From Russia with love

One more card from Russia for today. ...and such a great card, too! I won it in a lottery Julia held for her 1st postcrossing anniversary. I was one of the lucky winners. :)



There's a little bit of basic information on the back of the card:

Russian Federation
Capital: Moscow
Area: 17 075 400 km2
Population: 141 927 297 people

I keep forgetting how huge Russia is... I got one reminder again yesterday when I received a card from my postcard pal Katya who lives in Moscow. She told me she's thinking of going to St Petersburg for a visit as it "isn't far from here" - about 600 miles away! I'm not sure if it would be that much if you travelled from the southernmost point of England to the northernmost point of Scotland...! So yeah, it's definitely all very relative.

I also love the colours and the little matryoshka dolls on the card!



Julia used such nice stamps on the card, too. They are from a set of 4 stamps issued in 2009, representing World Cultural Heritage in Russia. These here show Solovetsky Islands.

Gelendzhik, Russia

And here is the second card from the swap with Nastia.



Isn't it a gorgeous view?! It's from Gelendzhik, a small resort town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, about 30 kilometres northwest of Novorossiysk. The municipality of Greater Gelendzhik spawls for 102 kilometers along the coastline and covers an area of 122,754 ha (of which only 1,926 ha fall within the boundaries of Gelendzhik proper) and has a population of around 50,000 (in 2002).

During the Soviet period, Gelendzhik was developed as a spa. It possesses sand beaches, three waterparks, two aerial tramway lines, and two Orthodox churches (from 1909 and 1913, respectively). The environs of Gelendzhik are noted for a chain of waterfalls, an outcrop of dolmens, two extremely ancient pine and juniper groves, and the Sail Rock, located 17 km from the downtown core.

Novorossiysk, Russia

Wednesdays tend to be the days when I have most free time (apart from weekends). Today's been one such day. I can't deny I'd much rather have a full-time job than this much free time, but at least I have more time to do whatever I want. A large part of today has been spent in the kitchen (I made yummy, creamy tomato & cashew & basil pasta, and baked a loaf of cinnamon raisin swirl bread that was a bit of a failure as it ended up swelling up a lot and being very wide and flat, not at all how it's supposed to look like!) and in front of the computer doing postcard related things. ..which I'm continuing now. :p

Postcrossing has been a bit more special to me this month - a few days ago I reached the milestone of my 1,000th sent card being registered (in Portugal), and I'm also expecting to receive my 1,000th card some time later this month. I set up a little lottery in the Finnish community of the forum to celebrate the latter. I'm very curious as to where this card will come from; it seems like there's been a bit more variety with countries I've been receiving officials from recently.

The following card is not an official but came from a swap with Nastia in Russia. I actually got two cards in the envelope and I'll post the second card after this one...



It's always nice to see postcards from somewhere other than Moscow or St Petersburg (even if those two places seem very beautiful, too). This card shows Novorossiysk, a city in southern Russia and the main Russian port on the Black Sea, in Krasnodar Krai. It has a population of around 281,400 (in 2005).

The city sprawls along the shore of the non-freezing Tsemess Bay, which has been recognised since antiquity as one of the superior bays of the Black Sea.

The Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port – with the market capitalization of $1,110,000,000 and shares listed at Russian Trading System and London Stock Exchange – serves Russian sea trade with regions of Asia, Middle East, Africa, Mediterranean, and South America. It is the busiest oil port in the Black Sea and the terminus of the pipeline from the Tengiz Field, developed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.

Novorossiysk is also an industrial city, dependent on steel, food processing, and the production of metal goods and other manufactures. Extensive limestone quarries supply important cement factories in and around the city. The town is home to the Maritime State Academy and Novorossiysk Polytechnic Institute.



There was a crazy amount of stamps on the envelope! :D

Novi Grad, Republika Srpska

One more card for today (I'd also like to write a letter and try catch up with penpalling a little bit...). This one is from a swap with Maja in Novi Grad, Republica Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina.



Novi Grad (or Bosanski Novi) is a town and municipality in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town is situated on the Una river on the border with Croatia (opposite the town of Dvor). Today, the municipality has a population of about 30,000 people. For some reason it reminds me quite a lot of small Finnish towns; it looks pretty similar (apart from the mosque, I don't think you could find those in Finland).



The stamp is from a set of 4 stamps issued in 2002, representing mushrooms of the Republic of Srpska. The mushroom here is Amanita caesarea.

Atamaca Desert, Chile

Another wonderful official came a couple of days ago, this time all the way from Chile. This is only my second official postcrossing card from Chile. It does look like a very beautiful country, I wouldn't mind receiving more cards from there!


CL-3426

Here you can see some pictures from Atacama Desert and Andean plateau lagoons. The sender, Monica, tells me that flamingoes (phoenicopterus chilensis; what a cool name! :D) love to live in Andean plateau lagoons.

The Atacama Desert is a virtually rainless plateau in South America, covering a 1,000 km strip of land on the Pacific coast of South America, west of the Andes mountains. The Atacama desert is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world, due to the rain shadow on the leeward side of the Chilean Coast Range, as well as a coastal inversion layer created by the cold offshore Humboldt Current. The Atacama occupies 105,000 km2 in northern Chile, composed mostly of salt basins (salares), sand, and felsic lava flows towards the Andes.



The stamps are very nice, too. The smaller ones are from a set of 10 stamps issued in 2008, depicting Typical Chilean Characters. These one here are Peanut Vendor ('Manicero' - why does this guy look more like a sailor to me?!?) on the left and Photographer ('Fotógrafo) on the right. The bigger stamp was issued earlier this year and commemorates the 105 years of 'Torre Bauer' or the Bauer Tower, a symbol of Vicuña.

Island of Santiago, Cape Verde

There are times when I get a bit fed up with the official postcrossing site. Particularly when I get boring cards with no message at all, or a card that just says "Happy Postcrossing". I do realise some people don't like writing on their cards, and some might not be very good at English, but it can still be frustrating. On the other hand, I love the randomness of it all, not knowing where the next card will come from and who's sent it. That, and sometimes there are true gems amongst the postcards I receive. The following card is one of those; I actually like it so much that I'm going to send a thank you card to the sender.


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Isn't it a lovely, colourful image?! And the card was made even better by the fact that it's fully written, with lots of interesting information, and the stamps are gorgeous and include one with the picture taken by the sender.

The sender, Iolanda, has recently been to Cape Verde and will soon be going back. Cape Verde was a former Portuguese colony, which comprises 10 island (one of which is not inhabited). On this card you can see Tarrafal, a fishing village on the Island of Santiago. It doesn't have a very happy history - Tarrafal played an important role prior to the independence of Cape Verde, of which Portuguese people feel ashamed of, as there was a "detaining camp" to which anyone in favour of the independence of any of the colonies was sent to and where many people died of disynteria and other "African diseases", which at the time were not as well controlled as nowadays.

Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975. It's located off the western coast of Africa, close to Mauritania and Senegal and has an estimated population of over 500,000. The capital of Cape Verde is Praia.



The two stamps on the right are from a set of 6 stamps issued earlier this year and depict theatre in Portugal. The top one is based on a dream which involved the lover of a Portuguese King, Inês de Castro, and the bottom one "A barca do Inferno" by a well-known Portuguese dramaturg, Gil Vicente. The stamp on the left is made from a photo taken by Iolanda.

Universal Studios, Orlando, USA

It's still pretty hot in England, although it does look like we might actually get some rain soon as the sky looks a bit dark.. On days like this I don't mind staying at home so much, although I can't deny it would be nice to have a proper holiday a bit more often and get away from home. My Canadian postcard pal Christine is currently on a honeymoon and sent me this postcard from the Universal Studios in Orland, Florida, USA.



Universal Studios have some pretty huge theme parks in the USA, Japan and Singapore. Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is a joint partnership between NBC Universal and the Blackstone Group. The resort consists of two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure), Universal CityWalk (a night-time entertainment destination), and three Loews Hotels. Universal Orlando Resort is the largest property owned by Universal Studios Theme Parks; it is also the second-largest resort in Greater Orlando, after the Walt Disney World Resort. There is now a Harry Potter theme park there as well... I still can't get over the fact that there's a Harry Potter theme park in the USA, but then I couldn't really see something like that in the UK either, I don't think they could manage something that huge here.



Well, at least you get a cool Hogsmeade cancellation in the Harry Potter theme park. :)

Norfolk Island

Now this postcard is something of a treat - you don't tend to receive too many postcards from Norfolk Island! I received this one from Jillian, from a great "thematic stamps" RR on the postcrossing forum. The theme here is "vintage", that is, the stamp must make reference to something old. The stamps really are amazing, too (I'll get back to them later), although I really, really like the postcard itself as well.



I must confess I know hardly anything about Norfolk Island. It's such a small island, though (about 5 x 8 kilometres with a population less than 2000 (in 2003)), that I don't think it's very surprising... Jillian tells me that you can see almost half the island in this view! I can't imagine living on such a small island, so isolated from the world...

Norfolk Island is in the Pacific Ocean, located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance. Together with two neighbouring islands, it forms one of Australia's external territories.

On this postcard you can see Emily Bay, one of the loveliest beaches on the island, according to Jillian.



Anyway, the main point of this postcard is the stamps, as it's from a stamp-related RR. Aaaand the stamps are truly gorgeous, and there are so many of them! The stamp on the left is from a set of 3 Christmas stamps issued in 1982. The stamp next to it is from a set of 6 definitive stamps showing Museums' Artefacts (this one here showing China from the second convict settlement, I think), the one next to that is from a set of 4 stamps issued in 2006, depicting Classic Cars (this one here being 1965 Ford Falcon XP). The stamp on the right is from a set of 5 stamps issued in 1993 depicting Historic Kingston, this one here showing old military barracks. The stamp at the bottom is from a set of 4 stamps issued in 2007, representing Kingston and Arthurs Vale Historic Area, this one here showing H.M.S. Sirius & Supply off Kingston.

...once again I wish I could get hold of old UK stamps - there are lots of very pretty ones among the past issues, but I have no idea where to get them, at least for a reasonable price. :(

Lapland, Finland

This very beautiful card came from my postcard pal Paula in Finland. We've been swapping cards for quite a while now, and I can honestly say her postcards are always amazing and I'm always really excited to get them, they are amongst my favourite things in the mail I receive. :)



I don't know what place this postcard is supposed to show, I just know it's somewhere in Lapland. I've never been to Lapland but it does look very beautiful, they have some truly gorgeous sceneries over there. The autumn colours are particularly wonderful I think.



The stamp is from a set of 5 stamps called "Jumping for joy", issued earlier this year.

Sedgley, England

I thought I'd show you my home town. Well, sort of.. This doesn't really show a town but just a church, but this is the only postcard I've been able to find of Sedgley. I have a few of Dudley, but those don't seem to exist anymore in shops either as I haven't been able to find them anywhere since last year. Well, Dudley isn't exactly a popular tourist destination and it's not particularly pretty, either (honestly, a lot of Dudley is just so run down and boarded up it's really depressing).



Anyway, here you can see All Saints Parish Church in Sedgley. Sedgley is a tiny town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, situated some four miles north of Dudley in the direction of Wolverhampton (I live very near to the Wolverhampton border; my bus stop is the first stop in Dudley after the border). Sedgley was originally a manor of villages, but developed into a town between 1920 and 1970 following extensive housebuilding in the private and public sectors.

All Saints' Church, then, is a parish church situated in the town centre. The first All Saints' Church was built during the 12th century but the current structure was completed in 1805 and has a capacity to seat more than 1,300 people. The organ which was fitted in the church on its completion had originally been in Westminster Abbey. The church is located on the corner of Vicar Street and Dean Street, with the modern vicarage and church hall on the opposite side of Vicar Street.



As I prefer written and stamped postcards to unwritten cards, I thought I'd mail the card to myself - plus that way I'd get a nice stamp on it, too. :) I'm annoyed that the card didn't actually get cancelled, though, but still has those annoying orange markings so I can't mail it again. Grrrr. The stamp is from a miniature sheet issued in May this year, with the title "Britain Alone". The miniature sheet's theme is the Battle of Dunkirk. All the stamps in this series relate to World War II and I personally think they are very nice (although obviously the theme isn't nice at all. :/).

Solothurn, Switzerland

My last postcard for today comes from Switzerland and was sent to me by my postcard pal Christophe. Solothurn calls itself Switzerland's most beautiful Baroque City (well, it does look very pretty!).



Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. The city also comprises the only municipality of the district of the same name. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains, in the German-speaking part of the country.

This Celtic settlement was renewed around AD 14–37 by the Roman emperor Claudius, and became a Roman stronghold (castrum) under the name of Salodurum. Its strategical importance lay in the position at the approach to the Rhine from southeast.

In the Middle Ages the settlement grew around the remains of the Roman fortress and the religious house of St. Ursen, dedicated to Ursus of Solothurn, founded in the 8th century. In 1127, it was acquired by the dukes of Zähringen, and became a free imperial city in 1218 when that dynasty extinguished. After the alliance with Berne in 1295, it became part of the Swiss Confederation. In 1382 the Habsburgs attacked the city, involving Solothurn in the Battle of Sempach. By the treaty of two years later, the Habsburgs renounced all claims to the territory of the city. The latter was expanded by acquisition of neighbouring lands in the 15th century, roughly up to the today's canton area.

In 1481, it obtained full membership in the Swiss Confederation, and in 1530–1792 it was the seat of the French ambassador to the Swiss.

Solothurn has a special affinity for the number eleven. The Canton of Solothurn was the eleventh to become part of the Swiss Confederation. There are eleven churches and chapels, as well as eleven historical fountains and eleven towers. The St. Ursus cathedral has eleven altars and eleven bells, and the stairs in front of the cathedral have levels between every eleven steps.



The stamp is from a set of 2 stamps issued in 2009, showing birds. This one is the Rock Partridge.

Dambulla, Sri Lanka

I did another swap with Ravindra in Sri Lanka. I really do love postcards from that country, it looks like such a beautiful place!



This postcard shows the Golden Temple of Dambulla. A sacred pilgrimage site for 22 centuries, this cave monastery, with its five sanctuaries, is the largest, best-preserved cave-temple complex in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist mural paintings (covering an area of 2,100 m2) are of particular importance, as are the 157 statues. There are also 3 statues of srilankan kings and 4 statues of god and goddess. The latter 4 include two statues of Hindu gods, Vishnu and Ganesh.

My old penpal, Dinushka, once sent me a postcard of Dambulla as well, but that one shows a view from inside the temple:





As for the stamps... The one on the left shows a Stupa (a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics) in Mahiyangana (I'm not sure of the year of issue), while the one next to it was issued in 2009 and commemorates 50th Anniversary of Sri Lanka - Cuba Diplomatic Relations. The stamp next to that (on top) is from a set of 2 stamps issued in 2006, issued for 10th South Asian Games. The stamp next to that one on the right was issued in 1998 and commemorates the 50 years of Sri Lankan indenpendence. I'm not sure about the year of issue for the big stamp at the bottom, but it depicts Polonnaruwa eran architecture, in particular the Palace of King Parakramabahu the Great and audience hall of King Nissankamalla (1017 - 1235 AD).