Peony from Russia

Postcard ID: RU-2962944
Country: Russia

At the first sight I noticed only peony. It looks so great, so bright. But then... I saw post envelopes! Ha! I'd like to receive my postcards with flowers too :)

The peony is a flowering plant in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, Southern Europe and Western North America. Boundaries between species are not clear and estimates of the number of species range from 25 to 40.

Most are herbaceous perennial plants 0.5–1.5 metres tall, but some resemble trees 1.5–3 metres tall. They have compound, deeply lobed leaves and large, often fragrant, flowers, ranging from red to white or yellow, in late spring and early summer.

The peony is among the longest-used flowers in Eastern culture and is one of the smallest living creature national emblems in China. 

Here is a new stamp The medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" from Russia:

Moomins family

Postcard ID: RU-3009568
Country: Russia

Here is absolutely amazing postcard with Moomins and Little My. It seems that my love to these characters increased in 2 times when I saw this postcard in my mailbox :)

So kind, so good, so cute!

It's my inspiration to keep harmony and comfort in our home :)

As usual, other postcards wit h Moomins can be found by tag moomins.

North Sea, Wangerooge, Germany

Postcard ID: DE-2154634
Country: Germany

It's so interesting to see from time to time on the postcard that you received a year or 2, or more ago. To see nice places again, to read good messages. Strongly recommend!

Wangerooge is one of the 32 Frisian Islands in the North Sea located close to the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. It is also a municipality in the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony in Germany.

Wangerooge is one of the East Frisian Islands. It is the easternmost and smallest of the inhabited islands in this group (according to some other measurements, Baltrum is the smallest) and the only one that belonged to the historical district of Oldenburg between 1815 and 1947, whereas Borkum, Juist, Norderney, Baltrum, Langeoog and Spiekeroog always belonged to the county of Ostfriesland.

The island is attractive to tourists due to the beaches, various recreation facilities and its relaxed atmosphere. The island's slogan, visible on a sign at the harbor, emphasizes this: "God created time, but he never mentioned haste." A yearly beach volleyball tournament, usually held at the beginning of August, is one of the main attractions in the summer, and has served to modify the general impression that the island is exclusively attractive to older people and young families. In addition, windsurfing, kite-surfing and board-riding activities attract younger people.

Here is a German stamp:

Design in Idees by Jaques Camus

Postcard ID: NL-1835857
Country: Netherlands

The sender didn't write anything about the image on the postcard, so I had to translate description from Dutch language. As far as I understand that is a design in Idees (what is Idees?). For me it looks like a part of wallpaper.

Sorry, however I don't understand this postcard... cannot define what is painted here.

Exclusive mailbox from Germany

Postcard ID: DE-2171177
Country: Germany

Here is so great mailbox! If I lived in my own house, not apartment, I'd also like to have special mailbox for my received postcard. 

Also note that this postcard has nice ID! So many 1 and 7 digits. Cool! :)

Chichen Itza, Mexico

Postcard ID: MX-20516
Country: Mexico

Here is a wonderful postcard from Mexico. I saw this pyramids on the pictures still in my school years and it's one from my dream to see them with my own eyes. Actually, I love Mexico! :)

Chichen Itza was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic. The archaeological site is located in the municipality of Tinum, in the Mexican state of Yucatán.

The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles, reminiscent of styles seen in central Mexico and of the Puuc and Chenes styles of the Northern Maya lowlands. The presence of central Mexican styles was once thought to have been representative of direct migration or even conquest from central Mexico, but most contemporary interpretations view the presence of these non-Maya styles more as the result of cultural diffusion.

Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities and it was likely to have been one of the mythical great cities, or Tollans, referred to in later Mesoamerican literature. The city may have had the most diverse population in the Maya world, a factor that could have contributed to the variety of architectural styles at the site.

The ruins of Chichen Itza are federal property, and the site’s stewardship is maintained by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History. The land under the monuments had been privately owned until 29 March 2010, when it was purchased by the state of Yucatán.

Here is an amazing Mexican stamp:

Beautiful girl from China

Postcard ID: CN-918323
Country: China

Usually I don't really like advertise postcard, however this one is nice! I even didn't think that this is AD card while read it on the backside from the sender :)

As per him this is an old fashion card went in 20 century.

Also I see so great Chinese stamp:

Slice of life by Fiep Westendorp

Postcard ID: NL-2623791
Country: Netherlands

Yesterday I described another card painted by Fiep Westendorp - this one. It looks that both these illustration are from the same book. Really wonderful, yeah? :)

Once I receive new postcard of this painter I begin to love your works a little more :)

Here is a stamp from the card:

Bulguksa Temple, South Korea

Postcard ID: RU-1748293
Country: Russia

Here is one more perfect building to my collection and one more point to visit :)

Bulguksa is located on the slopes of mount Toham (Jinheon-dong, Gyeongju city, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea). It is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and encompasses seven National treasures of South Korea, including Dabotap and Seokgatap stone pagodas, Cheongun-gyo (Blue Cloud Bridge), and two gilt-bronze statues of Buddha. The temple is classified as Historic and Scenic Site No. 1 by the South Korean government. In 1995, Bulguksa was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Seokguram Grotto, which lies four kilometers to the east.

The temple is considered as a masterpiece of the golden age of Buddhist art in the Silla kingdom. It is currently the head temple of the 11th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

Among the earliest woodblock prints in world, a version of the Dharani sutra dated between 704 and 751 was found there in 1966. Its Buddhist text was printed on a 8 cm × 630 cm (3.1 in × 248.0 in) mulberry paper scroll.

Here are the stamps from the card:

Handmade card from Finland

Postcard ID: FI-1765010
Country: Finland

I like really small pieces of handmade postcards. Maybe, I'm a perfectionist, however I think that if you want to make something special with your hand you should do it really cool. Or don't do it at all.

I appreciate all efforts, but I still see all bugs (sorry, I'm the tester - can't see in different way). In the same time I think that drawing is good :)

The stamp is cute:

Summertime from Ukraine!

Postcard ID: UA-625024
Country: Ukraine

If you don;t have ability to go to the sea right now, you cann look on this card and imagine that you are on the beah, collect starfish and hear sound of these. I do it from time to time :)

Pictures like that are great helper ;)

Also back side contains amazing stamps:

You've got a mail

Postcard ID: SG-102654
Country: Singapore

I think tha everyone postcrosser likes post theme. It a sign, a symbol that you receive something special for you from another country. It's definitely a good news!

Here is also a nice stamp with turtle. I even think to start collecting such stamps :)

Book illustration by Fiep Westendorp

Postcard ID: NL-1844293
Country: Netherlands

I so like postcards from the Netherlands! I knew about Fiep Westendorp from my postcrossing activity and now like all her works! And would like to read all books with her illustration :)

As I already made I post about Fiep Westendorp,so today I want to say some word about the book author:

Anna Maria Geertruida "Annie" Schmidt was a Dutch writer. She is called the mother of the Dutch theatrical song and the queen of Dutch children's literature, praised for her "delicious Dutch idiom," and considered one of the greatest Dutch writers. An ultimate honour was extended to her posthumously, in 2007, when a group of Dutch historians compiled the "Canon of Dutch History" and included Schmidt, alongside national icons such as Vincent van Gogh and Anne Frank.

Although Schmidt wrote poetry, songs, books, plays, musicals, and radio and television drama for adults, she is known best for children's books. Her best-known work for children may be the series Jip and Janneke. Many of her books, such as Pluk van de Petteflet, were illustrated by Fiep Westendorp.

Schmidt received the 1988 Hans Christian Andersen Medal for her lasting contribution as a children's writer. The biennial award conferred by the International Board on Books for Young People is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books.

Saugeen First Nation

Postcard ID: CA-341265

Country: Canada

Here is Belarus we like any stories about first nations in America. We watch films and read books. Now I also have a chance to receive postcard with them.

Saugeen First Nation is an Ojibway First Nation located along the Saugeen River and Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Organized in the mid-1970s, Saugeen First Nation is the primary political successor apparent to the Chippewas of Saugeen Ojibway Territory.

The Saugeen First Nation's reserve includes four land reserves and portions of Lake Huron. The land-reserves are Chief's Point Reserve No. 28, Saugeen Reserve No. 29, Saugeen Hunting Grounds No. 60A and Saugeen & Cape Croker Fishing Island Indian Reserve No. 1. Of the four, Saugeen Reserve No. 29 is considered the main reserve, while Saugeen & Cape Croker Fishing Island Indian Reserve No. 1 is shared with Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.

Here is a Canadian stamp:

Madeira - Typical Houses, Portugal

Postcard ID: PT-298633
Country: Portugal

The sender said that these are the typical houses in Madeira - would like I live in one of them :)

Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago located in the north Atlantic Ocean, just under 400 kilometres north of Tenerife, Canary Islands. The archipelago is one of the two Autonomous regions of Portugal (the other being the Azores, located to the northwest), and includes the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, and the Desertas, administered together with the separate archipelago of the Savage Islands. It is an outermost region of the European Union.

Madeira was claimed by Portuguese sailors in the service of Infante D. Henrique (Henry the Navigator) in 1419, and settled after 1420. The archipelago is considered to be the first territorial discovery of the exploratory period of the Portuguese Age of Discovery.

Today, it is a popular year-round resort, being visited every year by about one million tourists, noted for its Madeira wine, flowers, landscapes and embroidery artisans, as well as for its annual New Year celebrations that feature the largest fireworks show in the world, as officially recognised by Guinness World Records in 2006. The main harbour in Funchal is the leading Portuguese port in cruise liner dockings, being an important stopover for commercial and trans-Atlantic passenger cruises between Europe, the Caribbean and North Africa.

Here is a Portuguese stamp:

The view of Strelka and Rozhdestvenskaya str, Nizhny Novgorod

Postcard ID: RU-3003712
Country: Russia

From the first sight on this card I understood - this is from Russia. And was right. However I had to google to define the name of the city from the card. It wasn't difficult, but interesting :)

Nizhny Novgorod is, with a population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia and the administrative center of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. From 1932 to 1990, it was known as Gorky, after the writer Maxim Gorky who was born there. The city is an important economic, transportation and cultural center of Russia and the vast Volga-Vyatka economic region.

Much of the city downtown is built in the Russian Revival and Stalin Empire styles. The dominating feature of the city skyline is the grand Kremlin (1500–1511), with its red-brick towers. After Bolshevik devastation, the only ancient edifice left within the kremlin walls is the tent-like Archangel Cathedral (1624–31), first built in stone in the 13th century.

Sacandaga River, USA

Postcard ID: US-2954288
Country: USA

The Sacandaga River is a 64-mile-long (103 km) river in the northern part of New York in the United States. Its name comes from the Native American Sa-chen-da'-ga, meaning "overflowed lands".

The Sacandaga River is a tributary of the Hudson River, flowing into it across from Lake Luzerne, at the border of Saratoga County and Warren County.

Snow by Annet Loginova

Postcard ID: RU-2944413
Country: Russia

Wow! Great card! Usually I send cards of this artist to other postcrossers, so I was so happy to receive this one. I send only postcards that I like, as I don't buy any other :)

I found the following words of Annet's page in Russian:

"In my work, I display life with its bright and good side, I try to instill a piece of light and joy  in every picture . I love the juicy and pure colors, soft lines, cheerful subjects, causing a smile and a feeling of something warm inside."

Here is the amazing card painted by wonderful girl.

One Thousand and One Nights

Postcard ID: RU-2882935
Country: Russia

Oh, I love from childhood The Book of One Thousand and One Nights! I read it some times and think that I'll re-read it again in the future :) By the way, the postcard is colourful and wonderful!

One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of West and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first English language edition, which rendered the title as The Arabian Nights' Entertainment.

What is common throughout all the editions of the Nights is the initial frame story of the ruler Shahryār and his wife Scheherazade and the framing device incorporated throughout the tales themselves. The stories proceed from this original tale; some are framed within other tales, while others begin and end of their own accord. Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more. The bulk of the text is in prose, although verse is occasionally used to express heightened emotion, and for songs and riddles. Most of the poems are single couplets or quatrains, although some are longer.

Alice in Wonderland by Sir John Tenniel

Postcard ID: UA-1139852
Country: Ukraine

Here is an illustration to one from the famous fairytales! I saw some version of film adaptation, but these illustration haven't seen before. I think that everyone knows about Alice, so put here information about Sir John Tenniel.

Sir John Tenniel was a British illustrator, graphic humourist and political cartoonist whose work was prominent during the second half of the 19th century. Tenniel is considered important to the study of that period’s social, literary, and art histories. Tenniel was knighted by Victoria for his artistic achievements in 1893.

Tenniel is most noted for two major accomplishments: he was the principal political cartoonist for Britain’s Punch magazine for over 50 years, and he was the artist who illustrated Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.

Sardines from Portugal

Postcard ID: PT-376034
Country: Portugal

It's so nice to describe summer card in the autumn evening :) me and my husband are fans of  grilled fish.

Sardines are a common type of fish consumed by humans, as sardines are rich in nutrients. They are commonly served in cans, but fresh sardines are often grilled, pickled or smoked.

Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. The term sardine was first used in English during the early 15th century, and may come from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which sardines were once abundant.

Sardines are commercially fished for a variety of uses: for bait; for immediate consumption; for canning, drying, salting, or smoking; and for reduction into fish meal or oil. The chief use of sardines is for human consumption, but fish meal is used as animal feed, while sardine oil has many uses, including the manufacture of paint, varnish and linoleum.

Here is a stamp from the card:

The Statue of Liberty, New York, USA

Postcard ID: US-2954261
Country: USA

From the first sight on this card, I think, everyone can understam the country where this postcard was sent :)

This is most of the famous statues in the world - The Status of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in the middle of New York Harbor, in Manhattan, New York City. The statue, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886, was a gift to the United States from the people of France. The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States: a welcoming signal to immigrants arriving from abroad.

São Paulo Cathedral

Postcard ID: BR-320890
Country: Brasil

Here is a beautiful cathedral that locates in Brazil. I googled some more photos - it's amazing inside and outdoor.

The São Paulo See Metropolitan Cathedral -"See" and "cathedra" mean "seat" and therefore the ecclesiastical authority of a bishop or archbishop - is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo, Brazil. As of 2013 the Metropolitan Archbishop of the archdiocese was Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer. Its construction, in Neo-Gothic style, began in 1913 and ended four decades later. It was ready for its dedication on the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the then humble villa of São Paulo by Chief or Cacique Tibiriçá and the Jesuit priests Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta. Despite having a Renaissance-styled dome, the São Paulo Metropolitan Cathedral is considered by some to be the 4th largest neo-gothic cathedral in the world.

A butterfly from Canada

Postcard ID: CA-460580
Country: Canada

This September has brought to me a number of really great card. This one is a great example for this. I don't know the name of this butterfly, but it's really beautiful - the colour and pattern. Perfection!

This card is a kind of most my favourite as contains a part of sender's soul - look at this nice drawings:

The stamp is also one from the best I ever received through postcarossing, it's quite big and looks really cool and breathtaking:

Bridestowe lavender estate, Nabowla, Tasmania

Postcard ID: AU-372448
Country: Australia

This card is just amazing! Now I want to visit this place and see this beauty with my own eyes! I think that now I have one more association with Australia :)

Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 39 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found from Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, southern Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia to southeast India. Many members of the genus are cultivated extensively in temperate climates as ornamental plants for garden and landscape use, for use as culinary herbs, and also commercially for the extraction of essential oils. The most widely cultivated species, Lavandula angustifolia is often referred to as lavender, and there is a colour named for the shade of the flowers of this species.

Also the backside contains cool stamp with royal family:

Mighty Hunter by Fred Machetanz, 1967

Postcard ID: US-2934629
Country: USA

Polar bear is my love from childhood. I think that this is my association forever: a little bear Umka from Soviet animation film.

The polar bear is a carnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is a large bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous Kodiak bear. A boar (adult male) weighs around 350–700 kg (770–1,540 lb), while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. Although it is the sister species of the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea. Their scientific name means "maritime bear", and derives from this fact. Polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present.

For decades, large scale hunting raised international concern for the future of the species but populations rebounded after controls and quotas began to take effect. For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of Arctic indigenous peoples, and polar bears remain important in their cultures.

Also this card has amazing set of stamps, with polar bear, butterfly and other things!

Butterfly on lavender

Postcard ID: PL-941410
Country: Poland

If I was nominations like Postcard of the month or something like that, this photo would be the winner. Seriously. Here is my lovely butterfly. And so nice colours - it's a pleasure to see on it. 

Kornelia also sent me really interesting text on the backside. 

She also sent to me a magnet (amazing thing, my love :)). However I haven't put it on the refrigerator, but posted photo of magnet to instagram. Will add a photo of magnets here soon (don't want to make a photo with electric lights, as here is in Belarus midnight now)

View of the administrative building (Palaty) and the Cathedrals of the Assumption and St. Demetrius, Vladimir, Russia

Postcard ID: RU-2803102
Country: Russia

This September I received really cool card. Do you 2 (!!) churches on the card? Yes, 2 great churches on the one card. Great :)

Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, 200 kilometers (120 mi) to the east of Moscow

Modern Vladimir is a part of the Golden Ring of the ancient Russian cities and a popular tourist destination. Its three chief monuments, White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal, inscribed by UNESCO on the World Heritage List, are the following:

• The magnificent five-domed Assumption Cathedral was designed as a sepulcher of grand princes and dedicated to the holy icon Theotokos of Vladimir, which had been brought to the city by Andrew the Pious. The cathedral was constructed in 1158–1160, expanded in 1185–1189, and painted by the great Andrei Rublev and Daniil Chyorny in 1408. In 1810, a lofty bell-tower was added in Neoclassical style.

• The warrior-like cathedral of St. Demetrius was built in 1194–1197 as a private chapel of Vsevolod the Big Nest in the courtyard of his palace and was consecrated to his holy patron, St. Demetrius. For all its formal unity, the cathedral represents an international project of Russian and Byzantine masters, Friedrich Barbarossa's masons, and carvers sent by Queen Tamar of Georgia.

Don't disturb

Postcard ID: NL-2620780
Country: Netherland

I think that this is one from the best cards for those who likes reading. I like :) by the way, now I read W"elcome to the world, baby girl" by  Fannie Flagg.

I look at this postcard and would like to be there. Would like to have my own tree and wonderful place for reading.

It's great card. Wanted more from these series :)

Happy City's Day, Moscow!

Postcard ID: RU-2695657
Country: Russia

Moscow is a really big and wonderful city. There is more people thank in whole Belarus, huh :)

Me and my husband visited this city a month ago - we spent great time there.
This year Moscow celebrated 866 years from founding!

I would like to congratulate all Moscow's citizens with this holiday!