Kolka, Latvia

A surprise card from dear Liza, showing the Kolka Lighthouse in Latvia.

The Kolka lighthouse is on an artificial island which was created between 1872 and 1875. The original lighthouse was made of wood, and its light was first lit in June 1875. As the island settled into the sea, the current tower was built. It began operations on July 1, 1884. It has been automated since 1979.
It is said that the Cape of Kolka on the Baltic Sea is the most dangerous place for navigation, near the Latvian coast.

And this card comes with a lighthouse stamp too, showing the Akmenrags Lighthouse, issued in 2008.

Hvala ti puno Liza!!

Liepāja, Latvia

One more card for today - it is an official I received recently...seems like today I've mainly focused on cards received this year....

LV-219181

The card shows the Liepāja beach at the Baltic Sea in Latvia. 

Liepāja is known throughout Latvia as "The city where the wind is born", most likely because of the constant sea breeze.
It is said that the wind blows over the blue waves of the sea, over the port, the modern architecture and centuries of history to continue on its way all through Latvia.
Well on the card it looks very foggy...I don't really expect so much fog at places with so much wind...or maybe it is just an artistic touch here, who knows...

Two stamps on the card, and a cute kitty sticker :)
Both were issued in 2015 - the right one shows the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, while the other one is from  set of 5 flower stamps - this one shows the Dahrlia sp.

So that would be all for tonight...

Have a great weekend ahead!!

Latvia

seems like this is the only map card I have of Latvia...but I love it!

LV-129973

Received it as an official at the beginning of January...and is says to be a postcard from the series of drawings by Latvian artist Ansis Cirlulis, published by photographer Jānis Rieksts. 1919
The map represents Latvia in 1914, so exactly 100 years ago, saying it had 2.552.000 inhabitants in an area of 64.299 square km.

First is a cute Christmas stamp from a set of 4 issued in 1995. Next to it is one from 2007 representing the Krustptils Castle, while below it are two Coat of Arms stamps...the red one issued in 2012, showing the CoA of the Kurzeme region, while the blue one is from 2013, for the region of Zemgale.

Riga, Latvia

I've posted about Riga before (on three occasions)..but seems that I have acquired a number of Riga cards in the meantime as well...and they are all so fantastic, that I just have to make a Riga post...again...

This first card arrived few months ago, resulting from a swap with Patrik...boy, I cant possibly explain how I felt when this one arrived and I saw the view and its colours! I think it is this card that made me dig into my boxes for the older Riga cards and make a Riga update...if this card doesn't make you want to visit Riga, I dont know what will! Lovely lovely lovely panorama of Riga!! Like on an early morning when the city is waking up and getting ready for the day.

It is one of those Latvian stamps from the "Coat of Arms" series...this one issued back in 1994 in a set of 4 stamps.

Another panorama of Riga...this one being more like after a nice autumn rain when the sun is struggling to breakthrough the clouds at the end of the day...

This one was sent by Oleg, almost 3 years ago...who also used the Coats of the Arms =)
The first and the last one were issued in 2010...the first one shows the Coat of Arms of Preiļi, while the last one shows the Coats of Arms of Viesīte
The middle stamp was issued in 2007, showing the Coat of Arms of the Latvian town Auce

this card gives us a closer look on the Riga castle at the banks of the Daugava river, which today it is the official residence of the President of Latvia as well as home to several museums

another Coat of Arms' stamp =) this one issued in 2005, showing us the Coat of Arms of Daugavpils. The other stamp is a Christmas one from a set of two issued in 2012

the last card here shows one of the several bridges connecting the two parts of Riga, and if im not mistaken, this one should be the Vanšu Bridge, which is a cable-stayed bridge

hey! No Coats of Arms here!!!! Ha! and I so much love this Astronomy stamp!! (Some of you should know why =) It is from the EUROPA 2009 issue, when the theme was Astronomy. Lovely!!!

Carnikava, Latvia

next comes an AWESOME official card from Latvia! The sender saw it in my favourites...and dropped one in the mail for me!

LV-74101

the card shows the railway bridge over the river Gauja in Carnikava, which is a small village in Latvia.

Just a great great image...I love that deserted gloomy foggy atmosphere of a cold winter morning...well, that is just an assumption that it is a winter morning, but that;s how it feels to me...

here is one nice Train song for you.....

the sender made a great match, using the great Latvian train stamp from 2010. The small stamp represents the Coat of Arms and was issued this year.

Latvia

well, here is one lovely card from Latvia.

recently I opened a thread on the PC forum, searching for my favourites...and have received loads of awesome cards since then...I just wonder why I hadnt thought of doing so earlier :)
so in case you can help me out too, feel free to check my thread on the forum :)
http://forum.postcrossing.com/viewthread.php?tid=65235

as for what's on the card....all I know is that this is at the Baltic Sea...I really dont know why Latvians are so persistent in not disclosing the names of the places they feature on their cards (unless it is Riga for example..)
But still, this makes a great card and im really happy to have it...I just dont know if I should consider this tree being in tranquility or in loneliness...

the stamp is from a set of four Coat of Arms' stamps, issued in 1994.

Thanks a lot to Svetlana for the great card!

Riga, Latvia

well, as for my last card today, i chose this lovely one from Latvia

im really thankful to Elena for being so kind and sending it to me...I absolutely love this card...not only coz it is railway related, but the colours feel so special too...the skies have some spectacular colour and i love the black wires crossing all over...they just give such a special touch to the overall image.

On this card you can see a railroad close to the centre of Riga while in the background is a medieval church and a modern office building of Swedbank....what a combination in total :)

thank you all for following and for giving such great contribution to my mailbox, and of course to this blog. Have a great weekend!!   

Latvia

Another great view from Latvia......

.....but again without any info on the back regarding what the actual place on the card is. All I know is that it is  showing spring time, but where exactly in Latvia, I have no idea. The postcard operators in Latvia should really do something about this and stop selling unlabeled cards, coz one of the purposes of a postcard is to teach you something and to show you a place...and I dont see the point in that if it doesnt actually tell you which place it is...it could in fact be just anywhere in the world...This is the website stated on the back of the card where you can see the actual picture you see on the card as well...but again, it doesnt give any actual details about the place. So any Latvian or just anybody else who may have the information where this is, is more than welcome to participate...thanks :)

The stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 1994, representing Coats of Arms.

Well, I think i better go to sleep...it is a working day tomorrow after all...see you soon! 

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.

Riga, Latvia

this lovely surprise comes from my dear Katy :)

And not only its a lovely card, but its great to have it since i actually cant brag with an ownership of many Latvian cards....and it has a number of small images and here is what they are showing...starting from left to right..
- The Convent Yard; - Skarnu Street; - The Blackheads House; - The Latvian Academy of Art; - Swedish Gate; - Torna Street; - The Fountain in Opera Park; - The Parliament House; - The Latvian National Opera; - The Panorama of Riga.

I think that the Baltic countries are on my must-to-visit list. Partly coz of what ive seen on pictures and read about them, and partly coz of what ive heard from people who have been there (not natives). I really think these countries should be experienced personally. And i think that if i go, I will have some good *hosts*...at least in Estonia for example ;-))))   :D :P
Or no???!!!!

the stamps used come from a set of two, issued in 2005 under the National Symbols theme, with the subject of Coats and Arms of Regions and Towns, this one showing Jurmala.

Katy, Aitäh!!

Latvia

I got this card as a surprise from dear Janek....apart from showing a beautiful scenery, the card has also a map engraved in it...absolutely perfect!

 I was about to write something and i figured out that i actually dont know anything about Latvia nor i can related to something else but Riga and Eurovision...i dont want to make excuses with "im tired" even though i really am, but i definitely should sit down and read some facts and figures about it.
Ooooooooooohhhh, speaking of Latvia and Eurovisionnnnn.....Brainstorm come from Latvia!!!!
Well, there is something i can relate Latvia to afterall :)

Well, i dont really know many of their songs but there is this one which i totally love!!!!  "MAYBE"!

You say..
My Skin, My blood
My devil, My God
My freedom is what You see

But still I say
Maybe we could divide it in two
Maybe my animals live in Your Zoo
Maybe I'm in love with You..You You You..

mmmmmmmmmmmmm.................

Sigulda, Latvia

My second ever card from Latvia! This feels like a great refreshment in my collection....this is the thing about "new" cards i mentioned above...

Sigulda is a small town, 50km from Riga, and is famous for its nature. One of the examples is The Gutmanis Cave which can be seen on the card. It is the deepest cave in the Baltic Countries, with 19m depth, 12m width and 10m height.
The cave is connected with the old Latvian story of Maija, the Rose of Turaida. 
According to legend she was an orphan girl discovered after a battle and raised by the staff atTuraida Castle. She fell in love with the gardener and they used to meet in the cave. A Polish soldier fell in love with her, but she turned him down. The soldier then tricked her to the cave using a forged letter and there he planned on raping her. In exchange for letting her go she offered him a "magical scarf" that supposedly was impossible to cut through. She offered to demonstrate it and put it around her neck. The soldier cut through it with his sword killing her. According to documents in Sigulda's archives the soldier was later caught, tried and hanged for his crime.

Riga, Latvia

Yaayyy, my first one from Latvia!!!! A new country added to my collection!!!!
A private swap with Zane who sent me this beautiful multiview of Riga.


Riga, the capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of the river Daugava and is the largest city in the Baltic States. The Historic Centre of Riga has been declared a UNESCO *whs* and the city is particularly notable for its extensive Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture which UNESCO considers to be unparalleled anywhere in the world.

Some of the sites you can see on the card:

- The House of Blackheads dating from 1344, was used to house traveling, single members of the merchants guild (the large picture)

- The "Three Brothers" is a collection of medieval buildings which depict different stages in the architectural development of Riga (medieval to Baroque). (top left corner)

- The Dome Cathedral is the largest place of worship in the Baltics and don't miss its organ which is one of the biggest in Europe (6768 pipes!). the Cathedral was founded in 1211 and its present interior dating from the 17th century (the picture at the bottom, next to the large one)