Even further back in time I moderated an RR, and of course there was an animal theme group :) And it was the first time I swapped with Lila, now in reverse my moderator in one of the few RRs I participate in. The postcard says 'Camels in Dhofar', and when I looked it up it turned out that Dhofar is a governorate in Oman! But the card is nevertheless printed in the UAE. I melted upon seeing the stamp, gorgeous :)) Thank you Lila!
Mea Shearim ("hundred gates") is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, populated mainly by Haredi Jews - the most conservative in Orthodox Judaism. Life there revolves around strict adherence to Jewish law, prayer, and the study of Jewish texts. At every entrance to Mea Shearim there are posters in Hebrew and English asking all women and girls to wear what is deemed to be modest dress, and during the Shabbat visitors should refrain from smoking, photography, driving or use of mobile phones.
Back in the days when I was more into tags, on one of the rare occasions I was able to tag in 'favourites tag', I was tagged by Debora who sent me this great card with absolutely wonderful stamps, and yay there is a cancellation too! Most of my postcards from there don't have them...many many thanks! :))
City, nature and tradition all combine here to represent the beautiful country of Switzerland, the land of cheese (enough reason to love it!), watches, Red Cross and Roger Federer. It's a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. Both the flag and coat of arms are red surface with white cross. Many more interesting facts but perhaps I can share them while posting other Swiss cards, hopefully soon :) Thanks so much Ulrike!
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in Italy about 9 kilometres east of Naples. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years - the last major eruption happening in 1944 when it destroyed the villages of San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, Massa di Somma and Ottaviano. Its most famous eruption is surely the one from 79 AD, one of the most cathastrophic ones of all time - when the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were obliterated by the pyroclastic flows.
I remember being so envious of my sister (well i still am actually..!) when she talked of walking the rim of the mighty crater. One day, yes, one day...:)
Always great to receive a postcard from a PC-meeting and see some familiar names on there (though it makes you wish you could have been there); this time it was held in Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk, England. Many thanks to Raquel and everyone who signed (for vacation RR) :)
The Longmen Grottoes are one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art, housing tens of thousands of statues of Buddha and his disciples . They are situated some 12 kilometres south of present day Luòyáng in Hénán province, central east China.
And once that I've seen their view from a distance, I was extra amazed and have to post it here! (source: wikipedia)
I was also curious about stamps, and found out that the 1st one shows the Palace Museum (the Forbidden City) and the 2nd the rock paintings (hunting scene) in Helan Mountains - an isolated desert mountain range forming the border of Inner Mongolia's Alxa League and Ningxia (northern China).
Thank you very much Lillian! :))
I love all things French, and here are some examples! The cool grandpa on his morning stroll to get the fresh baguettes and newspapers, and the game of pétanque - a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet ('piglet'). Boules are also a popular game in Dalmatia, my dad is a fan and a local master ;)
Sent by dear sis while on an educational tour of southern France in 2007 :)
And now something really cute for good night! One of my favourite cat cards, as this fella looks soooo cuddly...! The photo is supposed to make him look drunk but to me it seems he's just in the cuddling mood and really loves the table heh. I say - cats and wine, excellent combo :)))
Someone reminded me recently about this 2FA-BE thing, something you write on the back in place of a stamp and the postcard actually arrives. I was using that a lot for a period of time when I just started collecting postcards and was a poor student - until my brother-in-law had to pay a fee for my postcard sent to him, oops :/ and now when I look at all those cards they look sad without stamps...I am not inspired to use it again :)
After Sint Maarten, here is the French part of the island, or rather the Collectivity of Saint Martin. :) Marigot is the capital and the largest city with 5700 inhabitants. I was really happy to receive these cards, but the little part of me was like 'argh, why not real stamps hihi, but don't get me wrong, still very happy!!
Belize is a country on the eastern coast of Central America; it is the only country in the area where English is the official language (although Kriol and Spanish are more commonly spoken). It gained independance from the United Kingdom in 1981.
The symbols are as follows: national bird is Keel Billed Toucan, national flower is Black Orchid, the national animal Baird's Tapir (endangered and protected by law) and the national tree the Mahogany Tree - the latter was heavily exploited by British settlers in past centuries. It is now featured on the national emblem/coat of arms.
My oh my...I thought I've blogged pretty much all the received countries, but decided to have a look anyway...if compared correctly, there are 20 still missing! For some i'd swear i remember posting them, some went thru my hands this weekend and it seemed ridiculous that I'd not post them..haha well guess again, woman! It will be a feat to track them all down but I'll give my best. Of course :))
Another new country which I found tucked away among my many holiday cards : ) We were in Liechtenstein in autumn 2007, as part of a road trip with the emphasis on ROAD, as it was done on the spur of the moment and we had three days to do Ljubljana-Austrian Alps-Liechtenstein-Northern Italy-Ljubljana loop. I am the type that enjoys being on the road as much as arriving to a (new) destination :))
Considering the minimum amount of time we spent there I am thrilled to have found nice postcards and stamps to send! Another card is also tucked away somewhere...lately I have trouble making sense of my postcard piles..!
A while back I was reprimanded by Rajko that I dont have any postcards of Montenegro on my blog - well here, I dug into my postcard boxes and found the first card he ever sent me, a gorgeous view of a fortress near Lake Skadar!
It is believed that Žabljak Crnojevića fortress was founded in the tenth century during the reign of the Vojislavljević dynasty in then-known Dioclea, whereas the first known written testimony of the fortress originate from mid-fifteenth century. The almighty Turks seized the town during the siege of Shkodra in 1478, and held it until 1878 and the decision of the Berlin Congress.
Also still wishing for a view card from this tiny and unique island in the Pacific Ocean; but this one is close to my heart, because its pleading for help for the critically endangered Maui Dolphins, who only inhabit a small western coastal area of New Zealand's North Island, and the newest estimate is that only 55 of them exist in the wild. The main cause of the decline is gill net fishing, and there is a set net ban in force but only for a small area.
Thank you emphemera, and for the beautiful related stamps!!
Another old-new country, the gorgeous Jamaica - I am still hoping for a view card! But the Coat of Arms is really great, showing the native peoples of Jamaica the Arawak Indians and the motto Out of Many, One People. There were many changes and versions, the last one was adopted in 1962. I think it really cool with a crocodile is on the crest :)
I received both cards for the recipe RR, hence the second card - many thanks to lightchick, whom i haven't seen around in a long while (she seems to be 'hiding' in the 'sending other items' subforum :))
I've brought some more older postcards from home to add to the variety, and among them are a few countries that I still havent displayed here. Crazily enough, Malta is among them! As I was travelling there in march I have quite a few postcards, which I thought I've blogged about, but there you go..! Whats more, my sister was also visiting Malta 6 years ago and sent me quite a few cards, and here is one of them: it encompases all things maltese, i.e. lacemaking, religion and yes cats :)) And the cancellation! The cards I sent this spring were mostly without cancellations, boo :(
Altogether I love this card and is one of my maltese favourites :)))
All the cuties in one place...and just how adorable is the baby tasmanian devil?!?! Australia has a great network for saving the animal orphans. Also, I enjoy seeing the (big fat) cancellation as they are quite rare on Aussie postcards xD
Recieving the stamps of HP Mostar inspired me to track down and post this beautiful b&w view of the Old Bridge of Mostar, which is one of the two unesco sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I have received it more than two years ago from Eldin on behalf of Ana - so thank you both :)
The historic town of Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country. It was named after the bridge keepers ( mostari ) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks.
It is also a symbol of the Bosnian war in the early 90's, which also casts a dark shadow over my country. Very sad and so superfluous, when everything could have been dealt with much more care and humanity. It is enough to say that the Old Bridge stood proudly for 427 years until it was destroyed on November 9, 1993. In 1998 Unesco established an international committee of experts to oversee the design and reconstruction work; it was decided to build a bridge as similar as possible to the original, using the same technology and materials. The reconstructed bridge was inaugurated on 23 July 2004.
It is traditional for the young men of the town to leap from the bridge into the Neretva. In 1968 a formal diving competition was inaugurated and held every summer. Here is video so you dont have to imagine ;)
The Emperor's Mosque (Careva Džamija) was built in 1457, and as such is the first mosque to be built after the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia. Considered one of the most beautiful mosques of the Ottoman period in the Balkans, the mosque features a roomy interior and high quality decorative details. Most of its splendour is owed to Suleyman the Lawgiver, one of the most renowned Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, who rebuilt it in 1565 after a great devastation.
Sarajevo - unique symbol of universal multiculture - continual open city is on the Unesco tentative list for 15 years now, and to be frank I am greatly surprised its not already on the main Unesco list! Its such a magnificant city with rich and turbulent history.
Whats also magnificant about this postcard are the stamps used - issued by Hrvatska Pošta Mostar, one of three companies responsible for postal service in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These two are from the set of four issued in 2006 representing native birds, in this case the Great Crested Grebe and the Hoopoe. Gorgeous creatures! And special thanks to Goge :)))
