Ich wollt mal wieder Servus sagen!

"Ich wollt mal wieder Servus sagen" is Austrian German for "I just want to say hello again" 

One of my good friends, Harald, sent this card last August 15, 2011, during Mariä Himmelfahrt (Feast of the Assumption), which also happens to be Der große Frauentag (Women's Day) in Austria.  

His Facebook status that day reads, "...Be sure to remember the important women in your life today: especially those who keep you pure and act as your steadfast light during the challenges of life on earth. :)"

Sunflower!

Perhaps the sweetest and most thoughtful postcard I've ever received :)

Karymsky Volcano, Russia

Named after a Russian ethnic group, the Karymsky is a stratovolcano which last erupted in 2011 and will continue to do so in the years to come.  It is the most active volcano in the Kamkatcha Peninsula, located in the Russian far east and is in between the Sea of Orhotosk and the Pacific Ocean.

I received this postcard in June 2011 from Olga of Novosibirsk, the third most populous city in Russia, just after Moscow and St. Petersburg.

It came with these stamps:

Hare and Elk stamps issued in 2008 and a joint issue with Serbia stamp of Mary and the child Jesus 

Masskara Festival, Bacolod City

Another postcard sent by my celebrated boyband friend, Jescia, when I was in Japan last year.

Masskara: Spanish for mask and many faces

If Germany has the Oktoberfest, then the people of Bacolod City have a 20-day Masskara Festival to trump those groß mugs of white beer and lederhosen.  Originally meant to commemorate the hardships of the people of the region, the Festival has now become a tool for escapism.

All right, the Masskara Festival is an awesome event where people dance in the streets, drink beer, be merry,  wear masks, climb poles, and stuff.

This website describes the Masskara Festival better than I can so just check it out and get out of here: http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_festivals/masskara_festival.html

Old Man of the Mountain, NH

Molly sent me this card on July 14, 2011, Postcrossing's 6th birthday.  

Old Man of the Mountain is located in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire.  The postcard reads: 

One of the world's most famous natural profiles.  It is also called the Great Stone Face.  It was immortalized in a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne and has appeared on a US postage stamp.  The face measures 48 feet from chin to forehead.

Photo by Bob Grant

 It came with these stamps:

American Clock together with 2 Forever stamps of the Statue of Liberty and American flag 

Mariinsky Palace, Ukraine

Eugene sent me this postcard of the Mariinsky Palace in Kiev, Ukraine.  There's also another palace with the same name located in St. Petersburg, Russia, but it was built a century after the one in Kiev.

The Mariinsky Palace was built it 1752 by the request of Empress Elizabeth.  To this day, this baroquesque 2-storey building serves its festive and ceremonial functions for official presidential matters.

I've encountered a decade-old Ukrainian Weekly newspaper online and read that on March 21, 1999, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Ukraine's then-President, Leonid Kuchma, signed a memorandum of mutual understanding to strengthen the ties between the two countries at the Mariinsky Palace.

Welcome to 1 of the many official cribs of the Ukrainian President

 It came with this stamp:

Wheat ears stamp issued in 2004

The Main Market Square in Kraków

 So I realized I haven't really been posting for a while now.  Happy New Year! I should update more.  I have about 50 more cards waiting to be posted here.  Should do this to help me prepare for the Foreign Service Exam this February.

Anyway, I received this card from Karol last June 2011.

The Main Square (or Rynek Glowny in the vernacular) has been at the heart of Krakow since the 13th century.  Over the years, the Rynek's function evolved from the economic to the social center of Krakow.  Once a gathering place for merchants all over Europe to sell and trade their goods, the Rynek now gathers tourists from around the world.  It's the perfect place to start seeing the famous landmarks in the city.

The Main Square and St. Mary's Basilica

It came with these stamps:

The Dwór w Łopusznej (manor house in Łopuszna) and 1 of the 6 Koty (cats) stamps designed  by Andrzej Gosik

Karol even added that he was getting married in 6 weeks.  Congrats on your marriage with the love of your life, Dorothy! :)

Christmas Card

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a postcard my good Australian friend, Erin, sent me for the holidays last year. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

This was my first official card from the Netherlands.  Sent on May 9, 2011, Ingrid writes, "this card is our capital, Amsterdam, famous for the channels, houses, and flowers, amongst others the tulips."

And the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997

The card came with:

Part of the 2010 Grenzeloos Nederland series, featuring relations with Suriname, a former colony

Cinnamon Buns

Tuula sent me this delicious-looking postcard last October.  It was autumn in Finland when she wrote this (October 3, 2011).  The temperature was slowly decreasing (6 C that time) and it was raining often.

Cinnamon buns

The postcard came with this stamp:

1 of the 5 Onnenhyppy stamps designed by  Tuomo Savolainen

Split, Croatia

One of the most interesting Round Robins I've joined was the Themed Messages RR - Group 140B (What would you tell your 12-year-old self?) I got this postcard from Jelena, who told me what she would've told her 12-year old self.  Actually a very therapeutic RR.

Split is Croatia's 2nd largest city.  With a 1700-year old harbor, Split remains to be one of the Adriatic's most fascinating seaports.  Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be found in this city.

"Hello, is this Croatia?"

The card came with this stamp:

Valpovo Castle

Wulingyuan Scenery, China

Sent by Peter Shaw from China.  He writes, "The Wulingyuan Scenery was included in the World Heritage list by UNESCO in 1992."  The card was dated September 11, 2011.

No. 1 Bridge under Heaven

 It came with these stamps:

"Modern yellow-green" and a pre-printed stamp of the postcard, cute!

Taal Volcano, Tagaytay

Here's a local postcard my calculating business friend, Jescia, sent me while I was in Japan last May.

The Taal Volcano, with a 406-meter-high crater, is the world's smallest volcano located in Tagaytay City.

Located about 50 km south of the capital, Manila, Tagaytay is a popular weekend hangout and vacation destination for many who want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life.  I've been to Tagaytay many times to chill out with friends, ride horses, have lunch overlooking the Taal Lake, but I've never been inside the crater.  I know that there are tours that take you boating in the lake and hiking near the crater since Taal is a volcano island.  Definitely going inside the crater before I die.

A great-tasting freshwater fish, Sardinella tawilis, can be found exclusively in Taal Lake

Jescia was kind enough to pay 2.5x the price of a normal postcard for an express delivery.  Here are the stamps she used:

3 Manta Ray stamps and a Chambered Nautilus

Algarve, Portugal

This card was from Laura of the Netherlands.  In her Murder Mystery RR Group 11 card, she told me that she got this postcard during a vacation trip to Portugal this summer.

Many Europeans flock to Portugal's premiere holiday destination, The Algarve, in the summer for the wide, golden sands and the breath-taking cliff-islands that surround the coastline.  The Algarve is the perfect destination for families, couples, backpackers, photography enthusiasts, outdoor trekkers, and anyone who would like to admire the beauty that Portugal has to offer together with several thousand other tourists.

Ponta da Piedade, Lagos, Algarve

Coming, after all, from the Netherlands, the card came with this stamp: 

Created in 2008, Grenzeloos Nederland (Boundless Netherlands) features the relations between the Netherlands and Suriname

Insel Rügen

I received this winter view postcard from Nordbaer, one of the more active members in the Postcrossing Forum.  Got this through the Water RR Group 195.

Insel Rügen (Rügen Island) is Germany's biggest and most beautiful island located in the Baltic Sea.  The island offers something to tickle every fancy.  It doesn't matter if you're looking for a classic beach vacation or a more flexible getaway, Rügen has something for you!

60 km of sandy beach, white shorelines, sophisticated sea bathers, old fishing villages, romantic manors or phantasmagoric countrysides--Rügen Island offers a once-in-a-lifetime variety of attractions.

Yet another try at translation.  This description sounds better in German, I swear.  Haha.  It just seemed a like a good idea to translate a German description into English since I'm no good at ripping off English descriptions anyway. 

Yet another beautiful card intentionally ruined by the Philippine post office

Read more about Rügen here:
http://www.ruegeninsel.de (German)
http://www.ruegen-mv.de/ruegen_erleben/the_island_ruegen (English)

A Swan From Finland

This picture of a swan sent to me by Sointu was my first postcard from Finland.  

Photo by Frans Lemmens

It came with this stamp:

A stamp of the Torronsuo National Park issued in 2010

A Pause in Work by Lewis Hine

Dovilė from Lithuania sent me this postcard.

Lewis Hine (1874-1940) was an American photographer who used his camera as both a research tool and an instrument of social reform.  He traveled extensively to photograph child labor practices.

A Pause in Work is part of his 1930 work, The Empire State Building Photographs.

Taken in America, printed in Korea, sent from Lithuania

The postcard came with this stamp:

Lithuania issued this (and another) stamp for the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Read more about Hine:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/picturing_the_century/portfolios/port_hine.html

http://www.profotos.com/education/referencedesk/masters/masters/lewishine/lewishine.shtml

A Bridge in Beijing

The text on the postcard reads: 

In 1978, the first overpass of Beijing, Fuxingmen Bridge, was established.  Till now, there are more than 100 overpasses in Beijing, one [of] the cities owning most overpasses.  The hanging bridges, in different styles and types, are playing a significant role in the 3-D transportation network of Beijing, opening out the mien of a cosmopolitan.

Right.  So Jery sent me this postcard through the NDC RR - Group 120.  Interestingly, Jery and his partner, Julia are planning to open up a cafe and they want to post their received postcards on the wall of their soon-to-be eatery.

Chinese highway at nighttime

Fuxingmen sounds funny.  Fuxingmen Bridge.

The Ancient House in Ipswich, UK

David from Felixstowe writes, "I live near . . .  Ipswich.  This is the largest town in the area with a population of 130,000.  The Ancient House was built in 1578 for a rich merchant.  It used to be my favorite bookshop, but now it sells kitchen goods."

Also known as the Sparrowes House 

The card came with this stamp:

Peony by Kate Faulkner, 1877

Saint-Victor-sur-Loire

I received my first postcard from France from Méline in May.  She writes, "Greetings from France, where spring looks like summer!"  She had just harvested her first strawberries the afternoon that she wrote me this postcard (May 5, 2011).

This postcard shows an eleventh-century church in Saint-Victor-sur-Loire, which is geographically separate from, yet is considered to be a neighborhood in the city of Saint-Étienne.  The medieval village is home to about 850 inhabitants so not much about it has been written in English.

This unnamed church has Romanesque-styled columns dating back to 1070.  Inside this ancient chapel are the statues of St. Victor, St. Antony, St. Roch, St. Eustachius, the Virgin in bronzed wood, as well as an altar of Louis XIII.

Saint-Victor-sur-Loire, la place de l'église

It came with this stamp:

In 2010, France issued a this stamp in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the independence of  Latin America and the Caribbean

Read more about Saint-Victor-sur-Loire in French here:
http://tresordesregions.mgm.fr/Mdir.php?p=cant.php&cl=SaintEtienne&region=82
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Victor-sur-Loire

Avocado-Birnen-Carpaccio

My first recipe card was from Michael from Germany.

Here's the recipe to make avocado-peach carpaccio.  Too lazy to translate to English.  No one cares anyway.  Haha.

Scanner got fuzzy again

The card came with these stamps:

Crocus, Sweet William, and the lighthouse in Warnemünde