalence of these animals on the island in ancient times. Unlike today, the volcano was active. Possibly because of an eruption, the island was abandoned by the original inhabitants, and the more temperate town of Cuma was founded on the mainland.
There were a lot of turbulences in its history until it finally found tranquility in modernity, and since the invention of the Grand Tour has been subjected to nothing worse than invasions of fleets of tourists, exploring the island on the picturesque three wheeled microtaxis equipped for touring.

The stamp in the top right corner was issued in 2008, Celebrating Rome as the capital city, while the others are Italian definitives showing women, issued in 2002.

Tylö, Sweden

A great card from Sweden I received in the Scandinavian tag.

The card says to show ski tracks in Tylö.....which I found confusing since I dont really see the possibility for someone to ski at THIS particular piece of land...but then maybe this is just a part of some big skiing track that's behind the camera actually.
However, not a word about the lighthouse, and I couldnt find anything related to it (or i might have been doing wrong searches)....but it still makes a great card and a wonderful addition to my lighthouse collection, thanks to Merja.

I dont get Swedish cards often so i dont get the chance to often see Swedish stamps...and the ones here are really nice.
The stamp on the left, above the priority sticker, is a part of 4 stamps issued this year representing Swedish food. The stamp next to it is a World Heritage one from 2005, showing the Skogskrykogarden Cemetery, while the stamp below it is from 2008, from a set of 4 stamps representing Swedish trees, with this one showing a Juniper.

Symi Island, Greece

my dear Nastya got the chance to again visit Greece this summer...this time the Rhodos Island and as always sent me some lovely postcards, among which is this one from the Symi Island...and which I must admit looks magnificent!

Symi is mountainous Greek Island and includes the harbor town of Symi and its adjacent upper town Ano Symi.
In Greek mythology, Symi is reputed to be the birthplace of the Charites and to take its name from the nymph Syme (in antiquity the island was known as Aigli and Metapontis), though Pliny the Elder and some later writers claimed it came from the word scimmia meaning a monkey. In Homer's Iliad the island is mentioned as the domain of King Nireus, who fought in the Trojan War on the side of the Greeks. Thucydides writes that during the Peloponnesian War there was a Battle of Syme near the island in January, 411 BC, in which an unspecified number of Spartan ships defeated a squadron of Athenian vessels. Little is known of the island until the 14th century, but archaeological evidence indicates it was continuously inhabited, and ruins of citadels suggest it was an important location. It was first part of the Roman Empire and then the Byzantine Empire, until its conquest by the Knights of St. John in 1373.

This reminds me that I havent finished reading the Greek Mythology book I started a few months ago...

just today Nastya asked me about the stamps...and unfortunately, this one bears no cancellation either. The stamp was issued this year in an issue of 5 stamps regarding the New Acropolis Museum, and this stamp shows the Parthenon Frieze.

A thing I MUST mention and which makes me happy is that my cards came written with the name Republic Macedonia untouched, not a line scribbled over, not a word added...

Большое спасибо дорогая Настя! <3

Prišnjak, Croatia

An amazing view dear Agi surprised me with

And to be honest, this was the first time I heard about Prišnjak...*blush*...
The lighthouse Prišnjak is situated in the isle of Prišnjak. It was built in 1886 so the vessels would navigate more easily through the Murter archipelago during the night. The isle has dry stone wall all over the surface. Some wild figs, pines and some low bushes can be found there. By boat you can cruise around nearby isles. The lighthouse is located six NM away from the National Park Kornati. Lighthouse building is made of stone and it is only 15 metres from the sea. There is a big terrace with the fireplace that can be used as barbeque and a small mooring place for boats. Prišnjak is one of the lighthouses without a Keeper and is completely automated. Isolation is guaranteed since you probably will not come across a straying tourist here.... .
Since the isle has very high temperature values you can swim there until November.

the stamp itself is also showing a lighthouse, coming from a set of 3 issued in 2009. Here you can see the Stražica lighthouse.
Hvala ti puuuuuunoooo Agi!!!

Montenegro

As I already mentioned something above, Montenegro didnt declare its independence until just recently, when on 3rd June 2006, it separated from Serbia and became the 192 second member state of the United Nations.
Did you know that while being a part of Yugoslavia, all the republics had a town which had the name of Josip Broz Tito in it? For example, Montenegro's capital today, Podgorica, used to be Titograd (or Tito's town if we translate it). In Macedonia, we had Titov Veles which today remained as Veles only. In Serbia there was Titovo Užice, which today is known as Užice only. Then...hmmmm....there was also Titov Vrbas in Serbia, in the province of Vojvodina...while in the province of Kosovo there was Titova Mitrovica, which today is known as Kosovska Mitrovica. Bosnia had Titov Drvar, today known as Drvar, Croatia had Titova Korenica, and Slovenia had Titovo Velenje. Of course, with the decay of Yugoslavia, they were all soon renamed.
There were also many streets and squares within the cities named after him....and in Macedonia there was even one mountain peak,called Titov Vrv....but thats all gone now...

Regarding the card now, i really love this one. I think that my mum brought it to me but i cant make sure if it was the summer she went alone  there or from the times she went with my dad...
Anyway, on the card you can see some of the Montenegro Islands scattered in the Adriatic Sea.
Ive only been to St. Stefan, and i know it was somewhat exclusive to go there...and i know that i dont know how i managed but i broke the chair i was lying on on the beach...it felt embarrasing, since i was just lying on it and all of a sudden there was this crack and the chair hit the ground. I really wonder what does it take to be able to break a chair on a beach just like that...yeah, i dont really feel comfortable when i recall that...there, now you know one of my embarassing secrets :)