Esik Lake, Kazakhstan

Esik is a town in Almaty Region of Kazakhstan, the administrative center of Enbekshikazakh District. It is located on the Issyk River, at the foot of the Tian Shan, 53 km east of Almaty and 112 km over the mountains from Issyk Kul Lake. 

It was founded by Cossacks in 1858 as stanitsa Nadezhdinskaya. The Issyk kurgan of the famous "Golden Man" is nearby.

A cataphract-style parade armour from gold scales of Sakas' King found in Issyk in Kazakhstan in 1970

The nearby Issyk Lake (not to be confused with the much greater Issyk Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan) is mostly famous for the way it was created (as a result of an ancient natural landslide damming a valley), destroyed (another natural landslide destroying that dam in 1963, with a subsequent damage to the city of Esik as well), and re-created (with human help).

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Lana for this beautiful card of a hot air balloon 

in Kazakhstan!

Sent: 3 September 2014   Received: 13 October 2014   Travelled: 40 days

Catania, Sicily

Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the Province of Catania, and is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.

Catania is known for its seismic history, having been destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169, another in 1693, and several volcanic eruptions from the neighboring Mount Etna volcano, the most violent of which was in 1669.

Catania has had a long and eventful history, having been founded in the 8th century BC.In 1434 it witnessed the opening of the first university in Sicily. Then in the 14th century and into the Renaissance, Catania was one of Italy's most important and flourishing cultural, artistic, and political centers.

Thanks to Lana for this beautiful postcard from her recent trip to Italy. 

Sent: 1 October 2014   Received: 14 October 2014   Travelled: 13 days