Costa Brava Market Scene

(Successful) private swaps through the official Postcrossing sites have become such a rarity for me...but every now and then there is a swapper that brightens up your day - thank you Dolores :)

Dancers From Cameroon

I was stoked when Marianne contacted me to swap for cards from Cameroon - so far I only had one postcard from there. Colourful dancers and stamps really made my day! Thank you Marianne :))

Oscar Wilde Quotes

And before my weekend break, some quirky wisdom from Wilde. Thank you Fabio :)

Guajiquiro, Honduras

A rural scene sent by amigo querido Cesar, gracias :) Guajiquiro is a municipality in the Honduran department of La Paz, situated in the hills of the same name in western Honduras. The community that forms this municipality is of the Lenca ethnic group, who still cherish their traditions such as clothing, crafts and embroidery, but have over time replaced their Lenca language with Spanish. The area also constitutes a protected natural reserve.

I am showing the whole back of the postcards because I love the correo stamp (as the rest ):)

Green Tree Python

Now I boldly named this post Green Tree Python even though its a guess..! A little bit of research and perhaps I am right...if anyone knows otherwise please let me know :) Another great surprise from Bryon and his trip to Florida, thank you!

City Of Münster, Germany

Münster is an independent city and a cultural centre of the Westphalia region, northwestern Germany. Its origins go back to the 8th century when a church and a cloister were built on the right bank of the Aa river; by the Middle Ages the city became an important member of the Hanseatic League. Today it is thriving with students from all over Germany and the world.

These are more recent cards I've received, and you know how? I won a lottery, and yes for both cards! On top of that, amazing mini-sheets were used as postage. Many thanks go to Frank :)

Lviv Cat

Its funny to recall that a 'long time ago' I was discussing with Ana the existance of 'Postcrossing fairies' i.e. people who repeatedly surprise us with cards...and now Ana has become one for me, always finding a place in (traveling) mailboxes for cards with my address on them...in this case I really didn't know what to stare at more, the front or the back! Hvala bossita :))

Mount Jackson And Mount Fusilade, Ansel Adams

Mount Jackson and Mount Fusilade, Glacier National Park, Montana, 1942.

Ansel Adams is perhaps one of the most familiar names in photography; born in San Francisco, he was a landscape photographer known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advocating 'pure' photography which favoured sharp focus and the use of the full tonal range of a photograph.

This card was sent to me in a tag as a WHS card but I am more focused on it as a photograph...As today I awoke suddenly from a slumber and realised I need a new camera. I have pretty much ignored photography ever since I left the cruise ship - not sure if it was because of my job there, but...I guess it would be quite a coincidence otherwise. I can still practice on my old Canon 350D/Rebel XT but recently I have taken a fancy to more compact mirrorless cameras. Here's hoping!

The Whole World Can...

It's probably something naughty that is supposed to finish this sentence heh, but this donkey seems sooo pleased, it's quite a nice place he lives at from the look of it; this Austrian donkey arrived from Berlin via official postcrossing, so he's traveled a bit too. But is here to stay!

Rocher Perce, Gaspe, Canada

I was going through my scans thinking what to post next...there is much left to do. On the other hand, I've hardly swapped during this hiatus so there won't be many new scans to add. When I saw this one I remembered someone in the Facebook Postcrossing group recently asking if anyone could help him get an actual postmark on a postcard from Canada rather than the machine cancel. I think this is not my only Canadian 'proper' cancellation but it sure is nice to see! Many are not cancelled at all...and that is yet still better than the infamous 'pencilling'.

I quite like this official card too, its nicely atmospheric, thank you Carmen :)

UNESCO - Meteora, Greece

In a region of almost inaccessible sandstone peaks, monks settled on these 'columns in the sky' from the 11th century onwards. Twenty four of these monasteries were built, despite incredible difficulties, at the time of the great revival of the eremetic ideal in the 15th century. Their 16th-century frescoes mark  a key stage in the development of post-Byzantine painting.

Magical view isn't it? Its also what Antonio says, despite visiting the place in gloomy weather - or sometimes its exactly what adds to the mystical appeal. I've noticed I mostly posted donkeys and cats of Greece lately ('lately' being a loose term in this case haha), here is finally a view card :D Thank you Antonio:)

UNESCO - Kluane National Park And Reserve, Canada

Kluane National Park and Reserve is part of one of those 'complicated' whs sites, namely Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek which beside Kluane comprises three other national parks, which again as a whole boast an impressive complex of glaciers and high peaks on both sides of the border between Canada (Yukon Territory and British Columbia) and the United States (Alaska). The spectacular natural landscapes are home to many grizzly bears, caribou and Dall's sheep. The site contains the largest non-polar icefield in the world.

The first postcard shows Mount Logan, standing at 5595 metres, which makes it the highest mountain in Canada and 2nd highest in North America. On the second are the aforementioned Dall Sheep, also known as thinhorn sheep, native to northwestern North America. As always a great swap with Jason, thank you :)

UNESCO - City Of Cuzco, Peru

The City of Cuzco is a unique testimony of the ancient Inca civilization. Situated in the Peruvian Andes, Cuzco developed, under the Inca ruler Pachacutec, into a complex urban centre with distinct religious and administrative functions. It was surrounded by clearly delineated areas for agricultural, artisan and industrial production. When the Spaniards conquered it in the 16th century, they preserved the basic structure but built Baroque churches and palaces over the ruins of the Inca city. 

This postcard shows the Cuzco's main square Plaza de Armas. It has been nine long years since I've visited this place...I believe I should have explored it more. At the time I wasn't sending many postcards from my travels (and in the meantime I went manic haha) but have Andres to thank for this card, plus an awesome set of stamps showing ancient jewellery :)

Who Could Ask For Anything More?

The only Caribbean place missing (I Think) in my postcard collection is the Dominica, and my friend did work on a cruiser which docked in Dominica on a few occassions, but sadly couldn't find any postcards to send...my 2nd wish was a view card from Curacao as I didn't have any by that point - isn't it inviting? Just as a Caribbean view should be I suppose lol, thanks Matt :)

Btw I wasn't aware but upon glancing at this sticker stamp that NAf (Netherlands Antillean Guilder) is still being used in parts of the Dutch Caribbean.

Kantarellsmörgås

Another official yum card comes from Sweden from Jessica, and after some internet search I learn that Kantarellsmörgås is a Chantarelle sandwich, Chantarelle being a mushroom type. I am a big mushroom fan, so yea this is yum :)

Yum

For my 1600th post and first after a 3-1/2-months hiatus, here is something sweet (and it's coffee & chocolate time here), which arrived during my last official postcrossing activity in the spring, thanks to Peter :)

Key Lime Pie

This months I was printing cake recipes like crazy - with some dodgy notion that I'll try them all in my life time lol. Last time I was home I tried out three new muffin recipes, yum. Key Lime Pie is def on my list as one of the classics. Thanks Bryon!

Pusheen

If you are a regular on social media you'll know this cutie :) Pusheen, a domestic shorthair, was born in 2010 and started her life as a comic strip on the 'Everyday Cute' web-site; then she transitioned to Facebook, and the rest is history.

Thanks Rachel!

UNESCO - Fanjingshan, China

Located within the Wuling mountain range in Guizhou Province in southwest China, Fanjingshan ranges in altitude between 500 - 2570 metres above sea level, favouring highly diverse types of vegetation and relief. It is an island of metamorphic rock in a sea of karst, home to many plant and animal species that originated in the Tertiary period.

Also Fanjingshan is considered a sacred mountain of Chinese Buddhism, ranking just behind The Four Sacred Mountains. During the Ming Dynasty 48 Buddhist temples were built on the mountain, many of which have since been destroyed; the ones that remain are now significant pilgrimage sites. This postcard shows the New Golden Summit, or the Red Clouds Golden Summit.

Again thanks to Tianyi :)

UNESCO - Mount Sanqingshan National Park, China

Mount Sanqingshan National Park, located in the west of the Huyaiyu mountain range in the northeast of Jiangxi Province, has been inscribed for its exceptional scenic quality, marked by the concentration of fantastically shaped pillars and peaks, many of which resemble human or animal silhouettes.

Which could this one be, perhaps an eagle sitting on a branch..? 

Thank you Tyanyi :)

Jbeil / Byblos, Lebanon

The coastal town of Byblos is located on a cliff of sandstone 40 km north of Beirut. Continuously inhabited since Neolithic times, it bears outstanding witness to the beginnings of the Phoenician civilization. This postcard shows the harbour ruins.

I started this post thinking it was UNESCO, but I have researched some maps and couldn't find this, or a more specific name for it. However, I am still thrilled to receive a postcard from Lebanon, my 2nd overall and 1st through a swap, thanks to Hadi :)

UNESCO - Royal Exhibition Building In Melbourne, Australia

The Royal Exhibition Building and its surrounding Carlton Gardens were designed by Joseph Reed for the great international exhibitions of 1880 and 1888 in Melbourne. The building combines elements from the Byzantine, Romanesque, Lombardic and Italian Renaissance styles. This site is a surviving manifestation of the international exhibition movement which blossomed in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries.

I cannot believe that I lived in Melbourne for three months and didn't visit this place, how frustrating. Moreover I was there in 2004, the year it was designated a whs site. All this prompted me to think of all the places I've visited in Australia and make a list - and then onwards to all the other places visited. Its a great task! I figured it would be a good list to use in future swaps, to get postcards of all the places I travelled to so far.

UNESCO - Purnululu National Park, Australia

Purnululu National Park is located in the state of Western Australia, containing the deeply dissected Bungle Bungle Range, composed of Devonian-age quartz sandstone eroded over a period of 20 million years into a series of beehive-shaped towers or cones, whose steeply sloping surfaces are disctinctly marked by regular horizontal bands of dark-grey cyanobacterial crust. The spectacularly incised landscape of these sculpted rocks rises 250 meters above the surrounding semi-arid savannah grasslands.

Amazing view, thanks to Helen :)