Roctoze, Poland

Roztocze (Ukrainian: Розточчя, Roztochia) is a range of hills in east-central Poland and western Ukraine which rises from the Lublin Upland and extends southeastward through Solska Wilderness and across the border into Ukrainian Podolia. Low and rolling, the range is approximately 180 km long and 14 km wide. Its highest peak within Poland is Wielki Dział at 390 meters, while in Ukraine it is Vysokyi Zamok (Lviv High Castle) at 409 m. In Poland Roztocze lies in the Lublin and Podkarpackie voivodships, while the portion in Ukraine extends all the way to the outskirts of Lviv and in 2011 it has become a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The Polish portion of the range makes up the Roztocze National Park.

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Magda for the beautiful view of  Roctoze.

Sent: 5 May 2016   Received: 23 May 2016   Travelled: 18 days

Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape

The Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape is a cultural-natural landscape complex of 283.09 square kilometres in the Lednice and Valtice areas of the South Moravian Region, near Břeclav in the Czech Republic.

The Lednice-Valtice Area is registered in the list of monuments protected as World Heritage Sites (WHS) by UNESCO. It is adjacent to the Pálava Landscape Protected Area (Pálava Biosphere Reserve), a WHS registered by UNESCO several years before. The close proximity of two cultural landscapes protected by UNESCO is unique.

The House of Liechtenstein acquired a castle in Lednice in 1249, which marked the beginning of their settlement in the area. It remained the principal Liechtenstein residence for 700 years, until 1939 and World War II.

The Dukes of Liechtenstein transformed their properties into one large and designed private park between the 17th and 20th centuries. During the 19th century, the Dukes continued transforming the area as a large traditional English landscape park. The Baroque and Gothic Revival style architecture of their chateaux are married with smaller buildings and a landscape that was fashioned according to the English principles of landscape architecture.

Source: Wikipedia

Was super surprise to receive this Unesco postcard in my mailbox, from Sura and Dennis, 

my wonderful postcard friends. I met Sura in Bratislava back in 2013 when I was 

travelling through Central and Eastern Europe. ery nice to hear that my friend Dennis from 

Australia also met the kind hospitality of Sura! You both sure look like you both sure look 

like you had a blast! To postcards connecting people and wonderful friendships :)

Received: 19 November 2015    Travelled: all summer o.o

Monserrate, Colombia

Monserrate (after Catalan homonym mountain Montserrat) is a mountain that dominates the city center of Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. It rises to 3,152 metres above the sea level, where there is a church (built in the 17th century) with a shrine, devoted to "El Señor Caído" (Fallen Lord).

The hill is a pilgrim destination, as well as a tourist attraction. In addition to the church, the summit contains restaurants, cafeteria, souvenir shops and many smaller tourist facilities. Monserrate can be accessed by aerial tramway, a funicular or by climbing, the preferred way of pilgrims.

All downtown Bogotá, south Bogotá and some sections of the north of the city are visible facing west, making it a popular destination for watching the sun set over the city.

The history of Monserrate can be considered to begin in the 1620 to 1630, where the Cofradia de la Vera Cruz (Brotherhood of Vera Cruz) began using the Monserrate's hill top, then known as the Snow hill top for religious celebration. As time passed, many devoted residents of Bogota began participating in the climb to the hill top, it wasn't until 1650 that four gentlemen met with the Archbishop as well as Juan de Borga the head of the Tribunal of Santafe in order to secure permission to build a small religious retreat on the mountain top. The founders of the retreat. The founders decided to establish the hermitage retreat in the name of Monserrat's Morena Virgin whose sanctuary was located in Catalonia, near Barcelona, giving the entire mountain the name Monserrate. Some people believe Montserrat was chosen to be the patron saint, due to one of the founders, Pedro Solis having an uncle whom had previously served as abbot in the Montserrat sanctuary.

Source: Wikipedia

Finally found some time to blog some of my cards that arrived this week.

So happy to have Colombia stamped and written arrive to my mailbox. 

My one other Colombian card was sent from Germany. I have visited the original

Monserrate and the Morena Virgin in Spain so it was interesting to receive a 

different Monserrate. Thank you very much Lando for this postcard from your

travels ^_^

Sent: 14 August   Received: 17 November 2015   Travelled: 95 days

Ghajin Tuffieha Bay, Malta

Għajn Tuffieħa forms part of the Manikata village in Malta which is part of the Mellieħa Local Council.

Close to Għajn Tuffieħa, three bays are located with popular beaches among tourists. The beach are separated by natural rock formations and therefore each have their own characteristics.

Għajn Tuffieħa Bay is a red beach a short distance south of Golden Bay. It is quieter than Golden Bay and often visited by the Maltese themselves, as well as tourist visitors. In order to reach this beach one needs to descend a hill on a staircase of 200 steps. On top of the cliffs west of Għajn Tuffieħa bay there is an old defense tower built in 1637. It is one of the seven towers built by Grand Master Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, of the Knights Hospitaller.

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Silvan for this beautiful bay view of Malta! ^_^

Left: 2009 Definitive issue Late Temple Period, set of 17

Right: 2015 National feasts of Malta, comes in a set of 3

Sent: 23 Oct   Received: 11 November 2015   Travelled: 19 days

Pushkar Fair

The Pushkar Fair (or locally Pushkar ka Mela is an annual five-day camel and livestock fair held in the town of Pushkar in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is one of the world's largest camel fairs. Apart from the buying and selling of livestock, it has become an important tourist attraction. Competitions such as the "matka phod", "longest moustache", and "bridal competition" are the main draws for this fair which attracts thousands of tourists. In recent years the fair has also included an exhibition cricket match between the local Pushkar club and a team of random foreign tourists. The Imperial Gazetteer of India mentions an attendance of 100,000 pilgrims in early 1900s.

Thousands of people go to the banks of the Pushkar Lake where the fair takes place. Men buy and sell their livestock, which includes camels, cows, sheep and goats. The women go to the stalls, full of bracelets, clothes, textiles and fabrics. A camel race starts off the festival, with music, songs and exhibitions to follow. Between these events, the most waited for is the test of how the camel is able to bring the items. In order to demonstrate, the men go up on the group of camels one after another.

It is celebrated for five days from the Kartik ekadashi to Kartik Poornima, the full moon day (the 15th) of Kartik (October–November) in Hindu calendar. The full moon day is the main day and the day, according to legend, when the Hindu god Brahma sprung up the Pushkar Lake, thus numerous people swim in its sacred waters.
Source: Wikipedia

Wow amazing colourful card from Neil. 

Another lovely decorated camel :D 

Sent: 23 Oct   Received: 4 November 2015   Travelled: 12 days

Owl look at you!

Thanks to Lando for this beautiful owl palindrome card!

Sent: 5-10-15   Received: 2-11-15

Travelled: 28 days

Gozo antiques dealer

Thanks to Silvan for this lovely streetview of an antique dealer!

Sent: 10 Oct    Received: 30 Oct 2015   Travelled: 20 days

Shanghai Expo 2010: Malaysia Pavillion

 The 2010 World Expo Shanghai is the largest Expo site ever, covering more than 5.2 square kilometers and containing more than 70 exposition pavilions. More than 190 countries and 50 international organizations registered to participate in the 2010 Shanghai Expo. After the six-month run, the Expo had attracted well over 70 million visitors. The Expo 2010 is also the most expensive fair in the history of World's Fair, with more than 45 billion US dollars invested from the Chinese Government.

The Malaysia Pavilion showcased rural building with Minangkabau's "Rumah Gadang" architecture. The roof design with a myriad of colours showcasing the Malaysian "Batik" design. The building comprised two streamlined high slopes with a cross on top, the symbol of Malaysian architecture. The facade of the pavilion was made from a combination of recyclable materials of palm oil and plastic. The design of the Malaysia Pavilion is derived from the unique architectural style of the Rumah Negeri Sembilan (Negeri Sembilan house), distinguished by their horn-shaped roofs too.
After the Expo, the pavilion was to be donated to the city of Wuxi in the People's Republic of China
Source: Wikipedia

Wow, this envelope comes from dear Wency who shared this awesome

Malaysia Pavillion card. I remember hearing about the Shanghai Expo,

it was such big news here but unfortunately I still have yet to set foot onto

China. Thanks for the wonderful mail and the lovely bookmarks!

Sent: 13 Oct   Received: 27 October 2015   Travelled: 14 days

Svolværgeita, Norway

Svolværgeita (Northern Sami: Spålla) is a 150-metre tall pinnacle at the southwest face of Fløyfjellet on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago. The 569-metre (1,867 ft) high Fløyfjellet is located on the edge of the town of Svolvær in the municipality of Vågan in Nordland county, Norway. The first recorded time a climber reached the summit of Svolværgeita was on 1 August 1910 by Ferdinand Schjelderup, Alf Bonnevie Bryn and Carl Wilhelm Rubenson.

The name Svolværgeita is from the first element, Svolvær, since it is located in that town. The last element is the finite form of geit which means "goat", since the mountain has two "horns". The two horns are called Storhorn and Lillehorn. By descending from Storhorn it is common to jump over a 1.5 metre wide gap and land safely on Lillehorn, while viewing the town cemetery 300 metre below.

Source: Wikipedia

Ohhh reading this ,yes indeed I see the two "horns" as mentioned.

Thanks to Marie for this amazing and one of the iconic images of Norway.

Sent: 12 Oct   Received: 27 Oct 2015   Travelled: 15 days

Fo Guang Shan

The Alms-round ceremony in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Fo Guang Shan

Fo Guang Shan ("Buddha's Light Mountain") is an international Chinese Buddhist new religious movement based in Taiwan. The headquarters of Fo Guang Shan, located in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. The organization itself is also one of the largest charity organizations in Taiwan. The order also calls itself the International Buddhist Progress Society.
Founded in 1967 by Hsing Yun, the order promotes Humanistic Buddhism. Hsing Yun's stated position within Fo Guang Shan is that it is an "amalgam of all Eight Schools of Chinese Buddhism" (八宗兼弘), including but not limited to Chan.
Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to my dear friend Rita who was recently in Taiwan for

this great Monks postcard for my collection!

Sent: 8 October 2015   Received: 22 October   Travelled: 14 days

Palindrome day card

Thanks to Rob for this special postal card sent on Palindrome date 5-10-2015

The old stamps and cancellation are super awesome! <3 <3 <3

Sent: 5-10-2015   Received: 20 October 2015   Travelled: 15 days

Diamantinasaurus

Diamantinasaurus is a extinct genus of lithostrotian titanosaurian sauropod from Australia that lived during the early Late Cretaceous, about 94 million years ago. The type species of the genus is D. matildae, first described and named in 2009 by Scott Hocknull and colleagues. Meaning "Diamantina reptile", the name is derived from the location of the nearby Diamantina River and the Greek word sauros, "reptile". 

The holotype of Diamantinasaurus was first uncovered over four seasons of excavations near Winton, Queensland, Australia. The bones, found alongside the holotype of Australovenator and crocodylomorphs and molluscs.

Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamantinasaurus

Thank you Dennis for this Dino card sent on 5-10-2015, Palindrome date!

Sent: 5 October 2015   Received: 19 October 2015   Travelled: 14 days

Malta's Ex Voto stamp

Malta: Traditions of old. Preparing the nets for the next catch.

A wonderful people card and a new stamp!

The stamp comes from the "Ex Voto" issue which shows a maritime theme.

"Ex Voto" comes from the Latin word ,meaning "from the vow made" which is used

in the Roman Catholic Church for offerings. There are many "Ex Voto" paintings

in Malta churches and sancturies. 

Thank you Silvan for the great stamp and card!

20 Sept 2015   Received: 9 Oct 2015   Travelled: 19 days

Taos Pueblo

Excerpt on back: The Taos-Towa Native America inhabitants of this pueblo

site live as their ancestors did nearly 1,000 years ago. The publoe houses 200,

and has no electricity or running water.

Another wonderful postcard from Chris. The cancel on this postcard is

the best one I've seen from the US. Love this interesting home card.

Sent: 25 Sept 2015   Received: 9 Oct 2015   Travelled: 14 days

Utah map

Excerpt: The name " Utah" comes from the Native American Ute tribe 

and means "people of the mountains." Utah peaks, on average, are the

tallest in the country. The average elevation of the tallest peaks in each of

Utah's counties is 11,222 feet, higher than the same average in any other

state.

Thanks to Chris for this map card from his travels :)

Sent 22 Sept 2015   Received: 9 Oct 2015   TravelledL 17 days

Happy dogs

Thanks to Wei Chi for this super cute card of dogs :)

Another great addition from Afu Lee's series.

Sent: 30 Sept 2015   Received: 9 Oct 2015   Travelled: 9 days

Louis Coulon

Louis Coulon and his beard of elevent feet, France , 1904

Photograph by Bonnot

Hahah,such a great card of a black cat inside a beard from Anaik.

Thanks so much!

Sent: 9 Sept 2015   Received: 7 Oct 2015   Travelled: 28 days

Greetings from Mexico

Previously I got a Chihuahua card from him (which never occured to me that it
is a native breed of Mexico) and on this card it mentions the Chihuahua haha
Stamps show Mercado 20 de noviembre (the Farmer's Market) and
the Joint Mexican-Indonesia issue (Clouded Leopard [Indonesia] and
Mexican Jaguar [Mexico]. I thought it was a tiger at first.
Thanks to Lando for this cool card!
Sent: 3 Sept 2015   Received: 30 Sept 2015   Travelled: 27 days

Dubrovnik, Croatia

The beginning of modern tourism is associated with the construction of the Hotel Imperial in Dubrovnik in 1897.[3] According to CNNGo, Dubrovnik is among the 10 best preserved medieval walled cities in the world. Although it was demilitarised in the 1970s to protect it from war, in 1991, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was besieged by the Serb and Montenegrin soldiers gathered in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling.

The most recent YA book I read was the Percy Jackson Heroes of Olympus series

where the protagonist came on a quest to Croatia, modern day Istria. I missed out

on visiting this place back in 2013. Another interesting bit about Dubrovnik was

the Game of Thrones series filmed within the walled city of Dubrovnik. Thank you Sura

for this great postcard from your summer holidays!

Sent: 14 August 2015   Received: 23 Sept 2015   Travelled: 40 days

Greetings from Taiwan

Hehehe a beautiful nightview of Jiufen ,this Greetings from Taiwan

comes from my dear friend WeiChih who did an awesome job

of writing on the vertical back!

Sent: 14 Sept 2015   Received: 22 Sept 2015   Travelled: 8 days