Morocco

BOO!!

Ha! Hope this new post didnt scare you off and that you are still here...nope, you are not mistaken, you are at the right place (probably), and here indeed, after a few months hiatus, is a new post! Yes, seriously! April Fool's day is long time gone...Ana finally managed to get back here.
Why such long silence you may ask....oh well, I dont know anymore...a lot of reasons...a lot of things have been happening, and frankly for a long while I was questioning what's the purpose of writing this blog and if any..with all the things going on, all of a sudden I couldnt find the purpose anymore in having this blog...I was just wondering if I should call it quits...but well, Im glad I didnt...one really shouldnt do things in affection and regret them later...so yeah, the blog is still in existence, and coming back to life now...probably after the longest silence it has endured...ever!
Cant say im really happy about it, but I guess it just was inevitable to happen..but in honour of labour's day, here is some labour from my side and that is, putting my efforts in posting a few cards here =)
I also hope that I've finally manged to send out everything, cos besides with posting, I've also gotten really really behind in sending my cards since my motivation usually equaled zero =/  But if you are still waiting for something from me, just let me know...I am a bit lost on the issue.
I've also been out of the entire blogosphere, so sorry for not really being up-to-date with your posts and blogs..Ill try to catch up with it in the following days as well...

You know what's one of the biggest problems when not posting for so long? That you feel totally out of shape about it and that makes you prolong it even more...then you have no idea what to post, because soo many cards have piled up...but once you start, it just gets you going by itself, and eventually you realize you are typing your first post...yay!!

Well, I've chosen a couple of cards for today...and for starters I'll go with two cards from Morocco...why Morocco...I received two cards from there in the past months...and that made me realize that first of all, in my entire blogging career I have posted just one single card from Morocco...and that single Moroccan card is not even written and stamped!! So the justice had to be done since I have a number of written and stamped cards from there...so here we are, with two Moroccan cards for today.

This one arrived recently from Eva, with whom the swap was initiated since we both love Escher, and we both have happened to attend a multimedia exhibition of his in Granada back in August 2012....who knows, we maybe were there on the same day and at the very same hour as well, but we didnt know each other, so who knows...but things like this make you shudder at how small this world actually is!

And she sent me this lovely market card...i love such every-day-life cards even though I probably wouldnt need anything from here, but im sure id enjoy walking around a market like this...they are always bustling with life and have this particular charm that no modern place does..yeah, i do dislike shopping and window-shopping as well in those modern shops and malls..but leave me at a market like this and I could forget myself. Though I cant say Im really immune to the consumerism in general...but I am working on it.
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the stamp is a definitive issued in 2001, showing king Mohammed VI


well my other Moroccan card is from 2011, when dear Agi went on a trip there...yep, 2011, and I still havent posted it, despite having no w/s Moroccan card on the blog.....fool fool fool!

and that's such an amazing card! Im posting it along since it is also a card showing people...this time not at a market but enjoying a delicious couscous...thinking about it, i cant say for sure I have tried a couscous in my life...but Id definitely would love to...esp. some traditionally prepared one...I mean, you can buy bags of couscous in the market to prepare it at home, but that's just NOT it...traditional and on spot is always the best!

Agi's stamp is also from 2011, issued for the solidarity week.

Edited: had to edit this post and include this card from Jean Pierre...a feeling kept bugging me ever since I published this a few hours ago and after a small check, it proved right...I did have another card indeed to fit in today's post...a food market this time

yes, everything is right there, on a piece of cloth or plastic in the middle of the street..fresh fruits and vegetables...I always prefer buying fruits and vegetables in the green markets, but I often end up doing it in the grocery stores since I either do it late in the afternoon evening, or I just know I can find it all at one place...not often you can find avocados at the green markets for example =/

Jean Pierre used a stamp issued in 2011, for the National Campaign on the Millennium Development Goals.

Jean Pierre and ladies, thank you all for the amazing cards! Love them!!

Holland

A great card Peggy sent me for her cultural RR.

the card shows a typical Dutch way of eating herring. (personally, not very fond of it). The herring is raw, and apart from how it is shown on the card, another way to eat it is to hold the whole fish above you and let it slide in.(yuck!)
The specific-type of herring which is the first young herring suitable for consumption is called Holandese Nieuwe. It is prepared in a traditional Dutch way after it's been caught. The first day these new young herrings are being caught is celebrated in the town of Scheveningen with flag-day. The harbour is decorated with flags and the first barrel of herring is auctioned and the money goes to charity. It can go up to 70.000 euros!

there are two stamps on the card and the left one is really nice. It was issued in 1988 commemorating the Australian Bicentenary which was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent European settlement. The other stamp is from a set of four Tourism stamps and was issued in 1996

Kebabs, Bosnia and Herzegovina

You know I love doing thematic updates from time to time, esp. if I have a number of cards on a particular subject...and im not sure why i picked food this time, but I do have a soft spot for delicious foodstuffs, even though I try to stay on the healthy eating side

first comes a dish im absolutely familiar with since it is very popular here....Kebabs with onion and this flat type of bread called 'lepinja'. Not really the healthiest of meals but absolutely delicious! Of course, if you get the right kebabs...not all of them are good. First of all, depending on the country....the ones on the card are just like the ones we have here....but for example, Ive tried kebabs in Bulgaria...and sorry, but it had nothing to do with the deliciousness of ours. And even in Skopje for example, not all places make good kebabs....the most famous place, which is simply the first association to kebabs and is even like a trade mark, is the place called Destan...the kebabs there just have this particular taste, unlike other kebab-restaurants...there are a few in the city, but the most charming and authentic is the one in the Old Bazaar....ever since ive been little, this has been the best place to eat kebabs...the usual order is a "Ten with onions" though of course, you can order less or more, as many as you like..

Since I havent tried the Bosnian kebabs, though im pretty sure they are as good as ours (after all, we have a lot of contact points, since our country has been widely influenced by the Ottoman cuisine...), ill post a few pics of the Destan's restaurant in the Old Bazaar...and if you ever come here, this is a MUST!! Im serious, a MUST!!!

The place is small and far from fancy, but it is cozy and the atmosphere goes perfectly with this type of food

and a glimpse over the plate.....makes me hungry at an instant!

courtesy of the photo: http://volanskopje.blogspot.com/

Sabina is the one who surprised me with this card, and she had made an EXCELLENT choice! The stamp she used is from 1999, commemorating the 105 years of the meteorological observatory on the Bjelašnica mountain.

Pikakala, Finland

next we have a Finnish delicacy

this is called Pikakala and is considered as a typical fish dish that includes salmon medallions garnished with dill and served with mushroom stew and potatoes.

definitely looks delicious to me, plus it is a light meal, and probably easily prepared.

there is a recipe on the backside about a trout file...but it is in Finnish unfortunately, so I am not able to share it with you...

there are two stamps on the card....the left one is from a set of 4 of those oddly shaped imperforated stamps, this one representing water, while the other one was issued this year in a set of 5 'mailboxes' stamp. Really lovely!! This is a 2nd class stamp. Here, we have no such division of 1st and 2nd class stamps....

Irish Breakfast, Ireland

Here comes something, which if you are in Ireland, is something you will supposedly get for breakfast......hmmmm???

im having my doubts about this one....for lunch or dinner maybe....but breakfast??? you really eat this for breakfast?? Odd, in the least hand! Oysters are such a tough food, even if not eaten for breakfast you may feel sick at the stomach....and in combination with dark beer (the stout), i really wonder how your day is gonna be :P

The back of the card says (something that has absolutely nothing to do with the front): The unique beauty of Ireland's landscape and its rich historic, literary and artistic associations have long made it a favourite resort for tourists. Encompassing a wealth of natural beauty within its modest dimensions, Ireland boasts a landscape which is as much diverse as it is gratifying. The scenic grandeur is set off by Ireland's position. Standing in the path of both the prevailing westerly winds of the Atlantic and the warming currents of the Gulf Stream, Ireland enjoys an equable climate which gives the country its unique fresh appearance.


Speaking of breakfasts, here is a link with a variety of those throughout the world...some are awesome, some id never eat...and some...I just dont know how people can consider as breakfast??

Breakfasts from around the world

The Irish breakfast presented here is rather different, so nowadays you can just trust no one :)

My tops: Spain, Hawaii, Portugal, Italy, Wales, France, Russia, Pakistan. Btw, Pakistan says to be using Ghee...which I would recommend as a butter substitute in your cooking.

The stamp is from a set of 8 animals' automat labels issued in 2010, with this one showing a Sea slug

Belgium Specialty, Belgium

well, my first association to Belgium when it comes to food is chocolate....but here we have some real food to show :)

this is what the Belgians call a national meal: beer, french fries and mussels. Uhmmm..ok, not really my type...first, coz i dont like beer...second, im not so fond of mussels...and third, I actually prefer baked or boiled potatoes to the french fries....just too much oil in it and not really nutritional values. (Sometimes I think im annoying people regarding food and what's healthy and whats not and all the labels' checking of products...). Just yesterday, I put back this cat-food on the shelf coz it simply contained too many food colourings...some considered really hazardous...

however, garlic and onion... I love adding them to my meals, esp garlic in raw form....one of the best antiseptics you could get and help your immunity during the cold winter days.

The stamp is from a set of 3 issued this year, showing the House of Erasmus. A really nice one!

Dim Sum, Hong Kong

as for my last delicacy today, I picked a Hong Kong card...with a bunch of different foodstuffs....some look sooo yummy, even though I have no idea what they are.

the Dim Sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Dim sum is also well known for the unique way it is sometimes served in some restaurants, where fully cooked and ready-to-serve dim sum dishes would be pushed around on steam carts by servers who go around the restaurant offering the dishes to customers and marking orders on a card on each customer's table.

I like that tradition of the Chinese cuisine, eating small portions of food....at the Chinese restaurants here, you are given nothing but a small portion...I guess they've adjusted it to the Macedonian standards :)

the traditional dim sum includes various types of steamed buns and rice noodle rolls which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options. Dim sum can be cooked by steaming and frying, among other methods.

well, i think this card is really convenient if you are in China or Hong Kong....just take it with you to the restaurant, and even if you dont know a single word of Chinese, you just point to the meal you'd love to have and voila! :)

the stamp is from the set of 16 definitives issued in 2006 representing birds...this cutie is the Red-whiskered Bulbul. The card was sent from Licia, whom I havent heard from for a long while...in case she reads this, thanks so much again for the great card, and I hope she is doing ok! So....hungry anyone? :)

Tim Tam

Chocolate Biscuits....mmmm...these should taste good....ive never tried them, but they seem promising...and i love the quote :)

And again here we have something related to food...i guess this just all reflects my recent 'im always hungry' mood. I really dont know why i fall into such a trap sometimes....not that im REALLY hungry....i just think of food 24/7 and it always feels delicious and i just have a crave to eat this or that and it gets me really anxious....and even though i PROMISED myself i wont be eating at night or after 8pm, i end up doing it....and no wonder i feel like the wolf from the Wolf and the Seven Goats....my stomach feels as if its full of stones and i just feel like a real slow-motion...i definitely need to get my bike fixed so even if i get stuck in such a period, at least i can ease it all....hopefully it wont be raining or snowing.....I wonder whats for lunch today...