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 :)