Norway

Next comes a fantastic surprise from my dear Sissel!!

what a perfect combination of a bicycle card, coming from Norway!
Dont know where exactly this is in Norway, but it doesnt really matter...the card is just sooo brilliant!
Now im not sure how much the cycling culture is developed in Norway, it is usually Denmark or the Netherlands we keep reading about when it comes to this buddy, but I came across an interesting article which says that: It is often said that Norwegians are born with skis on their feet. But perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they are born attached to pedals: three quarters of them own bicycles "
And surprisingly or not, you can find both Sandnes and and Trondheim on the list of 11 most bicycle friendly cities in the world. Being on this list with not one but two cities, while Netherlands and Denmark for example are just represented with one (Amsterdam and Copenhagen respectively), is really a huge success!
Just adds to the reasons of why I so much love this country! :)
Did you know that in Trondheim there is something called a bicycle lift, where you could just be sitting on your bike and it will carry you uphill...really convenient for steep uphill paths...or lazy people :)
What a dreamy adventure it would be to cycle across and along the Norwegian fjords....mmmmmmmmm

the stamp is also pretty special. It is a Hurtigruten stamp, sold only on the Hurtigruten ships. There are in total only 5 designs of these showing iconic places along the coast, and on mine here you can see the beautiful North Cape, the northernmost point in Norway.

It is really a special card, isn't it? :)

Thanks so much Sissel!!!

Our Saviour's Church, Denmark

next comes a fantastic swap card from Denmark! I was thrilled when Chris offered to swap...apart from not receiving Danish cards that often, this one has been in my favourites too for a while, plus it has bikes on it...just love the image! Esp. the winter charm of the snow-covered-bikes :)

well, besides the bikes, the card also shows Our Saviour's Church in Copenhagen, which is best known for its corckscrew spire with an external winding staircase that you can see at the top, from where you have a fantastic view over the city.
It is also noted for its carillon, which is the largest in northern Europe and plays melodies every hour from 8 am to midnight.
Chris says that despite the picture, it rarely snows in Copenhagen and that 40% of the people there commute to work on bike...hmmm, actually I thought it was much more, but lets not get disappointed. Coz Copenhagen is one of those places I admire coz of the bicycle culture and habit people have and ride their bikes in sunshine, rain, snow...you name it.

and I think this is my first EUROPA 2013 stamp...which this year represents postman vans...or other postal means of transport.

Bookstore

next comes one of my all time favourite cards...Ive had it in my favourites for quite long...and I just couldnt believe it one day that someone tagged me for it! I was just super-duper excited!

why I so much love it? ahh, I dont know....I mean, you have a bookstore that looks sooo nice and cosy..you know, not the modern kind of bookstore, but those old ones, with a wooden door, a bell sound when someone enters...the smell of old books inside....such a nice warm atmosphere, while outside it is raining...and the cherry on top is the bike...it just makes this card so perfect, and so much ME..yeah, this card is screaming ANA ANA ANA all over the place! I just love love love it!
Speaking of books, currently Im reading "A Heart So White" by Javier Marías. Im at page 64 so I still cant give some conclusion whether the book is good or bad...but there is some interesting development of events.
Speaking of bicycles...the front tyre on mine literally exploded today while I was going back home...just now when the weather got so nice and the rainy gloomy days should be behind us, my bike betrayed me...I really need to have my tires replaces as soon as possible...coz i just have this itch to be in the sunshine on my bike!

the credits for the photo go to: http://morbcn.com/ where you can see a lot more awesome photos!

Portobello bicycle, England

a lovely bicycle card for my collection thanks to dear Anu

Portobello Road is really an actual street in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England, which on Saturdays is the home to Portobello Road Market, one of London's notable street markets, known for its second-hand clothes and antiques.

Whether the bike ended on purpose next to the actual street sign of the Portobello Road, or if some girl was wandering around the market on a beautiful Saturday morning and left her bike here....cant tell, but surely it makes a beautiful card....and well, yeah, it does look like a girl's bike to me :)

Anu always tries her best with the stamps too! apart from the regular queen stamps, here we have two other great ones...on the right, you can see Andy Murray....ok, cant say he is on my favourite list of tennis players, but the stamp is just great, and as long as it comes to tennis, I love all stamps, even if i dont like the player maybe :)  Royal Mail commemorated all the GB gold medal winners in the Olympics with respective stamps and Andy Murray was the one winning the gold in the men's singles' tennis...it was a rather surprising maybe turn of events, since he got to beat Roger Federer...but i could say that Andy was in good shape this past year, and probably it's gonna be the one he'll remember the most.
the stamp next to Andy shows Lord Fisher and HMS Dreadnought, a stamp issued in a set of 5 Sailing traditions stamps in 1982.

I must say that Royal Mail never ceases to make my jaw drop with the fantastic stamps it's issuing...i wish i was rich enough to buy them all, mint stamps and FDC's...what a collection that would be!!


thank you dear Anu!!

Bicycles

Have I ever told you how much I love my bike and that it is my main means of transport from April till November, weather permitting?
Well, Ive obtained a number of bicycle cards over the time, and I thought it was about time to give them some attention...Im still not sure if Im gonna start a collection of bicycle cards....though it is very probable to happen...I mean, cards with bikes are just so charming!

the one above is from one of my fairies, and this is from the Bryon fairy :) It shows a lovely mountain bike and mine is just similar to this one....though due to problems with the gears, it is not suitable anymore for mountains or some tougher destinations, but it definitely does its job for my everyday needs....I should maybe start thinking of a new one (my neighbour has a fantastic mountain bike which i used for a few months last year while mine was at the repair service (read, at home, in the back of my yard, waiting for my dad to find the time to fix it).
However, for now, finances are focused on some other stuff, but in the future i will get down to getting a new bike maybe.

RU-683432

this is a great official card I received, showing some retro bicycles. Ive always wanted to try out those old bikes with the HUUGE front wheel, and a totally small one. I really wonder how does it feel to be riding such a bike and esp. how easy/difficult it is to get on/off. The Kripper (the tricycle) also seems extra cool!
Im just not sure if the bicyclette is just the french term for a bike or there are some differences between a bicycle and a bicyclette? anyone?

sorry for the slightly sidelong scan...I noticed it once i had uploaded the cards, so honestly, i didnt feel like doing it all over again :)
I had this card in my favourites for a long time, and in the end got it twice within a very short period of time :) The first one was sent by dear Peggy for her awesome Choose a country RR, while the other one for the favourites' tag :) Peggy says that there are 18 million bikes in the Netherlands, and 17 million people!? With 15.000 km of cycling paths! And here comes my frustration....recently, there was this law adopted, for cycling...which says that, you must ride your bike on a cycling path, or if there is no cycling path, on the ride side of the road, next to the pavement...otherwise, you pay a fine of 25 euros! For the love of God!! First of all, there are BARELY any cycling paths! And the ones existing, are almost always occupied with parked cars, or construction works or people walking and also, bus stops are always at the cycling path with people waiting, or people getting off the bus which makes it a great opportunity to simply stumble upon someone getting off! And in the end, it will be me paying the fine! I just dont know what smart head says that we should be riding ON the street, next to the pavement, and how on Earth could they find it safe? Not to mention that again, with the buses, and cars parked just right there, it is impossible to have a normal ride.

Here is a short reportage about the cycling paths in Skopje...it is in Macedonian, but however, the pictures say it all...and frankly, that is the route I also use =/ I guess they should invent flying bicycles....

http://greenbox.com.mk/blog/?p=3743

so, i cant promise when my next update will be...I have a lot of other things to catch up with, but I hope to see you soon...'till then, stay well :)