Friday, February 27, 2009

Postcards From The End of The World

The End of The World. Where exactly is that? I guess it all depends on who you talk to. For today's update it is Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina. Ushuaia is the southern most city in the world. Now, you can't really discuss this without mentioning Punta Arenas, Chile and Puerto Williams, Chile. Punta Arenas is the southern most city on the South American continent and Puerto Williams is the southern most town in the world. At least this is how I interpret it all.

I received three postcards from Ushuaia, all compliments of the MIL810 Ushuaia Hotel. The greeting on all three reads "Greetings from the end of the world".Ushuaia lies on the shores of the Beagle Canal.It is situated at 3,00 kilometers south of Buenos Aires and has a population of 44,000. Ushuaia, which in Yamana tongue means "receding bay" , developed from a military and re offenders prison created in 1884, which provided enough labour force for the construction of bridges, streets and buildings. The prison was permanently closed in 1947 and has become a relevant site of tourist interest thanks to the majestic scenery that surrounds it and its special geographical location. Have a look at all three cards.The stamp used on all 3 cards is the same, but I wasn't able to locate any information about it.

Now for a couple of cards that aren't from The End of The World. How about Germany and Ukraine. First let's do Germany. The card is from a Postcrosser named Gabi. It shows a number of Trabants in some strange positions. The Trabant was a car produced in the former East Germany. They were East Germany's most common vehicle. The car's main selling points were that it had room for four adults and luggage, and was compact, light and durable. Production started in 1958 and continued until 1991 , during which more than 3,000,000 were produced. The cars shown on the card , partially buried , are in some kind of park as a monument for the Trabant.Gagi used a couple of stamps on the card including, on the right , a 2009 issue honouring a wonderful German actor, Heinz Erhardt, 1909-1979.The stamp on the left , I have shown and written about , a number of times before.

The last card today is from Ukraine. It is also from a Postcrosser. It shows the interior of a church from the village of Zelene. It is actually part of an open air museum, located just outside the city of Kiev, where they have collected authentic houses, churches and various household items from every region of Ukraine.The stamp, a definitive was issued in 2006.

Now, with the postcards from Ushuaia and a card from Alert, Canada, which I received a month or so ago, I have the top and bottom of the world covered.

On a final note , congratulations to Postcrossing and all Postcrossers on exchanging 2 million postcards . It happened on Thursday the 26th. The 2 millionth card went from Germany to Norway.

That's all for today. cheers!

No comments: