Official - Hungry Croc, Australia

AU-197312

I think this is such a great shot, even though its taken in captivity. Otherwise, the picture sez more than hundreds of words ;)

Old Churches Of Andorra

As I look into these beautiful old churches in the Pyrenees of Andorra i learn that they are both on the tentative Unesco list:

*The church of Santa Coloma, as part of the Ensemble Historique De Santa Coloma

*The church of Sant Joan de Caselles, as part of Eglises Romanes d'Andorre

Wonderful! Another great utter surprise from Ash :))

Kirdiy - Worm In Cabbage

Heh i dont know how else to name this card - sometimes I can understand the cyrillics but these fancy letters just confuse me :/ The cat stamp is just brilliant, thank you Marina! :)

p.s.- isn't the little worm just adorable..?!

Japan - Chihiro And Haku, Scenes From Spirited Away

More postcards of the beautiful anime movie Spirited Away :) I have to see it again, and soon!
Courtesy of cieli and satoko-k, thank you girls xD

Andalusian Donkey

This is another absolutely wonderful RAS of this month! Thanks so much Fabienne, I love it :)))))

Japan - Sapporo TV Tower

Sapporo is Japan's fourth-largest city, and the largest on the island of Hokkaido. On the photo is one of its most recognisable landmarks, the Sapporo TV Tower, located at the eastern end of the Odori Park. It was built in 1957, is 147 meters high and has an observation deck at the 90-m-height. Must be an awesome view!

Thanks to Anna :)

Official - Australian Wildlife

AU- 206757

Lately Australian postcards have been the biggest 'official' smile-inducers :D I can never have enough of Aussie wildlife! Of the three I have only seen koalas in nature...I was secretly hoping to spot a kangaroo on the side of the road but alas that never happened. But the Aussie zoos are at least not as depressing as some of the European ones..!

La Rochelle, France

La Rochelle is a seaport in western France on the Atlantic coast. These lovely views show the famous towers of the old harbour, the Lantern Tower, the Great Clock Gate, St-Sauveur's church and the town centre.

Many thanks to stephanie :)

UNESCO - Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

Giant's Causeway (Clochán an Aifir in Irish) is a natural phenomena situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It consists of over 40 thousand mostly hexagonal basalt columns, the result of an ancient vulcano eruption. Because of its surreal appearance the site was an inspiration for numerous myths and legends.

I do collect Unesco cards sent from their country of origin - so I will be looking for a UK card too :) Sadly the lovely stamps have been cancelled by pen, something that i've already heard of when it comes to Ireland...but luckily i have these on other postcards too! xD

Many thanks to hootnoodle!

Castillo Moro, Gibraltar

And now... a wonderful RAS that kept a grin on my face for a whole day (and then some) :D My 1st written & stamped postcard from Gibraltar, and the stamp? Europa 2011 showing Croatian Plitvice Lakes! The only thing that is missing is cancellation, something which is not surprising for a British overseas territorry  :/ Thank you so much Fabienne, this surprise is beyond words! :)))

The postcard shows the Moorish Castle (and its most prominent feature The Tower Of Homage), a medieval fortification in Gibraltar unique to the Iberian peninsula because it was built by the Marinid Dynasty of Morocco.

Turkey - Uzungöl Village And Lake

Before I tagged this card I had no idea there are such sights in Turkey (or anywhere else for that matter heh). Such an amazing setting, it almost looks like the houses and the mosque will slowly slide down the waterfalls.

I am curious at why people adhere stamps like this, of course they'll get damaged on the way...this may very well have been a person in the post office, they are more or less indifferent to such things..! Thank you Iven :)

Snorkeling In Palau

Pat has made postcrossers happy when hosting a Palau group in vacation RR - and I was one of them, yay! And I've received this gorgeous view; who wouldn't want to be this snorkeler on the photo?! (well ok I have to admit I have a certain fear of the sea...the depths and things there...it is more of an awe :))

Lovely GORGEOUS stamps! <3 Thanks so much Pat :)))

Japan - Makoto Muramatsu Cat Illustration

Another cat illustration for today, this time a cutie from Japan :) I have just checked a collection by Muramatsu online and oh aren't they adorable, I totally wouldn't mind receiving another one of these!

Thanks so much Rie for introducing them to me :)

UNESCO - Historic Centre Of Macao

My 2nd w&s postcard from Macao is a Unesco card, I am thrilled! The Historic Centre Of Macao comprises over twenty locations that witness the unique co-existance of Chinese and Portuguese cultures. Macau was a Portuguese Colony, and is both the 1st and last European colony in China.

This postcard shows the Senado Square (Senate Square), which is now a place for festivals, exhibitions and street performances; the historic centre's main road Avenida De Almeida Ribeiro passes through it.

Many thanks to Mono :)))

UNESCO - Eggenberg Castle, Graz, Austria

A great surprise from Andrea for CaC RR, new Unesco site from Austria - Vielen Dank! Needless to say I love the Europa stamp too :)

The Eggenberg Castle was added to the Unesco list in 2010 as an expansion to the listing of Graz Historic Old Town. The construction of the castle began in the late Middle Ages and continued throughout the early Modern Era. It exhibits the importance and might of The House Of Eggenberg, once a powerful noble family of the Styria state. The castle reached its height in Baroque splendour in the 17th century - and the surrounding gardens are just amazing!

Moose, USA

A handsome moose, thank you Bryon :))

'The moose is solitary in summer, but several may gather near streams and lakes to feed on willows and aquatic vegetation. It is a good swimmer and when tormented by mosquitos and black flies, will submerge to roll itself in a wallow to acquire a protective coating of mud.'

Map Card - South Black Forest, Germany

For CaC RR, this nice map of what seems to be a beautiful area in southern Germany.
Thank you Gerald :)

Kitties On A Roof

When I chose this card for a swap I thought 'what a cute illustration, love it!', but when I received it I couldnt properly enjoy having it because it was obvious its a self-made card. If I knew that beforehand...well I am not sure if I'd have swapped, perhaps even so but at least I'd have an idea what to expect. So when I realise its someone else's card glued on a piece of carton...sorry but I am not indifferent to that! Esp (as it usually happens with this kind of 'postcard') when its not glued propperly so you either have it falling apart or - like in this case - bubbly parts where the adhering didn't happen. All in all, its a shame. I really do like this cute couple :)

Bob Marley Singing

Another 1st today, a Bob Marley card - thank you Mary :)

I cannot call myself a Bob Marley fan but I do enjoy some of his songs and I do respect his impact on modern music. His early death at the age of 36 was surely a great loss; i was moved when reading a eulogy to him by the Jamaican Prime Minister:

'Bob Marley was never seen. He was an experience which left an indelible imprint with each encounter. Such a man cannot be erased from the mind. He is part of the collective consciousness of the nation.'

There is one song of his that gives me goose bumps as soon as I hear the intro...

'Could you be loved and be loved?

 Could you be loved and be loved?

 Don't let them fool ya,
 Or even try to school ya! Oh, no!
 We've got a mind of our own,
 So go to hell if what you're thinking is not right!
 Love would never leave us alone,
 A-yin the darkness there must come out to light. '

(this is uncanny, as soon as I finished writing the post Bob starts singing on the radio..!)

Friends, TV Series

My very first postcards with Friends, thank you Kym :)))

Friends must be one of the most recognisable TV shows in the world. It was different, funny, a perfect getaway from daily troubles :) Every time you hear the names Rachel, Ross, Monica, Joey, Phoebe, and especially Chandler, you cannot but think about the show and its characters. For 10 years we were wondering if Rachel and Ross will end up together forever...Just recently I've watched all the episodes AGAIN and the crazy thing is, I could start watching them again now and I'd still enjoy it!!

Thank you David Crane & Marta Kauffman for giving us this show for eternity :)))

UNESCO - Ogasawara Islands, Japan

Ogasawara Guntō or Bonin Islands are an archipelago of over 30 tropical and subtropical islands some 1000 km directly south of Tokyo. They are often called The Galapagos Of The Orient because of the unique animal and plant species which went through their own evolutionary process, as these islands never were connected with the continent. The only inhabited island cluster is Chichi-jima, with a population of 2440. The endemic animal species of the islands is a Bonin Flying Fox or Bonin Fruit Bat, critically endangered because of the loss of its habitat.

I love the stamps, esp the one with the big waves - on closer inspection it sez 'Expo '75', wow! I wish here in Croatia we could use such old stamps...but even those issued from 1992-99 are not to be used because they have a different Croatian Post Logo :S Thank you Megumi! :))

Another fantastic (greeeen!) view; whats more witch matching stamps from 1968 and 1973, and a lovely olives stamp that I couldnt trace...

Blue-Tongued Lizard, USA

This one is just amazing isn't it?! I had this card in my favs for ages and pretty much gave up hope I'll ever receive it, and then John surprised me for the CaC RR xD Thank you so much, its brilliant!

Blue-tongued lizards (or skinks) are native to the Australian Continent and a few Indonesian islands. This photo shows the Tiliqua Scincoides species, which can be up to 60cm long and can live to be 30 - and is also quite popular as a pet! I'd love to have a lizard pet one day...as long as my cats will allow me xD

Red Panda, China

Though sharing a name with the more commonly recognised Panda, the two species are actually not members of the same family - while Panda belongs to family Ursidae (bears), this cute creature is a sole extanct example of its family Ailuridae; and to have a better idea of it, in superfamily Musteloidea (whose other 'representatives' are weasels and raccoons).

The Red Panda is endemic to the temperate forests of the Himalayas and are specialised as bamboo feeders; as a solitary animal that is sedentary (a new word for me! meaning 'mainly inactive') during the day it is like my soulmate in the animal kingdom :D :D

Big 'Thank You' goes to cream, who also used a lovely pheasant stamp :)

UNESCO - Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, India

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly known as Victoria Terminus) is a historic railway station and also headquarters of the Central Railways in Mumbai, built in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The name was changed in 1996 to commemorate the great Maratha king.

In recent history the station was widely seen on the big screen, in 2008 hit Slumdog Millionaire. Sadly, in the same year we could see it on the small screen as well, in the news about bomb attacks killing 58 and injuring 108 people...

Thank you Nagi for another swap and new stamps from India :)))

Donkeys - Collecting Turf From The Bog, Ireland

I rarely favourite postcards and then ask the person for a swap, but this time i simply HAD TO because its such a PERFECT card, and it arrived with an awesome Titanic stamp and visible cancellation (not a common thing for Ireland..!). I am so happy Monika agreed to swap - thanks so much! xD

A note on the author - its a photo postcard by John Hinde, who set new standards in colour photography in the 1950's-60's, and became an epitome of the coloured vintage look on postcards. I think any postcard collector has to have at least one of his cards in his collection ;) i have quite a few!

Everything Yellow

I quite enjoy these cards that show all the things that share one colour - well this is my 1st such card, and I have become quite a fan of yellow lately (and bright colours in general) :) These are from a postcard book and as such hopefully more available. Thank you Britta, its a card that brightens up a mailbox! xD