Ukraine - New Year and Christmas card

I hope you like the Christmas and New Year cards I shared with you today :) I want to wish you much love, joy in heart, only real friends and only real love in your life. I hope your dreams will come true in the following 2009 year and that you'll remember that every dream, which becomes reality, is just a station on a long way, which is called life. We always need new stations to reach... and that's the way, which makes us happy.
I hope you're having a great holiday time with your family and friends :)
I'm going to spend the New Year in Belgium and I'll come back on 4th of January. Well, I'll have internet access there, but no cards ;) So be ready for the new update as soon as I get back home :)

And here's the last card for today, which comes from UKRAINE ;) You're not surprised, are you?

Macedonia - Christmas and New Year card

This beautiful card comes from Maceodnia :) Thanks, Ana! :)
I'm actually not sure, how to pronounce the ќ letter, so I won't pretend I know it :) But, as far as I understand, tehse are Christmas and New Year greetings in Macedonian :)

Russia - New Year and Christmas card

The writting on this card says "С Новым Годом и Рождеством" (S Novym Godom i Rozhdestvom) which means "Happy New Year and Merry Christmas". In Russia (as well as in Ukraine, Belarus and maybe some other countries) Christmas in after the New Year, because it's celebrated on 7th January.

Ukraine - Saint Nicholas Day card

There's a tradition in Ukraine that the Saint Nicholas (Святий Миколай - Svyatyi Mykolay in Ukrainian), also known as Santa Claus, brings some presents for children on the Saint Nicholas Day, which is on 19th December. Actually, we have the same tradition here in Poland, but it's 6th of December, because of the calendar difference.
This postcard shows Ukrainian children waiting for the presents at night :)

Belarus - New Year card

Here's a colorful New Year card from Belarus :)
"З Новым Годам" (Z Novym Hodam) means "Happy New Year" in Belarussian language :)

Bulgaria - Christmas card

This beautiful card shows traditional Bulgarian dishes for the Christmas Eve, as far as I understand the language :) Correct me, if I'm wrong.
"Весела Коледа" (Vesela Koleda) means "Merry Christmas" in Bulgarian. Коледа = Christmas.

China - New Year card (CN-37539)

I find this Chinese New Year card really beautiful, although I don't understand Chinese at all and my knowledge about the Chinese culture is very limited... Maybe someone could explain, is fish a New Year symbol? And what's written on this card? :) Thanks in advance!

CN-37539

South Korea - New Year card

According to the sender, this beautiful postcard shows traditional Korean clothes and a small purse, which brings luck :)

Estonia - Christmas card (EE-38184)

Isn't that funny that I received 2 official cards (this one and th eprevious one) from Estonia from the same person during one month? :) I like them both very much.

EE-38184

Estonia - Christmas card (EE-37281)

Beautiful card showing the Holy Family.

EE-37281

Germany - Christmas card (DE-253862)

A nice Christmas card from Germany :)

DE-253862

Australia - map card (AU-32042)

This beautiful card (Are the cards with stamps on the front side called "maxi cards"? I'm not a serious postcard collector, so I don't know everything) was issued to commemorate the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Brisbane in September 2001. I haven't seen this type of cards (I mean, with the stamp, corresponding to the theme of card, on the front side) here :( This world map is really wonderful... So orange ;)

Turkey - Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge in Istanbul

Thanks to Leslie, I've got postcards showing both bridges in Istanbul that connect Europe and Asia. As I've already written for several times on this blog, I love border bridges and a bridge connecting 2 continents seems to be even more exciting for me :)
This one is called the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge. According to Leslie, "Fatih" means "conquerer" & Sultan Mehmet was the one who captured Constantinople from the Byzantines in 1453. He built the Rumeli Fortress (which you can also see on this card) to help those efforts.

Finland - The Midnight Sun

I thought that I have many beautiful postcards showing sunsets over Finnish lakes... But this one made me wonder, if they actually show a normal sunset or the Midnight Sun? I think it would be a nice experience to spend several days in lapland and to observe the Sun walking around the horizon... But now there's night... Around the clock. That's much worse.

Portugal - Lisbon calendar

Although the year 2008 is almost over now, I'm really happy to have such card :) I had no idea about the existance of calendar cards, but I find it very interesting. I'm not sure, but it seems to me that these pictures of Lisbon correspond to the month on the calendar... I mean that for example the photo of tram was really taken in January, as there is some snow :) But in fact I don't have any further info about this card. I hope to receive more cards like this one in the future :)

Hungary - Budapest (HU-14925)

Here's my 1st official card from Hungary :) It shows the country's capital - Budapest. I've never been there, but I've heard from many people that it's a really beautiful and old city. This card makes me believe they were right :)

Budapest is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe. In 2008, Budapest had 1,702,297 inhabitants. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with the unification on 17 November 1873, of right-bank (west) Buda and Óbuda (Old Buda) together with Pest on the left (east) bank.

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe,its World Heritage Sites include the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, and the Millennium Underground Railway, the first on the European continent. In addition, the largest thermal water cave system in the world was discovered under Budapest in 2008.
The city attracts over 20 million visitors a year. The headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) will be in Budapest.

USA - Whidbey Island (US-294331)

I've been receiving many map card from USA as officials last weeks and I'm really happy about it :) This one shows the Whidbey Island in the Washington state. By the way, I used to think that Washington state was probably somewhere close to Washington city... But Postcrossing is very helpful, when it comes to treating geographic ignorance ;)

Whidbey Island is the longest island in the United States. It was discovered in 1792 by Captain George Vancouver and named after Joseph Whidbe, a member of his party, who found Deception Pass.

US-294331

Russia - Saint Petersburg (RU-27609)

I already have many cards from Saint Petersburg (I haven't uploaded all of them yet) and I know for sure that I want to go there. I just don't know, when exactly. Well, I know that I'd like to go there in June to see the famous "white nights" :) But I don't know the year :) Saint Petersubrg seems to be so different from Moscow... I can't say if I would like it more than the capital of Russia, but I'm sure it's worth seeing and comparing :)

This postcard shows the Academy of Sciences (built in 1783-1789) and the Kunstkammer (built in 1718-1739) on the University Embankment.

RU-27609

Estonia - Tallinn (EE-35914)

It's my 3rd card from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia :) It seems to me that all the cards from this city that I have belong to one set, but they're all different. This card shows the Viru Street and Viru Gates in Tallinn.

EE-35914

Croatia

Here's a beautiful multivew of Croatia (probably it's Southern part... I guess it's Dalmatia?). Some islands have really interesting shapes. And I love the color of Adriatic sea. It looks very exotic and it's difficult to believe that actually it's not so far away from Poland :)

According to the sender, Croatia is a small country, but quite diverse. The Northern parts are typical Central Europe, while the South is Mediterrean. Croatia has 79 islands (42 of them are inhabited), 523 islets and 389 rocks in the Adriatic.

Germany (DE-253605)

I love cards with nice quotes and I love challenges :) I must tell you that each text written in German is kind of challenge for me ;) Of course, I've checked the meaning of this quote, but I was really glad to find out that I understood it quite well myself :) Maybe my German is getting better?
So, the way I understand it (myself and with help of online translator is):
"I believe that the life of everyone of us is a mystery, in which an angel is hidden and only God has the key to it."
Let me know, if I'm wrong :) My German still needs improvement!

DE-253605

Slovenia - Borovnica

I received this wonderful card in the Slavic countries & Rest of the world RR. Borovnica is a town in Slovenia. It's name means "blueberry".
Fortunately, the sender was so kind to translate the information about this card into English :) I understand Slovene, but not good enough to translate it into English myself.

Borovnica viaduct: 510 m long and almost 40 m high railroad viaduct was built in years 1850-1856 as a part of railroad Vienna-Trieste. During World War 2 was partially demolished by retreaving Jugoslav army, later was bombed by ally aircrafts. After was was finally demolished and left only one column which remembers about that masterpiece.

Finland - Helsinki (FI-408692)

I really enjoy receiving Finnish cards and it's a pity that they seem to be coming rarely again :( I like the Finnish landscapes (I already have many cards showing the sunset over Finnish lakes), but it's even more interesting to receive some Finnish city views. I've never been to Finland, but my dad and my best friend have been to Helsinki, so I've known a bit about the Finland's capital :) I think that the Russian influence is quite visible in this city, but it makes it more interesting, as I like to see mix of different cultures.

Helsinki (in Finnish), or Helsingfors (in Swedish) is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is 573,789, making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin. The foreign-born population stands at around 10%.

Helsinki, along with the neighbouring cities of Vantaa, Espoo, and Kauniainen, constitutes what is known as the capital region, with over 1,000,000 inhabitants. The Greater Helsinki area contains 12 municipalities and has a population of over 1,300,000.

And here you can read, how the Helsinki's similarity to Russian cities was used :)

As a historical footnote, Helsinki's neoclassical buildings were often used as a backdrop for scenes set to take place in the Soviet Union in many Cold War era Hollywood movies. Some of the more notable ones are The Kremlin Letter (1970), Reds (1981) and Gorky Park (1983). Because some of the streetscapes were reminiscent of Leningrad's and Moscow's old buildings, they were used in the production - much to some residents' dismay. At the same time the government secretly briefed its white-collar workers to make producing these, often clearly Soviet-negative, films in Helsinki as hard as possible due to diplomatic pressure from Moscow.

FI-408692

Germany - Hamburg

I received this postcard in the Slavic countries & Rest of the world RR :) It shows the Speicherstadt, which is a part of huge Hamburg port.

The Speicherstadt, one of Hamburg's architectural icons today, is a large wharf area of 350.000 m² floor area on the northern shore of the river built in the 1880s as part of the free port and to cope with the growing amounts of stored goods in the port.

Brazil - Guarujá (BR-50799)

Have I already told you that I love receiving postcards from Brazil (and other countries on the Southern Hemisphere) during the winter? :) They make me forget about the weather outside at least for a while :)
This card shows the view of Guarujá city in Brazil, with Maluf Hill, Pitangueiras and Astúrias Beaches.

Guarujá is a municipality in the São Paulo state of Brazil. The population in 2006 was 305.171. This place name comes from the Tupi language. The population is highly urbanized.

Guarujá is located in Santo Amaro island, situated in São Paulo shore. Its main economic sources are seasonal tourism and port related activities.

Guarujá is a popular weekend destination for families from São Paulo, which can get there driving in less than an hour (through the Imigrantes highway). Traffic gets heavy during the evening in holidays.

Guarujá has a borough called Vicente de Carvalho, in tribute to the Parnasianist poet.

A nick name for the city is "The Pearl of the Atlantic".

Guarujá is known for its famous beaches such as Pitangueiras, Enseada, Tombo, Pernambuco and Iporanga.

BR-50799

UK - Birmingham (GB-55983)

This postcard shows the Victoria Square, International Convention Centre, St. Philip's Cathedral and the Civic Centre in Birmingham, England. Names of most English cities seem familiar to me, maybe because of history or literature... But in fact I don't know much about England(even about London, although I've been there).

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's core cities, and is the second most populated British city after London, with an urban area population of 970,892 (2001 census). Often considered to be the second city of the United Kingdom, the City of Birmingham forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation, which has a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census)and includes several neighbouring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country.

The city's reputation was forged as a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in England, a fact which led to Birmingham being known as "the workshop of the world" or the "city of a thousand trades". Although Birmingham's industrial importance has declined, it has developed into a national commercial centre, being named as the third best place in the United Kingdom to locate a business, and the 21st best in Europe by Cushman & Wakefield in 2007. It is also the fourth most visited city by foreign visitors in the UK. In 1998, Birmingham hosted the G8 summit at the International Convention Centre, on the site of Bingley Hall, the UK's first purpose-built exhibition hall, and remains a popular location for conventions today. In 2007, Birmingham was ranked as the 55th most livable city in the world, according to the Mercer Index of worldwide standards of living.

GB-55983

Serbia - Belgrade

Serbia is a new country in my postcard collection! :)
My first Serbian card shows the capital of this country, Belgrad (Београд in Serbian). It arrived a bit damged, but probably that's beacause it's really big :)

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube in north central Serbia, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkan Peninsula. With a population of 1 710 000 (official estimate 2007), Belgrade is the largest city in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, second largest city on the Danube river and the fourth largest in Southeastern Europe, after Istanbul, Athens, and Bucharest.

One of the oldest cities of Europe, with archeological finds tracing settlements as early as 6th millennium BC,Belgrade's wider city area was the birthplace of the largest prehistoric culture of Europe, the Vinča culture. The city was discovered by the Greeks, founded and named by the Celts (White City, name it still bears), awarded city rights by the Romans before it was permanently settled by White Serbs from the 600s onwards. As a strategic key, the city was battled over in 140 separate wars since the ancient period by countless armies of the East and West.In medieval times, it was in the possession of Byzantine, Frankish, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Serbian rulers. In 1521 Belgrade was conquered by the Ottomans and became the seat of the Pashaluk of Belgrade, as the principal city of Ottoman Europe and among the largest European cities. Frequently passing from Ottoman to Austrian rule, the status of Serbian capital would be regained only in 1841, after the Serbian revolution. Northern Belgrade, though, remained an Austrian outpost until the breakup of Austria-Hungary in 1918. The united city then became the capital of several incarnations of Yugoslavia, up to 2006, when Serbia became an independent state again.

USA - California Missions (US-294847)

I really love this map card!!! :)) Not only because it's a map card, but also because it's about the history and religion, which I'm interested in :) There's also information about this card on it's back side, so I can share it with you:

The founding of the Spanish Missions in California furnished an epic in history. these historical monuments are reminders of the great Franciscan adventure. Years of patient labor, decades of heroic sacrifice by Fray Junipera Serra and his Franciscan brothers lie behind the era of the founding of the 21 Missions and their branches, the ruins of which still stand in wonder and beauty at various points along 600 miles of California's glorious coastal region.

US-294847

India - Mumbai (IN-5063)

Although I already have some other cards from India (I just haven't uploaded them here yet), this one is my 1st offical card from this country and it's absolutely different than the ones I have. It's a photo of Mumbai (Bombay is the former name of the same city, but for example in Polish language we still use the old name: Bombaj) 100 years ago.

Mumbai (Marathi: मुंबई), formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial capital of India. With a population of approximately 13,000,000 it is the second most populous city proper in the world.Along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it forms, at 19 million, the world's fifth most populous metropolitan area. Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. Mumbai's port handles over half of India's maritime cargo.

The sad story behind this card is that I received it exactly on the day of terrorist attacks in Mumbai :(

IN-5063

Norway - Hvaler (NO-16957)

This postcard comes from Norway, but these small and beautiful houses remind me of my trip to Bornholm (Denmark) :) Anyway, Hvaler is a popular place for Norwegian people to spend their summer holidays :)

Hvaler is a municipality that is a group of islands in the southwestern part of Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skjærhalden, on the island of Kirkeøy. Hvaler was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838.

The county’s undisputed tourist paradise has to be the summer resort of Hvaler, whose year-round resident population of a fewer than souls scattered across four major islands swells to 30,000 in season. Hvaler’s main attraction is a vast formation of skerries scattered along the coastline from the southern Swedish border, almost 600 islands and islets altogether. In the midst of all this unspoilt natural beauty, the local council has taken the imaginative step of investing heavily in the electronic and communications infrastructure, so that visitors can keep in touch and on line.

NO-16957

The Netherlands - Overijssel (NL-117757)

First I thought that Overijssel was a city or town :) But later I realized that actually it was a region in the Netherlands. I love this card, because it's so colorful and because it's a multiview, but not so regular one. I've never been to the Overijssel region, but I think it represents the whole country quite well too :)

Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede. The province has a population of 1,113,529 inhabitants.

To the southeast, the province's surface is mostly sandy, interspersed with small rivers, such as, Regge and Dinkel and brooks, in the northwest, the geology is dominated by sediments from the Overijsselse Vecht and clay. The northern parts were once covered by veen (bogs) which separated the dryer and more arable south from Drenthe and which have been exploited as fuel to a large degree. Only small patches survive today (Engbertsdijksvenen near Tubbergen, Witteveen (near Haaksbergen), and the Aamsveen (near Enschede). The extreme northwest is dominated by a system of lakes formed by former peat-mining, the Weerribben, which is a valuable wetland.

NL-117757

Finland (FI-402462)

This postcard is a photo taken by the sender :) I think it shows a typical Finnish landscape, with a lake, forest and small houses :) I envy people, who are able to take beautiful photos... But I want to learn, so perhaps I will :)

FI-402462

Ukraine - Kyiv

Here's another postcard from my favorite country :) More precisely - from it's capital, Kyiv. I received this one in the Slavic countries RR :) I still have MANY postcards from Ukraine (some from my friends and some that I bought myself), but I think it wouldn't be so interesting, if I posted them all during one week or month, so I post them quite rarely :)

This postcard shows the interior of the Saint Andrew's Church (Ukrainian: Андріївська церква - Andriyivs'ka tserkva), which was constructed in 1747-1754 in Baroque style.

The Saint Andrew's Church overlooks the historic Podil neighborhood, situated on a steep hill to which the church gave its current name Andriyivska Hill. It is currently one of four architectural landmarks of Ukraine, which were put down on the List of Mankind Treasures of Five Continents by the world society.

As the church sits atop a hill, foundation problems have been one of the main concerns of preservationists. More recently, the foundation below the church has started to shift, causing some concerns that the church's foundation might collapse. Cracks have already appeared in the foundation, and some of the church's falling decor has been found in neighboring areas.

By the way, don't you think that having cards from places that you've been to is very fun? :)

Spain - Masca (Tenerife)

This wonderful card is one of 3 that my dad sent me during his holidays on Tenerife. It's an absolutely breathtaking view...

Masca is a small mountain village located in Buenavista del Norte on a small mountain road named Masca. The village is home to around 150 inhabitants. The village is in the Teno mountains, which range from 600 to 800 m and extend up to the northwesternmost point of Tenerife. The village in the 1960s was accessed only by paths and was unaccessible by roads. The centre of the village features a small square (plaza) and a small church.

High mountains surround the tiny village and there is a small peak near the village centre. Forests including cypresses and palm trees abound. The rocks and forests and a slope of about 70° to 75° angle lies westward. Farming cultivation include potatoes and wheat and also fruit and vegetables in small quantities. The village has a sufficient water supply and plants are green.

The village was also an area that pirates never attacked. The Atlantic Ocean lies several kilometres northwest.

The housing designs are two-stories and are built on the mountain slopes and are very remarkable. The covers are not used inside. Some of the homes are abandoned. Much of its inhabitants left for larger towns and cities on and on other islands and to Spain.

China - playing children :) (CN-30159)

This postcard shows Chinese children playing different games :) To be honest, most of them are very similar to games played by Polish children :) Well, I've always believed that children are always able to find a "common language" (even if they actually can't communicate with each other in any language). These are adults who make this world too complicated :)
And I love the Chinese text on the front of this card. No, I have no idea how to read it and what does it mean. But I love unknown scripts :)))

CN-30159

Hungary

That's my first postcard from Hungary and, as I received it in the World Languages RR, it was written in Ukrainian :)) If it was written in Hungarian - I wouldn't understand anything, although I think it's a very interesting language. It's funny that in Hungarian "sz" is pronouned like English "s", and "s" is pronounced like English "sh". In Polish it's absolutely opposite - Polish "sz" = English "sh" and Polish "s" = English "s" :)
I don't have any info about this postcard in English, but I guess it shows Hungarian ladies in very beautiful national costumes and the traditional Hungarian agriculture? Anyway, I like it very much and it makes me want to visit Hungary. Maybe I'd finally learn at least several Hungarian words?

Russia - Kizhi museum

This postcard shows the "live exposition" of traditional crafts of Karelia on Kizhi island. This lady demonstrates the golden eyelet lacing. This kind of art has been known since the 15th century in Russia.
Here's some information about the Kizhi island:

Kizhi (Russian: Кижи) is an island on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia (Medvezhyegorsky District), Russia with a beautiful ensemble of wooden churches, chapels and houses. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Russia and an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kizhi island is about 7 km long and 0.5 km wide. It is surrounded by about 5,000 other islands, most of which are very small—some of them just rock outcroppings (called "skerries"), though some are as big as 35 km long. Access to Kizhi is by hydrofoil across Lake Onega from Petrozavodsk (numerous trips every day in the summer), by snowcat (in the winter), or by cruise ship. There is no lodging on Kizhi for overnight guests.

Germany - Frankfurt (Oder) (DE-248006)

This postcard shows the churches of Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany. There are 2 cities called Frankfurt in Germany. The bigger (and better known) is situated in the Western part of Germany and is called Frankfurt am Main. Frankfurt (Oder) is much smaller and actually half of this city is in Poland and is called Słubice :) The border is on the Oder (or Odra in Polish) river.
There are more cities like that on the German-Polish border, because of the decision that the new border between these countries (after World War 2) should be mainly on 2 rivers - Nysa Łużycka (Lausitzer Neisse) and Odra (Oder). Now, when both Poland and Germany are members of EU, it's quite fun to visit a city, which is in 2 different country and where you can always go abroad for a walk or to cafe :)

DE-248006

Kazakhstan - Singing Dune

It's already my 2nd postcard from Kazakhstan and I find it just as beautiful as the previous one :)
It shows the Aksu Dzhabagly, which is the "singing dune". In dry weather the sand makes a sound like an organ, which can be hears several kilometres away. The sands are over 3m high, stretch for over 3km and it has been standing on the same spot for 1000's of years.
I've never heard of singing dunes before :)

Finland - Iloranta

This wonderful and HUGE :) postcard shows Iloranta, which seems to be a very beautiful place :) Although it's not a Christmas card, it reminds me that the holidays are coming very soon :)
Thanks, Sabrina! :)

USA - Lake Erie lighthouses (US-294925)

I really like it, when there's some information about the card printed on it's backside :) I don't have to use Wikipedia then ;) But, before I copy the info about this card, I must tell you that there's definitely something special about the lighthouses. I've visited some (I can't remember exactly, how many) on the Polish seaside. When I was a child, I enjoyed counting the stairs (there are usually about 200, if I remember well). Later I tried to imagine living in a lighthouse, being alone with your thoughts there during a storm. Would I enjoy it? Probably yes, but not for a long time. I also remember reading a short story by a famous Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz, about a Polish man, who worked in a lighthouse somewhere in Central America (was it Panama?). Once he received a famous Polish book, started reading it, then had a dream about Poland (which wasn't independent at that time), fell asleep, forgot to turn on the light and caused and a ship crashed because of him. The man lost his job, but he felt better, because he had a part of his homeland (the book) with himself. That was so sad...
Nowadays navigation is so much easier... But making our lives easier means also losing some symbols, just like the light, which has always been the symbol of hope and the right way.

I'm sorry for writing so much :)
So, here's the information about this card:

Navigation on Lake Erie has been aided since the nineteenth century by lighthouses dotting the Ohio shoreline. The Marblehead Lighthouse, constructed in 1821, is the oldest working lighthouse on the Great Lakes. Left: Marblehead, Top Center: Lorain, Middle Center: Cleveland, Bottom Center: Mentor Headlands, Right: Farport Harbor

Brazil - Porto Alegre (BR-48672)

This postcard shows Porto Alegre, a city in the Southern part of Brazil. On the left you can see a monument of Gaúcho Laçador, who is the typical and folkloric man of that region according to the sender. In the top right corner you can see the bridge on Guaíba river. Finally, in the down right corner you can see the aerial view of Porto Alegre.

BR-48672

Czech Republic - Holešov

I received this postcard in the Slavic countries RR :) It shows the chateau in Holešov.

Holešov is a town in the Zlín Region, Czech Republic. The town is located on the western hillside of the Hostýn Hills - the westernmost part of the Carpathian Mountains.

Holešov is well-known for its mannerist chateau with the garden complex and the unique Jewish synagogue.

The town was inhabited by a large Jewish community before the World War II. Almost whole Jewish community perished in the war.

The Netherlands - Amsterdam

Unfortunately, you can't see it well on the screen, but it's a very beautiful handmade 3D card :) It shows a mailbox in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. I've been there once, it's one of the most beautiful European capitals in my opinion :)

Macedonia

Thanks, Ana, for this wonderful map card of Macedonia! :)
Macedonia is one of the countries that aren't well-known not only around the world, but even in Europe (Some people are just very ignorant, but maybe I shouldn't say this, because I'm even worse ignorant when it comes to chemistry or physics). But this, as well as the fact that Macedonia is a Slavic country, makes it very interesting for me.
In the middle of this card (inside the map) you can see Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. Other two pictures show the Golak mountain near Delčevo in Eastern part of Macedonia and a hotel in Ohrid.

By the way, is the name of country, "Makedonija", written in Serbian, or it's just transliteration?

Croatia - Brač island

This postcard shows the beautiful Brač island in Croatia. It's the largest island in Dalmatia and the 3rd largest in the Adriatic. The island has population of about 13,000 with Supetar being the main town. I haven't visited Croatia yet and I really regret it, as it's not so far away from Poland and it's really worth visiting.

Germany - a map with stadiums (DE-234476)

A map of Germany! :)))
My collection of map cards increases ;)

You can also see the most important football stadiums of Germany on this card :) I'm not a big fan of football, but I like watching it sometimes.

DE-234476

Portugal - Porto

I received this beautiful postcard in the Slavic countries RR :) It shows the old, historical and monumental part of Porto, which is a UNESCO site.

Porto, also Oporto in English, is Portugal's second city and capital of the Norte NUTS II region. The city is located in the estuary of the Douro river in northern Portugal. The largest city in the region, Porto is considered the economic and cultural heart of the entire region. The city, which had an estimated population of about 240,000 (2008), lies at the centre of the political Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto, with a population of slightly more than 2.0 millions (est. 2008), and of a broader metropolitan agglomeration (including the city of Braga) with over 3.2 million inhabitants (2008).

The city of Porto comprises 15 parishes ("Freguesias"). The historic centre of Porto was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.

One of Portugal's most internationally famous products, Port wine, is named after the city because it is produced in, and shipped from the area. or, more precisely, from Vila Nova de Gaia, a city just across the river which belongs to the same conurbation.

The country was also named after the Latin name of Porto, Portus Cale

Estonia (EE-36115)

This wonderful postcard with 23 pictures (yes, I counted them) shows the most beautiful places of Estonia :) I like especially the castles. It seems to me that Estonia is a small country, but with many interesting sights. And with difficult languages, but as far as I know, many Estonian people can speak Russian, because there's large Russian minority.

EE-36115

Finland (FI-405561)

The google translator isn't inteligent enough to translate, what is written on this postcard :)) But I like it very much anyway, because I love fields of crops and blue sky... OK, I'll tell you the truth ;) As you probably know, my favorite country is Ukraine :) The Ukrainian flag is blue and yellow :) Blue stands for the sky and yellow stands for crops (Ukraine has been known for very good soil and agriculture). But of course, this postcard has nothing to do with Ukraine :) I'm sure Finland is a very beautiful country, too :)

FI-405561