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.

Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA

A postcard I received through an Instagram swap a couple of years ago. Hawaii looks so dreamy!

Kauaʻi is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of 1,456.4 km2, it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kauaʻi lies 169 km across the Kauaʻi Channel, northwest of Oʻahu. This island is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park.

The United States Census Bureau defines Kauaʻi as Census Tracts 401 through 409 of Kauaʻi County, Hawaiʻi, which is all of the county except for the islands of Kaʻula, Lehua, and Niʻihau. The 2010 census population of Kauaʻi (the island) was 67,091, with the largest town by population being Kapaʻa.

Greetings from the Netherlands

This was one of the first Greetings from postcards I received, but for some reason it's taken me this long to post it here. That's not to say I don't like it, although I do prefer the not so pastel-coloured cards in the series...

I used to receive a LOT of postcards from the Netherlands but that's changed somewhat in the last year or so. I'm happy I'm still in touch with Astrid, though, it's always lovely to hear from her! What to say about this card? Amsterdam is one of those cities I'd really love to visit. It looks so nice, and it's supposed to be a lovely place to visit..?! I'd love to see the canals and all the bicycles!

Finland

A slightly older card for a change... I was supposed to become postcard pals with the girl who sent me this card, but I only ever received this one postcard from her and never heard from her again. At least it's a very nice card.. :)

I have no idea where in Finland this image was taken, there is no description whatsoever on the card. This could be anywhere... I've really started to enjoy views like this after moving to England. I guess I do get a little homesick at times...

The Lake District, England

At the start of May I was contacted by a Postcrosser who told me she'd heard that for a few days, all mail sent in the UK would be cancelled with a special 'Royal Baby' postmark and asked me if I could send her a postcard. I'm not really interested in the Royal family but I thought the special cancellation would still be nice, so I sent myself a couple of postcards as well. Well, both were actually cancelled, which is quite impressive in itself, but it was just a regular cancellation, nothing to do with the royal baby. The Postcrosser told me she got the cancellation, but that it was really unclear. Lovely work, the Royal Mail... :/

One of the cards I sent to myself was this map of the Lake District. I'm actually going to be there next month as my husband's older brother will be getting married there. I have no idea where exactly, though, as no one has bothered to tell me. :P (EDIT: It'll be somewhere near Windermere.) I do hope I'll get to explore the area at least a little bit as it's supposed to be really beautiful up there. I wouldn't say no to getting to buy some postcards, either... :P The Lake District is also a tentative Unesco site.

The Lake District, also known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests and mountains (or fells) and its associations with the early 19th-century writings of William Wordsworth and the other Lake Poets.

Historically split between Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire, the Lake District is now entirely in Cumbria. All the land in England higher than three thousand feet (914.4 m) above sea level lies within the National Park, including Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England. It also contains the deepest and longest lakes in England, Wastwater and Windermere.

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.

Pitcairn Island map

Another one of the Pitcairn Island postcards that I ordered earlier this year. Of course I had to have this map as well :)

It really is such a small island. I wonder how it would be like to live somewhere like that, so far away from anywhere else and where everyone must know everyone and every cranny and nook of the island. I'm not sure if I'd like that...

Greetings from Ukraine

This was by far the most difficult of the Greetings from postcards for me to get hold of (written and stamped from the country of origin). I couldn't find anyone to swap with so I asked one person if they could send the card back to me written and stamped if I sent it to them blank in an envelope. They agreed, but I haven't received the card back and I don't even know if they've received the envelope. I then asked another person the same, but also sent them mint Ukrainian stamps that I had, to cover the postage. This time I had more luck and the card arrived pretty quickly. On a plus side, at least I now have the card with some lovely Europa stamps. :)

The sender pointed out that the capital city of Ukraine is actually called Kyiv, not Kiev. I had to look this up online as I was sure I had mostly seen the name written 'Kiev' in the news here (even the BBC uses that spelling) and it all seems to be down to politics. I don't want to get into that here, but I found this article pretty interesting.

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.

Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

A lovely Unesco card from Japan. ...and with a Year of the Sheep stamp and a special cancellation! :)

This is Ainokura Village, one of the Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama in Japan. Located in a mountainous region that was cut off from the rest of the world for a long period of time, these villages with their Gassho-style houses subsisted on the cultivation of mulberry trees and the rearing of silkworms. The large houses with their steeply pitched thatched roofs are the only examples of their kind in Japan. Despite economic upheavals, the villages of Ogimachi, Ainokura and Suganuma are outstanding examples of a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to the environment and people's social and economic circumstances.

Tartu, Estonia

Uh oh. It's been a while.. I haven't really been in the mood for updating this blog, have had other things to do. ...such as finishing a massive desk I've been building with Matt since the start of the year. I can finally write postcards and letters by a desk and won't have to sit on our bed anymore! :D

Anyway. I'm starting today with this summery postcard from Estonia that mum and dad sent from their holiday last summer. I hope we'll get some warmer days here soon, too, I'd love to go out in a dress!

This is the fountain "Kissing Students" (Estonian: Suudlevad Tudengid) in Tartu, sculpted by M. Karmin, reminding visitors that the University of Tartu and its students have a profound effect on life in the city. ...and I love the couple at the front. :D