Belarus

This weekend was dedicated to my blog. Finally I found the way to crop the stamps ( don't tease , I know it was easy after all ) so I decided to match every card to its stamps. I had to do it at once because if I leave things for the next day I do them the next year ..or simply never :D My room hence was full of piles with cards ... new cards with stamps .... old cards with stamps ... old cards to be uploaded ... new covers ... but now I'm proudly announcing that I'm done with it ! Every card that was written & stamped is appearing now with its mate :))) 
Last week was really poor in incoming mail ( and the outgoing seems delayed as well ) but an envelope which I thought it was lost finally appeared. It came from Belarus and it needed 2 months to find my home ! Better late than ever :)

First card is Niesvizh Palace & Park Ensemble 
Second card is the Belarusian State Museum of Folk Architecture & Rural Lifestyle
Third card St Sophia Cathedral in Polatsk .

Many thanks to Maria 

Wildlife of Tanzania

and now I dig into the past again continueing with non stamped cards . First of  them comes from Tanzania and like most of my african cards depicts animals. Sent by my Tanzanian ex penpal Sammy . So enjoy the company of the giraffes :)

Melbourne , Australia

A non stamped card sent from Australia ( thanks Jim ). Melbourne was founded in 1835, is the 2nd most populous city in Australia and the capital of the state of Victoria ! Moreover it is the 3rd largest Greek city :) By that I mean it is a home to more than 300.000 Greeks so it comes 3rd after Athens and Thessaloniki . Jim is one of them ! In the card now you can see clockwise from left : Fitzroy Gardens at the eastern end of the city ; parkland on the Yarra bank over Princes Bridge; ferries on the Yarra river and rowers on the same river ! :)

Balaton , Hungary

A great multiview from Balaton , Hungary . Not stamped and sent by my (ex) penpal Laura . I think Balaton Lake is the most famous resort in Hungary.  I don't know if it sounds weird to any of you  but I have never ever swam in a lake. ( & only once in my life in a river ). I'm curious how that it feels and maybe in the future I'll try it in Balaton ~ seems inviting enough ! ( Or maybe Ohrid that is closer?!) Will see :)

Copenhagen , Denmark

Weird enough this seems to be the only Danish card I've got !!! Not stamped & sent from Germany , thanks to Sabine !

Boracay , Philippines

An almost blank card ! Sender ( whose name I don't remember )just wrote my name on it . It is not stamped either ! Really an excellent view from Boracay Island  in Philippines ...

Boracay is a small island of the Philippines located approximately 315 km (196 mi) south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Islandin the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards from numerous travel publications and agencies.The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak municipality of Malay, province of Aklan. Administered by Philippine Tourism Authority and the provincial government of Aklan.

In 2012, Boracay has been named the Best Island in the World by an international travel magazine, Travel + Leisure. ( Wikipedia )

Bagan , Myanmar

I think it must be one of the most beautiful cards I have , pity that it is not stamped . According to the back of the card it depicts a sunset at Irrawaddy river, bird;s eye view from Gawdawpalin Temple , Bagan . Sent by Soe , thanks !

Gaw-daw-palin Temple
Dating the XII century, this temple was built by king " Nara-pati-sithu" and offering the height of 60 meter. It is one of the most gracious and elegant temples of Bagan. Sitting on the first terrace of this temple, admiring the Sun going down on the top of the Tant-kyi-taung mountain above the water of River Ayeyawaddy is the most magnificent panoramic scene. The view of the ruins of the Bagan city at the twilight remained a good memory and un-forgettable to the tourists during their stay in the Myanmar. It was the building badly damaged by the earthquake of 1975, and renovated on its original style with the help of UNESCO. This temple is said to be the most elegant temple in Bagan by all visitors near and far. ( from myanmarmtetours.com )

Saudi Arabian lizzard !

This is the spiny tailed lizzard or " dhub" ( uromastix microlepis ).  Near Riyadh , Saudi Arabia . 

Not a stamped card sent to me by Maher ( thank you ) . 

Maher wrote that the dhub is one of the most famous Arabian lizzards (?!). 

Arabs have fun chasing them and they eat them too ( A recipe I wouldn't like to have ). This reptiles are very active under the hot Arabian sun and temperatures +50C but it becomes dull if  it happens to be in a chilly place ( put it under an air-condition ). Moreover they do not drink water at all . Maher said so at least , he should know better :)

Mumbai , India

Mumbai (previously known as Bombay until 1996) is a natural harbor on the west coast of India, and is the capital city of Maharashtra state. It isIndia's largest city, and one of the world's most populous cities. It is called the commercial capital of India. The city is the second most-populous in the world. It has approximately 14 million people. Along with the neighboring cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it forms the world's 4th largest urban agglomeration. They have around 19 million people.

The seven islands that form Bombay were home to fishing colonies. The islands were ruled by successive kingdoms and indigenous empires before Portuguese settlers took it. Then, it went to the British East India Company. During the mid-18th century, Bombay became a major trading town. It became a strongplace for the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century. When India became independent in 1947, the city wasincorporated into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital. It was renamed Mumbai in 1996.

Mumbai generates 5% of India's GDP.It accounts for 25% of industrial output, 40% of sea trade, and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy. The Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India and the many Indian companies andmultinational corporations are in the city. It also has the Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood. (Wikipedia )

* Not stamped , sender unknown :S Thanks anyway !

Limassol , Cyprus

Limassol or Lemesos (Greek: Λεμεσός, Lemesós;, Turkish: Limasol/Leymosun) is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 235,056^[1] (2011). It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.

Limassol is the biggest Cypriot port in the Mediterranean transit trade. It has also become one of the most important tourism, trade and service-providing centres in the area. Limassol is renowned for its long cultural tradition, and is home to the Cyprus University of Technology. A wide spectrum of activities and a number of museums and archaeological sites are available to the interested visitor. Consequently, Limassol attracts a wide range of tourists mostly during an extended summer season to be accommodated in a wide range of hotels and apartments. A large marina is currently being constructed near the old town.

Limassol was built between two ancient cities, Amathus and Kourion, so during Byzantine rule it was known as Neapolis (new town). Limassol's tourist strip now runs east along the coast as far as Amathus. To the west of the city is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, part of the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. 

( Wikipedia )

Not stamped , sent by Andreas . Ευχαριστώ πολύ !

Carcassone , France

Carcassonne (Occitan: Carcassona) is a fortified French town, in the Aude département in the Languedoc. It is separated into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse.

This bastide, which was thoroughly restored from 1853 by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was added to the UNESCO list ofWorld Heritage Sites in 1997. In 1999, the city had a population of 43.950 people. (Wikipedia)

* Not stamped , sent by Michele . Merci beaucoup !

Greenland

Still no sign of life from the postman so the tribute to the 90's continues . let's start with Greenland , a small gem in my collection even though the card is not written and stamped ( just written ;-D ). It was sent from my penfreind Najarak. Of course I have no clue where exactly the photo is taken as all it can be seen is ice ;))) The calendar shows late September but the thermometer has stuck on 35C here so that card brought me chill by looking at it even though I'm sure that I wouldn't have heaps of fun being there ...

Greenland (Kalaallisut: Kalaallit Nunaat, "Land of the Kalaallit",Danish: Grønland) is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and later Denmark) for more than a millennium. In 2008, the people of Greenland supported a referendum on greater autonomy by 75%. Greenland is, by area, the world's largest island. With a population of 56,749 (2012 estimate), it is the least densely populated dependency or country in the world.

Greenland has been inhabited, though not continuously, by Arctic peoples via Canada for 4,500 to 5,000 years. In the 10th century, Norsemen settled on the uninhabited southern part of Greenland. In the 13th century, the Inuit arrived, and in the late 15th century, the Norse colonies disappeared. In the early 18th century, contact between Scandinavia and Greenland was re-established and Denmark established rule over Greenland. { Wikipedia }

Seychelles

and from the Arctic to the tropical zone ... Seychelles

This is Intendence beach is Seychelles' biggest island Mahe....

Faro, Portugal

 Two views from beautiful city of Faro in Algarve region in southern Portugal 

Aguadilla , Puerto Rico

Another card from Puerto Rico sent by my dear Raul . It shows his native town Aguadilla. The back of the card describes that "in the background is the modern Government Center" which of course it is for me the last thing I would pay attention while looking at this card :)

Morocco

A beautiful sunset somewhere in Morocco... thanks to Mohammed

New York , USA

A rather old multiview of New York City ! Well , around 15 years old but since then NYC has changed dramatically 

Yekaterinburg , Russia

You might wonder why I write Yekaterinburg while the card writes Sverdlovsk on it ! Well , the card is of USSR era and by that time the city was known as Sverdlovsk in honour of the communist party leader Yakov Sverdlov. After 1991 took back its old name Yekaterinburg in honour of Yekaterina , the wife of Tsar Peter the Great . It is the 4th largest city in Russia and it is situated near the "borders" between the European & Asian part of the country . It is also known as the place where the last Russian Tsar Nikolay II and his family were executed in 1918.

The building shown is Ural State University  

Japan

 A lovely multiview from Japan sent by Atsuko !
Up left is the Pagoda of Kiyomizudera Temple
Up center the Kinkaku-ji Temple
Up right Himeji-jo Castle
Down left  Tea ceremony in garden , Kyoto

Down Right Mt Fuji 

Malaysia

and now to exotic Malaysia  and views from the most important celebration of the Hindu community Thaipusam festival. It is the celebration by the Hindus to mark the victory of Lord Subramaniam over the demons and evil forces. It is also a day of penance, of thanksgiving fo the blessing and protection received and a fulfilment of vows. A devotee has to fulfill his vow on this special festival by carrying a kavadi which is a steel arch with long spikes that pierce into his body ....

Sent by Beng-Chin

Pordenone, Italy

Last one for today comes from Italy and the lovely city of Pordenone . It is a lovely little city in the Italian north very near to Venice . I have visited there in 2005 but this card had come more than 10 years prior to my visit from my dear Giovanni. In the forgaround you can see one of their recognizable spot Il campanile del duomo ( Cathedral Tower ) which was built in 1374 and later a spire was added during the 17th century that led it to reach a height of about 79 meters. In the back ground you can barely see the Alps ! In reality the Alps are more visible than this , maybe it was due to the fact that I visited in December and of course the Alps were snowcapped ;)))

Moscow , Russia

This week my postman seems to ignore me bringing me only one postcard , so I'd get better back to my old ones for a while . I have removed the 2nd pile from my box and I'll randomly choose 10 out of it everytime I feel that this poor blog is neglected . Today I'm in the mood for writing so here you are the first 10 :)

I'll start with the only new one though which came last Monday from Russia. It was sent from Oksana and it is showing the most recognizable spot of Moscow ... St Basil Cathedral . Spashibo bolshoe dear 

Puerto Rico

Let's start the old cards trips with a view of Puerto Rico . Sent by my dear  friend Raul

When I see this kind of tropical images I don't feel like I search for info ..... I feel like listen to this ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoG5o6CCasI

Jindřichův Hradec, Czech Republic

One of the very few Czech cards I have not showing Prague . I don't know who to thank for this as there is no name at the back ... I had a short termed Czech penfriend and I know it is from her ( she was living there) but no chance that I remember her name ...:S ( is it normal or should I get a middle age crisis NOW?)

Jindřichův Hradec ( German: Neuhaus) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has approximately 22,700 inhabitants.

The first written mention of the town is in 1220. Before that, it was probably a Slavic settlement. At the end of the 12th century more people arrived. At the beginning of the 13th century a Gothic castle was built (it was gradually rebuilt into a Renaissance chateau in the 16th century). In the census following the Thirty Years' War, Jindřichův Hradec was the second largest city in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Between 1831-1935 it was the first city in the area to get electricity for lighting, in 1888 the water mill was converted to electricity.

Gelendzhik , Russia

 For all these years I have this card I used to believe that this city was situated in the North of Russia (!) . I don't know how I had that impression really until today that I googled it and found out it is in the very south of Russia in the shores of the Black Sea. To be more exact :

Gelendzhik (Russian: Геленджи́к) is a resort town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the Gelendzhik Bay of the Black Sea, between Novorossiysk and Tuapse . Greater Gelendzhik sprawls for 102 kilometers  along the coastline and covers an area of 122,754 hectares , although only 1,926 hectares  fall within the boundaries of Gelendzhik proper. Population: 54,980 (2010 Census. ( From Wikipedia as usual )

During the Soviet period, Gelendzhik was developed as a spa. It possesses sand beaches, three waterparks, two aerial tramway lines, and two Orthodox churches (from 1909 and 1913, respectively). The environs of Gelendzhik are noted for a chain of waterfalls, an outcrop of dolmens, two extremely ancient pine and juniper groves, and the Sail Rock, located 17 kilometers (11 mi) from the town's central area. The coastal village ofArkhipo-Osipovka, administrated from Gelendzhik, contains the terminus of the Blue Stream gas pipeline. An annual hydroaviasalon is held in Gelendzhik since 1996.

Leiria, Portugal

Next stop ...Leiria , Portugal
Sadly I can't remember who sent that to me , I remember having a penfriend in Portugal but I can't recall her name :S Maybe I'll see it written in some other postcards ...

Leiria is located in central Portugal somewhere in the middle between Lisbon and Porto , capitol of Leiria district and here you are various views of the city 

Bucharest , Romania

Now this seems like a really old one :)

It was sent by Alina some time in the mid 90's as most of my old cards but I think it is actually older as it really reminds me the era of Communism in Romania . Paper is really thin and the image is so 80's too. Makes me wonder how much those countries must have changed through the latest years .This is as you can read Hotel Parc which still can be found in Bucharest , now known as Ramada Bucharest Parc Hotel 

Maldives

Meh , what can I say here? Those 2 are somewhere in Maldives ...There are more than 1.000 islands and islets to get yourself lost there and forget to ever come back :D:D

Arezzo , Italy

Next card comes from Italy and the city of Arezzo. Sent by Clelia .
Arezzo is a city in central Italy , capital of the province of the same name, located in Toscany .

Santa Maria della Pieve is one of the most visited places there, it dates from the 13th century and as Clelia wrote has 100 columns ;)

East Java , Indonesia

and now off to Indonesia...

Sent by Ari and depicts " Fertile rice terraces outside of Pasuruan in East Java" 

Kingston , Jamaica

Another tropical destination for today ...Jamaica !
The island of Bob Marley , rum , reggae :)
Card was sent from my ex penpal Tracy and depicts Devon House in the capital Kingston !

More info can be found here http://www.devonhousejamaica.com/

Vaasa , Finland

The last card for today comes from Finland and to be more specific from the city of Vaasa. It was sent from my ex penpal Nita sometime in the mid 90's I suppose and you can see a beach of the city , the Vaasa market and Tropiclandia.
Wikipedia's intro about the city :

Vaasa (Swedish: Vasa) is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa. Today, Vaasa has a population of 60,622 (31 August 2012)  (approximately 90,000 in the Vaasa sub-region), and is the regional capital of Ostrobothnia (Swedish: Österbotten, Finnish: Pohjanmaa).

The city is bilingual with 69.8% of the population speaking Finnish as their first language and 24.8% speaking Swedish.The city is an important centre for Finland-Swedish culture.

Iceland

After posting part of my old cards I thought  to come back to the present days and upload some wonderful cards I received this week starting from ... Iceland. A lovely envelope has arrived with 5 of them , I found each one equally wonderful

1. Lets start with capital Reykjavik. View to the North over the pond and Reykjavik city center. Akrafjall mountain and the Faxaflói bay in back ground.
2. We stay in Reykjavik and more specifically to The Pearl which is a rotating reastaurant atop Reykvavik's hot water storage tanks, Architect Ingimudur Sveinsson. In the foreground is the first man made Geysir desogned for the District Heating Service by engineer Ísleifur Jónsson.
3. Next one is an aerial view of the village Vík í Mýrdal. Mt Reynisfjall (left) and Reynisdrangar rockstacks are known for their rich bird life.
4. Icelandic envelope without volcanos is not possible , so here we see lava streaming down into Hrunagil ravine at Fimmvörðuháls, a mountain pass between Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers in the south of Iceland. The eruption began March 20th, 2010 and ended on April 13th of the same year. Considered a relatively mild lava eruption, many people flocked to witness it and were able to experience its wonders at close range. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the eruption was a spectacular 200 meter lavafall , the highest ever recorded. The day after the eruption ended a newer much more powerful eruption began a few km to the west in Eyjafjallajökull glacier.
5. Last but not least sheep. :) Sheep were first brought to Iceland by Norwegian settlers in the 9th century . The traditional Icelandic sweater is one of the many garments made with its wool

Many many thanks to Hanna

Moscow , Russia

An official one from Russia and its capital Moscow. After all my Asian -Siberian ones not bad for a change. I'm sure many Russian cards will follow but that country is so vast and diverse that it's hard to get bored with it !
In the picture you can see Novodevichy convent and now as usual Wiki speaks for me :

Novodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery (Russian: Новоде́вичий монасты́рь, Богоро́дице-Смоле́нский монасты́рь), is probably the best-known cloister of Moscow. Its name, sometimes translated as the New Maidens' Monastery, was devised to differ from an ancient maidens' convent within the Moscow Kremlin. Unlike other Moscow cloisters, it has remained virtually intact since the 17th century. In 2004, it was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

spasibo Polinka

Mexico City , Mexico

After the expected and the official ones here we go with the surprises :)

Number 1 the surprise queen Ana :) 

If you see my other Mexico related post you'll see that Ana has traveled to Mexico and surprised us all. I admire her strong character to keep her trip a secret until the cards arrived! If I was going there I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut ! In addition when I thanked her for the first card she "forgot" to mention that a 2nd was on the way . Maybe she didn't want to destroy the excitement or she wasn't trusting the Mexican post offices that can be little slow !

So in that way  the Mexican Palace of Fine Arts came to my hands !

Wikipedia one more time will help me with its intro :)

The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is the most important cultural center in Mexico City as well as the rest of the country of Mexico.It is located on the west side of the historic center of Mexico City next to the Alameda Central park.

The first National Theater of Mexico was built in the late 19th century, but it was soon decided to tear this down in favor of a more opulent building in time for Centennial of the Mexican War of Independence in 1910. The initial design and construction was undertaken by Italian architect Adamo Boariin 1904, but complications arising from the soft subsoil and the political problem both before and during the Mexican Revolution, hindered then stopped construction completely by 1913. Construction began again in 1932 under Mexican architect Federico Mariscal and was completed in 1934. The exterior of the building is primarily Neoclassical and Art Nouveau and the interior is primarily Art Deco. The building is best known for its murals byDiego Rivera, Siqueiros and others, as well as the many exhibitions and theatrical performances its hosts, including the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico.

Fala , fala, fala Ana :)