Rajasthani Women

Rajasthan is the largest state in India but due to quite a huge part being a desert, the Thar or Great Indian Desert to be specific, it is not the most populated. Rajasthan, the "Land of Kings" is located in the North West of India, sharing a border with Pakistan.

The card shows Rajasthani women, huddled together, braving a dust storm. Traditionally the women of Rajasthan are well dressed in colouful, richly embroidered clothes and artful jewelry. Blue, yellow and orange are the dominant colours. A piece of cloth is worn to cover the head, both for reasons of modesty but also for protection from the everpresent sand and dust.

Thank you very much Aritreyee for this beautiful and dramatic postcard !!!

 

L'Ile de Ré, France

 

The Ile de Ré, a small island off the French Atlantic coast, near the city of La Rochelle, is lovingly nicknamed La Blanche (the White). There are several reasons for this nickname, the white beaches, the white buildings or the oleander that looks even a shade whiter here than elsewhere, but actually it is the salt that sponsored the name.

Salt and Fleur de Sel are still gathered in the salt marshes of the island by traditional methods. Until Roman times, Ile de Ré consisted of 3 smaller islands, but the space between them was constantly filled up by silting and also by gaining salt fields from the sea.

But the main attraction of the island is the unique charm and the serenity of its a bout 17.500 inhabitants. Tourists enjoy the beautifully preserved landscapes, with cypress and pine trees, the wonderful beaches and vineyards where wine, cognac and pineau are procuded. Pineau is a delicious apéritif, blended from wine and cognac.

The old city of Saint Martin, located within the citadel, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 along with 11 other Fortifications of Vauban, all across France.

In 1987 a bridge was built that connects the island to the mainland, until then visiting the Ile de Ré was done by roll-on-roll off ferries.

It is no longer an insider tipp, thousands of tourists come for a visit each year, but Ile de Ré still a perfect place to forget about the often hectic life, to unwind and enjoy the wine and fresh seafood in one of the many restaurants.

Thank you Dieter Pech for this wonderful postcard !!!

Anguilla, Brithish West Indies

 

Anguilla is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the Carribean Sea. It was first settled by Amerindian peoples migrating from South America. Traces of these first settlements date back to about 600 BC, but artefacts found there are even older and estimated to be as old as 1300 BC. 

The Island is flat, with its highest elevation being Crocus Hill with a height of  only 73 meters (240 ft), near the capital city The Valley.

The island has some of the most beautiful beaches of the Carribean, with lots of smaller islands and cays, which are not inhabited on a permanent basis. The coral reefs are ecologically important and there are quite a few habitats for rare animals.

Thank you very much Dee !!!

Sächsische Schweiz - Saxon Switzerland

The Saxon Switzerland National Park is one of 16 national parks in Germany and is located in Saxony in the east of the country. It is an exceptional area, with untamed nature, ancient architecture and some of Germany's most beautiful bridges.

The card shows the "Bastei", a rock formation that rises 305 meters above sea level, formed by water erosion over 1 million years ago. It has been a major tourist attraction for over 200 years and a wooden bridge was built to make access easier for the visitors in 1824. It was replaced by the current bridge, made from sandstone in 1851 and the views from there are just breathtaking. 

The national park was established in September 1990, before the reunification of Germany, to protect the unique natural character of the area and it covers 93 square kilometers.

Thank you very much Kathrein for this beautiful card and stamps !!!
 

Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland

 

Gorzów Wielkopolski, is a city located in western Poland at the banks of the Varta River. On July 2, 1257, 766 years today!, Margrave Johann I. of Ascania signed the document which allowed Albrecht de Luge to build the city of Landisberch Nova, later Landsberg an der Warthe. Due to its location on a crossroads and two rivers, the city soon became a flourishing commercial centre. Unfortunately the rivers often caused a lot of destruction because of severe floodings. Fires, wars and plagues also afflicted the city during the centuries.

Today Gorzów Wielkopolski is a city full of life and diversity with lots of cultural activities. It also is one of the greenest cities in Poland, with 12 parks and surrounded by lakes and forests, numerous national parks and nature reserves.

Thank you so much Klaudia for this beautiful card and the wealth of awesome stamps, among them the 2023 Europa stamp!

Cabo da Roca, Portugal

 

Cabo da Roca, or Cape Roca, is part of the Sintra Mountain Range in Portugal and the westernmost point of continental Europe. The landscape is lonely and pretty rough and even way into the 14th century people considered the rocky, windswept cliffs to be the edge of the world. A fact that even today is easy to understand with only the lighthouse, a café and small souvenir shop being the only buildings. The real beauty is the raw nature of the rugged, barren landscape. 

The lighthouse, located on a rock 165 meters (541 ft)  above the sea started operating in 1772 and is currently the second oldest in Portugal.

In its vicinity, there is the monument, marking this spot as the most western of Europe, with an inscription in rememberance of  Louis de Camoes, the country's most renowned poet:

"Where the earth ends and the sea begins. Where Apollo settles into the ocean"

I had the privilege of standing at this point, many years ago, looking out onto the undescribable beauty and the imensity of the Atlantic Ocean, enjoying unforgettable moments of joy and experiencing a tiny bit of eternity.

Thank you very much Isabel, for this beautiful card and for bringing back these memories !!

Route 66 - Main Street of America

Originally Route 66 was one of the original highways in the US highway system with a total length of 2,448 miles passing through 8 states. Today it is often knicknamed Main Street of America or Mother Road. It was established on 11th November, 1926 and became the most important east-west connection of the country in the years between 1930 and 1960. Because of the ever growing number of vehicles, the single lane, often winding track was no longer sufficient and was replaced by bigger, more modern highways. It still continous to attract tourists from all over the world looking for adventure, nostalgia and magic that has inspired lots of films, songs and shows. 

Thank you so much Sheri, for this beautiful addition to one of my favourite postcards collections !!!

Rabsztyn Castle, Poland

What an awesome sunset view of Rabsztyn (Raven's Rock) Castle in Poland.  It is located on a hill in the Polish Jura. In 13th century the first buildings were erected in this place and continually extended and reinforced. The castle has seen many owners over the centuries, finally was abandoned and fell to ruins. Since 2000 it has undergone extensive reconstrucion works and has now been opened to visitors.

Thank you so much for this beautiful card Kamilla !!!
 

Barcelos, Portugal

 

Barcelos is a small city in northern Portugal, surrounded by green hills, located on a plateau above the river Cavado. Here, the most famous symbol of the country had its origins, the colourful cockerel of Barcelos. You can find it anywhere in Portuguese souvenir shops. Legend says that a visiting farmer, who was falsely accused of stealing and sentenced to death by hanging, was saved by the rooster. The full legend can be found on the cross in the ruins of the palace of the dukes of Braganza, which was destroyed by the earthquake in 1755.

Barcelos is known for excellent pottery work. Every thursday a huge market is held, one of the biggest of this kind in Portugal, offering a huge variety of locally made ceramics, handcrafted articles and goods. 

The card shows the 14th century medieval bridge that crosses the river Cavado. It was named a National Monument in 1910.

Thank you very much for this great card Salvia !!!

Palace of Vaux-Le-Vicomte, France

The palace of Vaux-Le-Vicomte in the town of Maincy, about 55 km away from Paris, is an architectural masterpiece of the 17th century, built in Baroque style. It was commissioned by Nicholas Fouquet, an extremely ambitious young man and member of the Parliament of Paris. He later became superintendant of finances at the court of Louis XIV. Construction lasted until 1661. It was inaugurated in August that same year in the presence of his majesty the king. Probably not a really good idea, as the king got jealous and had Nicolas Fouquet arrested soon after this lavish festivity and sentenced him to lifelong imprisonment. His wife was sent into exile. Louis XIV put Vaux-Le-Vicomte under sequestration and sold many of the expensive pieces of art Fouquet had gathered in his splendid home. Then he set the team of architects who built and designed Vaux-Le-Vicomte on the task of building an ever bigger and more splendid palace that would outshine the one of his former minister of finances ... Versailles. Madame Fouquet later was able to recover the property and retired there with her eldest son. When her husband and son died, she sold the palace.

In 1968, after extensive restoration works, the palace was opened to the public and has become a major tourist attraction in the region.

Thank you very much for this beautiful card Karine !!!

 

Svalbard, Norway

Svalbard, also known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, belongs to the Norwegian kingdom and is Europe's most northern landscape as well as the most northern populated region of the world. The archipelago is located in the Arctic Ocean. Only Spitsbergen Island is populated, with Longyearbyen being the largest settlement and capital city. All other islands can only be visited with special permission.

Approximately 60% of the archipelago are covered with glaciers, an ideal breeding ground for many seabirds and home to polar bears, Arctic fox and reindeer as well as several species of marine mammals.

This card was sent by Gelinda from the world's northern most Postcrossing Meeting. While I do hate Winter, cold temperatures and snow with a passion, attending this meeting must have been a dream. 

Thank you very much Gerlinda for thinking of me during this "postcard expedition" and also for using a Norwegian EUROPA stamp. 

 

Winter in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana is one of Europe's smallest capital cities but has a lot to offer for both the city's residents as well as the tourists from all over the world. It is an educational, economic and cultural hot spot of Slovenia. The card shows Ljubljana during winter time with Christmas lights up all through the streets up to the castle.

On November 23rd, the cities Christmas decorations will be lit up and last until January 15. Each year there is a new theme, for 2022/23  they focus on the Spirit of Community. Approximately 850 sculptures and characters will be on display.

Thank you very much for this wonderful card, Ivana, love the colours !!!

 

Bruges, Markt Square and Parliament Palace, Belgium

Bruges or Brugge is the capital of the province of West Flanders in the North West of Belgium. The old centre is surrounded by a ring of canals which connect Bruges to the sea and thus has always secured prosperity and wealth for the city. International merchants turned Bruges into one of the largest Hanse Cities. Much of its medieval heritage is still fully intact and boasts a lot of beautiful small streets and historically important buildings, like the Parliament Palace at Market Square, as shown on the postcard, both part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Centre of Brugge".  

Thank you very much for this beautiful card Lieve !!!

 

Porto, Portugal

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, located in the northern part of the country on the estuary of the Douro River. It is part of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city's historic centre, the impressive Luis I bridge which spans the river Douro as well as the Monastery of Serra do Pilar were inscribed into the World Heritage list in 1996. The "faded grandeur" is famous about the city, something that can only be found anymore in very few places, like Cuba or Argentina. 

Porto is namegiver to the whole country as well as the delicious Port wine, mainly produced in the Douro Valley, the second UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thank you very much Isabel for this stunning sunset view!

 

Saint Sava Temple, Belgrade, Serbia

Saint Sava Temple in Belgrade is the second largest orthodox church in the world. Construction of this amazing building started in 1935 but the Yugoslav war put a stop to finishing the church. It took until 1984 to receive permission to restart construction. In May 1985 a liturgy was held in the still unfinished building with over 100.000 people which marked a turning point in the communistic led country to reinstate the orthodox church. The temple is dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church, patron saint and national hero of the Serbian people. It was consecrated in 2004.

The location is one of historic and sentimental importance, as it is assumed to be the burial place of Saint Sava where is relics and coffin where brought and burnt on a pyre by orders of the Ottoman Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha in an act of cruelty directed at the Serbian people.

Thank you Jovana for this beautiful nightview.

 

Postcrossing Stamp Launch in Luxembourg

This postcard is a really special one!  In September 2022 the Luxembourg Post issued a stamp honouring the Postcrossing Project. It was founded in 2005 in Portugal and quickly became a world spanning network of  postcard collectors to enjoy and expand their collections. 

The postcard was sent to me by Anne who organized the huge meeting in Luxembourg where many collectors gathered to write Postcards, discuss their mutual hobby, have fun and enjoy the company of people with the same passion. The card was signed by everyone who took part in this meeting.

Thank you very much Anne !!!

 

Sumela Monastery, Trabzon, Turkey

 

Sumela Monastery is a place of great historical and cultural significance. At an altitude of about 1.200 meters, this breathtaking place is nestled into a steep cliff in the Macka Region of Trabzon City, Turkey and can only be reached by a path through the forest. 

Foundation of the Orthodox monastery is assumed to have taken place around 386 AD. It is dedicated to Theodoktos, a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, mostly used in Eastern Christianity. There are beautiful frescoes inside, showing biblical scenes of Jesus and his mother Mary dating back to the 18th century. 

In 1923 the monastery was abandoned and became a museum and major tourist attraction in the area. On August, 15 in  2010 the first orthodox mass was held there since 1923 with the permission of the Turkish goverment.

Thank you very much Burak for sending this spectacular card and using such wonderful stamps.

Route 66 - Oklahoma destinations

Another of my main collections is the Route 66, the Mother Road of the United States. It is one of the original highways in the US Highway System. 

The idea for Route 66 acutally started in Oklahoma. The citizens wanted to connect their state with those to the east and west. In the 1920ies existing roads were combined to one of the first highways. Originally it crossed 8 states and had a length of about 3,800 kilometers and has since become the most famous highway of the United States.

Thank you very much for this beautiful card, Christine !!!!

 

Sinulog Festival, Cebu, Philippines

 

The Sinulog Festival in Cebu, Philippines has a long history. It is held in memory of the statue of the Santo Nino (Child Jesus) given to Rajah Humabon of Cebu by the Portuguese explorer Magellan in 1521. The statue is kept at the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino in Cebu. The religious festival takes place each year in January and is considered the biggest and most famous of the country, attracting millions of visitors. Typical for the Sinulog Festival is the Sinulog dance accompanied by drums, two steps forward and one backward with swaying body movements, simulating the current of the waters.

Besides the Grand Street Parade there are also numerous street parties and fun events hosted in the days before and after the actual festival.

Isn't it a fun fact of this postcard collecting hobby, how a single postcard makes us doing research and learning about history, culture and so many things more.

Thank you very much Rose !!!

Greetings from Nisswa, Minnesota

 

I really love the design of these Large Letter Postcards !!! Thank you Linda for sending it my way !!!

Nisswa is located in the US state of Minnesota, actually only a small city with about 2.000 residents. In the postcard collecotor's eyes, the city should call itself lucky to have such nice postcards !!!