Ilimmaussaq and Dyrnaes Valley, Greenland

Hello hello boys and girls, young and old, regulars and new ones...new update, new update! Hurray, hurray!!! Maybe you've been wondering why there has been no update for so long...well, what can I say...it is life...I haven't been in the mood for postcards or anything...actually, it was almost two months that I haven't sent a single card..my absolute record ever since I have started postcrossing...but it came to a halt two days ago when I finally sent some mail...mood still not appropriate..but I think it has taken just way too long and something had to be done...the feeling of owing cards to people really bothered me and I know it is far from fair...and then there are just some cards that have arrived, that are SHOUTING 'post ME, post ME'!

Btw, if you dropped by here during the last days of June, maybe you were surprised to see all images gone..well I was too..actually, on top of everything, when I noticed all the images showing this Photobucket pic, I was devastated! I thought that all the years of effort have gone..that some bug has happened to Photobucket (thats where I host my images) or that some virus has attacked my blog and affected things...I was just lost, and immediately started wondering how long would it take me to replace each of the 1000+ cards featured here, one by one, along with the stamps...the idea made me shudder..I mean, I cant even make a decent update! Anyways, after doing a small search, I realized I had actually reached the 10GB Bandwidth (?!!). I don't know how could this be possible...it is the first time it has happened ever since 2008...and it happens at a time when I have no new posts!!!! I mean, I was glad to have an indication that people are still dropping by, but I just couldn't find the logic behind it all..and I mean, a few days before that I did receive an email from Photobucket, first warning me about it and then telling me I had reached the limit, but I didn't take that seriously one bit..I actually didn't even bother to read it *embarrassed*
Anyways, I was all relieved to see that it is not permanent and that it will be restored..just had to wait for the first day of the month of July for everything to go back to normal. And it did.
Now, I dont want you to stop or come here more rarely due to that...feel free to abuse my 10GB of bandwidth all you want...just don't be surprised if sometimes you maybe come, and see nothing but the same Photobucket bandwidth image :)

Now, back to the cards, one of those "post ME, post ME" screaming cards is this amazing, fantastic, fabulous surprise that arrived from dear Radim..a card, written and stamped from the majestic Greenland itself!! Yay! Yay!! Yay!! I was all shocked when I found it in my mailbox! Shocked in the most positive kind of way, of course :) And what a great card it is..the awesome Aurora Borealis!

As the title says, on the card you should be seeing the Northern Lights over Ilimmaussaq and Dyrnaes Valley. I just don't know if the lights are coming from some inhabited houses or some temporary expedition's places. Still, the card is just soooooooo beautiful...simply calling you out to come here. Esp. now during summer...though it's been a weird one temperature-wise. There are days when it's getting way too hot and then come days when it is chilly and rainy...and well, the weather has just been out of its very mind. And not that Im complaining...as totally not liking the Macedonian heat, I really look forward to these chilly rainy days. Make things a bit more bearable

and I love the great clear cancellation! the two stamps come from 2012; the left one from a set of two stamps representing Norden, Coastline Scenery...while the other one is from a set of two definitves..well, would I be wrong if i say it represents Margrethe II, the queen of Denmark?

Radim, thank you sooo sooo soooooooooo very much! You really spoiled me with this one...not that I mind though :P

Atlanta, USA

Next comes a fantastic train card from one of my dear mailbox usurpers coming under the pseudo of Bryon...well, I have nothing against mailbox usurpers, so Im not at all complaining :P

and what a fantastic, absolutely fantastic card this is!! Love love love it! A bluuuuueeee train! Doesnt it look so gorgeous and handsome?!!
The back of the card says that this is the Blue Zephyr, that is just one of the trains available to provide visitors a scenic ride around the base of Stone Mountain Park.
Btw, Im far from a train expert, just a train fan, but Im glad that some people do see me that way...I guess I should indeed work more on my expertise...

How did Bryon find all these stamps i have no idea, but they are all definitely new to me, and more than glad to have them now :)
The one at the very right and the top small one are from this year..the flag is from a set of 4 "Flag for all seasons" stamps, while the big one is from a set of 12 stamps representing Modern art in America, 1913-1931. '

Thank you my mail usurper...i totally LOVE this one! :)

Māori Concert Group, New Zealand

A great official I received some months ago from New Zealand.

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the card shows the Māori Concert Group, New Zealand's award winning Māori cultural group at Te Puia. (thats a place in NZ in case it got you confused).

I read that there are a number of movies featuring the Māori culture...I don't know how relevant they are, but I think I'll make a few downloads here, so next time I post a Māori card, I can give you some insights or impressions from these movies...in case some of  you would be interested as well, here are the movies listed regarding the subject...maybe some will catch your attention and interest.

Utu, Ngati, Boy, Whale Rider, Once Were Warriors.

some overlapping cancellations here, over two nice stamps...the lighthouse, at the top, was issued in 2012, as a definitive in a set of 5 stamps, and it shows the Cape Reinga lighthouse, while the stamp below it is a definitive from 2007, from a set of 7 stamps and it shows us Lake Colerdige.

Savica Waterfall, Slovenia

A great card coming from Sean and his recent trip to Slovenia.

Bohinj is one of those places in Slovenia you probably can never get tired of...it has its beauty spots just all around it! The Savica waterfall/spring is one of those beauty spots. It runs over a 38 m long level and falls almost 51 m in depth and is considered as one of the most famous and most beautiful waterfall in the country.

On a side note, since I've already written and written about Bohinj before, you can check out this cool post by Sean, called, "10 Random Observations About Slovenia" on Gadling. Seems that number 6 is something really more like a habit on the Balkans, which foreigners find amusing...and I don't know if Italians find it appalling actually :)
And later, just click on Sean's name, and it will take you to all his other posts about his travels...there is something for everyone;s interest and entertainment :)

I guess you know the flower stamp from 2007, showing the Saw-wort :)

thanks sooo much again Sean!!

Açores, Portugal

My last card for today is something which to me at first, second, third glance looks like a lighthouse..but is actually a windmill :)

It is a great maxi-card, showing a nice windmill on the Portuguese island of Açores and Maria, who sent me this one, says that the windmills are something very typical of the island. If I got the translation right, this one is the Revolving wooden mill (or it would be rotary, im not sure)
In 2007, 6 windmills maxi-cards were issued...and now im not sure if this maxi card would have also arrived without the stamps on the back, coz I think the postage does suffice....

Maria used two stamps...the left one comes from a set of six stamps issued in 2012, representing Traditional Festivals, while the other one is an Açores stamp from a set of 7 stamps issued in 2011, representing the Whaling Heritage of Açores.

well, that would be all for today...glad to be back...well, always glad to be back since I seem to have such absences more and more often.

Enjoy your weekend guys!!

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

well, despite feeling rather unwell, i hope to manage to do this update...coz if I keep postponing it, there is a great chance it won't see the light of the day for one more week at least....so here we go :)

First comes a fantastic piece from a very rare country....I didnt really believe I would get a card from Papua New Guinea, but then somehow the stars collided, and one arrived in my mailbox! Happy, happy happy!!! :)

btw, recently I created a FB page to share updates or for anything mail related...I just needed to distinguish it from the actual profile...so feel free to follow us there if it is of any convenience for you:

the Facebook Page

Anyways, the card comes from Port Moresby, the country's capital, where you can see the National Parliament House, whose construction started in 1980, and was completed and opened in 1984.
The main feature is a tall façade in the haus tambaran style of Sepik Art. On one side there is a circular building in Eastern Highlands style with conference rooms and facilities for the members of parliament.
The small plane picture shows Air Niugini, the national airline of Papua New Guinea, which operates both on domestic and international flights (Asia, Australia and Oceania). Im not sure what is the aircraft type, but maybe Glenn could help me out on this one :)

and i really love the stamps! The top left stamp was issued in 2012 in a set of 4 stamps + 2 additional sheets, representing sports' legends, and here you can see Stanley Nandex, also known as the PNG pride, the Headhunter and a kickboxing champion.
The stamp below shows a PMV truck and comes from a set of 9 public transport stamps issued this year. And then, at the right we have the adorable dolphins! I sooo much love dolphins, i just cant explain it!! The stamp was issued in 2003 in a set of 6 dolphin stamps. On this one, you can see the Bottlenose dolphin, which is the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphin. Love it!!!!

Norway

Next comes a fantastic surprise from my dear Sissel!!

what a perfect combination of a bicycle card, coming from Norway!
Dont know where exactly this is in Norway, but it doesnt really matter...the card is just sooo brilliant!
Now im not sure how much the cycling culture is developed in Norway, it is usually Denmark or the Netherlands we keep reading about when it comes to this buddy, but I came across an interesting article which says that: It is often said that Norwegians are born with skis on their feet. But perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they are born attached to pedals: three quarters of them own bicycles "
And surprisingly or not, you can find both Sandnes and and Trondheim on the list of 11 most bicycle friendly cities in the world. Being on this list with not one but two cities, while Netherlands and Denmark for example are just represented with one (Amsterdam and Copenhagen respectively), is really a huge success!
Just adds to the reasons of why I so much love this country! :)
Did you know that in Trondheim there is something called a bicycle lift, where you could just be sitting on your bike and it will carry you uphill...really convenient for steep uphill paths...or lazy people :)
What a dreamy adventure it would be to cycle across and along the Norwegian fjords....mmmmmmmmm

the stamp is also pretty special. It is a Hurtigruten stamp, sold only on the Hurtigruten ships. There are in total only 5 designs of these showing iconic places along the coast, and on mine here you can see the beautiful North Cape, the northernmost point in Norway.

It is really a special card, isn't it? :)

Thanks so much Sissel!!!

Morris Island Lighthouse, USA

Just like the last US card, here again we have a lighthouse, this time coming from South Carolina. Been a while since Ive posted a South Carolina card, so here is a good reason to show this one.

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This beautiful card arrived as an official, showing the Morris Island Lighthouse, and as the back of the card says, the original Charleston Light, which is the sixth oldest station in the United States. With the original lighthouse of 1767 destroyed by the Confederate Army in 1861 to take a reference away from Union ships, the Morris Island Lighthouse was rebuilt in 1872. Standing 161 feet tall, when lighted it could have been seen 19 miles out to sea.

well, if you've been receiving mail from the US lately, probably you've seen this stamp...it seems to be used rather often...it is one of the latest Forever stamps, showing our beautiful planet Earth.

Kak Kazaki, Ukraine

well, my last post for today may be unusual to some, but when some time ago I discovered that these cards existed, I was thrilled to no end!!!
I absolutely LOVE those old cartoons I used to watch as a child, coming from the former USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia etc...there is simply something magical about them that no modern cartoon of today can come close to it.
And one of those cartoons was this one coming from Ukraine, or back then, the USSR, about the three guys called Kak Kazaki, or Cossacks, showing the adventures in their every day life.
Regarding the word Cossacks, it refers to a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military and semi-naval communities in Ukraine and Southern Russia.

Here in the cartoon we have 3 guys, called, Грай, Око and Тур. All the cartoon series are short, and last no longer than 20 minutes, each with its own title...and so the postcards seem to be issued according to the cartoons...and here comes a card from on of my favourite Cossacks cartoons called, Как Казаки Невест Выручали, or As the Cossacks rescued the brides.
This one dates back from 1973, with Vladimir Dahno as its director. The cartoon has won an award at the VI International Festival of Documentary and Short Films in Nyon ( Switzerland )

You dont really need to understand the language to be able to understand the plot (there is barely any talking either way)...but do turn on your speakers or put on your headphones, i highly recommend listening to the beautiful traditional accompanying songs, music and sound effects. These are the cartoons I can keep watching over and over again and never get bored, with the music always creating beautiful emotions.



I hope you liked it at least a bit :)
And lets not forget the stamps of course :)

The first card here came with the following stamps:

the first stamp, top left was issued in a set of stamps in 2011, under the title Generous Ukraine - Spring. The one below it is a definitive from 2012, from a set of 13 stamps showing trees and fruits (here you see an Acacia). While the stamp at the right is also from 2012, from a set of two, commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Birth of Taras.

the second card came with two stamps from the above mentioned Generous Ukraine-Spring series

I love it that both cards have a print of the card-image on the back as well...and that both senders were really thoughtful and hadn't placed a stamp over it :)

Traditional Wood Carvings, Rwanda

been quite here again for a while.....sorry about that...things just happen and time just flies...sometimes i really think i should take a break with postcrossing and all coz it becomes stressful...and it shouldnt be...it should be fun...but sometimes when you dont manage to keep up with it properly, it simply doesnt feel as it should feel and it is more like a burden than something to enjoy...and most of the time I just havent had the right mood for postcards either...so, we'll see how things develop.
Ive been wanting to make an update for a while, esp, since I have some really cool things I wanted to share with you, but due to a number of reasons I havent managed to do so until today...and well, without any further ado, lets take a look at a few cards that have arrived over the past few months...

And first, as the protocol goes, will dedicate my attention to a brand new country, and this time we have a great card coming from Rwanda!!

I was lucky to get into the Rwanda group at the Vacation RR, and am happy to have received my very first written and stamped card from this really rare country!!
Rwanda is this not that big country, located in the heart of Africa, but very densely populated.
The Rwandans express their ingenuity in traditional art through basket making, wood carving, pottery, sculpture and house decorations...and on the card we can see one of those pieces of art, that is, traditional wood carvings. Im not sure what exactly the carvings on the card present, but it is said that since more and more tourists visit this country and buy carvings, there should be an increased awareness of the beauty and durability as well as the cultural and historical values of wood carving, despite it has not brought substantial income for the carvers.

and we have two lovely stamps...unfortunately, not cancelled...but well it was sent from Rwanda indeed :)
the stamp on the left was issued in 1983 in a set of 10 Agriculture stamps, while the other one is from 2010, from a set of 5 paintings, representing the art and culture of Rwanda.

Our Saviour's Church, Denmark

next comes a fantastic swap card from Denmark! I was thrilled when Chris offered to swap...apart from not receiving Danish cards that often, this one has been in my favourites too for a while, plus it has bikes on it...just love the image! Esp. the winter charm of the snow-covered-bikes :)

well, besides the bikes, the card also shows Our Saviour's Church in Copenhagen, which is best known for its corckscrew spire with an external winding staircase that you can see at the top, from where you have a fantastic view over the city.
It is also noted for its carillon, which is the largest in northern Europe and plays melodies every hour from 8 am to midnight.
Chris says that despite the picture, it rarely snows in Copenhagen and that 40% of the people there commute to work on bike...hmmm, actually I thought it was much more, but lets not get disappointed. Coz Copenhagen is one of those places I admire coz of the bicycle culture and habit people have and ride their bikes in sunshine, rain, snow...you name it.

and I think this is my first EUROPA 2013 stamp...which this year represents postman vans...or other postal means of transport.

Guia Lighthouse, Macau

next comes a beautiful card from Macau. Funny that I have received a number of Macau cards lately but even funnier is that most of them have been sent from China, which is really disappointing...even more that you cant really complain coz people get so thrilled to send you a Macau card, but are just not aware of my teeth-cringe when i see the card-stamp discrepancy...luckily, this one does not fall into that category :)

And this is my first ever Macau lighthouse...I must admit I had no idea Macau had lighthouses actually until I received this card.
As the back of the card says: Built in 1864 which is high above atop the Guia hill. It is the first modern lighthouse on the Chinese coast. The geographical coordinates of the Lighthouse also mark Macau's geographical location on the World's atlas.
It is a part of the Guia fortress, a historical military fort, chapel and lighthouse complex, which is also a UNESCO whs as a part of the Historic Centre of Macau.

both stamps were issued in 2010. The left stamp is from a set of 5 stamps showing antique telephones in Macau (just beautiful!!!), while the other one is also from a set of 5 stamps, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Macau food festival. This one in particular, shows us the Xiao Long Bao, which is a type of steamed bun or baozi from the Jiangnan region of China, especially Shanghai and Wuxi and is traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets.

New London Ledge Lighthouse, USA

And one more lighthouse for today, this one coming from Connecticut, USA.

the back of the card says: Located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London, CT., this lighthouse was built in 1909. Ledge light was automated in 1986 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A local legend has this light haunted by "Ernie", a jilted husband.
It is funny that this lighthouse has been under a lot of investigations for paranormal activities that have been reported, but unfortunately, not enough evidence has been gathered.
Btw, this seems more like a house to live in than a lighthouse. It is really cute.

the two stamps at the top are a part of the Earthscapes series issued in 2012, while the one a bit down is from a set of 4 architecture stamps issued in 1979, with this one showing us the Baltimore Cathedral, designed by Benjamin Latrobe.

So, that would be all for today....till next time.

Andorra la Vella, Andorra

Well, first of all, I want to wish a Happy Easter to all of you celebrating it today...Im not very familiar with every country's particular traditions, so if anyone feels like it, you can share that in a comment :)
We will be celebrating Easter a bit later....that is, in one month's time..ive never seen the point of Easter falling on different dates every year along with the different time difference each year btw the two Easters, except to get it confusing as much as possible for people like me who are actually not much into all those religious kind of festivals and festivities...
So that's why we'll get down to a few cards for today...nothing Easterish...but I now somewhat regret not having saved that Finnish card below for an Easter update...who would have known it is Easter related :)

And first card comes from Andorra...sent as a surprise from Fabienne  who seems to have the chance to visit this small beautiful country rather often :)

the card here gives us a glimpse of Andorra's capital, that is, Andorra la Vella. Feels like a nice cozy town, located high in the east Pyrenees between France and Spain, which makes it the highest capital city in Europe and a popular ski resort. And well, probably it is more famous for being one of those tax haven places on Earth ...i dont know about you, but i find taxes as a total rip-off..yeah, for all those millionaires/billionaires/politicians, let them pay it...they should even be higher...i find it really unfair that people who barely make a living, pay the same percentage of taxes as those who bathe in money...and in the end, those money are used for completely useless and irrelevant things...there are countries in the world where taxes are really high, but there you have free education, free health care and tonz of other benefits...but here, they just keep finding ways of how to take as much money as possible from you...and you will see no single benefit from it...i guess some of you know the feeling :)

the stamp on the left is the Christmas stamp issued in 2012, while the right one was issued in 2011 for the EUROPA series on the forest theme.

Merci beaucoup Fabienne!

Paris, France

Did you know that, 31 March 1889 was the day when the Eiffel Tower was opened? Well, due to that, I will post the several Eiffel Tower cards I have, and that have not yet been posted here...

the first one comes from JP and I think it is one of the most fantastic angle from which the Tower has been shot...plus i love the golden against the blue colour combination!
In case I havent told you, Ive been here...straight to the top...but I was lucky enough to do it on a foggy day so the whole experience was rather disappointing and I cant really brag about having some spectacular view all over Paris....

JP used a very nice matching stamp (with a perfect matching cancellation!). The stamp is from the 2012 EUROPA series, on the "Visit" theme...and here you have some of the most famous French places to visit, among which is of course, the Eiffel Tower :)

another Eiffel Tower from JP :) On this card, you can see the Eiffer Tower as seen from the gardens of Palais de Chaillot..another place to see in Paris, where there are several museums located, as well as an aquarium.
That statue you can see, is called "L'Homme", made by Pierre Traverse.

another great stamp, with a great cancellation..the stamp comes from a set of two Galante Hear stamps, with Maurizio Galante as an artist. This one in particular also bears the words - Crayon me...and im not sure how you can see it on your monitor, but the stamp on my card is red...while the ones ive seen on the stamps' websites, is black...so im wondering if maybe JP did crayon it or it is just by chance that on the internet they appear black while in reality they are red....

I received this one as being a WOTM on the PC forum...
The tower has been named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. The work on the foundations of the tower had started in January 1887, and the main structural work was completed at the end of March 1889. On the 31st, Eiffel celebrated this by leading a group of government officials, accompanied by representatives of the press, to the top of the tower.

You know, as I keep looking at these cards, more and more I feel that I should really go back and climb on the tower again and experience it at a whole new level...but only with the appropriate company. Ive realized that the best way to experience places, food, things, is only if you have the appropriate company with you...

rather familiar stamp I think :)

FR-77037

A card I received as an official back in 2010.
Im not sure if the moon image is real or photoshopped but it makes a nice detail on the card.
Just today I read that there was a bomb threat yesterday at the tower by some anonymous guy, after which the whole tower has been evacuated..of course, no explosives can be found...but you can never be too sure. They say that the tower gets such calls like at least once or twice a year...boy, some people really know how to ruin your experience, esp if that was, lets say, your one and only chance to go on the tower.

the stamp was issued in 2009 and is a joint issue of France and Venezuela, showing Francisco Miranda, a Venezuelan patriot, general and traveler considered the "Precursor" to Simon Bolivar's "Liberator."

and another card from JP...the colours on this one are just fantastic!
Again on this card you have the tower as seen from Palais de Chaillot (or you can also find it as the Trocadero)
Did you know that there are over 30 replicas of the tower all over the world? I wouldnt be surprised if we get it one day as well....I mean, we already have the Triumphal Arch....so why not add this as well to the already cluttered city centre...

love this bike cancellation! as for the stamps...the left one is the well known Marianne definitive, this one issued in 2008...the other one is from one of those stamps issued by Phil@poste for letters up to 20 grams...which make it sort of impossible to track them down since they dont even print the year of issue on the stamp itself...and after like an hour of searching, i found out that this one was issued in 2011, under the subject, I love Auvergne....pheww, at last!

Little Bighorn Battlefield, USA

Here comes one unique kind of card, for which, in order to see it properly, you need to use the 3D glasses at the right...however, I didnt have the heart to rip them out...the card looks much better, and one of a kind, with the glasses attached to it, so Id leave them as they are :)

the back of the card says: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument memorializes the U.S Army's 7th Cavalry and the Sioux and Cheyenne in one of the Indian's last armed efforts to preserve their way of life. Here on June 25 and 26 of 1876, 263 soldiers, including Lt. Col. George A. Custer and attached personnel of the U.S. Army, died fighting several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne Warriors.

This unique card was sent by Bryon..well I havent yet opened a 'bizarre' label here, but since Bryon thinks it would fit into that category, Im inaugurating the bizarre label as of today :) And ill also put it under the category of 'cool cards' :)

and we have awesome four stamps! this is a great set of 4 stamps issued in 1989, featuring prehistoric animals, like the Tyrannosaurus, the Pteranodon, the Stegosaurus and the Brontosaurus...a fascinating world the prehistoric animals are....

thanks a bunch Bryon!!

Mennonite Girls, Canada

My last card for today is thus really beautiful ine I received as an official...actually one the sender picked from my favourites and mailed me a copy :)

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the card shows the Mennonite Girls on their way to school.
The Mennonites are a Protestant group based around the church communities of the Christian Anabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons of Friesland. Over the years, Mennonites have become known as one of the historic peace churches because of their commitment to pacifism (opposition to war and violence).
There are about 1.7 million Mennonites worldwide, where the largest populations can be found in India, Ethiopia, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United States.
Don't know if these girls have in particular prepared themselves for the photo session, but i just love it how they all look alike...actually, they do radiate with some pacifism....i really like their similar dresses...and how they all have those same hats, with their hair braided the same way. And have you notices their blue lunch-boxes??? they look more like some hidden-treasure kind of chests than lunch-boxes. Lovely, lovely card!! 

on the left side we have two cute beneficial insect stamps (i never thought id use cute and insects in one sentence). the one at the top was issued in a set of 5 stamps in 2007, showing the Canada Darner. The one below is from a set of 5 issued in 2010, representing the Paper Wasp. (issued again in 2012 also).
The stamps on the right were both issued in 2012. The one at the top is from a set of 3 Regiment stamps, with this one portraying the The Black Watch. The stamp below is from a set of 4 baby wildlife stamps, and here you can see the Caribou, a species of deer native to Arctic and Subarctic regions.

So, that would be all for today folks....enjoy your weekend and see you soon!

Jaspe Waterfall, Venezuela

another crazy rainy windy day here...after a Sunday overwhelmed with sunshine...and the local election craze..but we dont get political here on the blog, so we'll just get down to business, i.e postcards!

And first comes a beautiful card from Venezuela, showing the Jaspe creek which is a river and a series of cascades and waterfalls.

well, some time last July, I arranged a swap for a Venezuelan card...but after a few months I kind of actually gave up and have forgotten about it...there are unsuccessful swaps after all...and then, one February day, to my utmost surprise, I find this card in my mailbox..intact! Not even a scratch or any kind of stain!
Unfortunately, I can not read what does the postmark say, though the sender did note the date down of July 9...however, I can't tell if July is the actual sending of the card and if it really took over 7 months to reach me...I know that Central/South American countries are infamous for their postal service...but if this is indeed the average travel time of a postcard, then those postcrossers there must have some nerves made of steel when it comes to official cards for example...boy, that is ages till your card gets registered...I mean, I myself get impatient when I see a card travelling a month...but 7 months?!!! Too much!
And Im happy it had found its way to me...you dont get cards from Venezuela frequently :)

the place is one of those must-visit tourist spots in the Gran Sabana region in the country. It derives the name from its semi-precious rock, named Jaspe, whcih is a composure from quartz and silica, giving the rock a strong red color.

and the stamp is really beautiful...but when you see it as a part of the whole puzzle, it is even more beautiful! It presents just a piece of a larger picture of 10 stamps issued in 201, showing the Vitral de la Justicia by Alirio Rodriguez.

The Netherlands

probably many of you are already familiar with this card...and I had seen it around on many many occasions and heard 'complaints' from people how they receive it again and again...but for some reason it was just recently that I received my copy of this omnipresent tulip/waffles card from the Netherlands..it is a really nice card though, I mean you have bikes on it too :)

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The reason I picked this card for this update is coz today, 25 March is the International Waffle Day, and this is probably the only waffle card I have for the moment...have to check a bit more thoroughly, but still, I doubt the outcome would be any different.

So go give this tasty waffles the attention they deserve, here we have a blog post about this big day. Funny, though, this International day has originated in Sweden, and it is the country where it is mostly celebrated, and much less elsewhere...but for the love of God, i have not seen a Swedish waffle card so far! So I just had to jump in with what I had in hand. 

But did you know that actually the origin of the waffles dates back to the 1300s in Greece when the Greeks cooked flat cakes between two metal pans. At the time, they topped it with cheeses and herbs. They had many inventions but somehow they had missed on the pancake syrup :)

I cant say I have eaten too many waffles in my life...they serve them in some of the coffee shops around here, but I usually go for something else on the menu...I dont know if i had mentioned before that my first encounter with the waffles was rather disappointing...I expected them to be this crunchy kind of pastry with some caramel taste...but they turned out to be this cotton-soft kind of thing...and when you top it with some cream, the waffle gets even softer and sinewy...and that's just NOT it! At least not MY idea of how a waffle should taste and feel when you take a bite. 

glad to know im not the only one using Christmas stamps a few months after Christmas :) these two come from a set of 10 issued last year...and the lady, well, you know her..

So Happy Waffles Day and go grab a waffle! Or whatever else sweet and tasty you may have around :)

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Im happy to have received a card from Sarajevo...from the modern times! The very few ones I have date back from over 20 years ago and though the may still are not entitled for the vintage section, they are old.

the one here shows the Latin Bridge in BiH's capital (also named the Princip Bridge during the Yugoslavian times).
It is a historic Ottoman bridge over the River Miljacka.
The northern end of the bridge was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Gavrilo Princip in 1914, which became a casus belli of World War I. So a really important bridge you have here, being the silent witness of so many events over the years.

and on the brighter side, for all those nostalgic souls...here is an even more nostalgic song, where you have a reference about this famous river...and the young couples' memories, exchanging kisses and affection along its shores....*sigh*
For the rest, Crvena Jabuka (or Red Apple) is one of those very famous ex-yu bands, whose songs even nowadays people know by heart and like listening to :) However, this one here in particular is not really on my favourites' list...still, it ain't a bad one :)

as for the stamps...I often see this carrot one, issued in 2006 as a part of 5 vegetable stamps. The other one is a definitive from 2012, representing Old Cities, with this stamp showing the city of Tešanj. You know, when it comes to defintivies, usually your idea about them are some boring plain stamps...but this one is just fantastic I must say!