Turkey, Czech Republic , Netherlands and Portugal Cards

I have just four cards to show today. The first is from Turkey. It shows Mevlana Museum and was built in the 13th century. It houses the tomb of Mevlana Rumi (1207-1273) , the great Persian poet and philosopher. The card is from fellow postcard blogger and collector Leslie. The card and the stamp on the far right were issued by the Turkish post Office in 2007 to celebrate Rumi's 800th anniversary of birth. The stamp is 1 of 4 in a very nice souvenir sheet. The middle stamp is also 1 of 4 in a 2007 multi sheet featuring farm animals. The final stamp on the left is also from 2007 and 1 of a set of 8 featuring provincial capitals , in this case Tunceli. Thanks Leslie for a great card and great stamps.

Now a card from the Czech Republic. It shows a drawing of a church in Letohrad. This is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. With about 6200 people, it lies beneath Orlice Mountain , on the river Ticha Orlice. The card is from a Postcrosser named Monika who lives 15 km from Letohrad. Monika used a most wonderful stamp from a 2009 souvenir sheet of 5 different stamps featuring owls, insects, animals, butterflies, birds, frogs, mushrooms and castles. It is just an outstanding souvenir sheet and one I would love to add to my collections. Anyone got a spare copy ? I don't usually beg like this but it is just a great issue. They also issued a similar souvenir sheet in 2008, also a great one.

Today's third card is from Arnhem, Netherlands. It shows a city view from a river. Arnhem is a city in eastern Netherlands. With about 146,000 residents it is one of the largest cities in the Netherlands. The card is from another Postcrosser who used a wonderful selection of stamps , 5 in all. Most are from 2008 .It's always good to see stamps from the Netherlands , which are not the common priority stamps.

Our final card is from Portugal, but shows Salamanca , a city in western Spain. It shows a cathedral above the Puente Romano ( Roman Bridge). This is a 400 meter, 2000 year old bridge across the Tormes River. Paula, another Postcrosser sent this along . She has a covers blog called Covers of the World. One of the two stamps that Paula used shows a windmill from a 2007 set of four on an Azores, Portugal stamp.

That's all for postcards, this week and month. As today is the last of the month, a short report can't go wrong. During January, I received a total of 27 postcards, of which 16 were through Postcrossing. I mailed out 25 cards during the month, 20 of which went to Postcrossers. I received one new country card during January. That is about average for a month.

Attention regular readers. This is the last posting for a week . I am going out of the country ( a little vacation) and and will try to mail a few cards ,while away. Where am I going, you may ask ? That would be telling, but let's just say, there will be no snow to shovel. I will be back in Canada on Tues, February 9th. Take care all.

Sri Lanka, Russia and Germany

Hello again. I have three cards for today. The first one is from Sri Lanka. It says on the front - A Smile Like No Other * Sri Lanka - That sums this card up . It is from Ravindra, a recent reader of this blog. Ravindra is a blogger, with 3 blogs on the go. I will just mention 2 of them- www.lighthousesonstamps.blogspot.com and www.lighthousesonpostcards.blogspot.com . I would say lighthouses are important to him. Three nice stamps were used , all from 2008. The top 2 are from a set of 6 featuring historic artifacts. The larger stamp on the bottom is from a set of 5, this one featuring a middle age gold coin and its mould.

The next card is from Russia. It is from a Postcrosser living in Astrakhan. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it falls into the Caspian Sea. The card shows John the Forerunner"s Monastery. The stamps are definitives from 2008 featuring moose and bears.

My final card for today falls into a sort of special card. It is from a Postcrosser and was sent from Germany. The front of the card shows a scene in Nuremberg. What makes it special is that it is from a Postcrossing meeting held in Bamberg, Germany on Jan 16th. It is signed by 13 Postcrossers who attended the Bamberg meetup. I don't normally show the back of postcards, but for this one I make an exception.

That's all for today. More tomorrow.

A Nice Bunch Of Postcards

Good day. Well I have been a bit lax in updating the blog, hopefully I haven't lost any regular readers because of it. No good excuses , just busy with life. I have a nice group of cards to show today. The mail keeps coming even if I am busy.
First is a card from The Gambia. It's entitled - Waiting by the Gambia River-. And it's just what the lady on the card is doing. Kasey sent this card along . She is a US PCV and has a blog called I Bless The Rains Down In Africa. Thanks Kasey for this card. The stamps are from a butterfly definitive set that I wrote about some time ago.

Now for two more cards from Africa, Burundi this time. The first card shows a couple of large birds, I believe to be Guinea Fowl. The second card shows a group of local Burundi people milling about. Both cards have the same stamp, a 2009 bird stamp , showing the African Palm, a type of vulture I believe. Paul sent these cards and he is a MCC representative in Burundi. He and his wife have a blog called - Paul and Rebecca Mosley In Burundi. Thanks Paul and Rebecca . Keep up the good work you are doing.

The next card comes to us from Switzerland. It shows the Falensee , a beautiful lake located near the Bollenwees Inn, in the Alpstein range. The card is from a Postcrosser named Alexie. A number of really nice stamps were used. They include, left to right, from 1987, 1 of a set of 4 celebrating 200 years of tourism, from 2001 a stamp featuring a souvenir snow globe and from 1970 a view of Piz Palu Mountain. These are great stamps , that until now, were not in my collection. Thanks Alexie.

Now for a special postcard from Cornelius , Oregon, USA. It is a limited edition card, number 308 of 500. They were made for The Art of the Postcard Exhibition by the Postmaster and Post Office of Cornelius. The exhibit is made up entirely of postcards sent to the post office. It was held January 11, 2010. Anyone who sent a postcard , received one of the special postcards in return. The front of the card shows a drawing of the town's post office, a church, the town's welcome sign as well as another building in the town. I have also shown the reverse of the card which has a special cancellation on the stamp.

Finally , a card from Macao, China. Macao was once a former Portuguese colony and is now a throbbing metropolis. The card shows the Ruins of St. Paul's. The Ruins of St. Paul's refers to the facade of what was originally the Cathedral of St. Paul's, a 17th century Portuguese cathedral in Macao dedicated to saint Paul the Apostle. In 2005 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site , Centre of Macao. The card is from Myron, who was living in Macao for a period but who has since returned to The Philippines. He has a stamped cover blog called Filatelia Filipinas at www.sangdoocha.blogspot.com . Myron used a 2008 stamp from a set of 8 featuring the architecture of churches, temples, mosques and synagogues. The other stamp is from 2001 , a set of 4 featuring elements of the Internet, computers and IT. Thanks Myron.

That is my update for today. hope you enjoy seeing these postcards and stamps. If so , let me know, and if not , also let me know. I enjoy your comments .

Netherlands, Paris and The Gambia

Over the last day or two I have received cards from The Netherlands, Paris and The Gambia. So this is what my update for today will consist of. The first two cards , both from The Netherlands , were sent by Postcrossers. The cards are really nothing special , one showing tulips and the other stylized poplar bears. What makes them really great for me are the stamps that were used. Most of my earlier cards from The Netherlands have only the usual priority stamp, as shown in the right corner of the first card. So it is wonderful to receive stamps totally different.

My next card is from Paris , France. It shows some tower, sorry , the Eiffel Tower. I'm sure I don't need to write anything about La Tour Eiffel . The card is from my brother and his wife, who spent New Year's Eve in Paris and at the Eiffel Tower. They were visiting from Newfoundland , Canada. Thanks Paul and Monnie. They used a Marianne definitive from a set of 5 issued in 2009.

Today's final card is from The Gambia. It shows a huge 5000 year old stone circle at Wassu. Many think they are part of an ancient grave site. The card is from Ian, a US PCV located there. He used a number of definitive butterfly stamps. Thanks Ian.

My 1 St GemsWorldPostcards Worst and Ugliest Postcards Contest has ended. The winner of both the worst postcard and the ugliest postcard is Leslie D from Ankara , Turkey. The winning ugly postcard is this card of Trianon Park in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Leslie says the card shows us that Sao Paulo is a huge drab city that looks like all other huge drab cities. She thinks cards should inspire us to visit and this one certainly does not. Her winning worst card is this Mexico card. And why is this the worst card, we wonder. Leslie says it was false advertising. The card was actually from Epcot Center in Florida.Very deceptive and disappointing. Those are the contest winners and the reasons. As the winner of each , she will receive a total of 10 mint, unwritten postcards from a list of countries that I will supply to her. Congratulations Leslie.

Unfortunately, the 1st annual contest is now the 1st and last annual contest, as interest in it was absolutely zero with the exception of Leslie's 2 two entries. Thanks Leslie, at least you like a little fun, like me. Oh well, maybe I'll try postcard trivia next time.

As always, comments please.

Another New Country - Burundi

Well, I ended off 2009 with a new country in my collection, Chad. Now I am starting off 2010 with another new country - Burundi and it is number 232. Burundi is a small landlocked country in Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its capital is Bujumbura and the country's population is around 8,800,000. Burundi is one of the ten poorest countries in the world. The card shows a lady in Burundi carrying a large basket of cotton. The card was sent by Isai and Samantha of The Cries of a Child. They used a beautiful bird stamp from a 2008 set of 5 featuring flora and fauna. The stamp on my card shows a Heron. Thanks Isai and Samantha for this wonderful addition to my collection.

Now a card from Cologne, Germany. It is Germany's fourth largest city lines on the Rhine River.
The card shows a panorama from the Rhine. At left center you can see Great St. Martin Church and at right center, is Cologne Cathedral. The card is from my brother Paul and his wife Monnie, who visited their daughter in Germany during Christmas and New Year's. Lucky guys, they spent New Year's Eve in The City of Lights. Thanks Monnie and Paul.

Today's final card is from New York, USA. It shows the skyline of Lower Manhattan. It is from a Postcrosser who used the 2006 airmail rate stamp of Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina .

Just to keep things on track , a postcard report for Dec 2009 follows. I received 27 postcards during the month , 21 of which were from Postcrossers. I mailed a total of 27 cards and 23 went to Postcrossers. I added postcards from 2 new countries to my collection.
For the year 2009 it goes like this. I received a total of 432 postcards this past year , bringing the total since March 2006 to 1197. I posted 350 cards during 2009 for a total of 874 since March 2006.
I added cards from 24 new countries during 2009.

All in all, quite a good year, I think.

One more thing. Last evening I happened upon a postcard blog called PostMuse . You can find it at http://postmuse.blogspot.com . Bonnie, who runs this blog has numerous blank postcards . If you find one or a couple in her list that has some connection to yourself, you can request them from Bonnie. She will send them to you and then you add some comments on the back, add a stamp and send them back to her, through the mail. She calls it the Orphaned Postcard Project. Sounds like fun to me. I have requested four cards.

That's all for today except Merry Christmas to Ana.

Don't forget , I welcome your comments, actually I use them as a barometer of the interest in my blog.

Happy New Year 2010

I guess it's about time to get back to the blog and postcards. But, first I want to wish all my readers, postcard and cover bloggers, and fellow postcard collectors all the best for 2010. Happy New Year one and all. There hasn't been much in the way of mail here in Canada for a week or so. We didn't have mail service on Dec 25, 26, 27 or 28th. I didn't receive any postcards on the 29th, but two arrived on the 30th. Then , yesterday, to end the year I received five, including one from a new country in my collection. That was a great way to end 2009. More about the new country later.

Actually , let's do it now. Chad, how's that for a new country in my collection. Country number 231. Another card , another country from Africa is just great. What do I know about Chad ? Not a heck of a lot. Chad is a landlocked country in central Africa. It shares borders with Libya, Sudan Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger. Of those countries, the only one missing from my collection is Central African Republic. Chad has a population of approximately 11,206,000 persons and has its capital at N'Djamena. The country is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the whole world. The card shows an area of natural rock formations in the Ennedi region in the north east. The card is from Celeste, a journalist based in the capital. Celeste used 2 stamps , one from 2004 and one from 2005. The 2005 stamp on the left shows an ancient skull, while the 2004 stamp on the right is 1 of a set of 4 issued for the prevention of aids. Thank you Celeste.

The next card is quite interesting. It is from Australia and appears to be homemade. It is a picture showing new growth in the bush , taken at about 2 months after brush fires. The sender , a Postcrosser , used a 2009 Christmas Island , Australia Christmas stamp.

My next card is from The Netherlands. Again sent by a Postcrosser it shows Hunebed D6 of Tynaarlo located in the province of Drenthe. Of 54 dolmens in The Netherlands, 52 are located in Drenthe. Desiree used 4 different stamps, 3 of which are semi-postals. These stamps are certainly a bonus, as most all stamps that I receive from The Netherlands are the regular priority stamps. Thanks Desiree, these stamps are just great.

My next card is from Utah, USA. This card shows Dead Horse Point State Park. Located near Moab, Utah the overlook at Dead Horse Point is 6000 feet above sea level. The erosion below the lookout has taken about 150 million years. Marie another Postcrosser sent this card along. She used 2 new Abe Lincoln stamps from a set 4 issued in 2009. It's great to see new issue commemoratives from the U.S. I don't get that many of them. Thanks Marie.

Now for a card from Germany, Hamburg in fact. The card shows a bridge and the card sender says that Hamburg has more bridges than any other city in the world. More than 2300 bridges in fact.

Finally, a postcard from China. The card is rather plain, but what redeems it to me is the stamp . The stamp is huge, it covers the whole front of the card. It was issued in 1993 and features sculpture art from a cave temple. An outstanding stamp and great addition to my collection.

So that's the first update for 2010. Hopefully there will be many more.