Philippine Freshwater Sea Snake

Also called Garman's sea snake or Lake snake (Hydrophis semperi), its a rare species of venomous sea snake found only in a single lake - Lake Taal - on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is noted for being one of two known species of sea snake (and the only one in its family) that is known to be found almost-exclusively in freshwater (the other one is Crocker's sea snake native to the Solomon Islands). Locally it is known as duhol.

At first you wonder where the head is! When I swapped for this card I still had no idea how unique this snake is. Many thanks to Isabel! 

Bohemian Waxwing

The Bohemian waxwing is...a bird i never heard of before! Looking up a Croatian name, never heard of that one either. Beautiful creature...It has a circumpolar distribution, breeding in northern regions of Eurasia and North America. Its breeding habitat is coniferous forests, usually near water. This waxwing is migratory with much of the breeding range abandoned as the birds move south for the winter. Alas this 'south' just about misses my country...which is a shame, because they can be very tame in winter, entering towns and gardens in search of food (rowan berries being a particular favourite, again not native here so that explains them not wanting to fly here!)

Cats On Chain Postcards

Chain postcards are a great way of giving 'life' to blank postcards you keep at home because you just love them too much to swap them :D These are two latest examples, thanks to Leon who organises chain postcard groups on facebook..:))

Many thanks also to Ana of Portugal and Thealren of Ireland, and Karina of France and Ewa of Poland. Esp. love all the flowers on the 2nd postcard :))

I'm Popeye the Quaker Man!

One of the cartoon characters that we fondly remember from our childhood...Won this postcard in a lottery because I remembered his darling's name is Olive Oyl. Love it! With his enthusiasm I leave for my days off :)

Thank you Judy!

 

Vietnamese Old Woman

I have received this wonderful card via lottery. What is the feeling you get when looking at this face? I see hard work, wisdom and calm. For some reason a word 'miserable' was typed on the back, but this is not the apt word, or at least it shouldn't be! Only kind words should supplement this photo. Thank you Ta Tan Dat :)

Ladakh Woman

A different postcard from India...from the very north where Ladakh ('land of high passes') extends from the Kuen Lun mountain range to the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir and its culture and history are closely related to that of Tibet. 

A woman spinning wool, thanks a lot Piyali :)

Year Of The Monkey

The Monkey (猴) is the ninth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Monkey is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 申.

This will probably be the only YOTM card for me but its a great one isnt it? Complete with a mini-sheet. Thank you Midori Lee :)

 

UNESCO - San Antonio Missions, USA

The site encompasses a group of five frontier mission complexes situated along a stretch of the San Antonio River basin in southern Texas, as well as a ranch located 37 kilometres to the south. It includes architectural and archaeological structures, farmlands, residencies, churches and granaries, as well as water distribution systems. The complexes were built by Franciscan missionaries in the 18^th century and illustrate the Spanish Crown’s efforts to colonize, evangelize and defend the northern frontier of New Spain. 

Thanks goes to Arnold, also for the great stamps :)

UNESCO - Archaeological Site Of Carthage, Tunisia

Carthage was founded by Phoenicians in the 9th century BC on the Gulf of Tunis. From the 6th century onwards, it developed into a great trading empire covering much of the Mediterranean and was home to a brilliant civilization. The ancient city was destroyed by the Roman Republic in the Third Punic War in 146 BC then re-developed as Roman Carthage, which became the major city of the Roman Empire in Africa.

Great to have this card in the collection, thanks to Hadhemi :)

 

Greek Island Cat

Oh I love this card...Cute kittie in a beautiful surroundings. Still gotta visit Greece! Thanks so much Stella :)

Good incentive to pack one's bags ;)

San Sebastián, Spain

San Sebastián or Donostia is a coastal city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, 20 km from the French border. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Spain, and hosts the San Sebastián International Film Festival  every september. Along with Wrocław its the European Capital of Culture in 2016.

E Ana Ana, španjolska dušo :D Puno hvala na ovakvom pogledu i posebnoj markici! 

Painting Of Mount Qingcheng, China

One of the nicer cards I've received through the official Postcrossing last month...Its a lovely painting of Mount Qingcheng, which only today I realised is a part of an UNESCO site. As it is not a real photo I won't include it in my collection but is nevertheless a thought by the sender to be appreciated, thank you Xiao Shui.

Rock Of Cashel, Ireland

According to local mythology, the Rock of Cashel originated in the Devil's Bit, a mountain 30 km north of Cashel,  when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave, resulting in the Rock's landing in Cashel. It is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century. (Gotta love all those legends with the devil ;))

The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. In 1101, the King of Munster, Muirchertach Ua Briain, donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church. In the grounds around the buildings is an extensive graveyard including a number of high crosses.

Beautiful, thank you Delyana!
(I think I must have swapped for this card around Halloween ;))
 

Otočec Castle, Slovenia

Otočec Castle is situated on a small island in the middle of the Krka River in Slovenia, first mentioned in documents in the 13th century. The islet is linked to both banks of the river by bridges and the castle has now been converted into a small hotel. Its a popular venue for weddings and a music festival. I can imagine!

Thank you Kristijan :)

Get Packed And...

I have no idea what make this car this but isn't it cute? I'd appreciate any hints...that front longitudal line looks very familiar for some reason. In any case its a romantic notion to ride around my country in it, though it must be an older model---its just small enough and of the right colour :) Spasibo Elena :)

Edit: as Ramón kindly informed me (gracias!), this is one of the ZAZ Zaporozhets,  rear-wheel-drive superminis designed and built from 1958 at the ZAZ factory in Soviet Ukraine - different models of the Zaporozhets, all of which had an air-cooled engine in the rear, were produced until 1994.
The name Zaporozhets translates into a Cossack of the Zaporizhian Sich or а man from Zaporizhia.
 

La Mouche Advertisement

An Art Nouveau poster, whats not to like..?! La Mouche is a car produced by a French company Teste et Moret at the penultimate turn of the century. Only about 300 of these were made (in the 1898-1903 period) and seven are still known to exist. 

I often wonder how exciting the life was in those golden times of inventions...

Love this, and the stamp too, thank you Inez!

Chain Postcard - Oswaldo Guayasamín's 'Tenderness'

When in Ecuador I mostly encountered the works of Eduardo Kingman, or so I thought...because I was sure this was his work too. Now I discover the name of Oswaldo Guayasamín, who is something of a national hero. This is one of his final works from the set called 'Tenderness' and that word surely describes it well..!

Many thanks to Leon, Genek and Ana for completing this chain postcard :))

UNESCO - Kasbah Of Algiers, Algeria

The Kasbah of Algiers is an outstanding example of a historic Maghreb city having had extensive influence on town-planning in the western part of the Mediterranean and sub-Saharan Africa. In this living environment where nearly 50,000 people reside, very interesting traditional houses, palaces, hammams, mosques and various souks are still conserved, the urban form of which bears witness to an effect of stratification of several styles in a complex and original system that has adapted remarkably well to a very hilly and uneven site.

Many thanks to Tayeb, for this wonderful card :)

 

UNESCO - Site Of Xanadu, China

North of the Great Wall, the Site of Xanadu encompasses the remains of Kublai Khan’s legendary capital city, designed by the Mongol ruler’s Chinese advisor Liu Bingzhdong in 1256. Over a surface area of 25,000 ha, the site was a unique attempt to assimilate the nomadic Mongolian and Han Chinese cultures. From this base, Kublai Khan established the Yuan dynasty that ruled China over a century, extending its boundaries across Asia. As the place where Kublai Khan rose to power, hosted religious debates and entertained foreign travellers whose writings gave inspiration down the centuries, it has achieved legendary status in the rest of the world and is the place from where Tibetan Buddhism expanded.

The Site of Xanadu was abandoned in 1430. The large archaeological site now generally covered by grassland preserves the overall urban plan and city site of Xanadu as built and used in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Many thanks to Zihu for this card. I was curious to see what this place would have looked like in its days of glory, but oddly enough I couldn't find anything...

Patagonian Fox, Argentina

I have one this cute fox postcard in a lottery, how lucky :) Many thanks to Ana for organizing it.

The South American gray fox (Lycalopex griseus), also known as the Patagonian fox, the chilla or the gray zorro, is a species of Lycalopex, the "false" foxes. It is endemic to the southern part of South America. It is actually a small canid, measuring 65 to 110 centimetres in length. It is a largely solitary animal that has long been hunted for its pelt.

Mainau Island, Germany

Mainau is an island in Lake Constance, on the south shore of the Überlinger See. It is called a Blumeninsel (Flower Island) because of its parks and gardens - the Italian Rose Garden is laid out geometrically with pergolas, sculptures, and fountains, and includes some 500 rose varieties; the Mediterranean terraces contain exotic pot plants, including palm trees, agaves, cacti, and bougainvillea; Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden, created the island's arboretum, which now contains 500 species of deciduous and coniferous trees, many exotic and valuable. There is also a Butterfly House, which can be visited all-year-round to enjoy the site of nearly 80 different species of butterflies.

My sister visited this island, I believe her family enjoyed it very much :)

Benkovac, Croatia

This postcard was sent on the 7th of April, the day I passed my driving exam...I spent three months driving in Benkovac, a small town in Dalmatia's interior which I never have visited before in my life. Now I know every street, and yes every traffic sign...Oh but I haven't gone up to the fortress, now I realise! Just didn't have the time with the given schedule.

The town is quite old, even before the Roman conquest the area was inhabited, by the Illyrian tribe of Liburnians. In 1409 King Ladislaus of Naples sold his rights of Dalmatia to the Republic of Venice and the Benkovac area became a border region. New fortresses around the border were built - Korlat, Kličevica, Polača, and behind them Benković i Perušić - this postcard is showing Benković, which the name may suggest :) These days the town is known for its monthly agricultural fair.

1984 Winter Olympics, BiH

Bjelašnica is a mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, found directly to the southwest of Sarajevo, which rises to an elevation of 2067 meters. It is a popular tourist attraction for hiking and skiing, and in 1984 was one of the locations for the Winter Olympics, hosting the men's alpine skiing events. The official mascot, evoking many memories and smiling from the corner of this postcard, was called Vučko - a variation of the local name for a wolf. Lovely stamps, among them a donkey :)) Hvala puno Merisa!