Ship Götheborg, Stockholm, Sweden

Another lovely card from Katja/lellykate for the RR :)

I really enjoy this view of the East Indiaman Götheborg, the world's largest operational wooden sailing vessel. It is actually a replica of the 18th-century vessel that sank in front of its harbour Gothenburg, returning from its third voyage to China. The remnants were found in 1984, and the replica was launched in 2003. Two years later it sailed the route to China, visiting many harbours on the way. The ship is still cruising the northern seas, so there still might be a chance to watch it glide thru the water :)

Women's Football

I have won this card in a lottery, with a matching stamp and a special cancellation dedicated to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, which took place in Germany in the early summer.  Congratulations to the team of Japan!!



Cartoon Donkey From Pula

Dear Nata sent me this colourful donkey from Pula :) i've noticed there are more and more cartoon shaped cards in whole of Croatia every year..!

Maiko Girls - Tea Ceremony

Another one of the gorgeous Maiko cards from Kyoto - this time thanks to Rina/Selah, who asked for a private swap. I wish more people from Japan asked me the same thing! heh. But i cannot complain; am really happy about all the Japanese cards i received lately :)

Portrait Of Dalai Lama

Interesting combination of the themes on postcard and stamps :))

GEO - Lions

I LOVE this card - what an awesome shot! Geo cards - you are always welcome :)
The young lion is perplexed as he watches a bird fly away before he manages to catch it with its paw. Under the supervision of its mom it has to learn to be independant.
Thank you sis :)))

The Battle Of Grunwald, Poland

That was quite a pause, as i went home for the last days off, before i leave this job permanently in a few weeks...i am sort of getting panicky, cos i havent posted so many great cards, and my time at this pc is running out..!

 PL-256165

Jan Matejko (1838-1893)

The Battle Of Grunwald, 1878

Poland has become quite omnipresent in postcrossing recently. The sender of this card wrote that this is the most famous polish painting - showing what is also known as The First Battle Of Tannenberg, a historic event which took place in 1410 during the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War. A very expressive piece of art, i thought..!

Traditional Wedding Costumes, Ukraine

UA-132953

A lovely card from Ukraine showing the wedding costumes from the 1920's, originating from a small village Kosmach in the Ukranian oblast Ivano-Frankivsk (which touches the Romanian border). The stamps are great too!

Owl Chicks, Denmark

DK-16911

If you are not an expert on owls try finding out whose baby chicks these are! :D
My fairest guess is Tawny Owl or any of the Strix genus, but if anyone has a better guess feel free to help out..! However, these chicks were in my favourites as they are sooo cute, in a weird kind of way :) i think owls are amazing - but honestly i think birds altogether are amazing creatures. if you dont believe or agree with me i recommend watching the documentary on them by Sir David Attenborough <3

The Three Donkeys, Lithuania

LT-150383

I have seen this postcard somewhere for sure - and yet i cannot detect it in either my collection or my favourites...! In any case its always a special surprise to receive a donkey card via official site :) This time from a veterinarian who adores animals! The EXPO stamps is very cool too :)))

São Jorge Island, Açores

PT-194839

This is a very nice viewcard showing a small civil parish Velas on the Azorean island of São Jorge. As much as i'm happy with it i also am a bit disappointed that there was not a word written by the sender - just a printed information about the island glued to it. There werent even stamps to make up for it...oh well, who can tick all the boxes?! xD

Singapore At Night

SG-46603

I've been double-minded about official postcrossing cards for a while now...but i've started to miss the anticipation, even though i get mildly disappointed on many an occasion..! Cards like this Singapore night view would surely inspire me more to participate :) It doesnt always have to be a card for a collection or something stunning, but a nice view of one's home area is always appreciated. And the stamps are lovely too!

Gelao Ethnic Group, China

I found this card amusing cos these guys seem to be having so much fun drinking this way!

Gelao people are one of the 56 ethnic groups in China, mainly located in the western part of the Guizhou province (south China) and numbering just under half a million. They practice Taoism and to some extent Buddhism.

The tradition is called Za Jiu / Pipe drinking. The pipes can be made of different materials such as bamboo, rattan or reed, and are used for drawing wine from the container. Not easy to find out more, but i am intrigued! Thank you StanleyPao for this interesting card :)

Gerasimova Map Of St. Petersburg

Funnily enough i didnt realise it was a map card until i received it! When i chose it i only noticed the illustration by Daria Gerasimova that I like so much, and discovering the map behind the cat was just a bonus :)

A tag card from Kate, thanks so much! <3

Maiko Girls In Kyoto, Japan

 Maiko Girls Worshipping at Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto

Two beautiful additions to my Japan collection came from Sumi/tinktink0302 ::))
Thank you so much, and for all the info and great stamps! i couldnt find out more about these stamps online so any hint is appreciated ;)

As i told Sumie, Kyoto is the first place i'd want to visit in Japan. Not even sure why, i think its the combination of all the little information i gathered about it...And looking it up i find out that it is one of the best preserved ancient towns in Japan, teeming with temples and shrines. It looks stunning in autumn colours!

Until my visit, i'll enjoy the postcards :))

Toraja Village, Indonesia

Dear Sekar sent me this view of a traditional Toraja village in south Sulawesi/Celebes - thank you :)

Tana Toraja Traditional Settlement is a series of 10 traditional settlements or constituents of them, such as burial or ceremonial grounds. The properties are scattered within Tana Toraja Regency in the Province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. (tentative Unesco WHS)

Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites and the colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days. One must love the diversities of our planet..!

UNESCO - Historic City Of Toledo, Spain

My dear postcrossing friend Ana/bossita went on a holiday to Spain this summer, and sent me this gorgeous view of Toledo (again, the colours..!)

As i'm fairly new in the collecting-unesco business, I so often discover something is on the Unesco WHS list after i look it up for my blog - and so is the case here :) Well just one look at it and you think it must have had a rich history...indeed I can hardly keep track as i read about it! It was once the capital of The Spanish Empire, enjoyed its golden age under the Caliphate of Cordoba and was renowned for co-existance of Jews, Christians and Muslims. With influence of three different cultures there must be so much to see in Toledo!

Ana, esi probala Bombu Toledanu? ;)

Hvala na iznenadnome dodatku mojoj Unesco kolekciji! <3

Australian Train From Switzerland

s_unn_y organised a great bday project for her inmate friends, and i was so happy to participate :)) I got this card for exchange, which i thought was Swiss but even better - the photo was taken on a trip thru Australia and made into a postcard! It is the best self-made card i ever got :)

Thank you Diana, and wishing you all the best on your travels, many great themes for more great  postcards..!

Åland Islands

I was really happy to get these Åland postcards as they were my first written & stamped from there, and both coincided in the same month of august  :) (forgive me as this sentence doesnt sound correct..!)

Åland Islands are an archipelago in the Baltic sea, and an autonomous region of Finland. The name Åland translates into 'river land'. The population is 28000 and the official language is Swedish.

Described as a perfect place to relax and forget about work, Eckerö is the westernmost  municipality of Åland (and therefore Finland) with a population of just under thousand souls. Its most prominent building is Post and Customs House, built to aid the postal services between Stockholm and St. Petersburg :) Åland Europa stamp is beautiful, as is the semi-circular cancellation <3 Received from MrsTaavi, vacation RR - thank you!

The fish card is private swap with Suvi/ivus - thank you :)

To be precise, its a European Perch ('grgeč' in croatian, ha!) There is also a matching stamp, as well as the Coronella austriaca (smooth snake) and Potosia cuprea (Gullbasse? something not featured in wikipedia, a wonder!) Great stamps especially the snake!! <3

Map Of Slovenia

Another great card from Slovenia - this time from my favourite RR :) Makes me realise there are still places in Slovenia that i'd like to visit. Thank you Simona/lunanai, and for the Europa stamps :))

Canyon Weaver, USA

The Native American communities that surround the Grand Canyon

continue to practice the traditions passed on to them from their ancient ancestors.

Represented among these tribes are the Navajo,

Havasupai, Kaibab-Paiute and Hopi.

The handwork of these people reflects their culture,

beliefs and spirituality.

Mimi/Spriggan, thank you so much for this gorgeous card - the colours are amazing..!!

Piglet From The Netherlands

I immediately fell in love with this adorable piglet  <3 what would you guess its eyes say..?! Though it concers me a bit he/she was painted on...they are cute without it too!!!

From riannenmgn, 'you can choose animals' tag  :)

Donkeys From Greece

Greece seems to be an unfailing source of donkey postcards! :))) I am happy to have had a private swap with nikos, for these wonderful new additions to my collection - thank you!!

'The Kid' By Charlie Chaplin, The Netherlands

This is the iconic image of Chaplin's first full-length movie The Kid, filmed in 1921. Jackie Coogan is the name of his child side-kick, who also played Uncle Fester in the 1960's sitcom The Addams Family.

Also a curious fact - Jackie's law suit against his parents' wrongful redistribution of his earnings provoked California to enact the first known legal protection for the earnings of child preformers. which is sadly very much needed nowdays...

A great card, thanks to a private swap with Amanda/bloem82 :)

The Romanov Children

Daughters of Emperor Nicholas II:

Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatyana in the uniforms

of the regiments under their patronage

Tsesarevich Alexis, 1913

I seem to be slowly building a collection of Romanov postcards..! They are just so vintage, beautiful and full of history....new additions from Yana/Botwa and Angela_lala, thank you!!

Ah what can i say about the stamps...Russian mail is really considerate heh.
These stamps show:
- a viaduct over the river Matsesta valley, Sochi
- Volgogradskaya Oblast
- Beluga/Sturgeon from the Caspian Sea
- Shar Pei, a Chinese dog breed
- Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg
(wow i never thought it to be a cathedral, more like a museum or a historical monument!)
- (and this one was hard to find) Agustín de Betancourt, a prominent Spanish engineer who worked and died in Russia. He's a founder of The Saint Petersburg Institute of Communications Engineers. There!

i dont normally do this, but it was a bit of a challenge to decipher as my cyrrilics is rusty :)