Bengtskär, Finland

 Hello again , I hope you are still droping by around here as I'm a good girl lately , updating more often than in the past couple of months ;-) Here we go with 2 cards for today . First one was a official one from Finland and shows a wonderful lighthouse situated in the middle of Baltic Sea. It is the tallest lighthouse in Scandinavia (52m ) located in the southernmost part of Finland , the island of Bengtskär. ( more like a rocky islet actually ) 3hours with ferry from the mainland , as the sender kindly informed me . Built in 1906 , serves as a tourist attraction as well . It would be thrilling to see it but I suppose that I wouldn't like to be the keeper :) Nearest village of Rosala is 18 km north

ABBA pets ;-)

and the 2nd and final one for today came from my buddy Andy in Belgium and you can see ABBA in their pet version . It really made my day receiving this , put an incredibly huge smile of my face plus Andy's not at the back reminded me ABBA greatest hits ;-) For those who do not know ABBA , they were a Swedish pop group , enjoying fame when I was born :D  Their career lasted from 1972 ( before I saw the light of the sun , that is :P ) until 1982 ( when I was in kindergarten ). Their most famous songs , well those I remember at least , were Waterloo , Chiquitita , Mamma Mia , Dancing Queen etc. So here you are the pet version of Benny Anderson , Björn Ulvaeus , Agnetha Fältskog & Anni- Frid Lyngstad ;-)

and for those  unfamiliar with their music or for those that want to remember it  here you are their Eurovision winning entry 

An old style Santa

Here I'm again very soon since the last time ( I promised to my self not to leave things behind in 2013 :D ) Starting with one belated Christmas card that really made my day when I got it ! It was a totally unxpected & surprising card from a very dear family friend that I haven't heard from since almost a decade ! When I was a child and in my teens , she was coming regularly here in summers , and she was like my French mom ;-) She was openminded enough to tell her things I wouldn't say to my own mom and she had help me through a lot of things back then ! As the time went by her visits were more seldom and at one point we sadly lost touch , but it is a great feeling to discover that after all those years somebody does think & care for you !! So , yes , do grab your pen and write to people you miss !

Sveta Gora , Slovenia

The first official for today comes from Slovenia making it the first written and stamped card from that country in my collection ! So that leaves me waiting a w&s card from Montenegro ( I have tonz of blank ones ) and the only ex-Yugoslav country I have 0 cards from remains Bosnia Hercegovina ( any of you going there soon?? :D ) The card shows the pilgrim basilica in Sveta Gora ( Slovene for Holy Mountain ) located on a hill 682m high near the town of Nova Gorica. It is said that the view from up there is excellent and on a clear day visitors can see as far as Istria , Venice & the Dolomites ! ( Sounds promising ;-) ) Hvala Joze 

Glybokae , Belarus

and the last one for today comes from Belarus and the town of Glybokae . I couldn't find much info about the town or the monastery in the card . The sender informed me that Glybokae is located on north-west part of the country and with my poor knowledge of Belarrussian I figured out that it is a Franciscan monastery dedicated to Virgin Mary . Many thanks to Victoria 

Verona , Italy

Well , it's been again .. a while since I last posted something ... ahmmm last year ?? First of all belated wishes for new year ( well , I'm right on time for the Orthodox New Year :D ), hoping 2013 will brings you what you wish for .... My mail had an X-mas break as well , but from 3rd of January and on the mailman seemed to have found the way to my home again , so lets see the first cards of the new year starting with my beloved Italy and a card from Verona sent by my dearest Ana ( I won't forget you dear when I hit the road again :D ) Verona is a beautiful city in Veneto with a long history ( what a surprise for Italy :D) but what first comes to my mind is Shakespeare's 'Romeo & Juliet' .... seems I'm hopelessly romantic ... Just found out that in year 2000 the city of Verona was listed in unesco ~ whs. I can't say yet that I collect whs but of course they are more than welcome :) многу благодарение на Ана ♥

Berlin , Germany

After the surprise let's move on to the official ones starting with what else??? Germany !! No surprise any one involved with postcrossing knows already that the Germans really rock the place ( they have reached the top of my stats anyway ) . This is not a complaint since Germany is really beautiful with lots of new things waiting to be dicovered . This card is from the Berlin showing the city's Cathedral Danke an Manfred 

Bad Friedrichshall , Germany

Another official from Germany showing the pretty little town of Bad Friedrichshall .Bad Friedrichshall arose in 1933 by the connection of Kochendorf and Jagstfeld. The name Friedrichshall is derived from a salt-works in Jagstfeld named by Frederick I in 1818. The term Bad is from a brine in Jagstfeld. Danke an Iris 

Tulips

When you see this card which is the first country that comes to your mind ? Mine ... Netherlands !!  I was partially right cause it was from Rotterdam but actually depicts Mount Vernon , Washington , in the Northwest extreme of US and more specifically Tulip Town which a farm specialized in Dutch national flower founded by a Dutchman many decades ago . Dank je wel Anja 

Kyoto , Japan

I go on with an awesome card from Japan , showing Maiko girls worshipping at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto !
Maiko (舞妓) is an apprentice geisha in western Japan, especially Kyoto. Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen (three-stringed Japanese instrument) for visitors during feasts. Maiko are usually aged 15 to 20 years old and become geisha after learning how to dance (a kind of Japanese traditional dance), play the shamisen, and learning Kyō-kotoba (dialect of Kyoto), regardless of their origins. (Thanks to Wikipedia  for the info :D) Yasaka is a Shinto shrine and its  initial construction  began in 656.

The Shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period. In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial messengers were sent to report important events to the guardian kami of Japan. These heihaku were initially presented to 16 shrines; and in 991, Emperor Ichijō added three more shrines to Murakami's list. Three years later in 994, Ichijō refined the scope of that composite list by adding Umenomiya Shrine and Gion Shrine.From 1871 through 1946, Yasaka Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines. Thanks to Wiki once more for the info & Arigato to Takako for the card ( I adore the stamps too btw :D)

State of Indiana

and last but not least an official from USA and the State of Indiana . Great to receive a map card . At the back of the card it states : THE HOOSIER HERITAGE QUILT, collaboration between Indian Department of Natural Resources and the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service , features quilt blocks made by winners from each Indiana county , placed together . The official state quilt is a tribute to Hoosier pride and to the participants ! In case you are wondering what is a Hoosier - like I did - I should mention that is the official name for an Indiana resident .People from California are Californians and from Indiana Hoosiers ( and not Indianans :D ) as the state's nickname is ' Hoosier State ' !! Many thanks to Tammy !!