Nassau, Bahamas

Hello May, still in lock-down. Well they are gradually lifting restrictions here, trying to get back life to normal.. or to the new normal.

We still have curfews, though the hours are not as bad as they used to be and either way you dont really have where to go to at night... people are also slowly getting back to work and im not emotionally ready for that.  I wouldnt mind getting some change of scenery, but going back to being stuck in the office for 8 hours a day is not my ideal scenario cos I was really, really not made to work in an office with working hours. Though with some issues we've been having on the Project, it might just get cancelled as well and then there will be no office or anything, so when you think about it, working in an office is still better than not working at all, right?


So I guess it would be smart to make another post before maybe life goes back to crazy again, eh? 😎

First card comes from Glenn and one of his cool cruise trips (Well, Glenn always does some cool cruises actually). I hope he will be able to get back to that soon and of course, brighten up some mailboxes out there 😃

The card is a nice map of the Bahamas, and some brief information about Nassau, its capital. 

To spare you from zooming the picture in order to read the text in the top right corner, it says that Nassau lies on the island of New Providence, with its neighbouring island Paradise which can be accessible via Nassau's Habor bridges. 

Nassau has an attractive Habour, a colourful blend of old world and colonisation architecture.. The tropical beauty of the Bahamas have made Nassau a popular tourist destination

I just guess that 'habor' is a typo and should be 'harbour' 😏

two beautiful stamps accompanying this card, something typical Bahamish. They are from a set of four whales' stamps issued in 2017, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation.

Thank you Glenn! Well I have enough of your cards to cover till your next trip 😇

Bicycles

Next is one of my favourite topics and that is bicycles!

And here are just a few of this series that Bryon has been sending over the years.

Btw, in case you haven't been convinced so far why it is good to ride your bike, here is another friendly reminder

Ten reasons now is a great time to start cycling


So maybe you are convinced, maybe not... but either way, lets see these beauties of cards now and who knows, maybe you fall in love with one of the models *wink wink*

The first bike card is one that arrived just shortly before the postal havoc (speaking of which, some of my cards sent during this crisis have finally started to arrive... yay!

Anyways, this is the Birdy 10th bike from the  Riese und Müller company in Germany (they do the designs).
The first Birdy was released in 1995, while the one we have here is from 2005. Weights 10.9kg, has a 36cm aluminum frame, 2 x 9 Derailleur Shimano 105 gears, Rim Side Pull Tektro RXS brakes and 20in wired tyres.

Im quite a basic type of bike girl, that is just too technical for my understanding haha 😅

And no, I dont think it looks comfortable at all so ill just skip it during some future visit to Germany 😁

three nice stamps on this one. The first one is a definitive from 2017, while the other two are from 2020, the first one is from the Love series, which the USPS seems to regularly issue, while the other one is from the Black Heritage series, portraying Gwen Ifill, 1955-2016, one of America's most esteemed journalists. Among the first African Americans to hold prominent positions in both broadcast and print journalism, she was a trailblazer in the profession.
The stamp art features a photo of Ifill taken in 2008 by photographer Robert Severi

The next bike is a convenient one for today since it says Bike Friday 😃 (which is the name of the US company)
Here we have the New World Tourist bike (boy that sounds so cool for a bike name, and so relatable to me - even though it doesnt look comfortable at all, that seat looks like your ass is gonna hurt weeks after riding it, but I may just fall for the name on this one haha).

And even though it is called New World Tourist, it was supposedly born in 1998 so not that new actually.
A little lighter than the one above (weighs 10kg), and has a 58cm varnished steel frame. The gears are 3 x 8 Derailleur Campagnolo (Rear I) and Hub Gear Sram (Rear II). Brakes are Rim V-Brake Avid, with 20 in. wired tyres.

Well, lets talk of something not so technical, like stamps, eh?
The two top stamps are from a set of 10, colourful celebration stamps, issued in 2016 (I should point out that this card was received in 2016, as can also be seen from the cancellation).

The bottom left stamp is from 1963, commemorating the 100th Anniversary 1st International Postal Conference. The one on the right is also a commemorative stamp, issued in 1957, for the 50th anniversary of the United States Air Force as a part of our National Defense System.

And one more from this bike series (there are plenty more actually, but I didnt wanna bore you do death you non-bike lovers, plus the last post of today would be the overwhelming-with-cards one (for a reason).

Anyways, out of all these three, this is definitely the most comfortable one, to the point that you may even fall asleep here.. but for sure feels the best for someone with back problems like me.

And you would be really flabbergasted to know that this French bike actually dates from 1939... yeah. even back then people preferred comfort over fancy!

Just that it weighs as both of the bikes above (or more precisely 20 kg).  Has an adjustable, varnished steel frame, 3 Derailleur simplex touriste (rear) gears, rim side pull  brakes with 22 in. wired (front) and 24 in. wired (rear) tyres. 

Few more 2016 stamps, as when the card dates back from as well. Talking about the two longish black and red stamps, issued for the World Stamp Show NY 2016. While the green guy on the left is Amadeo Giannini, who was an Italian-American banker who founded the Bank of Italy, which became Bank of America. (I just felt as if this came from some Spanish soap-opera...)
It was issued in 1973.

So, no more bikes for today, but expect them in the future of course, I for sure have more than enough to share (thanks to Bryon, among else 😉)

Cairo, Egypt

Well well well... look who's here!
Well, some days ago I received this FB notification telling me I havent posted anything on my page in a while...felt like some kind of warning, even though the notification didnt refer to this blog in particular, but it felt like some kind of red alert... plus Bryon has been "nagging" me to do so I think it is enough signs that something had to be done, haha

Though I sort of assume that some people thought I'd be back earlier now with this lock down and staying at home and that naturally it calls for going back to your neglected hobbies... but sadly... or not so sadly, turns out that my life doesnt differ too much now compared to the normal times when we could all move freely. I really dont know what to make from it honestly, and if I should be worried or not... though I must admit that my general life style has kinda eased this whole process of staying at home, though on the other hand being forced to do so has added more to my existing anxiety.

I dont know about you, but I have shown ZERO extra productivity during this month that I've been working from home. There are all these blah blah blah articles telling you how now is the right time to get down to all your hobbies and pursue all those things you've always wanted to but never had the time and clean or redecorate your house and whatever not... I dont know who are these people who have accomplished this, but it is certainly not me... I can only say that I have some extra time to cook more (which inevitably is followed by 'eat more' as well). And some more time to read books or watch movies / tv shows. But that would be it... nothing life changing or eye opening or accomplishing...it is literally the same as when I say to myself, oh, when I have a holiday and extra days off, I will do this, I will do that... and let me tell you, NOTHING of it gets done... NOTHING! So this shouldnt come as a surprise... just a pinch of disappointment. I even attempted some online courses, but found them so boring and unmotivating, so of course, just ditched them....

So how are YOU coping with all this? What is the situation where you live?
Right now we are into curfews after 4pm on weekdays and total curfew on weekends... useless measure if you are asking me. Thank God I live in a house and have a backyard so I can do all my work there (unless it is raining and cold like these past two days).
So I think that's how I've been able to keep myself sane, esp. since everything gets so quiet once the curfew is on, it is like resetting your mind (except when your idiotic neighbours wanna chat on skype with friends for hours and they have to do it from the comforts of their backyard as well, so that the entire neighbourhood can listen to their moronic and banal converstations... seriously, they managed to ruin my weekend, both days.. two failed attempts to read in my backyard... well it is not the first time that they've shown their manners...

So, lets not forget that this is actually a postcard blog before anything else, so it would make sense to show some cards to and I'll get back to being chatty in the following posts :p

The first card for today comes from Jean Pierre, showing the Citadel in Cairo, which is a medieval Islamic-era fortification, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

At the time of its construction, it was among the most impressive and ambitious military fortification projects of its time. It is now a preserved historic site, including mosques and museums.

In 1976, it was proclaimed by UNESCO as a part of the World Heritage Site Historic Cairo (Islamic Cairo) which was "the new centre of the Islamic world, reaching its golden age in the 14th century."

(made me realize that it's been two years since I've posted a UNESCO site.. though taking into account the frequency of my posts, this actually ain't that bad...)

Two stamps on the card, both issued in 2019 - the one on the left commemorates the 46th Anniversary of the Great October Victory (commemorating the day when combined Egyptian military forces launched a surprise attack on Israel and crossed into the Sinai Peninsula and regained much of their land lost in 1967 war.)
The other stamp commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948.

Thanks a lot to Jean Pierre for this lovely surprise in my mailbox!

Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales

Dear Anu sent me this beautiful card from Wales, cos she realised I lacking cards from there!

This beautiful snowy scene reminds me that we had our first snow of the year on April 1st! Yep, real April Fools Day! Of course, being that it's spring and all, it didn't last, but it certainly added more to the overall craziness going around here.

Blaenau Ffestiniog is a historic mining town in Wales, with a population of 4,875 according to the 2011 census. However, was at one time the second largest town in North Wales.

After reaching 12,000 at the peak development of the slate industry, the population fell with the decline in the demand for its slate. Today the town relies heavily on tourists, who come for attractions that include the nearby Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns.

Ok, I think I would definitely want to go here, being that there is a Railway (which is located within a national park, so it must be beautiful!)

And what can I say to such a lovely choice of stamps!
The train stamp is from the 2013 set showing the Classic Locomotives of Northern Ireland, while the other one is from a set of four Paintings from 1973, showing a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and his portrait of Nelly O'Brien. I tried really hard to see if what she is holding in her hands is a puppy or some toy or piece of clothing..

Thank you so much Anu for thinking of me as always! 🖤

Isla de Tabarca, Spain

I don't know if blogger had been messing with the platform, but I just cannot seem to properly adjust the size of images... they either look too small or too big as if there is no in-between which used to seem just right... or maybe it is just me and remembering things the wrong way, heh..

Beautiful view of the small Tabarca island sent by Eva earlier this year.

It is the smallest permanently inhabited islet in Spain and seems that I've been quite nearby during my visit of Alicante (it is actually considered as part of the city) ... just a short ferry trip away...

A beatiful train wagon stamp on the left from 2018, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Last Travelling Post Office (that is actually a sad occasion...)
The King Felipe VI stamps are from 2016.

Thank you so much Eva for thinking of me!

Fountain of Youth, USA

Ok, one more card for today. I don't wanna push myself too far after all this idling :)))

The card shows the Statue of Juan Ponce de Leon, discoverer of Florida and its first Spanish governor from 1513 to 1521, was dedicated on April 3, 1950, the 437th anniversary of his landing in 1513.
Quite a strange number for an anniversary...
As for the effects of the water drank, I cannot vouch, sorry :)

two stamps from that beautiful sheet of stamps featuring the Southern Florida Wetland, issued in 2006.
Another small birdy on the left, from a set of two issued in 1988, showing the grosbeak (the other one shows an owl), and a flag stamp from 1976, featuring the state of Florida (quite convenient, both this one and the Wetlands stamps, related to the card :))


Thanks to Bryon for this card, who is one of the few that regardless of my absence from the blog, feeds my mailbox quite regularly :)

Yeah, that would be all folks for now... might squeeze in another update before the end of the year, or maybe not...one can never predict what turn life will take...

Stay well!

Niue

Another slow day at the office calls for what? A blog update, of course! Well I planned to do it over a week ago, but then somehow the office days werent that slow anymore, so this most important office job had to be postponed. Terrible, I know!

But the time has come... and if you remember, on several occasions previously i had posts dedicated to some of my postcards' fairies so for this time my choice was Chris. And funny thing, it is probably for a reason the previous attempt was postponed, since in the meantime I got this card, which would have been a pity not to be included!
I knew that Chris had paid a visit here, and I was secretly hoping I card was sent my way, and voilà! A new country in my postcards' collection! Directly from Niue!! ❤

What is special about Chris's cards (well most of them)  is that they are unique, since he designs them and prints them himself, so unless he has sent you a card, this is not something you will find at stores :)

Even though the name of the country is something I am familiar with, I actually barely know anything about it.
Niue is one of the world's largest coral islands. The terrain of the island has two noticeable levels. The higher level is made up of a limestone cliff running along the coast, with a plateau in the centre of the island reaching approximately 60 metres high above sea level.
The lower level is a coastal terrace which slopes down and meets the sea in small cliffs

The island is commonly referred to as "The Rock", which comes from the traditional name "Rock of Polynesia.

Niue is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand; and New Zealand conducts most diplomatic relations—though not all—on its behalf. Niueans are citizens of New Zealand, and Queen Elizabeth II is head of state in her capacity as Queen of New Zealand.

Total number of inhabitants is estimated at around 1600. Probably my neighbourhood has more people than this. It is kinda scary to even imagine, living all your life within these confinements.
(I know there are places with way less inhabitants, and funny thing, I often wish I could get away far from everything and everyone with no people around - but I would endure that better than just being stuck with the same people on such a small space, all the time).

Lovely stamps and very interesting cancellations from Niue's capital, Alofi.

The bottom one, next to the address is from a set of four issued in 2001, represeting the Coconut Crab (it is found on islands across the Indian Ocean, and parts of the Pacific Ocean ).
The others are from a set of 6 Tourism stamps issued in 2009.

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, England

Next is a lovely train card (which whenever I look at, I think it is somewhere in Germany, dont know why)

Damems on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is the smallest standard gauge station in the UK.

Locomotive 43924, a '4F Class' from 1920, was the first in the UK to be restored to working order, after rescue from a scrapyard.

Well done! Who would put this into a scrapyard? Tsk tsk tsk!! 

Number of lovely stamps of course, and i just figured out that by trying to remove the address I had also ruined that last stamp but Im not gonna be waiting to go home and rescan it, cos then this update will surely not happen...

Ill start with the non-queen stamp (not sure if Ill pinpoint the right Queen ones).

The top right stamp is from a set of 5 Christmas stamps issued in 1983. It is so lovely and I never would have guessed it is a Christmas one!

The stamp below it was issued one year earlier, and is from a set of four commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Death of Charles Darwin.

That ruined one is also from 1982, from a set of 5 stamps representing British Mariners. This one shows Lord Nelson (and it is 24p, face value).

As for the Queen - I gave up on here... I really cannot distinguish among all those shades of purple and blue and brown... I wish they would start putting the year on the stamps, would make things so easier.

Tristan da Cunha

Now, an update related to Chris, wouldn't be just without a Tristan da Cunha card.

Chris is the first, and for the time being only person who has sent me cards from this most remote island in the world, and thanks to him I actually have several written and stamped postcards from here. He is actually a former Tristan UK Government Representative and our encounter was pretty much accidental, and one of the few reasons why I still believe FB may be useful, despite my overall antagonism towards it. 

On this particular card, you can see:

Top - St. Mary's school with the 1961 volcano in the background

Bottom left - Calshot Harbour

Second from left - The Welcome sign

Third from left - The Settlement "Edinburgh of the Seven Seas."

Bottom right - Administrators House with Tristan Longboats on the left 

Lovely stamps again - unlike me, Chris is one of the people who almost always get some super cool stamps on cards when travelling.
Three of these are from the Early Mail Ships series, for which I have written more here.
The one just above the address is from a set of 4 issued in 2016, commemorating The 200th Anniversary of the British Garrison, while the last stamp, at the very bottom is from a set of 12 issued in 2010, representing nature conversation.
ps. the very left one is not a stamp, just a vignette (I assume...)

Bulgaria

Believe it or not, I still havent visited the Bulgarian coastline, but that's why Chris has, and sent me this postcard along :))

The top picture shows a glimpse of the town of Pomorie, a seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria on the Black Sea Coast.
The bottom left shows the Eurasian hoopoe bird, while for example the third one, one of the beautiful Bulgarian srain stamps, which Im proud to say, I stocked myself up with during my last trip there just recently. About the efficiency of the Bulgarian mail, in another post :)

Two stamps from the set of four mushrooms issued in 2014.

Santon Station, Isle of Man

Well, one more card in this update since, a post about Chris wouldnt be a post about Chris without an Isle of Man card.

I can say that like 90% of my IoM cards are thanks to Chris. And magically he often manages to find ones with trains too :)


This one shows the Santon railway station which is a request stop near Newtown in the parish of Santon; it forms part of the sole remaining line of the Isle of Man Railway which once encompassed over 46 miles of network and retains its original station building.
The halt sometimes plays host to Santa's Grotto each December as part of the railway's Santa Trains service although between 2010 and 2013 it was not utilised for this purpose.

and look at these stamps!!
Gonna require some work to cover them all but that's the purpose of this blog, isn't it? :)

Starting from top left first is a ship from a set of 6 issued in 1980, commemorating the 150th Anniversary of "Isle of Man Steam Packet Company". Next to it is one from a set of 4 issued in 1974, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Sir Winston Churchill. The third one in the row is from a set of four issued in 1981 for The Royal British lLegion Diamond Jubilee, 1921-1981.

The bottom row starts with a stamp issued in 1978 in a set of 5 representing buildings and this one shows the Tower of Refuge. Next to it is one from a set of two issued in 1975, under the title New Values and the last one is from 1978 from a set of four stamps commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force.

So, I believe that would be all for today. What a productive day, my oh my :D

A huge huge thank you to Chris for all these cards, and the bunch of others still not uploaded, and a huge thank you also to his wife Julie, who always participates in the sending of cards and signing them as well!

To all who celebrated Easter yesterday, Happy Easter! To all who will celebrate it next weekend, Happy Easter as well!

Till next time...

Holetown, Barbados

An extremely slow day at work, I mean extremely! So it calls for doing at least something useful now, doesnt it? I mean for sure I'm not gonna do it over the weekend...

And on today's menu we again have a few cards that have arrived during these three months of 2019.

So here we go...


First a card from Glenn, one of the regular readers and contributors to my collection!
Here is a card from his last cruise, from his stop in Barbados.

The card shows us a few images of Holetown, a small town located in the parish of Saint James on the sheltered west coast of the island.
In 1625, Holetown (formerly known as St. James Town) was the site of initial English settlement of Barbados and the Island's oldest church, St. James Parish Church (which i believe is shown on the bottom left image), was erected here in 1628, a year after the first settlers landed.

a nice choice of stamps!
The three ones on the right are from a set of 20 issued in 2016, commemorating Centenarians of Barbados (that is a lot of centenarians!), and here you can see, from left to right, Edith Vimetta St. Clair Wilkinson, Beatrice Gertrude Carrington and Vera Elaine Gibbs. So the reason they have deserved their spot on these stamps is that they have got to live for over one hundred years... which my oh my, sounds kinda scary.. I dont know if I would like to live THAT long :))

The last, fourth stamp, is from a set of four issued in 1982, commemorating the 21st Anniversary of the Birth of Princess of Wales.... or better known as Diana. Here she is shown with Earl Spencer Proceeding up the aisle (if the name doesnt ring a bell, he is actually Diana's younger brother). And dont wanna play a smart ass here, but I actually had no idea either until I googled him :D

Thank you Glenn for the great card and stamps!

Cyprus

Next is a surprise card from Andy and from his trip to Cyrpus earlier this year.

I dont receive cards from Cyprus that often, and the last one on the blog was published back in 2011, so yeah, a card from Cyrpus does deserve a spot today :)

Unfortunately, I cannot figure out where any of these places are... not that Cyprus is THAT big, but still :P

Funny thing about the postcards mailed from Cyrpus... I read somewhere recently that none of the postcards there have been postmarked, and even though my previous Cyprus cards prove that theory wrong, this card proves it right. So I dont know if it had become a habit in the last few years and in the end it is certainly better than a pen scribble, but still... it is a pity.

The stamp on the right is from a set of 6 Christmas stamps issued in 2017, and I guess the child here is writing to Santa.
The other one is a Cyprus Refugee stamp from 2018 (these have been issued since 1974)

Thank you Andy!!

Corbière Lighthouse, Jersey

Believe it or not, the cards I shall post here today have been in my draft section since last July... I mean, maybe I could have waited until it reached the one year anniversary after all, as one of my greatest blogging 'achievements'...

How I ended up in that situation I'm not quite sure... but well, as you can see, haven't been the most regular blogger in the first place, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

But lets cut the rant, now that these cards have finally deserved to see the light of the day... and for today the subject of postcards is Lighthouses! One of my all time favourite topics... and the favourite topic of many people out there :)

First is the Corbière Lighthouse from Jersey, which I ended up receiving twice... once as a swap with Martin and once as a surprise from Janek :)
It is located at the extreme south-western point of Jersey in St. Brélade. The name means "a place where crows gather" even though seagulls have long since displaced the crows from their coastal nesting sites.

The rocks and extreme tidal variation around this stretch of Jersey's coast have been treacherous for navigation and La Corbière has been the scene of many shipwrecks, including that of the mail packet "Express" on 20 September 1859.

As I said, I have received this card twice, and both came with lovely stamps.
The stamp above on the right is from a set of four Christmas stamps issued in 1999 (never would have guessed this was a Christmas stamp unless written on it). The one of the left is from a set of 6 transport stamps issued in 1998, with this one showing the Morris Bus.

Regarding the other two stamps - the one on the left is from a set of 8 Wild Flowers stamps issued in 2005, showing the lesser knapweed (Centaurea nigra). The other one is from 2007 from another set of Wild Flowers stamps, showing the Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum androsaemum).

Kilaeua Lighthouse, USA

Next comes a card from Bryon.

The card shows the Kilaeua Lighthouse, on the northernmost point of the Hawaiian Island, built in 1913.
Interestign fun fact about it is that it can be seen briefly in Disney's animated film Lilo & Stitch, and it plays a more important role in the sequel, Stitch! The Movie. In the film, the lighthouse serves as a rendezvous point where the protagonists are to trade Jumba Jookiba's first 624 experiments (the 625th experiment was taken by Gantu earlier) with the antagonist Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel for Jumba himself. The lighthouse in the franchise was said in the movie to have shut down years ago due to the financial troubles of keeping it running. Towards the end of the film, however, Experiment 221—an electrical experiment that Lilo names "Sparky"— is given the lighthouse as a new home, and he uses his power to make the beacon shine again.

Well, for those of you who have watched it, this may be interesting trivia... i still need to put this on my watching list :)

a number of lovely stamps on the back! Two are from the amazing last year's set of Bioluminescent Life of a total of 10 stamps. The stamp on the left features a firefly, while the one on the right a marine worm. These stamps do not glow in the dark, as some may wonder, but they are highly reflective under white light - something I yet need to test.
The remaining two stamps are quite older - the left one, issued in 1977 shows the Peace Bridge, an international bridge between Canada and the United States - and as the name suggests, it was named to commemorate 100 years of peace between the United States and Canada.
The last stamp is from 1968, simply titled Register and Vote - and I guess it is another self-explanatory stamp as well :)

Cape Byron Lighthouse, Australia

So, one more card for today, this one from down under, sent by Heather.

This is the Cape Byron Lighthouse veiled in some early morning mist. It is an active lighthouse located at Cape Byron in New South Wales and is Australia's most powerful lighthouse, with a light intensity of 2,200,000 cd. Cape Byron is the easternmost point of the mainland of Australia.

And more lovely stamps with this card as well!! Two adorable WWF stamps from a set of 4 issued in 2011. This set is an Australian Territories Joint issue (so one of the stamps is from the AAT).
The other two stamps are actually issued by the Cocos Island. They are from a set of 20  Marine Life stamps issued in 2011. So beautiful!

So guys, enjoy the weekend ahead! And thank you fro dropping by :)

Maastricht, The Netherlands

And after ticking another country off the list, back to something else now.

I haven't really considered visiting Maastricht.... but after having received this card, my plans kinda changed.
This is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world (according to Alvin, and im pretty sure he is right).
Built in 1294, the cathedral features large open spaces boasting three-story bookshelves. Being that the church contains 1,200 square meters of shopping space with only 750 square meters of floor space, the architects decided to design vertically. They incorporate the modern scheme of the shop without obstructing the religious motifs or structure of the ancient venue. Within the space, there is also a cafe. As a nod to the bookstore’s past-life, there is a long table shaped like a cross in the eating area, which is conveniently located where the choir formerly situated themselves.

How can you not want to visit this place? So if you end up in Maastricht and wanna do something that is not really touristy, this is a great way to spend your time. If I end up in Maastricht, this would be my first destination, for sure!

Two nice stamps on the card. Christmas one on the left, from the set of 10 Christmas stamps issued last year. The other stamp is from 2018, showing the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision - Beeld en Geluid.

Las Vegas, USA

Moving a bit over the pond, where some states experienced real polar temperatures resulting in closed schools, offices, airports.

Nevada fortunately didnt make the list, otherwise Im not sure Glenn would have enjoyed that part of his last trip (and Im curious where else he had headed after the Casino adventures :P


Yeah, as he says, more than enough glitter on this card.. speaking of which, recently I was 'lucky' enough to be showered with LOOADS of glitter at a gig I attended. Still I can find specks in my hair :D

And the stamps are very anti-polar too :) Three seashells from the set of 4 issued in 2017.

Sri Lanka

So after like 3 weeks into the New Year, I thought it was about time to blow off the dust and bring this place back to life after last year's hiatus.

Don't know if that was like my worst year blogging so far, but certainly not the one I would like to brag about. But what's done is done... and who knows, maybe this year will have a better outcome. No promises though, since they never work (there is nothing that works so badly as a New Year's resolution).

And the most proper way to start this year would be of course with cards received in 2019, which may not be much but are just enough for one blog post. :)

 The very first one is this lovely train card that Kiran sent me from his trip in Sri Lanka.
Dont know exactly which line this is, but it says that Taking the train is a great and inexpensive way to get around, the train journeys are real cultural experience and the most scenic routes will be highlights of your visit - in particular the wonderful journey from Colombo to Kandy and up into Tea County, and the coastal train ride from Colombo to Dutch colonial Galle.
British visitors will find the stations, signal boxes and old red semaphore signals very familiar.

Ok, I guess the rest of us will feel completely lost and puzzled then, wondering what kind of objects are those...

Kiran used two lovely stamps to match the card, issued in 2017 as part of the World Post Day.
The actual sheet is really fabulous btw...

Cats of Malta, Malta

A cute card that arrived from Silvan the other day (and I also have a copy sent by dear Marta last year). Well, one can never get enough of cats :)

Colonies of stray cats can be found all over the island. In Malta you will be struck by the lack of starving cats on the streets that you unfortunately see in many other countries. Most of these cats are looked after by the whole community whose efforts ensure that the stray cats in Malta are happy, healthy and well fed.

this is the Christmas stamp from 2018 from a set of 3 showing Baby Jesus.

the stamp from Marta's card, which is from the set of 2 Think Green EUROPA stamps issued in 2016.

Thank you both!! <3