Greetings from Kyrgyzstan

I'm starting to lose interest with this series a bit... the cards all seem so alike no and it seems like there's not much effort put into them, although that could just be me... although it does depress me that a lot of senders can't be bothered to write anything other than 'greetings from x country' on their card.

I don't even know what else to write about this card... apart from the fact that I bet there aren't 80 ACTIVE Postcrossing members in Kyrgyzstan, something that has always frustrated me about this series.

Greetings from Bulgaria

For some reason I thought I'd already posted about this card here. :o Nevermind... This is from a Facebook swap from last year. Another successful swap with Donka. :) Thank you so much!

This is one of the nicer cards in this series I think. I love the blue tones and the slightly darker colour - and the stormy-looking sky! :D I also love the fact that this card mentions Bulgarian yogurt. I really, really like it and tend to have at least some every time I go to Finland. For some reason I haven't been able to find it here in England (and Turkish yogurt seems impossible to find here as well for some reason, whereas it seems to be fairly popular in Finland). All you get here is Greek yogurt and while that's VERY nice as well, it's totally different. Bulgarian yogurt is a lot more sour I think (and yummy :)).

The Postcrossing Association of Finland

A really interesting postcard I received last year. Not really so much the picture on it, but the story behind it and the reason for the card. Things like this make me miss Finland. :P

It seems fairly safe to say that Postcrossing is still pretty big in Finland when they now have a Postcrossing Association (Suomen Postcrossing-yhdistys). They have their own website (as far as I can tell, it's only in Finnish, though) and they seem fairly active. I'm pretty sure I'd be a member, too, if I still lived in Finland.

This card was sent from the association's constituent meeting, but it seems to have a been a meet-up as well as the card was signed by quite a few people.

Greetings from Croatia

Today's 'Greetings from' card comes from Croatia. I really like this one, the shades of blue are gorgeous, and I love the colour contrasts here. Also, is that Dubrovnik in the picture?! I only just realised I haven't written about Dubrovnik in this blog before... How did that happen?! I have plenty of postcards from there so will have to fix that.

Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea, in the region of Dalmatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Its total population is 42,615 (census 2011). In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

The prosperity of the city was historically based on maritime trade; as the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy.

 The beginning of modern tourism is associated with the construction of the Hotel Imperial in Dubrovnik in 1897. According to CNNGo, Dubrovnik is among the 10 best preserved medieval walled cities in the world. Although it was demilitarised in the 1970s to protect it from war, in 1991, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was besieged by the Serb and Montenegrin soldiers gathered in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling.

Inge Löök's grannies

I'm mainly including this card here because of the stamp and theh cancellation, although the card itself is lovely, too. This is from a Facebook swap with Marko in Finland last year. He seems to have access to some pretty awesome postcards and stamps (and special cancellations... again, I so wish I could get them here, too!).

I love the atmosphere in this card. So cheerful, relaxed and summery. Summer, hurry up! ...and be nice and warm as well! :P

One of my favourite bands on a stamp!

Greetings from Pakistan

I somehow ended up with two of these... ooops. Oh, and if the post I saw on Instagram this morning is true, I'm finally having to give up collecting this series. Well, I'll try to get them if I can but I won't be able to be too desperate anymore - apparently the next batch will include Albania, Ghana, North Korea and Oman! What the....?! I wonder if the designer has finally realised how ridiculous this has become? :P There aren't even any Postcrossers in North Korea (well, according to the stats there is one who last logged in over 5 years ago and has sent a grand total of 1 postcard, possibly from South Korea) and the only people who have been sending anything out from there have been foreigners. Maybe the batch after that one will include Antarctica, South Sudan and Somalia?? :P

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the sixth-most populous country with a population exceeding 199 million people. It is the 36th largest country in the world in terms of area with an area covering 881,913 km2. Pakistan has a 1,046-kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast respectively. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and also shares a maritime border with Oman.

The territory that now constitutes Pakistan was previously home to several ancient cultures, including the Mehrgarh of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation, and was later home to kingdoms ruled by people of different faiths and cultures, including Hindus, Indo-Greeks, Muslims, Turco-Mongols, Afghans and Sikhs. The area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Persian Achaemenid Empire, Alexander of Macedonia, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire and the British Empire. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the subcontinent's struggle for independence, Pakistan was created in 1947 as an independent nation for Muslims from the regions in the east and west of the Subcontinent where there was a Muslim majority. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a new constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic. A civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.

Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of four provinces and four federal territories. It is an ethnically and linguistically diverse country, with a similar variation in its geography and wildlife. A regional and middle power, Pakistan has the seventh largest standing armed forces in the world and is also a nuclear power as well as a declared nuclear-weapons state, being the only nation in the Muslim world, and the second in South Asia, to have that status. It has a semi-industrialised economy with a well-integrated agriculture sector, its economy is the 26th largest in the world in terms of purchasing power and 45th largest in terms of nominal GDP and is also characterized among the emerging and growth-leading economies of the world.

The post-independence history of Pakistan has been characterised by periods of military rule, political instability and conflicts with neighbouring India. The country continues to face challenging problems, including overpopulation, terrorism, poverty, illiteracy, and corruption. Despite these factors it maintains strategic endowments and development potential while it has made substantial progress in reducing poverty giving it the second lowest headcount poverty rate in South Asia. It is ranked 16th on the 2012 Happy Planet Index, while its stock exchange has been among the highest performing in Asia.

The stamps on the first card...

....and the second.

Best wishes from Sichuan, China

I'm not much into those fake "Greetings from" cards. Some of them look pretty cheap and nasty, some do actually look quite nice but I just don't like the idea of copying someone else's design. Why can't you come up with something original yourself??

I did  make an exception for this one from China, I think this is really nice and not as bad a copy as most of the others.

I also like the fact that this card mentions Sichuan cuisine. The "real" dishes would probably be way too hot for me, but I like experimenting at home and actually make some Sichuan eggplant earlier today. Toban djan chilli bean sauce is sooo tasty, and I find Sichuan peppers kind of addictive. I really want to try make kung pao chicken at home too. It was lovely when I had it from one takeaway a couple of years ago, but after ordering it from somewhere else after that it wasn't the same at all. I don't even know how it's supposed to taste like...

Bell Rock Lighthouse, Scotland

A lovely lighthouse postcard I received earlier this year through a Facebook swap. Iain kindly offered to send me a postcard with a new squirrel stamp. I can't get these Post & Go stamps anywhere near where I live, and the machines in the post office in Birmingham never have any of these nice pictorial stamps, they only ever seem to have the boring Queen's head ones. :( Thank you, Iain! It's just annoying that the postcard took a bit of a battering on its way down to England from Scotland.

The Bell Rock Lighthouse, off the coast of Angus, Scotland, is the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse. It was built between 1807 and 1810 by Robert Stevenson on the Bell Rock (also known as Inchcape) in the North Sea, 18 km east of the Firth of Tay. Standing 35 metres tall, its light is visible from 56 km inland.

The masonry work on which the lighthouse rests was constructed to such a high standard that it has not been replaced or adapted in 200 years. The lamps and reflectors were replaced in 1843 and used in the lighthouse at Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland, where they are currently on display. The working of the lighthouse has been automated since 1988.

 The lighthouse operated in tandem with a shore station, the Bell Rock Signal Tower, built in 1813 at the mouth of Arbroath harbour. Today this building houses the Signal Tower Museum, a visitor centre detailing the history of the lighthouse.

The challenges faced in the building of the lighthouse have led to it being described as one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World.

Butrint, Albania

One more card for today. I've received a few postcards of Albania before but this is the first one actually mailed from Albania. I thought I'd never get one... :o I really like the colours here, too. Oh, and it's a Unesco card as well! :)

Butrint, located in the south of Albania approximately 20km from the modern city of Saranda, has a special atmosphere created by a combination of archaeology, monuments and nature in the Mediterranean. With its hinterland it constitutes an exceptional cultural landscape, which has developed organically over many centuries. Butrint has escaped aggressive development of the type that has reduced the heritage value of most historic landscapes in the Mediterranean region. It constitutes a very rare combination of archaeology and nature. The property is a microcosm of Mediterranean history, with occupation dating from 50 000 BC, at its earliest evidence, up to the 19th century AD. Prehistoric sites have been identified within the nucleus of Butrint, the small hill surrounded by the waters of Lake Butrint and Vivari Channel, as well as in its wider territory. From 800 BC until the arrival of the Romans, Butrint was influenced by Greek culture, bearing elements of a “polis” and being settled by Chaonian tribes. In 44 BC Butrint became a Roman colony and expanded considerably on reclaimed marshland, primarily to the south across the Vivari Channel, where an aqueduct was built. In the 5th century AD Butrint became an Episcopal centre; it was fortified and substantial early Christian structures were built. After a period of abandonment, Butrint was reconstructed under Byzantine control in the 9th century. Butrint and its territory came under Angevin and then Venetian control in the 14th century. Several attacks by despots of Epirus and then later by Ottomans led to the strengthening and extension of the defensive works of Butrint. At the beginning of the 19th century, a new fortress was added to the defensive system of Butrint at the mouth of the Vivari Channel. It was built by Ali Pasha, an Albanian Ottoman ruler who controlled Butrint and the area until its final abandonment.

The fortifications bear testimony to the different stages of their construction from the time of the Greek colony until the Middle Ages. The most interesting ancient Greek monument is the theatre which is fairly well preserved. The major ruin from the paleo-Christian era is the baptistery, an ancient Roman monument adapted to the cultural needs of Christianity. Its floor has a beautiful mosaic decoration. The paleo-Christian basilica was rebuilt in the 9th century and the ruins are sufficiently well preserved to permit analysis of the structure (three naves with a transept and an exterior polygonal apse).

Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining

Another smaller post for today. I was supposed to do a proper one but I got distracted earlier. :P Anyway, I'll start with this Unesco card I received from dear Sayaka last year.

Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining

The site encompasses a series of twenty three component parts, mainly located in the southwest of Japan. It bears testimony to the rapid industrialization of the country from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20th century, through the development of the iron and steel industry, shipbuilding and coal mining. The site illustrates the process by which feudal Japan sought technology transfer from Europe and America from the middle of the 19th century and how this technology was adapted to the country’s needs and social traditions. The site testifies to what is considered to be the first successful transfer of Western industrialization to a non-Western nation.

Greetings from Denmark

This is one of my favourite 'Greetings from' postcards so far. It's got a lighthouse and a flag on it! :) I also like the fact that it's not too sugary-sweet pastel coloured, I think those can be a little bland.

This card seems so cheerful to me, and I like the bit about 'happy place', I had no idea of Denmark being that happy!

...and Mads Mikkelsen is mentioned on the card! I've been watching the new TV series 'Hannibal' and rather enjoy it, I think it's very cleverly done and visually stunning. Mads Mikkelsen is brilliant as Hannibal Lecter as well, a lot less over the top than Anthony Hopkins, which I like.

Also, legos! I used to have a lot of them when I was a kid and loved playing with them. I'm not too impressed with some of the more modern lego sets you can buy, they seem too ready-made and seem like they don't really leave much room for imagination as you don't really have to build stuff yourself using bricks. :P Ahhhh, and this postcard came with a matching stamp!

Srebarna Nature Reserve, Bulgaria

Another Unesco card, this time from Bulgaria.

The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in northeastern Bulgaria (Southern Dobruja), near the village of the same name, 18 km west of Silistra and 2 km south of the Danube. It comprises Lake Srebarna and its surroundings and is located on the Via Pontica, a bird migration route between Europe and Africa.

The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube and extending over 600 ha. It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, many of which are rare or endangered. Some 80 other bird species migrate and seek refuge there every winter. Among the most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian pelican, great egret, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill.

Greetings from Hungary

The 'greetings from' card of the day comes from Hungary. Thank you so much, Daniel! I was expecting it to be a lot harder to get this one.

I like the fairly strong colours here - I've got to admit the very pastel-coloured cards in this series aren't normally my favourites.

I was already aware of the fact that Hungarian is supposed to be related to Finnish, although I still don't really see how. I couldn't really understand a word of Hungarian. :P Apparently the tone is supposed to be similar, though.

Greetings from Hong Kong

I was obviously not very organised with this one - somehow I ended up with four of these! :O I'll have to be more careful in the future...! Well, there are some very nice stamps on the cards, I've picked a couple to include in this post.

The background of this card shows the Victoria Harbour. I was also pointed out that the Chinese White Dolphin mentioned on this card is not actually white - they are grey when young and pink when mature. I'm not sure if I had even heard of them before...!

I've got a bit of a soft spot for Hong Kong as my friend Miranda is from there, so I've been curious about the place ever since I first met her. Incidentally, she'll be going to Hong Kong for a couple of weeks soon - I'm looking forward to seeing her photos on Facebook again. :) I'd love to visit Hong Kong myself one day, too, it seems like a really interesting city.

Cambodia

Another Facebook swap from earlier this year... Again, I don't have too many postcards from Cambodia and I think I've only received one written and stamped postcard from there before, in 2009 (which, weirdly enough, was an official Postcrossing card!). Anyway, Nina went on a holiday in Cambodia and offered to send a postcard. :) Thank you ever so much!

Agriculture is the traditional mainstay of the Cambodian economy. Agriculture accounted for 90 percent of GDP in 1985 and employed approximately 80 percent of the work force. Rice is the principal commodity.

Constantine, Algeria

I think this is only about my second postcard from Algeria.. ...which is the main reason I couldn't really say 'no' when I was asked if I'd like to swap. Well, and it is a pretty nice view as well.

Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. During Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honor of emperor Constantine the Great. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of the Rhumel river.

Regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the centre of its region, Constantine has a population of 448,374 (1,000,000 with the agglomeration), making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran. There are museums and important historical sites around the city (one of the most beautiful is the Palais du Bey, in the casbah).

It is often referred to as the "City of Bridges" due to the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the mountains the city is built on.

Iwate, Japan

Ooops. I've been neglecting this blog again, which certainly wasn't my intention this time. I blame my terrible procrastination tendencies as I don't have any proper excuses for not updating. I'm rubbish at time management :/ ...and May just disappeared somewhere, which is a little scary. My pile of postcards for this blog has grown again - I did have it to a more manageable level at one point.. *sigh*

Today's first card is from a swap with Sayaka in Japan earlier this year, an addition to my still tiny Gotochi collection.

This card shows 'wanko-soba', an Iwate special. Sayaka tells me it's a very small amount of soba each, but the serving lady is always beside you and once she sees you finished one, she tries to serve one cup of soba more. ...repeat, repeat and repeat, and it's really quick, so it is also hard to act "I'm full". If you want to finish, you have to cover the cup but it's really difficult because the serving lady is really really quick. Sounds interesting... I do like soba, but have never had them this way.

Lake Seydozero, Kola Peninsula, Russia

Another amazing panoramic view of a lake, this time from Russia. This is from another Facebook swap earlier this year.

Lake Seydozero is located on the Kola Peninsula, in Murmansk Oblast within the Lake Lovozero and ensures runoff from the Seydyavryok River.

The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely to the north of the Arctic Circle and is bordered by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast. The city of Murmansk is the most populous human settlement on the peninsula, with a population of over 300,000 as of the 2010 Census.

Despite the peninsula's northerly location, its proximity to the Gulf Stream leads to unusually high temperatures in winter, but also results in high winds due to the temperature variations between land and the Barents Sea. Summers are rather chilly, with the average July temperature of only 11 °C. The peninsula is covered by taiga in the south and tundra in the north, where permafrost limits the growth of the trees resulting in landscape dominated by shrubs and grasses. The peninsula supports a small variety of mammals, and its rivers are an important habitat for the Atlantic salmon. The Kandalaksha Nature Reserve, established to protect the population of Common Eider, is located in the Kandalaksha Gulf.

sheep on the road, Tekapo, New Zealand

More Year of the Sheep stamps, this time with a matching postcard. :) New Zealand has such amazing views and this one is no exception. I'd LOVE to visit New Zealand one day. ...and not just because of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit films... :P

Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand (the others are Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau). It covers an area of 83 square kilometres, and is at an altitude of 700 metres above sea level.

The lake is fed at its northern end by the braided Godley River, which has its source in the Southern Alps to the north. The lake is a popular tourist destination, and several resort hotels are located at the township of Lake Tekapo at the lake's southern end. The Lake Tekapo Regional Park, administered by Environment Canterbury, is located on the southern shore of the lake.

Greetings from Luxembourg

I was so happy when Anne was offering these cards on Facebook - I thought it would be impossible to get this card sent from Luxembourg! Thank you ever so much, Anne!

I might have to look up a recipe for bouneschluppp, it sounds yummy! I don't really know too much about Luxembourg and must confess I hadn't heard of any of the people mentioned on this card before.