Senglea, The Sphinx, Leh City and Sig the Troll

Here I am again, back on the blog. With all the preparations for Christmas, it is tough to find the time. But here we go, with four cards . They come from Malta, Egypt , India and The U.S.A.

Card # 1 is from Malta and shows a view from the sea of Senglea. This is a fortified city in the east of Malta. It is often called Civitas Invicta, because it managed to resist the Ottoman Invasion of 1565. The city is famous for the miraculous statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer, located in the Senglea Basilica. With an area of 0.2 square km and a present population of around 3500, it was at one time the most densely populated town in Europe. In the photo on the card, to the left, is the Church of St. Lawrence, formerly the Church of the Knights of Malta. This card and the next card are from my brother Dale , who has been touring Europe since mid November. Actually today , he is in Morocco. Dale used a 2008 commemorative , showing a door knocker, 1 of a set of 4.

Here is Dale's next card, sent from Egypt. It shows us the Great Sphinx and one of the three pyramids in Giza. Giza is the 3rd largest city in Egypt and on the west bank of the Nile River, 20 km southwest of Cairo. The Great Sphinx is the largest monolith statue in the world. It is thought to have been constructed between 2558 and 2532 BC. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the 3 pyramids in Giza. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Again, it is thought to have been constructed over a 20 year period ending around 2560 BC. Unfortunately I couldn't find any info about the stamps that Dale used. The larger one was issued in 2008 and pictures De Klerk. That's all I know.

Now a card from India and I don't get too many of these. The front of the card has a view of Leh City in winter. Located in Jammu and Kashmir state , Leh City is dominated by the ruined Royal Palace. Leh has a population of 27,000 plus and is at an altitude of 3524 meters. Again I didn't have any luck with the stamps.

My final card is from Minot , North Dakota. It shows Sig the Troll and let me say , he's one ugly dude. The card is published by the Scandinavian Heritage Assoc of Minot, N.D. The troll is a gift from Sigdal, Norway. Ria sent this card and she says that she operates a postcard blog called Ria's Postcard and Stamp Collecting. You can find her at http://rias-postcard-and-stamps.blogspot.com . Ria used a nice 2008 Wisdom stamp. Wisdom by Lee Lawrie is perhaps the most famous piece of art at Rockefeller Center.

That is today's update. Hope to be here again tomorrow. take care. Comments ?