Krupa, Slovenia

Next is an official card I received from Slovenia - which is really cool since I dont often receive official cards from Slovenia, making it number 32 on the ranking list of countries on my official site
Number one is of course, Germany :)

SI - 179213

Now this is exactly the kind of place I would like to retreat to right now, away from everything and everyone for a while, just enjoy the nature, the fresh air, the sound of birds, and good books. No phone, no internet, no postcards... nothing... just me, myself and I :)

As for the card, it shows the springs of River Krupa, a 2.5 km river in southeastern Slovenia.
The river is protected as a natural monument and has been included in the Natura 2000 ecological network however, it is infamous because of its extremely high pollution with PCBs due to improper handling of PCB waste material which has been used for decades by the capacitor manufacturing company XYZ - will leave the actual name out, i dont wanna be prosecuted for name shaming cos, nowadays you just cant be sure where a thing you had said on the internet will take you to, haha!

the cute birdy stamp is from a set of 5 fauna stamps issued in 2014, showing a cute small falcon called lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)

Severn Valley Railway, England

A lovely train card sent by dear Anu.

The West Country Class No. 34027 `Taw Valley` was built in Brighton in 1945 and here it can be seen crossing the magnificent Victoria Bridge over the River Severn in the UK.

Anu always uses fantastic stamps! First we have two of the Theater stamps (built during the Shakespearean era) issued in 1995 in a set of 5 - here we have the Hope from 1613 and the Globe from 1614 (the rebuilt version, after being destroyed in a fire in 1613).
The train stamp is from a set of five British Pub Signs, issued in 1995 - this stamp shows 'The Station' by Andrew Davidson. And last of course, you have her Majesty, the Queen.

Thanks a lot lot Anu!

Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina

a card that Jasmin sent me as part of the Ireland vs the Wolrd RR on the PC forum - i find it a bit funny to receive a card from Bosnia for something with the name of Ireland as part of it :)))

The card shows the Una river which at total length of 212 km, flows both through Bosnia and Croatia.
In the background you can see the main bridge, and further in the back you can see both a church and a mosque.

There is also a movie titled Una, based on the book by Momo Kapor. You can watch it on YouTube, though unfortunately it has no English subtitles =/

probably like one of the most frequently used stamps from Bosnia from the set of 6 vegetable stamps issued in 2006.

Jasmine, hvala ti puno :)

Tam-shui River, Taiwan

Another river for today, this one running through Taipei, Taiwan's capital.

It is one of the few rivers in the island that flows along a north-south direction, with a total length of 159 km.
Unfortunately, it is heavily polluted by both raw sewage and industrial pollution from illegal industry. Clean up and natural river restoration is on the agenda of the Taipei City Government, Taiwan Central Government and several citizen organizations.

I guess a river couldn't really be proud of itself when among the scarce information you find about it, one refers to its pollution.
However, the view at dusk is really nice.

a lovely cat stamp from a set of four stamps issued in 2005 featuring cats and dogs.

Keve River, Angola

Cold rainy day....just perfect for staying at home and having fun with postcards...and also I have like a particular 'excuse' to make an update, but that will come in the next post...now first things first...and let me clarify something before you start throwing tomatoes at me (since last time i told you I have no new countries)... but that referred more to written and stamped cards (I feel like I'm being an arrogant b**** here....)

ok here is the story...I really dont know what went wrong with the swap here...I dont know if it was a 'lost in translation' thing or something, but instead of getting a written and stamped card from Angola, I ended up getting an envelope with a number of cards from Angola and some stamps...yeah, I know that in some way im being way ungrateful here when just anyone else would probably be thankful and delighted..it is just that I dont get it how could that happen...and how like my only chance to get a written and stamped card from Angola went down the drain...this is one of those times when instead of getting all head over heels for having a new country in your collection, you feel like crying...I keep wondering 'why woman, why oh why'?? (It would have been way cheaper to just drop me one single card, instead of the whole envelope)...
I mean it is the same like when I get some super rare country and Im over the moon until I look at the stamp and see it was mailed from a completely different country...doesn't it just make you cringe and you feel utterly disappointed?
Have I turned into a monster?!!

So, probably that's one of the reasons why I haven't posted this so far...I am a terrible person, aren't I? =/


and here is now the back of the card and I know you will probably say again how come I am complaining when first of all there is a stamp, and second of all, there is this 'postage paid' text as well, meaning that probably this card, even if it was sent written and stamped, would have arrived without a stamp...frankly, I really don't get it...and I don't know if the sender had put that stamp and cancellation or someone else (since the cancellation is like one year prior this whole thing was arranged...)
And then again, the address thing is left blank....so I may just write it down myself and consider this a written and stamped card or whatsoever (despite that stamp ain't even closely sufficient for the actual postage)..

for the curious ones, the stamp was issued in 2008 in a set of 4, showing Angolan Rivers (this one here shows Rio Mbridge

so much moaning over one postcard only....but I know some of you are familiar with this feeling ;-)
(and don't take me THAT seriously when I complain anyway)

Tolminka, Slovenia

Getting an official card from someone you know is always a treat! Plus I dont get official cards from Slovenia very often, so it was even a greater pleasure :)

SI-51872

This one arrived from Leon (the Lionheart). That one always makes me think of Richard the Lionheart, the English king.

This card was also in my favourites and shows the bed of the Tolminka river, in the Julian Alps. Did you know that this river contains all species of trout and river bull-head? Had to google for the latter since I've never heard of it. But well, if you are into fishing, you may want to relax by the Tolminka sometimes...   

The Slovenians say there used to be more fish than water in this almost forgotten short and steep river. If im not mistaken, its length is around 10km.

and Leon used a fantastic s/s issued in 2011, commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Post Office Brass Band. the other stamp is from the set of 17 flowers' stamps issued in 2007...here is the Adriatic Lizard Orchid.
I need to check if i maybe have managed to receive all these Slovenian flowers' stamps :)

Puerto Princesa, Philippines

A UNESCO card from the Philippines

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 kilometres north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The National Park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the northern coast of the island. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park was nominated for the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" Competition.
From what I know, it has entered the Finalists list.
If you want to vote, you can do it here.

The two bird stamps were issued in 2009 in a set of 40 different ones.