Train Postcrossing Meeting, Romania

This next card was a thrill to receive, a thrill!!

You know that like almost every day there is a Postcrossing meeting happening somewhere around the world, a big one or a mini one...and I have received a number of such surprises so far and they are always a delight, knowing that someone has thought of you...most of those go unnoticed, at least I don't really read any information about them happening...however, this Postcrossing meeting in Romania turned out to be a big deal...maybe you have heard about it, maybe you haven't (you can read all about it at the Postcrossing blog here...but it was like the first Postcrossing meeting...ON A TRAIN! And on top of that, they had printed a specially designed postcard for this...when I saw it somewhere on Facebook, my jaw dropped...
Well in general I don't really ask people to send me a card from a meeting since I believe these should be a surprise, so in this case as well, I kept my silence but deep down I was like bummed since I honestly didn't really believe someone would send me a card from this meeting....and then one day last week I was proven so wrong...I can't even explain to you my sheer shock and thrill when I found a card from the meeting in my mailbox...and all that thanks to Danut who remembered I love trains, and thought I'd like this card....you bet I would!! I was delighted!! It was like receiving a card from some brand new country...yes, that's how happy and thrilled I was...and still am!

here you can see the signatures....and frankly speaking I cannot decipher the majority of them...I don't know if the have just signed or used their PC usernames as well...but I am clueless.

The stamp was issued in 2015 and represent's Angel's tears....behind which there is actually a sad story...the stamp was issued after a tragedy that has happened at one of the nightclubs in Bucharest, where during a free concert, band's pyrotechnics, consisting of sparkler firework candles, ignited the club's flammable polyurethane acoustic foam, and a fire had spread rapidly. 36 people had died and 147 were injured...with this stamp, the Roman post wanted to show support to those who have suffered, supporting the medical recovery process of the victim's of the tragedy...just as Danut, I also wonder if money were really used for that purpose or not...

Thanks again a million to Danut for this most awesome surprise!

Lesson learnt - never lose hope....and avoid places where indoors they use outdoor pyrotechnics....

Bucharest, Romania

One more card for today, and this one coming from Romania's capital, Bucharest..

A country I still havent ticked off of my list...and that's quite odd since many people I know have already visited it while going on that Dracula tour...but for some reason I've always skipped it...well, should note this down and do something about it.

On the card you can see the Unirii Square, which is one of the largest squares in central Bucharest and a significant transport hub...well, with all these fountains and the colours reflecting into the water, it looks nice..

the stamp is from a set of six "Flowers and Clocks" stamps issued in 2013...why clocks - beats me! The flower represented here is a Cichorium intybus, or commonly known as Chicory - I've tried it as a coffee substitute...not bad actually...though it lacks the strong flavour real coffee has.

well, that would be all...hope you liked the cards today...or at least some of them. Wishing you all a great week ahead...and till next time, stay well :)

National Costumes, Romania

the next card shows some really nice Romanian traditional costumes from the late 19 century...but unfortunately, I couldnt really trace them down so any input would be highly appreciated :)

the lady's dress just feels odd to me...or probably it is the overall...but you know, when it comes to traditional costumes, Im used to seeing people either posing, or dancing...but these two are as if they are taking a walk in the park on an early Sunday morning...really, i just find it odd on the card :)

both stamps were issued in 2012 in a set of 4 stamps depicting the flora of Romania....the left stamp shows the Starflower, while the right one, the Alpine Forget-me-not.

Babele, Romania

last for today we move to Romania and a great card sent by Danut

the card shows the Babele (or the old women), which is a formation of rocks in the Bucegi Mountains with a particular form caused by erosion and varying hardness of rock layers.

They seem so impressive! Esp in a snow scene like this! No wonder the series of the postcard is called "Unique places in Romania", and is considered as one of the countries seven natural wonders.

the stamp is from a set of four stamps issued in 2007, from the Romanian Pottery sets, showing pots and cups. This is a pot handcrafted in Transylvania.

Thank you so much Danut!!  And to everyone for reading!

now back down to the messages-sending.....

Bucharest, Romania

Second card for today is an official one from Romania (im happy coz I dont get many officials from there) and it shows the Eroilor Aerului monument, or in English, The Romanian Airmen Heroes Memorial.

RO-18461

It is situated in the Aviators' Square in Bucharest and was built between 1930 and 1935.
The bronze structure is 20m high where bronze sculptures resting on an obelisk-shaped stone pedestal. On the top of the obelisk is the statue of a flying man with his wings outstretched. Three aviators, each in a different stage of flight attempt, are depicted around the base of the obelisk. On the pedestal are the aviators' insignia, helmet and equipment, as well as engraved plaques with the names of Romanian airmen who had crashed to their deaths by the time the monument was built. These men died pursuing various goals: skill development, performance, adventure and fighting in World War I. The first name is that of Gheorghe Caranda, killed on 20 April 1912 on an airfield during a training flight; the last is that of Sava Rotaru, killed on 29 May 1934 in thick fog in the hills around Cernavodă. After the official dedication, 99 additional names have been posted on the North bottom side of the pedestal.

I love such cards....they may be sad in nature, but they tell some great stories as well.

The stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2007 representing Romanian pottery, and here you can see a pot handcrafted in Transylvania. 

Transilvania, Romania

Another extra cool official card, from not such an every day country again...

RO-17508

This card shows a map of the Transylvanian region, made by Johannes Honter in the 16th Century. Honter was a Saxon humanist and theologian, who was best known for his geographic and cartographic publishing activity, as well as for implementing the Lutheran reform in Transylvania.

As much as I love those colourful maps with cartoons, I also like a lot these with the antique/latin touch...

And a lovely stamp from 2010....from a joint issue with Argentina, showing Mountain lakes

Romania

Do you know that Romania is my hard-to-get country? I dont have the chance to receive cards from there often, but this time i was very lucky and got to receive an official! It brightened up my day I think :)

RO-15877

The card is said to depict a phenomenon known as "Muddy volcanoes", one of the best known geological reserves in the country, located in the Berca commune in the Buzău County.
As the gasses erupt from 3000 meters-deep towards the surface, through the underground layers of clay and water, they push up underground salty water and mud, so that they overflow through the mouths of the volcanoes, while the gas emerges as bubbles. The mud dries off at the surface, creating a relatively solid conical structure, resembling a real volcano. The mud expelled by them is cold, as it comes from inside the Earth's continental crust layers, and not from the mantle.
The reservation is unique in Romania. Elsewhere in Europe, similar phenomena can be observed in Italy (northern Apennines and Sicily), Ukraine (in the Kerch Peninsula), as well as Azerbaijan.
The mud volcanoes create a strange lunar landscape, due to the absence of vegetation around the cones. Vegetation is scarce because the soil is very salty, an environmental condition in which few plants can survive. However, this kind of environment is good for some rare species of plants.

There are three stamps on the card, where the middle one was issued in 2007 in a set of 4, representing:Romanian Pottery - Peasant Dishes III, and here is shown Luncavita-Tulcea. The other two stamps were issued in 2005 in a set of 7, again representing Romanian Pottery, where the left stamp shows a wedding pitcher from Curtea de Arges, Arges while the right one comes from the region Leheceni, Bihor.

Romania

I really dont know how i  got this card...Im almost positive its from a friend who had been to Romania, but i cant tell from whom, since two of them had been there

well, apart from this postcard and another (a normal one :)) I also got two identical mugs (one from each friend)....well, i dont know if you know, but I collect mugs as well, and so far have over 150 of them, which means i have no room to keep them, but still i keep buying them...i just love mugs and im especially happy when i can find a 'collection' of 3-4-5 or more mugs so then I try to collect all the mugs belonging to that collection
If there was a mug-exchanging thing, most probably I would have done it...but I doubt there will ever be a secure way to transport them thru regular mail....
Anyway, I was talking about the mugs i got...even though they are identical, i keep them both, coz i put more value to friendship than if what they had given me is the same or not...and the mug itself has a picture of Dracula's face, inside the mug, along the drinking line its said "To be used only for blood" and on the mug there is a 'nice' recipe for you to try it out

Transylvanian Cocktail

50ml blood type AB
30ml blood type A
20ml blood type O
with lemon and ice

if anyone ever gives it a try, can you please let me know how it tasted? :))
Thank you :P

Peleş Castle, Romania

A card from my friend Marija Dz. from her trip to Romania several years ago...

The Peleş Castle is a Neo-Renaissance castle placed in an idyllic setting in the Carpathian Mountains near Sinaia, Romania on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia built between 1873 and 1883. It is considered by many one of the most beautiful castles in all Europe and was the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs including King Carol I, who died here in 1914.
The castle was built in wood, stone, bricks and marble and comprises more than 160 rooms. The representative style used is German Renaissance, but one can easily discover elements belonging to the Italian Renaissance, Gothic, German Baroque and French Rococo style.


Castles always look so beautiful....

Bacău, Romania

Yeah....i can almost hear you cringe at this one "where the hell did you get this card"....
Ha! I may even organize a contest of sending, lets say, 5 postcards, to whoever guesses the year from which this postcard dates....seriously....one entry per person...you may be lucky ;-))))))


I think that you can simply cut the communism with a knife on this card....it feels so much present! Probably one of the most unappealing cards ive got, or ive seen at all!
You may wonder then, why am i uploading it here at all...moreover as the TOP entry for today :)
I dont know....regardless of how much i like or dont like a card, i cant throw it away...its a card, and to me it represents something....and this one on some hand may be considered a real treasure since its not a new card, but rather oldish, which you cant find in the shops today....

It was given to me by one of my mum's late friends...i think ive already mentioned her before...there arent many friends of my mum who had given me something from their postcard collection...just this one...

Anyway, just thought you may want to know - Bacău is a small city in Romania, covering a land surface of 41km². It is situated in the historical region of Moldavia, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, 300 km north of Bucharest.

On wikipedia, when you open an article about a particular place, at the bottom, there is often a list of people who were born there...and i check that out as well, and see if someone i know is listed....well, on the list of people born in Bacău is Monica Roşu, a famous Romanian gymnast. I was just surprised to read she had actually retired due to an injury.
Ever since i have been a kid, i enjoyed watching gymnastics, and Romanian gymnasts have always been among those nations who had amazed me in their performances...no wonder they scored the golden medal at the Olympics in Athens in 2004 (they didnt do THAT good this year though, and unfortunately, i wasnt even able to watch most of it, coz the TV stations ALWAYS had something more "interesting" to broadcast).

Mentioning this years Olympics and the gymnastics...i still wonder what happened with the investigations about the Chinese gymnasts, where some of them were claimed to be under 16 years of age, which is considered as something unallowed, since participants mustnt be younger than 16...and really, when you look at some of them, they seem more like 11 or 12....not even close to 16....

heh, what an unattractive card, and how inspirational :P

Bucharest, Romania

A swap with Violeta in Romania


I have a card from Bucharest but its one of those from the time before I was born, so i really needed something recent :)

Bucharest is the capital city, industrial, and commercial centre of Romania and also its Romania's largest city. It is located in the southeast of the country and lies on the banks of the Dâmboviţa River (which you can actually see on the card). It was originally known as Dâmboviţa citadel.

Tradition connects the founding of Bucharest with the name of Bucur who was either a prince, an outlaw, a fisherman or a shepherd according to different legends. The name of Bucur (from "bucurie" meaning "joy") is of Thracian-Geto-Dacian origin. In Albanian, a language which has historical connections with the Thracian languages, "bukur' signifies 'beautiful'.

For centuries, Dâmboviţa River (on the picture) was the main source of drinking water for the city of Bucharest. Bucharest folkore mentions the waters of Dâmboviţa as "sweet", and even at the beginning of the 18th century Anton Maria del Chiaro considered it "light and clean". However, toward the end of the century, as the population of Bucharest increased, the river ceased to be as clean.
Early in its history, Bucharest had few bridges over the Dâmboviţa, as the right bank was only sparsely populated. Currently, there are about a dozen bridges over it.