Djerba, Tunisia

a nice surprise card I received from Anne from her trip to Tunisia

it says, 'a corner of paradise'...and markets like this certainly are...mhhm all those colours and different smells and textures...so beautiful! Last time i had seen a market like this was when I went to Turkey last summer...and it was actually very very near our hotel...and so full of fruits and spices and nuts and all...a joy for all senses!
Hmm, I really should visit Tunisia...at least it is still one of those countries for which I do not need a visa to go to

the stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2013, representing famous Tunisians (here you can see Taher Cheriaa, who was a Tunisian film critic and the founder of the Carthage Film Festival in 1966).

Thank you again Anne for the lovely surprise!!

Oaxaca, Mexico

Ok, one more post for today...

this card arrived recently as a surprise from David, who sent me this gorgeous card showing the Tlacolula market in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Tlacolula (de Matamoros) is the main commercial center for the Tlacolula Valley area, and best known for its weekly open air market held on Sundays. This market is one of the oldest, largest and busiest in Oaxaca, mostly selling foodstuffs and other necessities for the many rural people which come into town on this day to shop

the two stamps are part of a gorgeous mini sheet containing six stamps issued this year, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Heroic Deed in Veracruz.

Soooo....that would be all for now...frankly I feel a bit out of shape with regards to posting and writing and all, but hope to get back on track
Wont be making any promises about when the next post is going to happen...whether it will be soon or not so soon...but either way, hope you are all well, and thank you for still dropping by every now and then. =)

Till next time....

Colours, Aromas and Spices, Madagascar

Well, lets sneak in one more update in May!
That would be thanks to this tedious working assignment I have right now and when the closer you come to the end the more anxious you get (the negative kind of anxious).
So thank God there is a tennis match right now...and while watching that, I thought it would be nice to show a few cards as well, before I go back to the working stuff...yeah, I am multitasking...watching tennis, posting cards, drinking coffee..you name it :P

My first card for today arrived recently...and when choosing the cards for today I came to a realization that this is my first written and stamped one from Madagascar! I got quite confused cos I was convinced I had another w/s from there already, but obviously I was wrong...and that made me even more glad having received this splendid card, showing a beautiful market!

this place is simply a paradise for all senses...and even though our markets are maybe not arranged the same way, here you can find almost all the things you can see on the card, regarding vegetables, spices, seeds etc. Yes, conserving vegetables in jars like that is one of the favourite 'hobbies' of a typical Macedonian person :)
Comes in handy...esp. during winter.
And then those jars that look as if having some sort of paste/spread inside...reminds me of our ajvar or malidzano...mmhmm mhhm mhhmm, feeling hungry at the very thought of it!

But seriously, I could spend hours and hours at a place like this! And probably leave dizzy :)

Stamp was issued in 2012...and that's like all I know about it...for some reason information on Madagascar stamps is quite scarce...though while searching for this one I came across some other Madagascar issues..and boy my jaw dropped at all those space related stamps they have! EXTRAORDINARY!!
Maybe I'll get my hands on some of them...one day :)

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.
.

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!!

Friday Market, UAE

well, I guess it's gonna be a day with surprise cards, though it turned out that way pretty unintentionally :)

and another surprise from JP...this time from a different side of the world, in particular, the UAE.
The card shows date selling in a traditional Friday market. I dont think ive seen so many dates at on place but it certainly looks interesting (even though im not a fan of dates...dont know why but ive never gotten into them...just like raisins...)
Still, i totally love the card, since as you know, I love such cards showing traditional markets.
It's funny though...with so many people selling dates, how do you decide from whom to buy them?

the stamp JP used was issued in 2005 in a set of 6 Desert Plants in the UAE stamps, with this one featuring the Prosopis cineraria.

well, that would be it for today!

thanks a lot to everyone for the lovely surprises in my mailbox, and of course, to all of you for reading :)

until next time, stay well...

Urdaneta, Philippines

Very cool card that arrived from the Philippines, showing a grain dealer at the Urdaneta Central Market (when one says dealer, it doesnt really have a nice connotation :D)

but the whole image and the colours on this card are just so nice! I just need to find out what grains we have here exactly!
Urdaneta is considered a 1st class city in the eastern part of the province of Pangasinan in Philippines.
Funny, but ive never heard before of a 1st class city (as if im on an airplane and can choose between first and economy class for example..). But from what I read, the cities in the Philippines are actually classified according to the average annual income based on the previous 3 calendar years and a first class city ha a PHP of 400 million or more

maths is not really my strong side, so all such BDP's, GDP's and similar stuff are not really my cup of tea...but still, this was an interesting thing to learn...

the stamp on the right was issued in 2011 in a set of 9 definitives representing marine life, while the other one is from a set of 40 birds' stamps issued in 2009.

Maputo, Mozambique

It is an awfully cold and rainy day today...temperatures drastically dropped over night...weather changed...and rather ruined my plan to go to the PO (and I have bunch of pending mail ....)
well, weather like this calls for staying at home....so before I get down to cleaning, and do stuff for work (yeah, even though it is the weekend), ill show you some cards.

And I like making thematic updates every now and then (depending on the cards I have available, and if I realize I could do it in the first place).
For today I decided to show you some lovely markets....a really great way to take an insight into a country's way of living...

and Ill start with the central market in downtown Maputo, Mozambique's capital and its largest city as well.
The stands remind me of the markets we have here, though this one displays much more exotic fruits, plus believe it or not, it is cleaner!
This market is a hub of activity selling all kinds of goods, from handicrafts, basketware and carvings, to fruit and vegetables, a variety of seafood and many household items needed for everyday use.
Similar to the markets here, where apart from fruits and vegetables, you can buy a plethora of other stuff including clothes, shoes, gadgets, cosmetics, tools....

If i ever get the chance to visit Maputo, this market would definitely be somewhere high on the list.

Thanks a lot to Goran who had arranged for this lovely card to be sent to me (along with another card and a lovely cover :))

Germany

next i have some market cards from Germany

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The first card came as an official and shows a man selling potatoes. The sender says that this scene is typical in summers and autumns near highways, where people sell potatoes and apples and sometimes blueberries, strawberries and honey.
I absolutely love this card! We have such 'markets' here too, where people sell also potatoes and tomatoes, onion, watermelons etc. And i actually admire when, esp. old people, spend all day long at their improvised stands, waiting for customers...doesnt matter if it is cold or hot, rainy or sunny...they sell their goods, and often it is like their main source of income....so i do like to support these people, and if i have the chance, buy something from them instead at the local super/hyper market...these street vendors often sell  fresher and much more natural goods than compared to the store bought ones...

the stamp was issued in 2009 and portrays the Leipzig Universtiy...


now off to Nürnberg...

I bought a BUNCH of cards when I visited the city back in 2009...and a number of them show the Christmas Market...

we had a really bad timing, coz the week we went there was when they were setting up the place, and it was supposed to open the week after....really a pity, coz from the cards, im SURE I would have enjoyed it and that the atmosphere was AMAZING!

we only had the chance to see a few stands selling some Christmas goods, with vendors dressed in some Christmas-alike clothes....but of course, it is not even near to what the actual market would offer...where there would probably be some nice cinnamon cookies...I LOVE cinnamon cookies...they are so tasty, and they do feel perfect for cold winter days, with or without tea...

The market is in the middle of the city, on the Nürnberg Market Square, and it opens its 'doors' at 5.30 p.m. on the Friday before the first Advent Sunday. Usually, the market has more than 2 million visitors

there are about 180 wooden stalls, festooned with red-and-white cloth, which have given the Christmas Market its name of "Little Town from Wood and Cloth".

well, in general all the cards here are more or less the same, just maybe showing the market from different angles, and the cards' colours are somewhat different :)

Market Day, Malaysia

next is another official, this time coming from Malaysia...

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the card is called 'Market Day - Malaysian Style'.
such a great variety of products....and organized in such a nice way, that you could just enjoy your time by walking around, satisfying your visual and smelling senses....having difficulties in deciding what to actually buy ...an absolutely stunning place for me!

and a fantastic matching stamp...with a lovely cancellation too! these two se-tenant stamps are a part of 8 issued in 2010, showing local markets. Here on these two, you can see the Pasar Siti Khadijah in Kelantan.
The cancellation corresponds to the stamp and actually shows the date when this set was issued! Im pretty amazed that the sender could have done this, since I got this card this year, not in 2010. And it is frustrating that such cancellations are not really available here :(

Spain

and as a last post, some Spanish markets! as most of you know, I went to Spain this summer....and I actually wanted to make an update only Spain-related, regarding each place ive seen, but ive realized it's gonna be way too time consuming, and an endless post, so I would go step by step, and talk about it through the Spanish posts here in the future.

Our first stop in Spain was Barcelona...the lovely Barcelona, with which I fell in love with, and i could definitely live there!
Now Barcelona is all in the name of Gaudi, but also has dozen of other things to offer, among which is the La Boqueria Market on La Rambla....this must have been one of the MOST FANTASTIC markets ive seen in my life!! So captivating! The colours of the market are amazing, esp. at the fruit stalls or ones offering fruit drinks! The colours of these are soooooooo vivid and arranged in such a way that it captures you at an instant! You feel like a small child at the greatest toy store and you just dont know where to look first!
The nuts, sweets and spices sections are a story for themselves as well.

Here I would like to share with you a few of the pictures Ive taken there...

yum-yum-yummie!!!

if you notice, the name Macedonia is hanging in there...for 2 euros :)

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

i dont think ive seen such colourful peppers at one place :)

well, Valencia was our last stop....another place I fell for...must be something coz of the Mediterranean Sea :)
Valencia has its central market as well, which we unfortunately didnt get the chance to see , but at least i have this lovely postcard from there

on the overall, I didnt really bring many cards from Spain...or at least not as many as i expected to...but they are good enough to tell the stories of what I have and have not seen :)

have a great, and not such a cold and rainy weekend!