Cards, Cards, and More Cards

Well it's Sunday as I write this and we're still in the midst of a snowy , blustery winter storm. Yesterday was horrible , gusty winds, blinding snow and white out conditions. Foolishly I ventured out to see my newest grandson and his family. Driving out was a little tricky but the return drive was a nightmare . The normally 12 minute drive took 55 minutes. We were in constant white outs, more often than not, on the wrong side of the road. It was a lesson learned. I know now I will be much more careful if the weather is snowy and windy. Anyway, this type of day is a great day for postcards and /or stamps. Let's get to it.

On Friday, I received six postcards and that makes a total of fourteen for the first week of 2011. If only I could keep that average going for the whole year, it would certainly make it a banner year. My cards today come from Finland, Portugal, Austria, China, Spain and Belgium. By the way, if your country is not represented here, feel free to drop a postcard in the mail. I'll be sure to give it a plug.

All cards are official Postcrossing cards with the exception of the one from Austria. Today's first card is from Turku, Finland. Turku is a European Capital of Culture for 2011. This title is given by the European Union to a city for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European flavor. This card was mailed from Finland but was purchased in London. It shows us the Tenacious, the largest wooden tall ship of her kind in the world. She is operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust, a national charity which promotes the integration of the able bodied and physically disabled through crewing a tall ship. Tenacious sailed on her maiden voyage 1,548 days after her keel was laid, on 1st September 2000 from Southampton to Southampton calling at Sark, St Helier and Weymouth. She has been delivering freedom, fun and adventure for everyone ever since.
The card has two stamps issued on November 5th of last year. They show Santa and a reindeer, a common pair the world over. Both stamps are self-adhesive.

My next card comes from Lisbon. Although the card doesn't say so, I believe it to be a depiction of Commerce Square also known as Palace Square. Hopefully I'm right about this, if not I'm sure someone will let me know, via a comment. The sender of this card used just a beautiful stamp. It was issued past Oct 1st and commemorates 100 years of the Republic.

Now for the non official Postcrossing card. It comes from Nina in Austria. This card is the result of me sending Nina an earlier card. It is just a lovely winter scene , as if I needed another winter scene after this weekend. I can just look out the window and see winter. But I do appreciate the card, Nina. The stamp on the left was issued in 2010 and shows a wildcat. The other stamp is from a set of 3 flower definitives issued in 2007.

Card # 4 comes from China. It shows Grotto statutes in Peak Flown From Afar , located in Hangzhou. The actual statue on my card shows the Laughing Buddha, sitting on the cliff along a stream with exposed breast and belly. Many wonder why he has such a large belly, and the answer is - his belly is where Buddha keeps all the world's troubles. This card is from a fellow postcard blogger and he can be found at Gone With Postcards & Covers. The stamps used include, on the left, 1 of 4 issued in 1995 for Hong Kong. The other stamp was issued in 1992 and also is 1 of 4 featuring scenes from literature. A nice stamp actually , as is the set of 4.

Only two more to go, we're getting there, though. This car from Spain shows us a very tranquil scene. Rocky pathways, old stone houses and clothes hung out to dry. My kind of life. Eline used a 2008 King Juan Carlos definitive to send this card on it's way.

And finally. On this card we can see an old tram that operated between the Belgian towns of Aalst and Asse. Sadly, nowadays it has replaced with a bus. Not quite as charming, though. Veerle used a 2010 Christmas International rate stamp.

That is my update for this time. Thanks to all who sent cards and to those who didn't , I hope to write about yours soon. Just kidding. As always, leave a comment if you want. Take care.