Philippines (06)

Another Philippines' map from my dear Marie...I really think i can freely say im the proud owner of all the postcard maps from the Philippines (in case you want to object, i still have 3 postcards pending...:P)

This is the island of Boracay, which is one of the Philippines' most popular tourist destinations.

Lets see whats on the pictures:

1. White Beach

2.Ati-Atihan festival, unique cultural event found in nearby Kalibu and Boracay Is., every middle of January

3. "Paraws" - outrigger sailing boats which were the most commonly used as transportation for centuries in the Philippines Archipelago

4. Aerial view of Boracay Is.

5. Shell vendors at Punta Bunga Beach

6. Sunset over Puka-Shell Beach

7. Banca in tropical crystal clear waters of Boracay Is.


Dont know about you, but i can never resist crystally clear blue waters....with white sandy beaches....pure paradise...

Holocaust Memorial Musem, Washington DC, USA

At my first glance at this card, i thought it was a nice cool card with some drawings on it which represented something...

At my second glance...or better said at my glance on the back of the card, I figured out this represents the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

The Wall of Remembrance, stands in memory of the million and a half children who perished in the Holocaust. American school children created these tiles in response to their learning about the Holocaust.

So, now, I actually feel shivers all over when i look at this card...yet, I love it even more...coz it has a great significance, due to what it represents...there is such an infinite depth behind these drawings and sketches....world's history feels just soo cruel sometimes...the presence as well...I really shudder at the thought of the future....

Marken Island, The Netherlands

I so much love this card....not just coz its a lighthouse, and dominated by the blue colour...the whole view is just beautiful...and i just love how that black line of birds 'cuts' the sky...it really brings some nice 'disturbance' to the overall peacefulness of the image..

This is a lighthouse on the former island Marken.

Marken is an island and gemeente (municipality), in west-central Netherlands within the IJsselmeer. Lying some 17 km northeast of Amsterdam, Marken was separated from the mainland in the 13th century during the formation of the Zuiderzee. Then 3-km- long island has an area of  2.5 square km and lies about 2.5 km offshore. Since 1957 it has been connected to the mainland by a causeway. Before the Zuiderzee was made into the IJsselmeer by the 30-km Afsluitdijk, the inhabitants of Marken and its neighbouring island of Volendam made their living from fishing, especially for eels. Most residents are orthodox Calvinists. Their houses were grouped on small mounds and built on piles to protect against high tides. The island has retained much of the atmosphere of past days. During tourist season the residents enhance this effect by dressing in traditional regional costumes.

Universal Studios, USA

The Famous Universal Studios...the card looks rather glamorous.

well...my initial relation to Universal Studious is the film industry...well...the card is actually related to the Universal Studios Florida...which itself is an amusement park located in Orlando, Florida whose theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions and live shows.
It has also been used for several movies, television series, commercials, music videos, and other events.

Universal Studios Florida is separated into seven different areas—Production Central, Hollywood, New York, San Francisco/Amity, World Expo, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone and The Lagoon.

I wouldnt write about each of the areas coz it would be an endless amount of writing...but each of them offers a lot of versatile activities, characters, places to dine, to shop, attractions.....

what can I say, definitely worth visiting...

Gibraltar (03)

Here is my third, and as of now, last card from Gibraltar..

Somewhat different from the previous two, coz this one doesnt show a view on the famous Rock, but it shows a view, FROM The Rock...so, this is how the town and the Harbour look like from the upper Rock.

Hangzhou, China

Thanks a lot to Wang Jia Yi for this beautiful card....I really wonder where the actual tone of green is coming from, but it definitely has a great effect over the card...

the card shows a Spring Night by the West Lake in the city of Hangzhou.
The West Lake, or in Chinese 西湖, is a famous fresh water lake, located in the historic centre of Hangzhou in the Zheijang province of eastern China.
It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with an area of around 6.5 square kilometers and is divided by three causeways.
West Lake is not only famous for its picturesque landscape, it is also associated with many scholars, national heroes and revolutionary martyrs, thus embracing many aspects of Chinese culture. In addition, many ancient buildings, stone caves and engraved tablets in surrounding areas are among the most cherished national treasures of China, with significant artistic value.
Due to its prominent historical and cultural status among Chinese scenic resorts, West Lake was elected as a National Key Scenic Resort in 1982, one of Ten Scenic Resorts in 1985 and national 5A tourist resort in 2006. Moreover, the picture of "Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon" was printed on the backs of both the foreign exchange certificate one yuan bill issued by the government in 1979 and the fifth version of RMB one yuan bill issued in 2004, indicating the status of West Lake in China.

Turkey (03)

An official card from Turkey...my first official from there....and one of the 5 cards i got in return for only one of mine sent...yup, that was an interesting scene to watch of how cards were being sent to Macedonia...after one of mine got registered....

TR-11219

On the card you can see several of the most famous, and a must-visit places in Turkey.

The largest picture shows Alanya, and the castle of Alanya  (ive already had a post about it, so in case you are interested, you can check it out, just click on Alanya on the label cloud at the left of the page)

the top right picture shows Hagia Sophia Museum and Bosphorus Istanbul.

middle picture shows Pamukkale

bottom right picture shows Bodrum - Mugla

well, that would be all for today...hope you have had a nice weekend, and im wishing you all a nice upcoming week...ill see you around with more new postcards and updates

Cana Island, USA

This is the Cana Island lighthouse in the Door County in Wisconsin..

Springtime brings beautiful flowers and scents to the Cana Island area

Im mainly used to seeing lighthouses at piers or by the shore...so its a bit of a different view when you get to see a lighthouse among so much grass and flowers...and i really love the view on this card....reminds me of watching flashbacks of your life, like when you were a kid and you spent your summer days running through the fields, together with a boy from your neighbourhood  whom you had a huge crush on...

I wonder how it would look like in winter, surrounded by snow...it does snow in Wisconsin, right? :)

Peleş Castle, Romania

A card from my friend Marija Dz. from her trip to Romania several years ago...

The Peleş Castle is a Neo-Renaissance castle placed in an idyllic setting in the Carpathian Mountains near Sinaia, Romania on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia built between 1873 and 1883. It is considered by many one of the most beautiful castles in all Europe and was the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs including King Carol I, who died here in 1914.
The castle was built in wood, stone, bricks and marble and comprises more than 160 rooms. The representative style used is German Renaissance, but one can easily discover elements belonging to the Italian Renaissance, Gothic, German Baroque and French Rococo style.


Castles always look so beautiful....

Bonne Chance

I wonder if owning this card would bring me some luck :)

I think that all the good-luck charms are placed here...well, ok, i didnt know the lady bugs were considered a good luck charm...in Macedonia, if you catch a lady bug, you need to let it go, so it can bring you guests to your house...
as for the four-leaf clover...i dont recall i have ever found one...even though ive clovers in my garden almost all my life...most of them are either with three or five leaves...
the horseshoe...yeah, ive heard of it...I used to have a silver necklace accessory in the shape of a horseshoe, but i have no idea where it is now
my grandmother had a horseshoe on her wall...i dont think it was of any use actually
and the dices...hmm, im trying to recall any relation to good-luck-charm in dices...i know that throwing a seven was a winning combination...probably since the 6 is the highest, and throwing two 6's gives you great chances in those board games, is why they are lucky...though im not sure...im just giving a wild guess here

however, it depends on how superstitious you are in order to believe these things...i used to be VERY superstitious...right now im mainly avoiding crossing under the ladder, picking up scissors ive dropped or black cats crossing my way...though thats somewhat hard, since my cat is befriended with a pitch black cat, which often visists our yard...so unless I have the ability to fly, its impossible to avoid him crossing your way :)

Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia/Poland

Here is another one of the forwarded cards (along with the one from Romania above)

I absolutely love the blue tone that dominates this one...
it was sent by a former Belgian pen friend, Tine Bouckhyt from a visit to Slovakia
Vysoké Tatry, or High Tatras, are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland (so again, double label...). They are part of the Eastern Tatras Mountains.
The major part and all the highest peaks of the mountains are situated in Slovakia. The highest peak is 2655m. Many rare and endemic animals and plant species are native to the High Tatras. Large predators, such as the bear, Eurasian lynx, marten, wolf and fox, live there.
The first European cross-border national park was founded here Tatranský národný park in Slovakia in 1948 and Tatrzański Park Narodowy in Poland in 1954.

  

Lake Titicaca - Peru/Bolivia

I have a question, since im obviously struggling with this issue....if you receive a card, which shows something that in one way or another is "shared" by two or three states/countries...how do you actually label it? Do you put all of the territories that place belongs to, you put one....you put none? This is not the first time i come across a card which shows something of a "shared" territory and im really starting to wonder whats actually the right way to name it?

Now, after im done with my philosophies, lets get down to the postcard, which I absolutely LOVE!
Its a map card (sorry, but IS a map card indeed :P) and it shows the Lake of Titicaca, which lies on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is 3812m above sea level making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. By volume of water it is also the largest lake in South America.
Titicaca is notable for a population of people who live on the Uros a group of 42 or so artifical islands made of floating reeds.  These islands have become a major tourist attraction for Peru, drawing excursions from the lakeside city of Puno. Their original purpose was defensive, and they could be moved if a threat arose. Many of the islands contain watchtowers largely constructed of reeds.

Yukiko, the sender, says she had visited the Uros island and the Taquille Island as wel, which as she says, has ca. 500 steps to get to the top of it, and that it was exhausting.....hmmm, I can recall several places ive been to, which in order to get to them you need to climb a buuuunch of stairs! But its worth it ;-))

Thanks Yukiko for this terrific card and for all the other cards you had sent me!

Sarajevo, Bosnia & Hercegovina

I have to say I got really worried when i figured out how many postcards i have in the back which need to be enriched with some writing....its impossible to manage them all and i keep wondering, what the hell was I thinking back then...couldnt I have slowed down instead of uploading so many cards?! So im, trying to pull forward cards as often as I can (of course, regarding if the country is appropriate and all...it would be rather silly to bring forward US or Montenegro cards, or any others from where I already have cards pending to be uploaded). But i hopefully will manage with them all...by New Year at least :)))

And ive also figured out that i owe ZERO postcards addressed to me, from Bosnia...which i wouldnt have thought of it as much of a big deal, unless Bosnia wasnt a part of Former Yugoslavia, and since I consider Yugoslavia as my own country (even though its not existent anymore) its really a shame for me to actually not have a postcard from all its former states...so I should be definitely working on it...if anyone from Bosnia is willing to help out, you know what to do....
Btw, I dont even have a recent card from there either....Im not exactly sure when this card dates from, there is no date on it, neither the stamp is cancelled, but give or take, its older than 20 years!
It was given to me by my across-the-street neighbour...I have no idea why she had given this to me, if my mum had mentioned that i collect cards or something else...but its mine now :)

Bieszczady Mountains, Poland

Another postcard moved forward from the older ones...

....and as well, another postcard from a former pen-friend (Przemek Gorski from Poland) with whom my communication has gone to hell....i really wonder why do i have to be such a lousy penpal...and why am i sooooo lazy when i need to get down to writing letters/emails...coz I actually WANT to do it...but i always have zillion of excuses of why i cant do it at the particular moment...and while im spending time on excuses, time passes by and passes by and passes by...and well, the outcome is obvious...

Ha! Should I label this under maps as well?? coz it has a small map in the bottom...hmm, yeah I will...why not...

California, USA (05)

well, if you wanted to argue with me for labeling two cards above as map cards, then you'll have to let it go this time, coz its more than obvious this IS a map card indeed....hehehehehe....

wanna know what the back of the card says?

Greetings From California

Nickname: The Golden State
Area in Square Mies: 158,297
Population: 25,000,000
Entered the Union: September 9th, 1850

well, as you can see, i didnt bother you with a lot of facts today...I have mercy sometimes :))))

Jakarta, Indonesia

A view of Jakarta at night...

I dont know if this fountain is of any particular significance or no...i dont even know if it has a name, coz its not stated on the card...though i think that since its already put on a postcard, there has got to be something important related to it...or that it least has a name...if anyone knows, you know what to do..:)

Did you know that Jakarta used to have several different names during history? It was called Sunda Kelapa (397-1527), Jayakarta (1527-1619), Batavia (1619-1942) and Djakarta (1942-1972).
It is the capital and largest city in Indonesia, and as well the 11th largest city in the world (wow!!). It is located on the northwest coast of the Java Island.

now, here is something roaming through my mind...the "Java" PC programming language...is the origin of its name ANYHOW related to the Java Island? This has been bugging me for a long time...why the Java application is actually called Java...or is it indeed just a random choice of words? Im really curious....

Budva, Montenegro (04)

My dad went to Montenegro for 10 days...and when he got back, he brought me 7 postcards! Which wouldnt be surprising in general, but he brought me the cards without me even mentioning anything...

I talked him on the phone a few times while he was there, but due to the way our conversations went with 'yes...aha...no...i dont know..maybe', i never found it appropriate to bring up the issue of postcards....I really wonder why is it so impossible sometimes to make a decent conversation with my dad, esp. over the phone.. So when he got back and gave the cards to me, i was more than pleasantly surprised.... and felt somewhat guilty coz i just kept (and still do) thinking that i didnt deserve them....it really bothers me that I cant show my dad any appreaciation of the things his does due to how our relation in general is...it really sucks coz the overall impression is that i dont care one bit and am totally reckless about it all...which is toally wrong...i really hope one day he'll be able to realize that...

Glacier National Park, USA

A saviour card coz it has text on the back, so it spares me the googling :)

Weeping Wall on Going-to-the-Sun Road

One of the many exciting stops along the spectacular Park Road is the famous Weeping Wall shown here amid melting snow banks and snowclad peaks. During spring and early summer, runoff rills of foaming water cascade over the face of this rocky wall, creating a very unusual sight.

well, there you go...i admit im somewhat lazy today, plus i have tonz of work to finish...unless i want to spend another weekend working, i better finish it before the weekend starts...

South Korea

Hey...hope you didnt get confused with the 'updated' layout...well it aint much of an update, but i think it was about time that got a bit refreshed and changed...it did feel somewhat empty at how it was....not that right now its something spectacular....but at least i started from somewhere...so i'll hopefully do some slight changes every now and then in the future...

Mmmmm....i really like this card...coz the event taking place is set in a snowy atmosphere....the bright colours of the clothes contrasted to the white snow give some special feeling

The people on the card are gathered around something which is called "A Good Fortune Mesh Dipper".
Well, its name may suggest what it actually is...but when i typed "good fortune mesh dipper" into google, it didnt give me any results...except a flickr gallery with the actual postcard....from the person from whom i had received this card in the first place :)
So we'll go with some word by word analysis...and come up with something
the "good fortune" of course, suggests that its something used in order to acquire good fortune to follow you, good health, happines, wealth, love etc etc....
Now, I encountered a problem with the 'mesh dipper' coz as a phrase it aint given in any thesaurus/dictionary
well, 'a mesh' is "any knit, woven, or knotted fabric of open texture"
a dipper, on the other hand may mean:

1. a person or thing that dips.

2.	a cuplike container with a long handle, used for dipping liquids.

so, if you combine it all, it maks sense...it some kind of a woven container, which has i guess, some kind of times (food or objects, i dont know) which are handed out to people, and thats supposed to bring you luck throughout the year...right? wrong?
if anyone can give me an EXACT explanation and definition of this, id be thankful...maybe someone who had actually seen one or witness a situation as the one on the postcard?

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Yup, you've already seen this card, in case you wondered why it looked familiar to you...i pulled it back from the older-posted cards, along with the following one...

Well, as with most of my Monte Carlo cards (except for one) i have this one bought by myself when i went there...
I know i sholdnt be saying this, and that its ridiculous, but I used to have a problem of distinguishing the city from the state  :D
I often used to mix them up and thing that Monaco is the city, Monte Carlo is the state...the whole concept of  was something abstract to me...but of course, once you grow up, things get clearer, and reality starts functioning differently.

Monaco is a Constitutional Monarchy and Principality with Prince Albert II as Head of the State. The Grimaldi family family has ruled over Monaco since 1297 and the state's sovereignty was officially recognized by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. Despite being independent, Monaco’s defence is still the responsibility of France.  (now this, i didnt know...)
Monaco is the worlds most densely populated sovereign country and the world's smallest French speaking country...