Monet, Khiva, Waterfalls, Books, Tauranga, Fountain and Pobediteley Avenue

I guess the words in today's title don't really mean a lot, but I hope after reading this update, most will be explained. My cards for this time come from Russia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Belgium, New Zealand, Belarus.

 *****************************************************************************
First up is this card from Russia. I 'm hoping that the scan shows the picture clear enough to see. It is a picture of Claude Monet's painting Waterloo Bridge ( Effect of Fog ), painted in 1903.    




Zhanna sent this card and used a wonderful new stamp issued for the upcoming 2014 Olympics in Sochi. The 25 rubles stamp has a QR Code and is the first stamp with a QR Code in the history of Russia and the Olympic Movement.



*********************************************************************************
Next up the card from Uzbekistan, Khiva in fact. The city of about 50,000  Khiva dates back to the 10th century, and maybe even the 6th century. Khiva is split into two parts, the Outer Town called Dichan Kala and the Inner Town called Itchan Kala. The later was the first site in Uzbekistan to be inscribed onto the World Heritage list in 1991.  David's card shows a great panorama view of Khiva.

David used a new 2012 commemorative, 1 of 4 in a set of Art of Uzbekistan.






*******************************************************************************

Today's third card arrived as a complete surprise from Sri Lanka. It is from a fellow collector, Dr. Mikram .

He collects mint and used stamps, FDC, and postcards. Since this is my first contact with Dr. Mikram, I can only assume that he came across this blog and decided to drop a postcard in the mail to me. His card shows a number of waterfalls in the country, Diyaluma Falls, St. Clair Falls and Rawana Falls.  

Dr. Mikram used a large 2010 stamp from a set of 3. It was issued to highlight Geography and Meteorology and showed fantastic beaches of Sri Lanka.  




*******************************************************************************

Books, rows of books are shown on this next card. This is a section of books in the Library of St. Peter's Abbey , Schwarzwald in Baden-Wurttemburg, Germany.

Hildegard from Flanders  sent this card and used a number of really nice stamps. The stamp on the far left was issued in 2010 and is 1 of a set of 5 Postal Transport stamps. The 5 make a wonderful set and would be a great addition to my collection. The 3 bird stamps were issued as follows : left- 2007, middle -2011 and right- 2007.
********************************************************************************
Lynda sent the New Zealand card. On it she wrote, "Kia Ora or Hello from Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud. Her card is of Tauranga, a busy port on North Island in New Zealand., with a population of just over 115,700.






The stamps Lynda used date from 2007 to 2012. The 2 stamps on the left are both definitives, issued 2009 and 2007 respectfully. The All Blacks stamp was issued this year and commemoratives the rugby team. The stamp on far right is from a set of 6 commemorating Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. 
*********************************************************************************
The final two cards for this time are from Belarus. My first one is of the Eros With a Swan Fountain in the capital city of Minsk. It is the first fountain located in Minsk and dates from 1874.

Elena and Alex used a number of stamps. The left stamp is a self adhesive definitive from a set of 12. The middle Bird stamp was issued in 2011. The Europa stamp on the right , also issued in 2011 is 1 of 2 in a Forests set.


********************************************************************************
Here's the last card. Another view of Minsk, showing Pobediteley Avenue.

This card arrived with a beautiful souvenir sheet of 2 stamps. It was issued in 2010 marking the 65th anniversary of the End of World War II.A wonderful souvenir sheet.






*******************************************************************************

That concludes this update. Some fine cards and great stamps. Thanks to Zhanna, David, Dr. Mikram, Hildegard, Lynda, and Elena & Alex. This blog would be nothing without people like you.
Take care , thanks for reading and as always, your comments are welcomed.