Lou Paper Coffee Postcard

Tagged for in the Especially Special Tag, I was happy that my first received Lou Paper postcard is coffee-themed; and what made it even more special, the donkey and lizard stamps..! I wouldn't want to start collecting these as there are simply too many of them out there, but as I've said I like having one example of every postcard series. As I progress ever so slowly, there are probably three new series to my every received example card lol. I haven't found anything in my mailbox for weeks...that said, I've read somewhere that our postmen tend to have annual leave about this time, and there's noone to replace them...prices going up, but still a lack of work force because paying decent wages seems to be the scariest thing for the mighty capitalists. Oh well. This is a great postcard, so let's focus on that - thank you so much Adrienne :))

Vacances à Saint-Tropez

July has knocked on the door and let itself in - the peak tourist season is almost here..! Now wouldn't it be nice to chill in St Tropez, if only for a day...Love the matching theme stamps 💛 Merci beaucoup Laurene!

Cat Art By Hiroko Matsumoto

I can't get over just how cute this postcard i.e. art piece is 😻 Received thanks to the forum and offer tag - and Xia :)

Life Is Beautiful...

...is what I try to remind myself while I am facing a busy working summer..! Merci beaucoup Karine for this joyful card :) As always, I am jumping at a chance to tag for a postcard from France. Progressing really slowly with learning French on Duolingo...losing lives like strands of hair. One fine day I would love to watch all those excellent French movies without subtitles. That's the life goal! 

Maiko Girls In Kyoto In December

I have titled the postcard as written on the back, though I am curious if this view in any way specifically denotes December. I'd love to know what the tiles represent! There were times when I more actively collected Maiko postcards, now I don't spend that much time in the official forum...where quite a few swappers from Japan offer great cards such as this one. Many thanks to Yuka :)

Blue Pond, Japan

The Blue Pond, or Aoiike (青い池) is a small, artificial pond located outside the hot spring town, Shirogane Onsen in Biei, Hokkaido.  The pond’s name comes from the deep blue colour caused by the interplay of sunlight and natural minerals dissolved in the water. 

Thanks to Mika, and offers tag :)

Namtso Lake, China

Another stunning view from China - Namtso or Lake Nam is a mountain lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, approximately 112 kilometres NNW of Lhasa. It  lies at an elevation of 4,718 m and has a surface area of 1,920 square km (but is still far from being the highest lake).

There are five uninhabited islands of reasonable size - they have been used for spiritual retreat by pilgrims who walk over the lake's frozen surface at the end of winter, carrying their food with them. They spend the summer there, unable to return to shore again until the water freezes the following winter. This practice is no longer permitted by Chinese authorities.

Many thanks to Shu, I got this via a tag on the forum, and now i'm thinking its been ages since i participated in tags...well 'ages' can be a relative term; for someone sending postcards every week, months is a long time..!

Matsumoto Castle, Japan

Also known as the 'Crow Castle' due to its black exterior, Matsumoto-jō is situated in the Nagano Prefecture, and was the seat of the Matsumoto domain of the Edo period (from the 16th century). In 1872 it was sold at auction for redevelopment but the residents from Matsumoto started a campaign to save the building. It underwent "the great Meiji renovation" between 1903-1913.

What a lovely setting! Thank you usapon ;)

 

Marilyn And The Press

Beautiful Marilyn's smile as she poses for the press...She was really something wasn't she?

The stamp is not only round but awesomly big - issued in 2000 celebrating Lithuanian medals at the Sydney Olympics, with the flag colours in the background. Its the kind of stamp that makes you go 'wow' when you turn the back of a postcard :) Thanks so much Ingrida!

Panda On The Move

Oh I just looove this cutie - you usually see pandas in a very leisurely mood, this one is on the move and I like the look of surroundings, you'd think its in the wild. Thank you Huiyi :)

Mucha - Champagne Ruinart

Its been a while...since my last Mucha post. The champagne posters are among my favourites, as is the Sarah Bernhardt series from the stamp :) I have received this a while ago by lucky tagging, and thanks to surenka :)

UNESCO - The Great Wall Of China

Its somewhat amazing that I havent posted about the Great Wall so far, eh? :) As I am sure I have other views, but this one captures the most I think - the setting, the vastness and the ingenuity of this unique structure. 

As the official Unesco site sez: ''The Great Wall was continuously built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD on the northern border of the country as the great military defence project of successive Chinese Empires, with a total length of more than 20,000 kilometers. The Great Wall begins in the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province to the west. Its main body consists of walls, horse tracks, watch towers, and shelters on the wall, and includes fortresses and passes along the Wall.''

And these are only a few of the hundreds of interesting facts. One thing is for sure - it has to be seen and experienced :)

UNESCO - Mountain Railways of India

Originally it was only  the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway that was inscribed as an Unesco site (1999), but in 2005  the Nilgiri Mountain Railway was added as an extension. The 'Nilagiri Passenger' train (photo) covers a distance of 41.8 km and travels through 208 curves, 16 tunnels and 250 bridges from Mettupalayam to Ooty station.

Thank you Nagi for offering this card in the Unesco tag, and using a variety of stamps -  I esp like the one with Devika Rani, the star of the early Indian movies :))

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 :)

Vivien Leigh, Russia

Vivien Leigh (1913-67) was an English actress, best known for her portrayal of Scarlett O'Hara, the heroine of the famous movie epic Gone With The Wind (1939). For that and the performance in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) she won the Academy Awards.

Whenever I look up information about the actors i end up following links for ages and finding out new things - today i learned Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine were sisters, and Laurence Olivier was born in Dorking! I exclaim the latter cos i was there once during my au-pairing, a tiny place :)

Thanks to Vladisa and offers tag :)

Green Dragon, Ukraine

Series 'Fantasy' - Fishing

I like the colours on this one, and kind of an emotional moment between the magical creatures - if that makes sense heh. My knowledge of Russian cyrrilics is still too poor to make out the author's name (Oksana Zavgoridiy? I'm getting there!)

Thanks to mindanao and the offers tag :) nice stamps!

Hot Streams In Tengchong, China

As i saw this photo in the offers tag i just couldnt help wondering what its about - and i had to have it :)

Tengchong County (Yunnan province, SW China) is well-known for its volcanic activity; there are over 80 steaming fountain hot streams and boiling fountains. Also, there is an abundance of plantlife - esp the blossoms of the rhododendrons, some of which are rare species.

I like the sound of this place, a lot to discover for a keen traveller!

Thank you mottstreet :)

NI Multiples - Breakfast / Cheese

Breakfast

Sheep Cheese

I feel so lucky when i can tag a NI card! These are often offered as a special trade, and more often than not i have nothing to offer in return :(  Which is why i dont intend to actively collect these cards, sadly. For now i am happy to get an occasional card which represents something that i really like - in this case a fancy breakfast and yes CHEESE. :)))

When i finally get to travel to France i think i'll suffocate in cheese and wine :D

Thank you Greets for offering;

And thank you Sanne/Blue79 for tagging favourites :)

Movie Posters

La Dolce Vita is a 1960 comedy-drama filmed by Federico Fellini. It is one of those movies that i've longed to see for ages now - i even had it downloaded, but am waiting for the opportunity to just relax and immerse into it, which i should be able to do during winter holidays :)

Interesting fact: the word paparazzi, used to describe intrusive photographers, has its origin here; the photographer in the movie who is 2nd to the main character is called Paparazzo. Sounds like something that could pop up in a quiz show ;)

Stand Up And Cheer is a 1934 American musical directed by Hamilton MacFadden. Although it stars the Oscar-Award-Winner Warner Baxter it is mostly referred to as a Shirley Temple movie, whose role was minor but she was a huge start at the time. I must admit, I havent heard of this movie before AND I've never seen a Shirley Temple movie, ttt!

Thank you Becker for the offers tag;

and Elaine/ezbub for the gorgeous Year Of The Rabbit stamp <3

Tian Tan Buddha, Hong Kong

Tian Tan Buddha is also known as The Big Buddha; the statue was completed in 1993 and located at Ngong Ping (near the Po Lin Monastery), Lantau Island in Hong Kong. It symbolises the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. Standing 34 meters tall, its the 2nd largest sitting Buddha statues in the world  (it doesnt come close to the 1st on the list - The Great Buddha Of Thailand is staggering 92m high..!)

As Manyee/memymanyee wrote on the card: some people say, since this Buddha was built there are fewer typhons in Hong Kong. May that good vibe continue! :))