Torre de Hércules, Spain

another great surprise in my mailbox, this time coming from dear Bea, who decided to contribute to both my lighthouse and UNESCO collection! :)

the card shows the Tower of Hercules, which is an ancient Roman lighthouse, and a UNESCCO whs since 2009, located in the city of Coruña. It is the oldest Roman lighthouse in use nowadays and the oldest one in the world as well, built in the second century! (So I guess it did deserve to be inscribed on the UNESCO's list!)
And since I love myths, here is what is related to this lighthouse:
-According to a myth that blends Celtic and Greco-Roman elements, the hero Hercules slew the giant tyrant Geryon after three days and three nights of continuous battle. Hercules then—in a Celtic gesture— buried the head of Geryon with his weapons and ordered that a city be built on the site. The lighthouse atop a skull and crossbones representing the buried head of Hercules’ slain enemy appears in the coat-of-arms of the city of Coruña.
Another legend says that King Breogán, the founding father of the Galician Celtic nation, constructed here a massive tower of such a grand height that his sons could see a distant green shore from its top. The glimpse of that distant green land lured them to sail north to Ireland.

and the card comes with a matching stamp too!! ♥ ♥ ♥   It was issued in 2009 in  a set of 6 lighthouses' stamps! The definitives from the Juan Carlos' series are something you are familiar with I guess...if im not mistaken, the blue and the greyish one were issued in 2002, while the pink one should be from 2009...I hope i got it right :)

Muchas gracias por la sorpresa querida!!!

Bahla Fort, Oman

Hello everyone! We are having a rainy gloomy cold Sunday here....perfect for postcards since I cant use my weekend and go out in fresh air. Well, it's been a crappy weekend in general....you know, the ones when things just go the wrong way or you feel surrounded with this bad karma...but lets not get down to that, there are lot of brighter things to talk about, like for example, my very first card from Oman :D :D :D

My new Austrian friend Susanne was already very kind to send me the Armenian postcards, and this time she actually remembered me during her trip to Oman and sent me a postcard from there!! Im just sooooooo thrilled and happy and honoured! The thoughtfulness and generosity of people never ceases to amaze me!
And moreover, this is a UNESCO site! Wohoooo!!!
This card shows the Bahla Fort. It is an outstanding example of the characteristic military architecture of the Sultanate of Oman. Not far from the capital of Oman, the oasis of Bahla owed its prosperity to the Banu Nabhan who, from the mid-12th to the end of the 15th centuries, imposed their rule on the other tribes. Only the ruins of what was a glorious past now remain in this magnificent mountain site. Built on a stone base, the adobe walls and towers of the immense fort probably include some structural elements of the pre-Islamic period, but the major part of the constructions dates from the prosperous time of the Banu Nabhan, with the latest reconstruction dating from the beginning of the 16th century. At the foot of the fort, to the south-west, lies the Friday Mosque with its beautiful sculpted mihrab (prayer niche) probably dating back to the 14th century.
These monuments are inseparable from the small town of Bahla and its souk, palm grove and adobe ramparts surrounding the oasis, a remarkable work with towers, doors and underground irrigation channels.
The monuments of Bahla were in a critical state when it was inscribed on the World Heritage List. It had never been restored (thereby conserving a high degree of authenticity), and was not protected by any conservation measures. The terrace of the Friday Mosque had not undergone maintenance work, and it collapsed between 1981 and 1983, causing the arches to cave in and the wall plastering to be torn away, thus endangering the mihrab (prayer niche) in the building, which the Ibadite community had abandoned in favour of the new mosque. A detailed survey was made in 1977 by the Omani Archaeology Department, but restoration work did not make any headway until 1988. This was entirely financed by the Omani Government, with photogrammetric recording by the Mining Museum in Bochum (Germany). By 2005 it was virtually complete

the two stamps on the card are definitives from a set of 4 issued in 2001, representing the Al-Khanjar A'Suri.
Thank you Susanne soooo sooo much!!!! You made me really happy with this! <3  

Slovenia

Dear Tanja from Slovenia sent me this lovely surprise with one of her letters!

The card shows a steam museum train 25-026, property of Slovenian Railways (Slovenske Železnice), manufactured in Vienna in 1920.
Not much written information can be found about it, but thats why there are some videos so Ill share those with you instead....enjoy :)

Canary Islands, Spain

My last card for today comes from dear Jurga, who saw this one in my favourites and wanted to surprise me!

And this is such a lovely, warm card...and when you take a look at its location on the map, just northwest of Africa, no wonder they have such a nice climate...(yeah, here is me speaking of the weather again...ive become like one of those old ladies who gather together in front of someone's gate and having nothing better to discuss of, talk of the weather...)
But actually, while we are at it, i have to mention something about ours...it's been a crazy day today...with believe it or not, 25 degrees...in the mid-November...that just feels totally crazy...after a lovely sunny and warm weekend, we had two days of rain and then all of a sudden we get full sunshine and warm temperatures...and just last week it was freezing cold....and then I wonder why i get ill....one really has to be immune and not be affected with such drastic weather changes, which in Macedonia seem to be more like a trend in the past years than something that happens every once in a while...though to be honest I prefer days like today..throughout the year...not too hot, not too cold...just perfect to go outside and enjoy the sunshine, plus have this small lovely breeze....but I bet that by tomorrow things will drastically change again...oh well....=/

And here is a very lovely stamp! I always get happy when I see something different than the stamps im more or less used to from a certain country....this one was issued this year, promoting Spanish tourism.....ummm, does look appealing, definitely!

Thanks so much again Jurga! For the card and the thoughtfulness! And to the rest,thanks again for dropping by and for reading...hope you werent TOO bored with my weather ramblings :P

Santander, Spain + Contest

A Fantastic card sent from my dear Beatriz.

And I would like to use this opportunity to present you a contest she is organizing at her blog. So if you are interested into penpalling, like cute/nice stationary for your letters and you enjoy decorating it with stickers maybe then this contest is for you. What you need to do? Well for starters you have to visit Penpalling and Letters, and read the contest article, right HERE. All the rules and how you need to proceed afterwards is given there. The contest is supported by TheCutestStickers.com and LetterSets.com. During the contest, you can also get a 10% discount, but to find out how, you will need to read the above mentioned article. Deadline is 21st September, so less than a month left to enter....better hurry :)

Well, personally I use plain papers for my letters since we barely have any nice stationery here and those sold are insanely expensive or are sold one small sheet per envelope....having in mind that my letters usually take 4 pages A4 format, what's sold here is simply ridiculous....so I need to use plain envelopes as well..but I LOVE decorating those with stickers...and when I put a nice stamp and use a colour pen to write the address, it looks nice eventually and not plain at all :)
So this contest seems to be like a jackpot for me, and Im surely gonna enter...I just hope that with my slowness I wont miss the deadline in the end :P

Sooooo. what are you waiting for?? Go go go!!!

Mysore, India

A card  I received from India from a nice lady who was supposed to be my penpal, but when i was about to write her back and ask to confirm her address, she had just disappeared...strange really, and apart from interpals, i dont have any other way to contact her =/

And she was really nice...and with her first letter included this postcard too which shows the Brindavan Gardens in Mysore. This garden located in the state of Karnataka in India. It lies adjoining the Krishnarajasagara dam which is built across the river Kaveri. The work on laying out this garden was started in the year 1927 and completed in 1932. Visited by close to 2 million tourists per year, the garden is one of the major attractions near the city of Mysore.

The Krishnarajasagara dam was constructed under the guidance of Sir Mirza Ismail, the Dewan (chief financial officer) of Mysore. As a part of beautification of the dam site, Sir Mirza Ismail conceived a plan of developing a garden in Mughal style with a design similar to that of Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir.The work on this garden was started in 1927. It was constructed in a terraced fashion and named Krishnarajendra Terrace Garden.

I had a look at some pictures at night and I must say that the fountains at that time of the day look amazing!

Boston, USA

An official card from a girl who eventually became my penpal too :)

US-562684

The Freedom Trail in Historic Boston

Top: Old South Meeting House, Old State House, King's Chapel, State Capitol, Old North Church and Paul Revere Statue.
Centre: Faneuill Hall, Paul Revere's House
Bottom: Old Corner Bookstore, U.S.S Constitution, Old Granary Burying Ground, Park Street Church, Bunker Hill Monument

Of course, from the back of the card :)

apart from the clock postcard there is also a nice Christmas one from 2009

Djerba, Tunisia

Tunisia....one of the top destinations for Macedonians during summer, yet a place I still havent visited...If im like, served the chance on a plate to go there, I surely will...but personally, not attracted to it...you know that such hot desert places do not feel the most appealing to me

I got this card from Tanja who spent her holidays there last summer...Djerba is actually the largest island off North Africa off the coast of Tunisia. It is one of the few remaining places where the Berber language is still spoken, while another thing that attracts the tourists here is& the 1977 location of the Mos Eisley exterior scenes in the first Star Wars movie, filmed in the town of Ajim.
Here comes a (shameful) admission....havent really watched Star Wars...maybe just a few bits and pieces....well, I know it's an epic movie and like a must-watch but im just not really attracted to such movies....

The stamp is from 2005 from a set of 4 stamps showing Medicinal Plants. This one here is Mint.

St. Simon, Spain

My last card today comes from dear Beatriz....which I also chose in order to share some other news with you...

well here we go....after so much wanting to do it, but being prevented to do so, I signed up for Spanish classes :D :D :D Yaaay!!! At last!! Since my self-study didnt lead anywhere....well, i got quite some knowledge from it, but im not disciplined enough to go with it all the way and honestly, i like working in a group, since its gives you the chance to actually communicate and of course, you can have things explained at first hand, plus get to learn that pronunciation...and I dont know, just feels more productive for me....plus I know I have it as an obligation Im paying for, so I WILL force myself to go to class even if i feel tired or lazy...if im self studying it at home, i will 99% dodge it and do something else...so for the sake of it, i signed up for Spanish classes..... I just hope it will last coz you know how it is with people....they sign up for something and eventually they realize they have no time for it or are too lazy and all....and the group goes to hell and I end up nowhere...so I really really hope this will remain....
Speaking of signing ups....I also continued with my German classes, and Ive been going to aerobics for about a month as well...and then I complain I have no time? Of course I dont...I just hope one day i wont mix up things and go to the wrong class :)
Well, im sorry i often misuse the cards and I actually use them to speak of something totally different, but you know I like it when i can relate a card to a real story and ramble about it :)

ok...you've had it enough for today...

Asmara, Eritrea

Time for some cards and another post....written from under the blanket....i love the convenience and commodity lap-tops offer....though due to lack of physical activities lately and having to do all tasks seated, my back has started to hurt....its not very pleasant....but problem is, with this weather we are having outside, i dont have much of a chance to move around....except round the house....maybe ill take a walk tomorrow....

And as you already could read, here is an Eritrea card....oh yeah!!! :D Sent by my new friend Sami who along with his letter wanted to surprise me with a card as well...yippie!! You dont get Eritrea cards every day, no?

Its just that i still owe him a letter....have gotten EXTREMELY behind with all that due to work lately...but im slowly trying to catch up...and who knows, maybe ill be able to clean all that backlog of letters by New Year....which leaves me two weeks to go....i might be just too optimistic and overestimating myself...but we'll see

I honestly dont know much about Eritrea, but im surprised with the efficiency of the postal service, since African countries (except for S.Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco maybe) are a bit infamous when it comes to mail, since it either takes too long to arrive (we are speaking of months here) or it never arrives....well, i have had good experiences with Mauritius and Nigeria as well....so i guess you never know

Asmara is Eritrea's capital, and there are several interesting stories related to it.

It was known to be an exceptionally modern city, not only because of its architecture, but Asmara also had more traffic lights than Rome did when the city was being built. Asmara was an early example of an ideal modern city created by architects, an idea which was introduced into many cities across the world, such as Brasilia, but which was not altogether popular. Features include designated city zoning and planning, wide treed boulevards, political areas and districts and space and scope for development. Asmara was not built for the Eritreans however; the Italians built it primarily for themselves. One unfortunate aspect of the city's planning was separate areas designated for Italians and Eritreans, each disproportionately sized.
The city has been regarded as "New Rome" or "Italy's African City" due to its quintessential Italian touch, not only for the architecture, but also for the wide streets, piazzas and coffee bars
Asmara is also highly praised for its peaceful, crime-free environment. It is one of the cleanest cities of Africa.
And another thing is that it has been proposed as a UNESCO whs for its outstanding examples of 20th century architecture and town planning. Many of these historic buildings are not currently being taken care of and there is a serious risk that this heritage could be lost. Thats a pity......not taking care of the cultural and historic heritage. But if it does get accepted into the UNESCO whs list, then im already covered with this card and can immediately tick it off the list :P

the nice stamp was issued in 2000....if im not mistaken, its a set of 10 stamps, called Millenium, representing the Eritrean flag and local scenes. On this stamp of 7 nafka, along with the flag, you can see the state emblem as well.

Gornja Radgona, Slovenia

My last card for today comes from Tanja, my Slovenian penpal...

Which reminds me that i still owe her a letter....and to a number of others as well...uhmm, well, it was even worse, but i did move from the dead point...and now i still have a bunch to reply to...but im not sure im in the right mood for it right now...speaking of it...i want to say thanks to the ones who got concerned about how i am....even though i just know you virtually, its really nice to know that someone out there, over hills and oceans and mountains cares....you all know who you are :)
I know that this is a postcard blog and i shouldnt be maybe rambling about all the mess thats going inside my head sometimes...but then again...i cant just stick to facts and figures about cards and whats on them...on the other hand i dont feel like writing every single detail of my life here publicly...so this mixed ranting somehow feels right for me...and yeah, this blog is one of the rare things that keep me sane...really...it may not solve my problems, but it does make me feel good to do it, and it does make me drift away from reality, at least for a while...and gives me some inner comfort...even for a bit...and well...this is a way to get to know me somehow as well i guess and that apart from sharing My World Of Postcards, i also share some bits and pieces of My Own World as well....
And here, once again i used a card to rant about something totally else....but i just wanted to say Thank You before i close the update for today.

the stamps was issued in March this year, showing the Carthusian Monastery Zice, under the theme of Religions and Beliefs (Christianity).

till next time...

Damüls, Austria

Finally weekend! And Easter! And me actually having working assignments throughout it all! But i promised you i wasnt gonna complain anymore, so it would be fair to keep my word....at least this time :)

When i look at this card, it reminds me of how lovely it is outside as well....FINALLY i can feel spring at its fullest...ok, i admit, we had a few days of  "I-went-out-of-my-mind" weather, but it has got back to its senses, so it feels warm and sunny again...and i can go by bike wherever i need to without worrying if im gonna get soaked or cold or so....i sometimes wish it was spring all year long....i dread at the thought of coming of summer...well, the Macedonian one...its not something you would really enjoy if you were here...
Well, this card REMINDS me of the weather outside, but it doesnt actually SHOW the actual outside....this is Damüls in Austria, which is one of the many little villages in the mountains, which in winter turn into big and quite famous ski-resorts.
I got this from Jasmin, with whom i started writing letters just recently....the letter lover in me hasnt been awake like this for a long long while....why oh why did i let it fall asleep in the first place...when we were doing so fine with each other....

Postcard Friendship Friday

Hello everyone! I missed last week's PFF but here i am today, to share my thoughts...esp. since i have a reason...so yeah, this wont really be like most of the updates, this is one of the days when i take a step back and do something a bit different...
Im dedicating this Friendship post today to Helle, formerly Pedersen, now Andersen. As some of you may know...or may not know...Helle was one of my pen-pals back in time when i was devoted to this hobby, ive mentioned her at some of my previous posts when i had posted a card she had sent me.
Well, yesterday, i got a letter....from Helle...and that was more than enough to entirely brighten up my day to the fullest. So thats why today, im dedicating this dedicated to Friendship post, to her. Along with the 4 cards she included in the letter :)

 

Well, it all began not that long ago...several months...ever since i discovered postcrossing, ive been more than delighted that after many years catching dust and spider webs, my mailbox was being fed again with stuff which are not bills, leaflets, propaganda material, and such....my mailbox was getting lively again. For someone who had enjoyed receiving mail over the years, this was just a treat of a kind. Which you could have noticed thru my blog, each time i posted a card.

Cards are a delight....but....there always has to be a *but*...one day, after reading how some people say, hey, today i received 5 postcards and two letters...or, i received a letter from my pen-pal in Germany..or im writing a letter to a friend in Poland etc etc etc, a small hole of emptiness started creating inside me...and it grew bigger and bigger...all of a sudden i realized how much *I* miss writing/sending/receiving letters....email never grew on me...online chats for hours are annoying to me, unless i have to talk to someone with whom there is no other way to talk to, and yet, communication is required/wanted...plus talking to 5 people at the same time is just not a way to be able to dedicate your attention properly to all of them....so, as i said, inside me, i started longing for real letters...a LOT...i just dont know why i havent got that itch earlier...

 

So i decided to do something about it...and of course, there are (still) many people around who enjoy snail mail, and who love taking their time to write and post a real letter every now and then...so i looked around and saw that there were some really nice and interesting people....but...yeah, here comes the inevitable *but*..something inside me STILL felt missing. The desire to actually write letters with people i used to write to, and who were very dear to me....so thank God to the internet and its vast opportunities, i decided to look for them...and can you believe it that i found 4 very very dear ladies??!!! Can you even imagine my heart-beat when they said they remembered me and that they would LOVE to keep writing real letters to me??!

I know i give myself no credit, for a lot of things....this was no exception, and i just didnt really want to interfere with their lives and impose some demands after all these years, now that they have families and are busy...why should they write to me, just because all of a sudden i got this desire for it...i mean, where had i been TILL now? But i thought there is no harm if i just ask, and if they dont want to or cant, thats ok..but they all said they wanted to write to me again...real letters....Helle was one of them. And yesterday her letter arrived...her first letter after all this years....my mailbox felt so content....me, more than that...

Helle was one of my first pen-pals ever, when i started pen-palling back in 1993....she contacted me thru this programme...there was a programe on the Brtish Supper Channel back than, which aired every day from Mon-Fri, with Clive Pears (gee, i remembe his name :)) and each day was a thematic day...Monday was pen-pal day...and after watching many pen-pal day shows, i decided to enter...and there one day, another pen pal day comes, i sit to watch it...and then he says ' and here is pen-pal number 4 for today, and thats Ana from Macedonia..and i see my picture on TV! And he reads my intro letter while my picture keeps staying on the screen and i smile to the viewers...hahahaa, my 2 mintues of fame!
So after he read my letter and all, people were supposed to send a letter to Supper Channel, write on it who is the pen-pal they want to write to, and inside they actually write a letter to me...so after waiting as long as they consider is enough, Supper Channel gathers all the letters for the particular person and mails them...so one day after like two months i appeared on TV, a huge brown envelope arrived to me, with 12 or so letters for me inside...so thats how it began....and i was addicted to it immediately...as if its been in my blood...in my veins...it just needed to be unveiled...Helle was one of the girls whose letters was inside...

 

We wrote to each other A LOT during the years and we wrote regularly...she wasnt one of those pals to whom you write once in six months...and she wasnt one of those pals to whom you write one sheet of paper per letter...she was one of my pen-pals i considered close to me, and to whom i could rant about whatever comes on my mind and confess things, and confide things etc...i just enjoyed our pen-friendship...plus we shared one huge passion...New Kids On the Block :D :D :D Yeah yeah, laugh about it...but back then, in my teenage years, that was my taste of music (it shaped long after that)....how and why we exactly lost contact i dont know...i havent checked my letters to see when it happened...i know that once emails got terribly popular here back in 1999, i was all, hey, we can keep in touch by email, its faster and all...i guess it was just a fascination to something new...i never got into it, so maybe there lies one of the reasons why contacts ceased...apart from my overall apathy i felt stuck into for many years....i cant say i was depressed or so...but i just didnt really have the desire to dedicate myself to something...no wonder my Italian lessons failed...i now regret having wasted so many years, but at least i woke up....and im more than glad i did...coz otherwise i wouldnt have been enjoying again the beauty of written letters...the smiles of the people at the post office when they see me and after checking my pile of mail tell me that everything is stamped perfectly...the thrill of expecting the postman..the thrill of finding a full mailbox...checking the mailbox 50 times a day..
Helle said that she had collected these cards for me...and i love them ALL! Im not entirely sure what each of them represents but to me, they represent Friendship and thoughtfullness...and im so happy to have found Helle after all these years! She's been one of my first and dearest pals...it feels incredible to be in touch with someone youve known for over 15 years...
Well, in case someone had had the nerves to manage reading this until here...if you are interested in pen-palling and if you think youd be able to cope with a 28 year old lady, who doesnt have an exciting life...who rants a lot...who skips from subject to subject, who talks of both too serious and too boring and 'why the hell is she telling me this' stuff..who will definitely talk of either F1, tennis or Depeche Mode in each of her letters...who will complain about work in EACH of her letters...her cat probably as well...if you think you can endure that, then just feel free to write to me...age? doesnt matter...as long as you have something to tell me, and want to hear what i have to say, you are more than welcome...dont ask for permission...just write to me...me and my mailbox love surprises...if you wanna write to me, but feel reluctant about it, please, write to me :)
Helle, i know you probably wont read this...but thank you...for being a friend...for wanting to be my friend...thank you for all those letters, postcards, greeting cards you had sent me throughout the years...thank you for being here after all these years...i know lives are way too busier than when we were teenagers, but what im glad is that we are in touch again...i hope we wont lose contact this time....

Dalarna, Sweden

This card dates back from 1994 and is from a very dear girl of mine with whom i lost touch long time ago, Christina Dulley from Sweden...ive tried to find her, but unfortunately, no luck...i think that, all those last name changes when ladies get married, arent in my favour...

The card in particular shows one of the  Swedish counties, Dalarna. Ever since i received this card back then, i found it strange that houses are so far away from one other..i mean, in general, im used to places where people live near each other, that if i want to visit my neighbours, it wont take me more then a minute to get to them...on the card, it feels as if it takes rather long to visit a friend or a relative who actually lives near...i dont know...im just not used to seeing houses in an ihnabitted area, scattered around like that...though on the other hand its good, since you have some greater privacy, instead neighbours who dont know to mind their own business (i have nice neighbours though...i cant complain...but im sure they have noticed that i check my mailbox every 10 minutes, so i dont know what they think of that :))

ahhh Christina, where art thou?! :-(

Las Vegas, USA

Here is a card from Charity sent to me back in 2005....a really nice card with the glimmering lights of Las Vegas...

In general, Las Vegas should associate with Casinos and gambling...well, until some time ago, that would have been my first association as well...but ever since i have started watching CSI Las Vegas, ive been hooked on it, and most probably, at the mentioning of Las Vegas, i would firstly think of the series than the gambling...

there are other CSI versions as well, like Miami and New York, but absolutley none of them had managed to come even close to Las Vegas...at least for me...the LV crew, the relations between the characters themselves gives some feeling of closeness and intimacy which i havent found in the other versions...they feel more real in some sense, more close to the common citizen, with his on real life and problems....my favourite has always been Greg from the Lab...probably coz of his sense of humour, and just his behaviour in general...esp, coz for a long time he was probably underestimated as a forensic, and he tried so hard to prove himself...many times i felt lumps in my throat while watching it coz of their lives while they werent working on a case....i realized that NONE of them are happy or content, and more or less they are all lonely in their own way...more than once i was at the verge of tears or did cry coz of things happening to them (yeah, i do sob at movies, im a softheart...)
I should definitely format my PC (its uber langsam right now), find some spare time, in the evenings maybe...make some snacks and drinks, and put my CSI Las Vegas DVD's on....cold winter days seem just so perfect for such things....if only i didnt have sooooo much work to do....+

The Gorge Amphiteatre, USA

I got this one from  Charity who in July 2006, saw Pearl Jam here, two nights in a row...yay!! Maybe not my absolute favourites, but definitely one of my favourite bands....Black always gives me the shivers and makes me long for the past and for 'all that could have been'...but now thats a totally different song...by NIN...funny though, they are related in some way...at least to me....

Anyhow...The Gorge Amphiteatre (which i keep mistyping as George) was voted the Best Amphiteatre in North America by the Pollstar Magazine. The Pacific Northwest's premier enterteinment venue carved in the basalt cliffs, surrounded by mountain vistas, lush green grass and the rolling Columbia River.

This AGAIN makes me think that my whole DM concert going is still on status quo and apart from making me feel annoyed, right now im as well worried....hmmmmm

Zion National Park, USA

The shape of these rocks has always been of a great interest to me...

I got this card back in 1996 from my penpal Leen Frenssen who went to the US to visit her sister who was an exchange student.

This canyon overlook trail in Zion National Park leads to a spectacular view down pine creek to the west temple. Navajo sandstone, the cemented remnants of ancient dunes creates the intricately carved foreground.
(from the back of the card, of course)

Békéscsaba, Hungary

By most logical conclusion, i got this card from one of my former penpals...problem is, i dont know from whom exactly....I have had one or two pen-pals from Hungary...but i have no idea who sent me this card...and i know its from one of them, coz on the back, he or she had drawn a small map, saying where his/her village is compared to Békéscsaba...

Békéscsaba is a city and urban county in Southeast Hungary.

A large number of archaeological finds, unearthed where present-day Békéscsaba lies, all attest to the fact that the place was already inhabited in the late Bronze Age. The proximity of rivers must have been a key consideration for early settlers, as they were a source of food, offered protection and served as a means of transport for prehistoric man. So what is today’s Békéscsaba has been inhabited from time immemorial and was the scene of successive waves of migrations.

In the 4th century the Great Plain was conquered by the Huns. After the death of Attila, king of the Huns, the Gepids, an East Germanic Gothic tribe took over as occupiers of the land. In 565 they were in turn defeated by the Avars, who conquered, among others, the entire Great Plain.
The Avars were themselves defeated and subsequently driven out from Transdanubia by the Franks. For a while Avar khagans continued to rule the Great Plain, then in 804 Bulgarian tribes subdued the areas east of the River Danube. Historians seem to be divided over the issue of the peoples inhabiting the area at that time. Some assert that the Great Plain was inhabited by the Slavs; others do not rule out a large Avar population either, claiming that they were still inhabiting the area around the time of the Magyar conquest.

Today, making the most of its potential, Békéscsaba is one of the most dynamically developing cities in Békés County. Due to its status, compared to other places in the county, Békéscsaba offers the best of everything in terms of industry, education, culture and services

Algarve, Portugal

I got this one back in the year 2000 from my penpal Leen Frenssen....just now this reminded me of a Pulp song, called Disco 2000....it goes something like this...

I said let's all meet up in the year 2000 Won't it be strange when we're all fully grown.....

again, a line which in some sense deals with the inevitable passing of life and how things just change all along the way...and there is nothing you can do about it, nothing can freeze us in time and have the moments last forever and ever... 

 

Algarve is a place in the south of Portugal and Marta says it doesnt attract her that much but that there are beautiful beaches there...what you can see on the card is Alvor.
Alvor is an ancient port and fishing village on the mouth of the River Alvor in the western Algarve. In the village we can visit the remains of a 13th century castle, a 16th century church and an attractive jumble of narrow cobbled lanes with the original low traditional fisherman’s cottages.

"The Alvor Beach has the particularity of marking the division between the Ocean and the Alvor River. Therefore, besides the very extensive sandy area, one can also find an interior lagoon with channels of calm waters. The huge sandy barrier as far as the eye can reach, allows the visitor to choose the place that better suits his interests. In this beach there is also a great fauna and flora diversity. The Alvor Beach is one of the most famous and looked for Beaches in the Algarve".

well, since Marta has the exactly same card  I copied this whole post from her blog....plus she is Portuguese...is there a better source to get information for a Portuguese card?   I just hope Marta wont mind :)  Marta ?!

Stockholm, Sweden

The last card for today...well, you've probably seen it already, it was among those older cards...but since i had had no update from Sweden for a while, and I have no Swedish cards in stock right now...I pulled forward this one..so i cant somewhat decrease the cards waiting on hold there...sometimes i think ill never manage to update them all...I just hope one day I wont get fed up and just delete all the not-updated cards :)

This card was sent to me by my former pen-friend Chrisitna Dulley from Sweden...she sent me this card during a weekend she had spent there...
Im not sure what exactly these card shows...there is no description on the back, so you can just make wild guesses in case you are familiar with Stockholm....

oh, btw...I got a new keyboard yesterday...the keys still feel weird under my fingers, but i guess it takes time...yesterday was one chaotic day...all rushed...all in running...thank God tomorrow is a day off...and Friday as well....I should just have German, but the teacher is absent this week....i even rushed to get to class yesterday, just to find out she couldnt come...so I just wasted an hour and a half in nothing, when i could have stayed at home and do some useful work...but well...at this point i feel much more relaxed...hope ill manage all things on time, so i can feel more relaxed next week, instead of having to do all at the last minute...keep your fingers crossed!