3D Sagittarius

For my humble zodiac collection, a 3D Sagittarius sign from Germany. As you turn it the painting of a Centaurus turns into the constellation of a starry sky. Cute badger!! xD

UNESCO - Mount Huangshan, China

Huangshan is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China, known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly shaped granite peaks, Huangshan Pine trees, and views of the clouds from above. Such as this one! A stunning view and great stamps, thank you xuh! :))

Maiko Of Kyoto

Its been a while since I've posted one of my favourite topics...I havent received any such postcards for a while as well...so here are a few gems from last year :) The second card showing Maiko Girls And Sanjo Ohashi Bridge, Kyoto. Many thanks to Miho and Toshie, who participate in the Japan tag :)

Perhaps They Will Make You Smile..? :)))

'Sex is only dirty when its done right'

Maybe this assortment of German postcards can bring a smile to your face on this cold winter day xD

Père David's Deer, China

There was always somethings strangely beautiful about this photo...the trees and the deer look so calm and perfect together. Then I look more into it for this blog, and realise its the endangered Père David's Deer (or Milu in Chinese), a species that is currently extinct in the wild. This photo is taken in Dafeng national nature reserve, the largest for the unpolluted wetland in China (situated on the east coast) and recognized as a fabulous conservation land for this precious animal.

The naked tree tops look like antlers too...and I love the contrast of the white colour of snow and deer's red fur. Thanks so much Sudan! :))

Central Park In The Fall, NY, USA

These are the last autumn days, as Europe is starting to get covered with snow...To remind us of autumn colours, a stunning view of the Central Park in New York City :) Its a public park at the center of Manhattan, one of the world's largest urban public parks. In 1962 it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

When I hear of it I somehow always think of Friends and their favourite coffee shop Central Perk heh.

Many thanks to Alecia!

Euroasian Owls

The Tawny Owl or Brown Owl (Strix aluco) and the Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) are the handsome fellas here. I have them on some other postcards too, but one can never have enough of these unique birds. Four years ago there was a regional fare in my town, and one of the stands was promoting a local falconry centre. I hope they come back soon!

Two Blue Penguins, New Zealand

Today is a bird day on my blog :)) With two fascinating species! First is penguins (have you ever seen The March Of The Penguins? A must!), this time the Little Penguins, in New Zealand known as Blue Penguins. The little ones are waiting in a cave, their nesting place, while their parents search for food. Thank you for these cuties Aaron! :)

Ras Salmiya Mosque, Kuwait

I was away from home for three weeks, which meant slowing down with swaps i.e. keeping them to a minimum...but there was still space for a new country in my collection, the elusive Kuwait! I have heard reports that many postcards from there don't arrive at all...but as you all true postcrossers out there know, its always worth a shot ;) so when I got home I was thrilled to find this pyramid-mosque view in my mail, complete with a great stamp (alas not cancelled) commemorating 50th anniversary of Kuwait fund for Arab Economic Development, from a set of 19.

Many many thanks to Ahmed!! :))

Seriously Vintage Donkeys, USA

After a short break, to get back in the game, here are some vintage donkey cards from dear Lori. Love the written and stamped back! Always fishing for such cards at second hand shops and markets :)))

Raccoons

Raccoons were my favourite animal as a kid :) In the meantime I found out they are a bit of a pest, but they still have the most adorable faces!

Sunday Stamps - Water

Yea its monday, but I wasnt sure this week's sunday stamps will be happening - luckily it is, and I can post here today on the theme of water :)

The postcards show the picturesque Istrian town of Rovinj, and an example of Croatian naive art.  Both have (sea) water as an important element in the picture, but the main thing here are the stamps; the first one is from a set of 7 issued in 1994, celebrating 150 years of tourism in Croatia. Its a wonderful set and I wish it could be used nowdays, alas all stamps issued in the previous millenium cannot be used for postage :( This particular stamp shows the Krka Waterfalls, one of Croatian national parks (which I usually have in my postcards offers heh :)). The second one is the Expo 2008 stamp, it was a single stamp as a mini-sheet and represents something simple but utterly beautiful - the clear blue sea :))

Next week we are free to represent any theme, and ah I am not at home! I'll try to have it ready wherever I am ;) And now, time to check the other entries..!

          

Navajo People, USA

I have received this postcard some time ago, before postcrossing...in fact, it was 1997. There is a vintage feel to it so the postcard itself might be quite older. I used to have a penpal living in Colorado and he sent me a surprise - a glimpse of the Land Of The Navajo, a woman and a child standing in front of a typical traditional Navajo home called hogan.

Navajo people are the largest federally recognized tribe of the US. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body, which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the Four Corners area of the States - the southwestern corner of Colorado, northwestern corner of New Mexico, northeastern corner of Arizona and southeastern corner of Utah.

Native People Of Vietnam

In a short-lived RR that I once joined, we had to send two written&stamped postcards to the group members - I was in a group with a lovely postcrosser Jo :) She sent me two beautiful postcards showing people in everyday situations, and great variety of stamps.

Many people in Vietnam use cyclos or cycle rickshaws to do their everyday errands. The youngsters of H'mong ethnic group, in the mountainous north-western SaPa district, are having a meal or a snack - am curious what exactly! Thanks so much Jo, love these cards :))

Never Enough Of London

Westminster Abbey and Tower Bridge, two of the many recognizable London sites that I just can't get enough of...These were sent quite some years ago, before I set my foot on the isle :)

Gustav-Adolf Mossa ''Les parques (The Fates)'' 1917

 

Gustav Adolf Mossa (1883-1971) was a French painter, son of artist Alexis Mossa, once a curator of the Musee des Beaux-Art in Nice. Not easy to find more info about this particular painting, but it looks very interesting and should be better known I think..!

Good Night

Time for bedtime stories....

UNESCO - Škocjan Caves, Slovenia

Skocjan Caves is a cave system in Western Slovenia - this exceptional system of limestone caves comprises collapsed dolines, some 6 km of underground passages with a total depth of more than 200 m, many waterfalls and one of the largest known underground chambers.

The system of subterranean passages, fashioned by the Reka River, constitutes a dramatic example of large-scale karst drainage. The river enters the Škocjan grotto in an underground passage 350 m long, reappearing in the bottom of a 150 m deep and 300 m long chasm, before disappearing into a passage 2 km long. The system of grottos is rich in speleofauna; the underground galleries hold five species of wintering bat.

Everything about these caves sounds so grand and amazing, and I wasnt aware of it until I started collectiong Unesco sites! For some reason Postojna Cave was always so familiar but the other Slovenian caves...and there seems to be many for such a relatively small country. I think I am not done with visiting Slovenia! Hvala puno Tamara :))