Severn Valley Railway, England

A lovely train card sent by dear Anu.

The West Country Class No. 34027 `Taw Valley` was built in Brighton in 1945 and here it can be seen crossing the magnificent Victoria Bridge over the River Severn in the UK.

Anu always uses fantastic stamps! First we have two of the Theater stamps (built during the Shakespearean era) issued in 1995 in a set of 5 - here we have the Hope from 1613 and the Globe from 1614 (the rebuilt version, after being destroyed in a fire in 1613).
The train stamp is from a set of five British Pub Signs, issued in 1995 - this stamp shows 'The Station' by Andrew Davidson. And last of course, you have her Majesty, the Queen.

Thanks a lot lot Anu!

Palanga, Lithuania

Next comes an official I received earlier this year, showing the Sea Bridge of Palanga.

LT-498225

It is considered to be the most popular bridge not just in Palanga, but in Lithuania as well.

At the end of the 19th century Palanga was ruled by Counts Tiškevičiai. They decided to build a dock for ships that could be used to transport bricks made in counts’ brickyard. The dock was built in 1884-1888 and vessel “Phoenix” cruised to Klaipeda and Liepaja. Later, when the export of bricks failed, the ship was used for transportation of passengers. Unfortunately, after storms the dock would be covered in sand so it was realized that the bridge was not suitable for navigation. Since 1892, the pier has become the most popular place for taking walks.
The impacts of time, sea waves and wind destroyed this structure, thus, a new pier of 470 meters in length was built on concrete poles in 1998.

The stamp was issued in 2015 for the World Day of Information Technology Development.

San Juanico Bridge, Philippines

A nice card that the kind Rosemie sent me earlier this year....just because :)

The card shows the San Juanico Bridge, formerly known as the Marcos Bridge, which is a suspension bridge in the Philippines stretching from Samar to Leyte crossing the San Juanico Strait. It is part of the Pan-Philippine Highway. It is the longest bridge in the Philippines with a length of 2.16 km and is considered as one of the most beautifully designed bridges in the Philippines.

the stamp is from a set of two issued in 2008, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Missionary Cathecists of St. Threse of the Infant Jesus

Awatere Road/Rail Bridge, New Zealand

an extra cool official that arrived from New Zealand a few months ago..speaking of officials, I finally got back to them recently after a few months hiatus...im still slow at it (sending cards) but it is nice to be back...i somewhat really missed it!

NZ-100662

from the back of the card:

The approach to the township of Seddon is via this unusual double-decker bridge on which road traffic uses the lower deck and rail the upper. Built at the end of the last century, the bridge is of great historical interest. 

I just love it!!

and the stamps are just gorgeous too! took me a while to track them down though.  The one on the left was issued in 1994, representing Adventure Sports (jet boating in particular). The one on the right is from a set of two health stamps issued in 2002, celebrating health and vitality. It is a delicious one!

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Im happy to have received a card from Sarajevo...from the modern times! The very few ones I have date back from over 20 years ago and though the may still are not entitled for the vintage section, they are old.

the one here shows the Latin Bridge in BiH's capital (also named the Princip Bridge during the Yugoslavian times).
It is a historic Ottoman bridge over the River Miljacka.
The northern end of the bridge was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Gavrilo Princip in 1914, which became a casus belli of World War I. So a really important bridge you have here, being the silent witness of so many events over the years.

and on the brighter side, for all those nostalgic souls...here is an even more nostalgic song, where you have a reference about this famous river...and the young couples' memories, exchanging kisses and affection along its shores....*sigh*
For the rest, Crvena Jabuka (or Red Apple) is one of those very famous ex-yu bands, whose songs even nowadays people know by heart and like listening to :) However, this one here in particular is not really on my favourites' list...still, it ain't a bad one :)

as for the stamps...I often see this carrot one, issued in 2006 as a part of 5 vegetable stamps. The other one is a definitive from 2012, representing Old Cities, with this stamp showing the city of Tešanj. You know, when it comes to defintivies, usually your idea about them are some boring plain stamps...but this one is just fantastic I must say!

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.

Crooked River Gorge, USA

next comes an extra cool card...not only coz it is railway related..the view is just jaw-dropping!

The Crooked River High Bridge is a steel arch bridge that spans the Crooked River gorge in Oregon, which is a 150 m deep gorge located around Warm Springs and Smith Rock State Park
. The bridge is 141 metres long with a main span of 100m. The deck is 90 m above the canyon floor. The bridge was eventually unable to keep up with the growing traffic demands of U.S. Highway 97, and was replaced by the wider Rex T. Barber Veterans Memorial Bridge. The old bridge is open to pedestrians. Too bad, coz it is really cool.
I remember when I was very little and i would go with my grandparents on a train visiting some relatives to Serbia...there was this bridge I ALWAYS dreaded somewhere en route....you could have simply seen the river in between the rails and you could feel how the rails themselves were all shaking under the weight of the train...i always had the feeling of 'now we're gonna crash..now we're gonna crash'...amazingly enough, the bridge did withstood all that burden..i guess nowadays it is a new modern one so (un)fortunately, you can't have an experience of that kind again :)

two stamps are affixed on the card. The top one was issued this year in a set of 5 Birds-of-prey stamps and it portrays the Northern Harrier. The other stamp is a definitive issued in 2011, representing George Washington...well, you all know who he is :)

Sao Paolo, Brazil

Hmmm, and another official card for today....I wonder how I manage to pick cards like this at random...

BR-102767

It shows the Ponte Estaiada Octávio Frias de Oliveira bridge in São Paulo, which is a cable-stayed bridge over the Pinheiros River, opened in May 2008. The bridge is 138 metres (450 ft) tall, and connects Marginal Pinheiros to Jornalista Roberto Marinho Avenue.
The bridge deck is unusual due to its form, which is similar to an “X”, crossing at the tower.
It is the only bridge in the world that has two curved tracks supported by a single concrete mast.

And the card came from a Depeche Mode fan :D

The left two stamps come from a set of 10 issued in 2002, representing musical instruments, and here is a trumpet...while the other stamp was issued in 2004 in a set of 5 stamps representing paintings by Candido Portinari.

Thanks for following!

San Francisco, USA

One of the loveliest views over the Golden Gate...

US-748283

It is called "Fog rolls into San Francisco Bay through the Golden Gate Bridge".

Here is one similar view of the Golden Gate, veiled in more fog, being more mysterious, hiding more secrets, but in both cards, the sun is the one which makes everything hopeful.

The Golden Gate hides more secrets than you could ever imagine, peoples' sad stories....it is the favourite place for people committing suicide, not just in USA but in the entire world as well.

I dont know whats so appealing about it, like it has some cortex that drags you in...I was reading some articles about this recently, and about many on-going debates of how to prevent people from committing the suicide...my favourite point in those articles was that, you may do something with the Golden Gate and reduce the number of suicides HERE...but that doesnt mean that people wont find another bridge....sad but true..

The well known stamp of the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Prague, Czech Republic

Last year I was pleasantly surprised with a few cards from the Czech Republic sent by dear Janek. The first one I posted was portraying Franz Kafka. This second one is a huge amazing card showing Prague.

And here is a view of the very famous Charles Bridge or Karlův most as the Czechs would say it.

The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700.
During the night the Charles Bridge is a quiet place. But during the day it changes its face into a very busy place, with painters, owners of kiosks and other traders alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge.

if you wanna read more, ive already spoken a bit of the Charles Bridge at this post.

Janek used a lovely stamp from 2004 showing the Brno church.
I honestly never understood how when even going on a holiday, he is able to find such a great variety of stamps to use on his postcards. Im really happy he does!
Btw, the other picture above and the one on the left arent stamps...they are pictures the same as the postcard, just shown in black and white version. However, the funny thing is that they were both cancelled as if they were stamps :)))))

Brasilia, Brasil

For a long time i lived with the ignorance that the capital of Brasil is Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo. But surprise surprise, its Brasilia. And even after all this time, i still cant get used to it :)
I mean, first of all, Brasilia sounds much more like a country name, than a city one.
Second, i dont know if its the same with the rest of the world, but the majority of things Brazil related i get to hear, are about Rio or Sao Paulo, and its incomparable to the amount of things i get to hear about Brasilia. So, no wonder i still find it hard to comprehend that Brasilia has the honour to be the city's capital.

Hmm, ive seen this bridge on other postcards, from a different angle, and i have to say that it didnt look as appealing to me as on this card. I dont know if its coz of the aerial view, but it just seems so fascinating to me! I LOVE it!!
This is the Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, also known as the President JK Bridge, named after a former Brazilian president,Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, who in the late 1950s decided to build Brasília as the new capital of the country.
It consists of three 60m (200ft) tall asymmetrical steel arches that crisscross diagonally. With a length of 1,200 m (0.75 miles), it was completed in 2002 at a cost of US$56.8 million. The bridge has a pedestrian walkway and is accessible to bicyclists and skaters.

Heey, did you hear that?! Accessible to cyclists!! Mmmm, would love to go by bike over it, back and forth...

The main span structure has four supporting pillars submerged under Lake Paranoá, and the deck weight is supported by three 200-foot tall asymmetrical steel arches that crisscross diagonally. The decks are suspended by steel cables alternating at each side of the deck, interlacing in some kind of twisted plane (parabolic like).
From what i could read, the bridge has also received numerous awards, regarding architecture.Well, deserved i must say...its really amazing and just unique!

This stamp was issued in 2008, with its Primary Theme of Economy and Industry, portraying the 200th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family in Brazil - Ministry of Finance