The First Postcrossing Meeting in Belgrade

well, ok...you should all know by now about the first postcrossing meeting that was held in Belgrade on 29 October 2011...if you dont know about it, you should probably blame your postman :)

It came too spontaneously, but turned out great...the only remark would be the lack of time :)
And one of the most special things about this meeting was the special postcard design we had, done by Renato. A really unique card, representing all the participants (by their usernames) and all that nicely arranged according to the country they were coming from! Can you spot me? :P
Personally I addressed way too many cards...and I have no idea how many we signed in total, but it was a LOT LOT LOT!!! Well, after all, it was the first meeting :)
Unfortunately, I didnt manage to send as many cards as I had originally planned...the time simply didnt allow it, and funny but after the postcard shopping, I ended up writing out ALL of the cards, even though I planned to bring back some home...so do the math :)
If you hadnt gotten a card from this meeting and you are sure your postman is the most reliable guy on Earth, then let us know for next time :)

and somehow this post was perfect to present this fantastic map card of Yugoslavia...it was sent to me by Renato as well, a few months before the meeting. Here all the former republics of Yugoslavia can be seen with their respective flags...and this is somewhat what our meeting was about...postcrossers from different parts of  former Yugoslavia...unfortunately, Montenegro, BiH and Slovenia were missing, but we wholeheartedly hope that on the next meeting, at least one representative from each republic would be present. Ill do my best to fill in the Macedonian spot :)

Renato used a really nice definitive from a set of 8 issued in 2007 with this one representing Kopaonik.

A big hug to all my PC meeting friends, and of course, to the ones who couldnt make it this time :)

Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

Another lovely surprise, this time from dear Earney who visited the Czech Republic not so long ago.

And she chose such a great card for me, with so many coats of arms all over the card! And my first card on the blog coming from Český Krumlov, which is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle. Old Český Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was given this status along with the historic Prague castle district.
This here is the main square and from what ive seen in the UNESCO gallery, it does fall under the UNESCO!

the stamp was issued in 2007, regarding the The World Postage Stamp Exhibition - Praga 2008, and this is the Logo of the Exhibition.

Thank you so much Earney, for this and all the other lovely treats you've given to my mailbox!

Poland

Emilia sent me this great card from Poland, which is like 3 in 1, since apart from being a map, it is also a flag and shows the Coats of Arms.

The card represents the 16 voivodeships of Poland.... is a type of administrative division dating to medieval Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia (Vojvodina), ruled by a voivode. The voivode (literally, "leader of warriors", equivalent to Dux Exercituum or Herzog) was originally the military commander next to the ruler. Well, living in Macedonia, this word is rather familiar to me due to the Vojvodina region in Serbia, but I have never really known what it actually stood for.
Until 1997, Poland had 49 voivodeships.

In case you are from Poland or know Polish or anything, here are two websites I came across not that long ago. Both are dedicated to Polish girls who are ill from leukemia and who need financial or moral support from others. In case you can or want to help, then just click here:
Lenka
Paulina

I dont know these two girls, but I just felt that the least I could do for them is spread the word around.

the well known Polish stamp from 2001 representing Farms.

Puerto Rico

Here comes a great Puerto Rican card, showing both the flag and the Puerto Rican coat of arms...

Not so long ago, i tried to figure out why even though in its original name it says Puerto Rico...with two separate words, here in Macedonia we have blended them into one and have Порторико (transcribed it would be Portoriko) ...the same would be with Costa Rica (Костарика)....and Viet Nam (Виетнам)....even though  the latter is also accepted in English as Vietnam, and is somewhat common to see it that way...yet, the original is Việt Nam....and if everything goes as it should, i should be having a Vietnamese postcard soon :)

Anyway, as Addis says, my Puerto Rican postcard supplier, the island was originally named "San Juan Bautista" (St. John the Baptist) and the capital city was Puerto Rico (Rich Port) and later in the history the names were switched.....heh no wodner for so many years then i was mislead by Vaya con Dios and thought that Puerto Rico was a city...i apparantely had good grounds for it :P So i wasnt THAT mistaken :)))