Portugal

A card I received from two friends of mine and their holiday in Portugal...

well, on one hand I am thankful for the card... didn't expect them to actually send it to me since in general my non-postcrossing Macedonian friends do not really send cards - they give them to me. However, I think I have kinda spread the bug to some of them and on some occasions I get surprised in the mailbox.
Now the thing I am not thankful for is that when they went to Portugal, they never cared to ask their other friends if they maybe wanted to go to...they did have this habit of selfishly organizing a trip and announcing it after things were settled and all...I still don't know how I ended up going to Spain with them....
Anyways, as I said, another friend of mine and I were really bothered about how they played the whole Portugal thing, but what can you do...at least I got to see Prague that year, but that's not the point here :)

Well, I wanna use this occasion to congratulate Portugal on winning the European Championship.
To get something straight though - I didn't watch the Championship nor I could care any less about it. Ok, I am lying, I did 'attend' one match, the one between Portugal and Poland - here many bars and cafes organize events for watching all kinds of matches and the Championship was no exception. Now, I would never really go to a bar to watch a football match like this, but you see, there is this cool bar in Skopje that I haven't been to in ages (and I used to go there often during Uni days) and on this particular occasion they organized a Depeche Mode night...so how can I miss that??! And it was perfect, cos the sound of the TV was on mute, those interested could just watch what was going on (even though I think it was a boring match), while at the same time DM songs were playing...fantastic, just fantastic!
I had no favourites, but in the finals I was rooting for Portugal, probably for the wrong reasons - in general, I never really root for the home-teams...it always feels set-up...and then Iceland lost against France so how can I cheer for France?!! Of course I can't :) And there you go, they got what they deserved :) Sounds evil, but for me it is all just for fun, cos I really give no s*** about football, unlike tennis for example...there things are completely different :)

And maybe it would be fair to mention a few words about the card...it was sent from Lisbon but I'm not sure if the signs here are from Lisbon only or different places in Portugal. Either way it is a really cool card :)

the stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2010, representing the Circus Chapito.

Madeira, Portugal

two dear friends of mine visited Portugal this summer...the dates were unfortunately inconvenient for me, so I couldnt join them..it is really a pity since it would have been soo cool to visit Portugal! But work is work, and comes first...and maybe some other time Ill have the chance to go.

they also went to Madeira for a few days and were really nice to drop me a postcard! :)
they say it is most flowery island, with lovely beaches.And this card is so nice and colourful that it definitely makes me believe it! Plus, I missed the chance to get a swim in the ocean....for the first time in my life...

the stamp comes from a set of 3 stamps issued in 2011, representing Traditional Festivals

I also had to include this card, since this Botanical Garden Cable Car is represented on one of the small pictures in the previous one :)
The Botanical Garden Cable Car has a total of twelve cabins, each with a capacity of 8 seated places, allowing the visitor a dream trip with a magnificent view over the beautiful Madeiran landscape. This trip allows a panoramic view along a 1600 metres route.
 The round trip is approximately eighteen minutes, being the maximum speed of 4,2 metres per second

Denver, USA

My last card for today comes as a surprise from a friend who visited USA earlier this year. He tries to send me a postcard whenever he travels somewhere, but for some reason, just two have made their way to my mailbox so far.....

And he picked such a great one! A train station!!!!
Denver's first train station was constructed in 1868 to serve the new Denver Pacific Railway, which connected Denver to the main transcontinental line at Cheyenne, Wyoming. By 1875, there were four different railroad stations, making passenger transfers between different railroad lines inconvenient. To remedy this issue, the Union Pacific Railroad proposed creating one central "Union Station" to combine the various operations. In February 1880, the owners of the four lines agreed to build a station at 17th and Wynkoop Streets and the station opened in May 1881.
During its heyday, the station was served by 80 daily trains operated by six different railroads; however, most of this was terminated at the time of the formation of Amtrak, which has since operated only one train daily between Chicago and the Bay Area, routed through Denver.
Current passenger services include:
- Amtrak's California Zephyr
- C Line and E Line light rail routes.
The station also serves the once a year Cheyenne Frontier Days Train, usually pulled by Union Pacific's steam locomotive 844, the last steam locomotive built for the UP. The train runs between Union Station and Cheyenne, Wyoming for the Frontier Days Rodeo event.

and a rather different US stamp compared to the ones I usually see on my postcards/letters. It was issued in 2010 and is part of 4 Holiday Evergreens (Forever) special stamps.

Thank you all for reading, for the postcards and see you soon hopefully :) 

Bansko, Bulgaria

It is an ironic thing that, cards from some very neighbouring countries, are very rare in my collection...Bulgaria, even though it is my eastern next-door neighbour, is a country i dont have many cards from...and lets not mention how many of them are written and stamped...same goes with Albania, I think I told you about it in a recent post...

This isnt a written and stamped one, a friend brought it to me some months ago from a trip to Bulgaria...and thats when I realized that it's been a long while since i had gotten something from that country....plus she brought me a magnet too, so im really happy :D (My magnet collecting is not something from long ago actually...started out sometime last year and im wondering how could i have been ignoring it all these years...but of course, it is a rather expensive hobby, so im taking it gradually...in Macedonia it can be rather problematic when you go to the PO and want to send one, but i wont get into that right now).

Anyways, this card comes from Bansko....famous as a ski resort...sometimes can be confused with Bansko located in Macedonia, which is both a village and a spa, and people with all sorts of rheumatic and other health problems go there...i guess that since it is situated near the border with Bulgaria, hence the same name.

My friend said that in Bansko they had great saunas and spas, but awful barbecue.

Tirana, Albania

Wohooooo!!!! It may sound odd and sort of unbelievable but this is my very veery first written and stamped card from Albania! Even though it's my neighbouring country, it took me aaallll these years to actually get a written and stamped card from there!!

From all the Macedonia's neighbouring countries (and even further), this is the only one from where I was missing a written and stamped card....and now I got it...plus a few blank ones...and all that thanks to my dear neighbour who had to take a trip in Albania...and was so kind to take the time and send me a card, and bring me some more...well, my neighbour's cat is best friends with my two fur balls....so we take care of each other's cats whenever necessary...so this is another reason why you should get yourself a pet...apart from making your days more joyous and happier...apart from giving you love (in the case of cats thats a tricky and selfish issue)....they make you laugh...and give you the chance to have something to take care of...and on top of that they bring you closer to your neighbours and can help you enrich your postcard collection! :D

And as for the card itself, it was sent from Albania's capital, Tirana...and in the foreground, that place with the pool in front, is "Taivani", which is considered to be one of Tirana's most popular restaurants...while behind it, there is the National Historic Museum lurking...to me, probably the most famous Albanian site....ever since I was little, whenever there was something about Tirana related on the news, they'd give that picture.

the stamp is from a set of two issued in 2008, representing Roman Emperors.

Thanks so much again to my dear neighbour!!!

Naksan, South Korea

Dani gave me this card (one of many) before she left to China.

The card shows a sunrise reflecting off a Temple at Naksan.

It's a really lovely card...dont know why but this kind of cards with doors/windows seem to be very interesting...and also from what ive noticed, popular among postcard-collectors.
As for the Naksan Temple... it is a Korean Buddhist temple complex in the Jogye order of Korean Buddhism that stands on the slopes of Naksan Mountain and is one of the few temples in Korea to overlook the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Naksansa was founded in 671, by the Buddhist monk, Uisang Daesa (Grand Master Uisang), an ambassador of the 30th King Munmu of the Silla Period (BC 57-AD 935) after he had returned from studying abroad during the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who, while meditating near the cave in which the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Gwaneumbosal) was believed to have lived, was told by the Bodhisattva to build the temple there.

thank you Dani! Hope you are enjoying your stay and study-time!

Jiu Zhai Gully, China

A beautiful postcard I got from my friend Dani.....

....and this post is dedicated to her as well, in order to wish her a safe trip to China and lots of luck and happy moments in the following 300 and something days. Ahhh China....such a vast place...worth to be seen....hopefully one day...if we get the chance to visit Dani :)
The card shows the Nuorilang waterfall. It is a marvellous scene in Jiu Zhai Gully, about 100 metres in width, the widest waterfall in China.
Few months ago at one of the cultural events here, I watched this documentary film, called "The last train home", which had won among else, the Best Documentary Feature at 2009 IDFA. While the majority of the people I was with were bored, I was fascinated with the movie...first of all it featured travels by train which lasted several days...and not one of those comfy ones. Second, it brought into perspective some fascinating views in China, presented their culture, their people and their struggle to make ends meet...a really sad and touching movie, which brings you the reality of THIS China and it makes you both angry and full of admiration

Here is the trailer, for whomever might be interested....personally, I highly recommend it




Have a safe trip Dani...you will be missed....and keep in touch! <3

Bermuda

Well, being that i wanted to make just a commemoration post about my trip to Germany, i should have gone and pack right now...but then again, ive been a really lousy poster lately, and i had received such a bunch of great cards, that i just had to include a few more for today..

and this one comes directly from the sunny Bermuda....sent to me by one of my colleagues from University who is working there right now! Yeah, i asked her if postcards can be found in Bermuda, but of course, that was a *read between the lines* request of *please, oh please send me a written and stamped Bermuda postcard*....of course, she knew what i wanted and she was the kindest one and sent me a postccard...and such a lovely one, that it even has a lighthouse on it!!!
I often think of going and working abroad...or at least have a work like the one right now which doesnt let me be home so much...or in other words, which keeps me distracted from the everyday things that bother me and there are just so many of them...i often dont even know what i want anymore (typical women's answer)....on the other hand i dont know if id like to go to work so far away....i think i have probably mentioned it already, but id like to be somewhere within a bus/train return distance...coz its cheaper...and even if i had to get a plane from somewhere within Europe, its much cheaper than an overseas ticket....but now with the visa abolishment, maybe these things would be easier to handle...who knows....

 

the stamp is from a series of 4 issued in 2008 called Bermudan Greetings.

Thank you Vaska soooo sooo much for this card! :)

Corfu, Greece

Something from my nearest neighbourhood.

I got this card from a friend who went there this summer...actually, when he said he was going to Corfu, i of course asked him to send me a postcard...and as with the majority of my friends here, he said he was gonna bring me one and give it to me...i didnt complain of course, coz its the thought that counts after all...but then he saw this blog...and he was fascinated...and he said he was gonna definitely send me a card since now he knew why i so much love postcards and why i would love them sent, instead of being given to me :D
And in case he ever reads this, i just wanna say a huuuuuuuugeeee Thank You again!
Coz you know....i have a whole bunch of Greek cards, but 98%  of them are blank (either i have bought them or my mum bought them, or are from my late grandmother...). So written and stamped Greek cards are a rarity in my collection, so thats why this card is something i really treasure!
And another thing very worth mentioning...you know this issue we are having with Greece and their FYROM persistence and all..when addressing the card, my friend wrote R. Macedonia instead of FYROM...and to my awe, the card arrived without ANY single reactions by the Greeks....in general, they would cross out Macedonia and write FYROM...it has happened to me before...and ones some of the nationalistic postal workers even added on a postcard "Macedonia is Greek"....so when it comes to them, i would expect just anything...but this time i got a card, sent from Greece, which said Macedonia....its really really unbelievable!
It would be really nice if they actually stopped all the fuss they are making in general and just back off and mind their own business....
Oh yeah...and those dolphins are just too cute :P
Im still curious though to get an official card from Greece :)

The stamp comes from a set of 6 issued in May this year under the subject of Greek monuments of World cultural Heritage .

Thessaloniki, Greece

Finally a Thessaloniki card which shows something else but that famous Thessaloniki tower...i have nothing against it...im just tired of seeing it on every possible and impossible postcard.
This is the St. Demetrius church...a view by night...which is obvious...

Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki was a Christian martyr who is said to have lived in Thessaloniki in the early 4th century. During the Middle Ages, he came to be revered as one of the most important Orthodox military saints often paired with Saint George. His feast day is October 26 for Christians following the Gregorian calendar and November 8, for Christians following the Julian calendar...
The Serbian Orthodox church reveres St. Demetrius as Mitar, having a feast of Mitrovdan on 8 November....well, here we also have Mitrovden...and is celebrated mainly as a nameday or saints day, which is some sort of a family celebration...so people whose name is Dimitar, Mitar, Mitra or anything related to Mitar, do have their celebrations on this day....
My grandparents commemorate December 19, St. Nicholas Day, coz my great-grand father was called Nikola...well, i just want to make it more clear, what kind of celebrations are these...
There is a funny story related to this and two other Thessaloniki cards, but i guess ill share it when i show the other ones, and instead talk of the tower, ill go with the story...unless i forget...which wouldnt surprise me...i have become very forgetful in the past years....

Village Life in Anatolia, Turkey

And before I rush back to work, here is my last card for today....

I got this one back in time, from this guy who went on holdiay in Turkey, and who brought me back some cards...and i recall, my reaction was...this is such a boring postcard...where are the sites??
But today, im more than thankful to him for bringing it to me, since it conributes to the variety, plus ive become to appreciate a various kind of postcards apart from the standard city views...
this one shows some village people in Anatolia...whose word derviation comes from Greek and means something like 'sunrise' or 'the land of the sunrise'.
It is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus o the northeast, the Aegan Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian  plateau to the east and southeast.

I was just wondering something...regarding Turkey and Russia...when i send mail there, i always use postage as if im sending it within Europe...coz ive never actually considered whether im sending to the European part of Turkey, or the Asian one...same goes with Russia...so i was wondering if the people at the post pay any attention to that or they just see the name of the country, and thats all that matters...coz im more than convinced that i had sent something in the Asian part of Turkey, with a normal stamp...and it had arrived...though i might be wrong...still, i was curious about it...

Budapest, Hungary

Hopefully ill manage to write this before midnight, as this post would count for Friday and for the PFF...which stands short for Postcard Friendship Day and is hosted over at Marie Reed's really cool blog...its not just postcards there, but a number of various themes you may really be interested in...so just go and have a look...and me, hopefully, will be a regular Friday poster....thing is, Friday being my day off, i just get carried away with stuff and all and need to do all those things im unable to do during the week, so by the time you say 'pancake' the day has gone...speaking of pancakes, i had a delicious one today...i know i shouldnt have eaten it and i know that its not gonna do any good to my complaints that my pants just feel too tight, but oh, i just couldnt resist it...if only i didnt have that huge sandwich before that...

This card was given to me by my friend Marija who spent her New Year holidays in Budapest. She is one of those people who prefer to give you cards in person instead send them from the actual place...i never understood this...i guess not everyone gets the thrill of buying postcards and stamps, addressing them, writing something on them, and then wait for the surprise the other person will have when they find their card in the mailbox...its a pity most people here simply are not used to this...i wonder if its due to the fact that they dont really get mail so they just dont know the feeling...but i would never stop sending cards...even though i go bankrupt afterwards, coz i just send waaay too many :D :D :D :D But i love it, and i rather cut down on food or not by myself some souvenir i know ill never have a use for and that will just catch dust, instead deprive someone of a card....yaaay, hooray for the Postcard Friendship Day and long live postcards!!!!

Paralia, Greece

A card given to me (it says on the back "Im sorry i didnt send it as you wanted me to, but i feel more secure this way") by my dear friend Biljana back in 1999....well, i know by default, you expect me to speak something about a card or so...but the reason why im putting this card is coz today my dear Biljana gave birth to a baby daughter!!

I could've maybe put some card with a baby or so...but i just really wanted to commemorate it this way, but putting something personal I have from her...this is actually the first time that a friend ive known for so long and so well, has a baby...there are many friends or acquantances out there who have got married had babies or even managed to get divorced...but there is just a small circle of people i have which I consider real friends and who are dear to me in a special kind of way...and Biljana is among them...ive known her since kidnergarten, which i actually find it amazing!!
You know, i actually have the desire to spoil this child in a nice manner :)))  I dont know any details about the little lady yet, but i think that once i get to see this new being full of life, ill post again a card from Biljana and accompany it with a further story regarding all this.
As for now, i can just say that regardless this whole day was a real mess and makes me dread about tomorrow due to some personal issues, and leaves me a lot of suspision and tension....this news just goes beyond it all and makes me feel just so...hmm, i dont know....happy and excited and looking forward to spoil the kid...well, they dont really live far away, so i think ill have the chance for that ;-)
Be Blessed you little girl!!!

Turkey (04)

I would really be grateful if ANYONE could help me define this postcard....the only thing thats written on the back says: "Hurşit Şah'i maiyyetiyle gösteren minyatür"

I suppose it represents some kind of an event or tradition in Turkey...but i would really really love to actually know what it is, so if anyone from Turkey or familiar with Turkish and the Turkish culture is reading this, can you PLEASE give me some more details about whats on the postcard?
Thank you a LOT in advance!!

Egypt

A card from my friend Marija Dz...from her visit to Egypt, in the year of i-dont-know-when....she brought me this card from there so there is no stamp cancellation which maybe would have helped me in the discovery...though all it takes is a short phone call to ask her, or that the next time i see her, i ask her for all the years for the trips she had been to, so i can update things here as well...but if right now i know i should do it, when i actually talk to her, it is totally out of my mind...well...its not THAT important, eitherway....

well, ive talked of Egypt a bit already...ill tell you this time what Marija says on the card :)
"The Pyramids are wonderful, the Sphinx is still without a nose and the Red Sea is actually blue" :)))

when i was little I actually was pretty confused of how a sea could be red or yellow or black or even dead :)  Kids :)))

Melbourne, Australia

This is from my friend Biljana, from her trip to Australia in 2000....she has relatives both there and in Canada, and of course brought me cards...

The back of the card just says "Twilight over Melbourne"...no description of what those buldings actually are.

btw, yesterday she said that she is due to be very soon, that is next week....yup yup yup...she is going to have a baby girl....hahhahaa, i got so excited to know that she is finally counting the last days....I still havent gotten anything for the baby, and I had this idea of getting her some nice winter clothes and accessories...i just need to find some spare time and have a look at whats around stores...and find something which is actually appropriate for a new-born....hope i wont make some clumsy mistake :D

Milano, Italy

A card from my friend Kate...well, the things with her are status quo compared to the last postcard i had related to her...so nothing new to talk about...

the card here shows the Sforzesco Castle in Milan...it houses several of the city's museum and art gallery collections.
The original construction on the site began in the 14th century by Francesco Sforza nd it was further modified by later generations.
The castle was severely damaged as a result of the allied bombardment of Milan in 1943 during World War II
The best known of the current civic museums is the Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco with an art collection which includes Michelangelo's last sculpture, Mantegna;s Trivulzio Madonna and  da Vinci;s Codex Trivulzianus manuscript.

Never read the "Da Vinci Code" book....never had the urge for it...really dont know what should it take so I change my mind and read it actually :)

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....

Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia

A card my friend Marija brought me from her summer holiday in Tunisia...hmmm, i have two friends called Marija, who have participated in sending/bringing me cards...this is Marija Dz.....the other one is Marija Sh.....in general, we distinct them by their last names...but here, it feels way too official to actually call my friends by their last name, so ill leave it as it is

I cant recall what year exactly she went there...but for sure it wasnt in the past 3 or 4 years, coz we actually didnt really keep in touch during then...she is a friend i met at the university, during the preparing sessions for the entrance exams...eventually we had a gap of contacting each other and all, but since several months ago, we got back in touch and we've been hanging out regularly ever since...and i have to say i like it....due to a chain of events and personal issues, i had lost contact with many people, never really bothered about it, but now i realize ive really missed some people, and im really glad that they are back into my life...and i truly promise, i will try my best not to let that friendship go astray again...of course, those things need to be mutual, but i think that if what we have now, wasnt mutual, we wouldnt have had it at all....yeah, im getting sentimental, but trust me...this aint even close to how sentimental i can actually get :)

btw, on the card among other things, Marija says that they are at an ass-kicking hotel, and that they are drinking "unbubbles mineral water"....wanna take a guess what it actually stands for? :)) and no, it aint a mistake by Marija, but by the Tunisians actually :)

Lugano, Switzerland

Another card from a friend, but unfortunately, someone i had lost touch with...and i think its my fault mainly, or at least it was me who was supposed to write back and all....its amazing how lazy i get when i need to reply to a letter or an email, even though i have a lot to say...hence why im always late with my writing to people :((

Kate sent me this card when she went to Lugano for a month or so, due to some traineeship as far as i can recall correctly
To be honest...i have no idea where she is now...she moved to Milano back then and according to logics, she should still be there...but i really dont know....life's the most unpredictable thing ive ever seen....
If it wasnt for her, i wouldnt have had all those Milano cards...and what you've actually seen so far, is just like a small percentage of all my Milano cards...and all the Milano cards I owe are from her actually... I wonder what else my collection would have had if i was still in touch with her...well, i do hope ill get back in touch with her one day...not coz of the cards, but the friendship....we have really had our moments :)