León Cathedral, Nicaragua

Hello Hello! Time for another post...which should've happened earlier but you know me and my laziness sometimes....and how this heat affects me in becoming the most-unproductive human being.
Well, after so much hoping for rain and drop of temperatures, we finally had some last night...but you know what they say, be careful what you wish for, since last night's thunderstorm was like one of the scariest I have ever witnessed...not cos of its strength,  but its length...it just went on and on and on....it felt like being part of some horror movie, something so surreal, that it is hard to explain (at least here we are not used to storms of that kind with 20 dead, a number of people missing, and injured, and the amount of material damage is out of the line). Well, I just hope that the storms forecast for the upcoming days won't be as the one last night....here is just a small glimpse of the actual situation last night...

So anyways, lets get down to some cards... I'm sure you are here for that, not for my whining and complaining :)

And the first one for today comes from Sissel and her trip to Nicaragua back in 2011...

The card shows the León Cathedral, also known as the "Real and Renowned Basilica Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (ok, is there a point in giving such complex names??!), which was awarded World Heritage Site status with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The site's nomination is Nicaragua's third cultural landmark, following the ruins of León Viejo and El Güegüense .

The Cathedral's construction lasted between 1747 and 1814 and was consecrated by Pope Pius IX in 1860. Cathedral has maintained the status of being the largest cathedral in Central America and one of the best known in the Americas due to its distinct architecture and special cultural importance.

And a set of lovely butterflies' stamps, which actually have been cancelled, but that cancellation somewhat got smudged.
In the year of 2000, Nicaragua had issued a few sets of butterfly stamps and these come from one of those (the set has six in total, and I have the mini sheet in mint condition, thanks again to Sissel of course :D)

These three here show the, from left to right, Actinote thalia anteas, the Doxocopa laurentia cherubina, and the Napeopgenes tolosa mombachoensis - well, names meaningful to people like lepidopterists for example :)

Thank you Sissel for the great card and lovely stamps!!

Volcán Masaya, Nicaragua

Last year I received a number of Nicaraguan cards. This one should have arrived then as well, since it was also posted last October...but it decided to take a different route and arrive this year. But as they say, better ever than never :)

the card is a lovely surprise from dear Sissel and from one of her stops during her awesome trip last summer!

here you can see the Volcán Masaya, and in particular, the Santiago crater, which is one of the earth’s most accessible volcanic craters – and one of the most active.

The volcano itself is a shield volcano located 20 km south of Managua, and is Nicaragua's first and largest National Park, and one of the country's 78 protected areas. Its lava pool is one of only four in the world that has a constant level, neither receding nor discharging but perpetually threatening cataclysm.

the funny thing about it is that Local folklore of the Masay Volcano revolve around the belief that the volcano is a gateway to Hell

here is even an episode about it....in case you understand Spanish, you may want to take a look at it

another great part of this card are the fab stamps!!

the souvenir sheet is just AWESOME and is a part of two issued in 1994, showing the Graf Zeppelin over the Pyramids and the Sphinx in April 1931, while on the stamp of the s/s you can see Dr Hugo Eckner, manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin for most of its record-setting flights. The stamp next to it was issued in 1999 but i cant find some details about it except that it has something to do with a Japanese school...

thank you sooo much Sissel!! 

Masaya, Nicaragua

And my collection is enriched with a new country! Number 70 to be exact, out of all the possible countries, territories and whatever not....probably i should commemorate somehow when i reach 100...though right now it doesnt even seem close to happen...

Masaya, called the City of Flowers, is the capital city of the Masaya Department of Nicaragua, located approximately 14 km north of Granada and and 17 km south from Managua (the capital)
 It is situated just South of the Masaya volcano (Volcan de Masaya), an active Volcano from which the city takes its name.
Masaya is known as "The Cradle of Nicaraguan Folklore" and is the very heart of Nicaraguan handicrafts.