Cuba

Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some 870 km  south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana.
Historically Santiago de Cuba has long been the second most important city on the island after Havana, and still remains the second largest. It is on a bay connected to the Caribbean Sea and is an important sea port. In 2004 the city of Santiago de Cuba had a population of about 509,143 people.
Source: Wikipedia 

Big thanks to  Chris for this wonderful card of the Padre Pico steps!

Just realised this card was sent on Leap Day! yippee ^_^

Sent: 29 February 2016   Received: 20 May 2016   Travelled: 82 days

Cuba

Trinidad is a town in the province of Sancti Spíritus, central Cuba. Together with the nearby Valle de los Ingenios, it has been one of UNESCOs World Heritage sites since 1988.

Trinidad was founded on December 23, 1514by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar under the name Villa de la Santísima Trinidad.

Hernán Cortés recruited men for his expedition from Juan de Grijalva's home in Trinidad, and Sancti Spíritus, at the start of his 1518 expedition. This included Pedro de Alvarado and his five brothers. After ten days, Cortes sailed, the alcayde Francisco Verdugo failing to prevent Cortes from leaving, despite orders from Diego Velázquez.

Francisco Iznaga, a Basque landowner in the southern portion of Cuba during the first 30 years of the colonization of Cuba, was elected Mayor of Bayamo in 1540. Iznaga was the originator of a powerful lineage which finally settled in Trinidad where the Torre Iznaga (Iznaga Tower) is. His descendants fought for the independence of Cuba and for annexation to the U.S., from 1820 to 1900.

Trinidad is one of the best-preserved cities in the Caribbean from the time when the sugar trade was the main industry in the region.

Source: Wikipedia

Wow amazing UNESCO card from Chris who travelled here recently. 

Thank you so much!

Sent: 20 February 2016   Received: 19 April 2016   Travelled: 59 days

Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw

The Palace of Culture and Science is a notable high-rise building in Warsaw, Poland. It is seat of various companies, public institutions, such as cinemas, theaters, libraries, sports clubs, universities (including Collegium Civitas), scientific institutions and authorities of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Constructed in 1955, it was designed by Soviet architect Lev Rudnev in "Seven Sisters" style and was inspired by Polish historicism and American art deco high-rise buildings.

The Palace of Culture and Science is the tallest building in Poland, the seventh tallest building in the European Union and in a Top-20 in the Europe. It is 231 metres  tall, including the structural 43-metre high spire.

The building was originally known as the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science, but in the wake of destalinization the dedication to Stalin was revoked.Stalin's name was removed from the interior lobby and one of the building's sculptures.

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to Ivica from Serbia who sends this card with Chris from Warsaw!

All smiles :D

Sent:12 February 2016    Received: 23 February 2016   Travelled: 11 days

Polish roosters

and owls!!

another set of owl stamps ,thanks so much Chris I love owls ^_^

Sent: 26 January 2016  Received: 15 February 2016   Travelled: 20 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

Warsaw's historic centre

Warsaw's palaces, churches and mansions display a richness of color and architectural details. Buildings are representatives of nearly every European architectural style and historical period. The city has wonderful examples of architecture from the gothic, renaissance, baroque and neoclassical periods, all of which are located within easy walking distance of the town centre.

Gothic architecture is represented in the majestic churches but also at the burgher houses and fortifications. The most significant buildings are St. John's Cathedral (14th century), the temple is a typical example of the so-called Masovian gothic style, St. Mary's Church (1411), a town house of Burbach family (14th century),[49] Gunpowder Tower (after 1379) and the Royal Castle Curia Maior (1407–1410). The most notable examples of Renaissance architecture in the city are the house of Baryczko merchant family (1562), building called "The Negro" (early 17th century) and Salwator tenement (1632). The most interesting examples of mannerist architecture are the Royal Castle (1596–1619) and the Jesuit Church (1609–1626) at Old Town. Among the first structures of the early baroque the most important are St. Hyacinth's Church (1603–1639) and Sigismund's Column (1644).

Source: Wikipedia

Thanks to my dear friend Chris for this beautiful miniature stamp sheet and the 

view of Warsaw's Old Town. 

Sent: 26 June 2015   Received: 8 July 2015   Travelled: 12 days

Kiel,Germany

Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein

Kiel lies approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea, Kiel has become one of the major maritime centres of Germany. 

Kiel has also been one of the traditional homes of the German Navy's Baltic fleet, and continues to be a major high-tech shipbuilding centre. Located in Kiel is the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) at the University of Kiel. Kiel is an important sea transport hub, thanks to its location on the Kiel Fjord (Kieler Förde) and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal). A number of passenger ferries to Sweden, Norway, Russia, and other countries operate from here. Moreover, today Kiel harbour is an important port of call for cruise ships touring the Baltic Sea.

(Source:Wikipedia)

Thanks to Chris for another great card from Germany, this time

from Kiel,a new city for me and with lovely lighthouse stamps!

Sent: 11 July 2015   Received: 29 July 2015   Travelled: 18 days

Mainz

Top right to left: Christuskirche, Gutenbergdenkmal, Landtag,

Domplatz, St. Stephan.

The coat of arms of Mainz is derived from the coat of arms of the Archbishops of Mainz and features two six-spoked silver wheels connected by a silver cross on a red background.
Source: Wikipedia)

Thank you Chris for this pretty view of Mainz!

Sent: 11 July 2015   Received: 29 July 2015   Travelled: 18 days

Photographic Praga , Warsaw

A most beautiful envelope that arrived in my mailbox last month. 

The envelope came with a minituare sheet of Street Art stamp featuring

a young girl wearing traditional Folk costume painted by Natalia Rak.

In the envelope was a beautiful bird's eye view of Warsaw and a set of 10 

photographic postcards of Praga district in Warsaw by Anna Szwałkiewicz from 

this site http://napradze.waw.pl/

Amazing set of cards, showing the urban decay of this beautiful district which feels

very much like something I'd see in a National Geographic article. Thanks to Chris for

this amazing surprise!!

Sent: 25 April 2015   Received: 8 May 2015   Travelled: 13 days

Burundi

Burundi, is a landlocked country in the African Great Lakes region of Southeast Africa, bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. It is also sometimes considered part of Central Africa. Burundi's capital is Bujumbura. Although the country is landlocked, much of the southwestern border is adjacent to Lake Tanganyika.

Burundi is one of the five poorest countries in the world. It has one of the lowest per capita GDPs of any nation in the world. The country has suffered from warfare, corruption and poor access to education. Burundi is densely populated and has had substantial emigration as young people seek opportunities elsewhere. According to a 2012 DHL Global Connectedness Index, Burundi is the least globalized of 140 surveyed countries.

According to the Global Hunger Index of 2013, Burundi has an indicator ratio of 38.8, earning the nation the distinction of being the hungriest country in the world in terms of percentage.

Thank you Chris for my first postcard from this country and the beautiful stamps!

Sent: 26 February 2015   Received: 22 April 2015  Travelled: 55 days

Rwanda birds

The avifauna of Rwanda! Seems like a couple of bird postcards arrived to my mailbox

today. Thanks to Chris for this beautiful postcard of birds.

Sent: 26 February 2015   Received: 25 March 2015   Travelled: 27 days

Rwanda

The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla. There are two populations. One is found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within three National Parks: Mgahinga, in south-west Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The other is found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Some primatologists consider the Bwindi population in Uganda may be a separate subspecies,[3] though no description has been finished. As of November 2012, the estimated total number of mountain gorillas is around 880.

Thanks to a great friend Chris for this gem of a postcard from Rwanda

of the mountain gorilla. I'm in awe of this postcard!

Sent: 18 February 2015   Received: 6 March 2015   Travelled: 16 days

Lublin, Poland

 Lublin is not only the biggest city in eastern Poland, but also an important culture core city. Since accession of Poland into the EU, Lublin has been called the "Gate to the East". Since then, many important international events have taken place here, involving Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Russian and Belarussian artists, researchers and politicians. Lublin connects the West with the East. Even frescos at the Holy Trinity Chapel in Lublin are a mixture of Catholic motifs with eastern Russian-Byzantine styles.

Wow a beautiful cancellation from a new city to my Pole collection!

Thanks to Chris for the special cancellation! The postmark celebrates

the first day of the flight connection from Lublin to Frankfurt.

Sent: 3 July 2014   Received: 23 July 2014   Received: 20 days

Podgorica, Montenegro

 Podgorica is the capital and largest city of Montenegro. 

The name Podgorica means "under the Gorica" in Serbian language. Gorica (meaning "little hill" or hillock) is the name of the cypress-covered hill that overlooks the city centre. In contemporary history, the city was also known as Titograd from 1946 to 1992 during the existence of SFR Yugoslavia.

Wow what a card, a card with the name of the capital and a nice view of the city!

I never got the chance to visit this country when I was in the Balkans, I suppose that

calls for a return trip there and it'd be nice to revisit friends in Eastern and Central

Europe! Big thanks to Chris for my second stamped card from this little country.

Sent: 20 July 2014   Received: 29 August 2014   Travelled: 40 days

Mt Fuji's reflection

And lastly, a reflection card of Mt Fuji, the biggest surprise for me

as it assures me that people pay attention to the different and varied 

themes that I collect :D Thank you very much Chris and Rafal for this

great addition to my Reflection theme!

And the gorgeous stamps!! 

dziękuję!

Sent: 12 September 2014   Received: 23 September 2014   Travelled: 11 days

Map: Japan

Hahaha!

A really awesome map card sent by Chris and Raf who highlighted their

country and mine,Poland and Malaysia respectively, and the place they were 

travelling in. Someday , someday I'll visit Japan!

Love everything about this map card, the iconic Rising Sun flag superimposed

onto the map with the map of the world on the back and the awfully cute 

Hello Kitty stamps, SUPER!!

Sent: 16 September 2014   Received: 23 September 2014   Travelled: 7 days

Ginza, Tokyo

Tokyo: Fujiya is a Ginza landmark and pioneer in western-style confections.

Sent by Chris who was on a fantastic Japanese adventure!

Arigato!!

Sent: :o ??  Received: 23 September 2014   

Vienna International Centre

The United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV) is one of the four major UN office sites where several different UN agencies have a joint presence. The office complex is located in Vienna, the capital of Austria, and is part of the Vienna International Centre, a cluster of several major international organizations. The UNOV was established on 1 January 1980, and was the third such office established.

The stamps on the card show right:Festung Hohensalzburg and left; Belvedere castle.
Issued by : United Nations on 28 January 2008

Receiving this card of the UN office from Vienna was a complete surprise which necessitate me digging out my other UN card to show both of them. Thank you Chris for this amazing card of the UNOV. Two down and two more UN offices to collect :D

Sent: 17 July 2014   Received: 12 August 2014   Travelled: 26 days

Eshafan, Iran

 

Isfahan  is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 kilometres south of Tehran.is Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad.
Isfahan is located on the main north-south and east-west routes crossing Iran, and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It flourished from 1050 to 1722, particularly in the 16th century under the Safavid dynasty, when it became the capital of Persia for the second time in its history. Even today, the city retains much of its past glory. It is famous for its Islamic architecture, with many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, and minarets. This led to the Persian proverb "Esfahān nesf-e jahān ast" (Isfahan is half of the world).



Yay! My first postcard from Iran! (138th Country)

Thank you Chris and Rafal for the beautiful mosque dome from Eshafan

I'm sure you guys had an enjoyable trip in Iran!

(Chris' blog is also on my blogroll have a look!)

Received: 17 June 2014