Porer Lighthouse, Croatia

Today's theme on Sunday Stamps has inspired me to post this card which is all about Croatian Lighthouses :) I believe many involved in postcrossing are familiar with the image of Porer Lighthouse, built in 1846 and situated on an islet of the same name, 2 miles southwest of Istria's southernmost cape Kamenjak. The islet is mere 80 meters in diameter and the lighthouse goes up to 34 meters.

The set of stamps was issued in 2008 and shows three lighthouses of the northern Adriatic - Pinida, Vnetak and Zaglav. Yea I have sent this postcard to myself cos I love having stamps of the same theme as a postcard hehh :))

If you want to see more Croatian lighthouses feel free to visit my cover blog.

And by all means, check what the others have posted ;)

Saludos Desde Loja! Ecuador

 

The first time I was in Ecuador I havent been to the Loja area - the second time I went to Vilcabamba, a small town in a gorgeous setting. Alas I couldnt find a decent postcard of it, so I opted for this colourful illustration of cultural aspects of the regional centre Loja :)

UNESCO - Durmitor National Park, Montenegro

Durmitor National Park was formed by glaciers and is traversed by rivers and underground streams. Along the Tara river canyon, which has the deepest gorges in Europe, the dense pine forests are interspersed with clear lakes and harbour a wide range of endemic flora.

The first postcard is huuuge, one of the many gorgeous montenegran views printed by Studio Strugar - it shows Crno Lake at 1416 m altitude. The second is a self-made card I got from Saki Hostel in Budva. I have only seen so little of Montenegro but I surely want to go back and do some hiking!

Isle Of Spice - Grenada

And Ashley strikes again, lucky me! I'd have such huge 'holes' in Africa and Caribbean departments if it wasn't for him...I have swapped for Grenadian postcard some years ago but never received anything...and now these riches, maps and views, and great stamps!!
Grenada is an island country consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. It is also known as the "Island of Spice" because of the production of nutmeg and mace crops of which Grenada is one of the world's largest exporters.

Scenes From Guyana

Guyana was the last country from South America to get a postcard from - and amazingly i got a couple! Thanks to Pat :) The 2nd postcard shows a bandstand in Promenade Gardens in Guyana's capital Georgetown, one of the nicest areas in the city. I cannot thank you enough Pat, and the stamps you used are just awesome :))

St. George's Church, Podgorica, Montenegro

What a gorgeous setting for a church! St. George's is Podgorica's oldest and prettiest church, placed between fragrant trees at the foot of Gorica hill. Inside the simple structure, the dark 16th century nave is adorned with 19th century icons and frescoes.

This is one of the first postcards that I have received from my dear postcrossing friend Rajko - I've chosen to post it today because the current (#117) Sunday Stamps' theme: minerals, rocks, geology, environment. The enlarged stamp is perfect for the 'environment' section I thought - one from the set of two 'Naturshield 2009' showing Plav Lake, a gorgeous glacial lake at 906m-altitude and more than 2km long. A plaster on the plant reminds us that nature needs protecting...

In addition here is another triangle mineral stamp from Ukraine, from a set of 6 issued in 2010 (showing agate, one of the most versatile minerals :) 

 Also, Croatian Post has issued two mini-sheets with local minerals, one in last year and one in 2010: here is the latter, showing limestone from the island of Brač (which again is the source of world-renowned marble), and agate from Lepoglava area (north-west Croatia).

So I have ommited rocks, but thats such a wide concept I am sure we can have it as a part of a subject again some time soon :) (my previous post can be an addition to 'geology' theme, if you wanna check it out :)). Great theme this week, I love it! And I am happy that I can contribute. See what others have done, lots of wonderful posts!!

                                   

UNESCO - Pitons, Cirques and Remparts Of Reunion Island

I have already included a postcard of Piton de la Fournaise on my blog, but this time its even more of a special treat :))) Dear Marion insured that this time I recieve the Réunion cancellation (yay!) and even used a special matching stamp, thanks so much!! I also love the snowy views, so you can imagine my joy when I received this card...

This post can also be viewed as part of today's Sunday Stamps, but I will write another post to say more about it :)

 

Iguana From US Virgin Islands

US Virgin Islands is a new country in my collection :) As for many, its underwhelming to get the standard USPS stamps and cancellation, but thats just the way the ball bounces..! Of course I am loving the handsome iguana, esp as this one has orange shades. Thanks to Cheryll, who contributes so much to my lizard collection! :))