Vatican - Saint Peter's Square (IT-38813)

It's already my 2nd card from Vatican, but this time it was sent from Italy (the previous one was indeed sent from Vatican) :) I guess that most of postcards from this country show the Saint Peter's Square, simply because there's not much more space in Vatican :) It's the smallest formally independent country in the world (it's area is just 0.44 km2 or 0.17 sq mi) and I think this record is unbeatable, unless you recognize the indpendence of "countries" like Sealand :)

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I've been to one of those tiny European countries, but it was the biggest one of them - Luxembourg, which can actually be considered a normal country, with different towns, villages and distances that you can't walk in a hour :) I find it difficult to call Vatican a real country, it's rather a relict of some political system that used to exist in the past, because it's too small and in fact strongly dependent on Italy. But still, having a country with a territory much smaller than 1 square kilometer in this world is something very interesting :) As I've already written before, Vatican is also an important place for me as for Christian, but I don't really feel like going there, just because I don't enjoy crowded places.

Japan - Byōdō-in Temple in Kyoto

I must tell you that I enjoy receiving Asian cards more and more :) I've never been to Asia and I'm not even very familiar with Asian culture, traditions and mentality, but they all seem to be so different from what I've seen in Europe and that's why they fascinate me. I hope to go to Asia someday and I can't tell exactly, which country would I visit, if I could choose just one. Perhaps Japan, Thailand or Malaysia... I would also not refuse to visit North Korea, but it's more for because of my interest in politics and the influence of propaganda on the society. Oh yes, it reminds me of my social science exam that I'm going to write tomorrow ;) Anyway, I would be more than happy to visit any Asian country and I believe that everything is possible :)

This wonderful card, which I received in the UNESCO tag, shows the Byōdō-in Temple in Kyoto, which has been a World Heritage Site since 1994.


Some of the stamps on this postcard are very old (1967 and 1970) :) I wonder, if they're still valid and you can use them now or if the sender just added them to make this card look even more beautiful, while only the new "50" stamp is valid? I received another card from Japan today and the postage was 70 (with new stamps), so I guess the old stamps must be valid! In Poland it would be impossible, we've had too large inflation since that time :))

Byōdō-in (平等院) is a Buddhist temple in the city of Uji in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is jointly a temple of the Jodo Shu (Pure Land) and Tendai sects.

This temple was originally built in 998 in the Heian period as a rural villa of Fujiwara no Michinaga, one of the most powerful members of the Fujiwara clan. This villa was changed to a Buddhist temple by Fujiwara no Yorimichi in 1052. The most famous building in the temple is the Phoenix Hall (鳳凰堂 hōō-dō) or the Amida Hall, constructed in 1053. The only remaining original building is the Phoenix Hall, surrounded by a scenic pond; additional buildings making up the compound were burnt down during a civil war in 1336.

Brazil - Curitiba

I've been receiving many cards from Brazil recently and it gives me a chance to learn more about this country :) I've noticed that most of Brazilian postcrossers live in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, so I receive cards from these cities quite often, but sometimes I also have a chance to see less known Brazilian cities, like Curitiba that I really haven't heard of before :)

This postcard shows the Federal University of Paraná, Botanic Garden, Tanguá Park and Oscar Niemeyer Museum. Many thanks to Karina for showing me another part of your country! :)

By the way, I've learned that the State of Paraná (Curitiba is it's capital) has the largest Ukrainian community in Brazil! :) So, if I ever have a change to visit Brazil, I'll go to Paraná State for sure :D



Curitiba is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. The city has the largest population and also the largest economy in Southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.8 million people (7th largest nationwide).

The first ten years of the 16th century marked the beginning of a war of conquest of Europeans (Portuguese colonists) against the indigenous peoples who inhabited the area of the city. Waves of European immigrants started arriving after 1850, mainly Germans, Italians, Poles and Ukrainians. In 1853, the south and southwest of the province of São Paulo were separated, forming the new province of Paraná, and Curitiba became its capital.

During the 20th century, especially after 1950, the city rapidly increased in population and consolidated its position as regional hub for trade and services, becoming one of the richest cities in Brazil and a pioneer in urban solutions.

Germany - East Holstein map (DE-318993)

I think I've already told you that I love these German map cards :) They're very informative and immediatelly give you some idea about the region they show. Of course, not everyone likes maps, but I've always been into geography, so I find them really interesting :) Have you known that German name of Baltic Sea was Ostsee, meaning East Sea? I wonder, what's the reason for using absolutely different name than in other languages :)

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The sender of this card wrote only that it showed a part of Schleswig Holstein federal state in Germany. There's also no specific information about it on the back side of this card, but after some googleing (or, more precisely, wikipediaing) ;), I found out that it's a map of East Holstein distcrict, including Wagrien peninsula and Fehmarn island.

Norway - The Geiranger fjord (NO-21420)

One of the reasons for making daily updates on my blog earlier this week was that now I may not have so much time... Tomorrow my final exams begin (I decided to take exams in Polish language, which is obvious, history, geography and social science). These exams are usually taken very seriously in Poland, even their name is "matura" meaning that you can only consider yourself mature after passing them :) And they're neccessary, if you want to study at any university in Poland. My situation is a bit better, because I don't need these exams to study in my favorite country, I just need to have high school education, which I've finished one week ago. And if I ever decide to study in Poland - I'll be able to take these exams once again. So, I'm treating them just like another test and I'll try to make my best just not to disappoint myself. As I don't want to become too serious about it all (I think that it doesn't help - at least I have better results on tests, when I'm relaxed), so I'll try to make updates here once a several days :) I'll have the last exam on 15th of May, but I think you'll hear from me earlier ;)

And here's a wonderful UNESCO card from Norway, sent by the most acctive Norwegian postcrosser ;) I've chosen this peaceful view of Geiranger fjord for today's update to make myself believe that my mood before the exams is the same... ;)

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The Geiranger fjord (Geirangerfjorden) is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region, located in the southernmost part of the county Møre og Romsdal in Norway. It is a 15km long branch of the Storfjord (Great Fjord). At the head in the fjord lies the small village of Geiranger.

The fjord is one of Norway's most visited tourist sites and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, jointly with Nærøyfjord, since 2005, although this status is now threatened by the disputed plans to build power lines across the fjord.

The Geirangerfjord is under constant threat from the mountain Åkerneset which is about to erode into the fjord. A collapse would produce a tsunami, hitting several nearby towns including Geiranger and Hellesylt in about ten minutes.

Turkey - The Underground Cistern in Istanbul

This interesting card, which I received from Gökçe, shows the Underground Cistern (also called the Basilica Cistern), which I had no idea about before. The first things that come into my mind when I think of Istanbul are the bridges connecting Europe with Asia and of course Hagia Sophia. But I know that it's an ancient city with lots of munuments that aren't so popular, but are definitely worth seeing. I know it's possible to go on a 4 days trip to Istanbul from Odessa (Ukraine) by ship, so maybe someday I'll try it. Of course, I would definitely prefer to go there by train, but ships are OK too :)


The Basilica Cistern (Underground Cistern) was built by Justinian I after the bloody Nika Revolt in 532, probably as an enlargement of an earlier cistern which was constructed by Constantine the Great. During the Byzantium Period, it was used as a reservoir for water storage for the Great Palace and other buildings in the First Hill. During the Ottoman Period, the water was used for Topkapi Palace and watering the gardens of it. However the cistern had its brighest days during the Byzantium Age.

The interior of Underground Cistern is excellent. It is 138 m, 452 ft long by 65m, 213 ft wide. There are 336 columns in the cistern in 12 rows. Most of the column capitals are either in Corinthian or Doric in style. At the far end of the Cistern, there are two heads of Medusa which are put upside down or side ways. The Medusa heads are taken from an ancient pagan site and the position in which they were placed suggests that the people who put them there, were Christians and did not want to remind a god from pagan period. The water inside the underground cistern is collected rain water. The carp in the water are decorative and an incidental protection against pollution. Some people even think that the Byzantines originally also raised fish in the cistern.

Finland - Helsinki (FI-513701)

I hope you don't mind seeing Finnish cards on my blog so often :) To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the amount of Finnish and German cards that i was receiving through the official postcrossing, but now that I already have cards from many other countries (including some "rare" ones) I'm even interested in seeing the variety of cards published in Finland and Germany :)

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That's already my 2nd card showing the Lutheran Cathedral of Helsinki (I just don't know what's the name of building, which is on front of the church), but I like this view with a boat very much :) If I had a chance to go to Finland, I would certainly love to visit Lapland (maybe not during the winter), but it would be great if I could go there through Helsinki :)

Philippines - Boracay island

I received 2 wonderful cards from Philippines from Jane in just 2 days and therefore I already have cards from 67 different countries and territories in my collection :) Actually, the first card was sent in March and another one in April, but the one sent later arrived here one day earlier. The next day, I found this card on top of mailboxes in my block of flat. I guess it was delivered to a wrong address, so someone decided to leave it in a visible place, so that the real receiver could take it. Fortunately, I found this postcard and brought it home safely, before anyone else could take it (I guess that some people would like to have a card from Philippines, even if they're not real collectors) :) It would be a pity to lose such card. It shows Boracay, a small, but very beautiful island.



Boracay is a tropical island located approximately 315km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations.

It was only in the 70s when, it is said, a foreign movie crew accidentally "discovered" this island paradise. Others maintain that it was the German traveler, 'Jens Peters' book, which included rave reviews of Boracay that changed the island’s pace from that of being a quiet secret to eventually being voted as having the best beach in the world.

In a span of a mere 10 years, the whole world, it seemed, discovered Boracay and the once, nearly deserted stretch of beach became a teeming vacation and leisure spot for upscale tourists from all parts of the world.

Portugal - Porto

I received this card in the UNESCO tag and it's already my 2nd card from Porto :) It's even a bit similar to the previous one, because I can recognize some buildings, but still this one is different (because it shows a wider view) and I like it very much. I learned that this postcard shows the Ribeira district of Porto located on the bank of Douro river. I've never been to Porto (actually, I haven't been to Portugal at all), but it seems to me that this place has the special "medieval" atmosphere, which I really love :)


The alluring district of Ribeira is made up of medieval streets and seedy alleyways. It is a crumbling but fascinating place, ending at a riverfront square ("Praça da Ribeira").

With photogenic traditional boats floating at the quayside overlooked by colorful ancient houses, this is the most picturesque spot in the city and the place everyone loves -- UNESCO did too, and declared it a World Heritage Site.

If you leave the city without visiting Ribeira, you have not experienced Oporto.

Austria - Carinthia (AT-31809)

It's been quite a long time since I received mylast "extreme-multiview" card. Even though I've added many new types of cards to my wishlist, I still like these very much :) So if you have any multiviews with over 15 pictures available for trade - I'll be glad to swap :)
This one (with 24 pictures!) shows the region of Carinthia, which is the southernmost land of Austria. According to the sender, there are many lakes and mountains as well as interesting fauna and flora.

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Carinthia (German: Kärnten, Slovene: Koroška) is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.

The people are predominantly German-speaking with a unique (and easily recognizable) Southern Austro-Bavarian dialect typical of which is that all short German vowels before double consonants have been lengthened ("Carinthian Vowel Stretching"). A Slovene-speaking minority (2.38% of a total population) is concentrated in the southeast of the country.

Carinthia's main industries are tourism, electronics, engineering, forestry and agriculture. The multinational corporations Philips and Siemens have large operations there.

Ukraine - Chernihiv

I received this wonderful card from Helen in the Slavic countries RR :) It shows the Transfiguration cathedral (which is called "The Saviour Cathedral" on the English Wikipedia. I just wonder, which version is correct?) in Chernihiv, which is on my list of Ukrainian cities that I certainly have to visit :) Actually, this list is very long (perhaps it's limited only by the total number of cities and towns in Ukraine) but Chernihiv has been on top of this list for quite a long time. The problem is that I don't know anyone from Chernihiv and that it's too close to Kyiv :) It may sound strange, but I find it much easier to travel between Ukrainian cities, if the distance is something between 400 and 700 kms. Then it's possible to take a night train and to sleep well on the way to another city :) But I'm sure I'll find a good way to go to Chernihiv, as this city is definitely worth visiting :)



Chernihiv, (Ukrainian: Чернігів), is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast (province). The estimated population of the city is around 299,000 (as of 2006).

Chernihiv was first mentioned in the Rus'-Byzantine Treaty (907) (as Черниговъ), but is considered to have existed at least in the ninth century, as uncovered by archaeological excavations of a settlement which included the artifacts from the Khazar Khaganate. Towards the end of the 10th century, the city probably had its own rulers.

Chernihiv's architectural monuments chronicle two most flourishing periods in the city's history - those of Kievan Rus (11th and 12th centuries) and of the Cossack Hetmanate (late 17th and early 18th centuries.)

The oldest church in the city and in the whole of Ukraine is the 5-domed Saviour Cathedral, commissioned in the early 1030s by Mstislav the Bold and completed several decades later by his brother, Yaroslav the Wise.

USA - Map of Mississippi (US-372995)

I'm still very far away from having map cards of all states of the USA (it's my 5th card showing the map of whole state), but I'm always glad to receive a new one :) This time it's a map of Mississipi state, also called The Magnolia State.
Here some information about the Mississipi state taken from the back side of this card:

Capital: Jackson
State flower: Magnolia
State bird: Mockingbird

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Mississippi is a state located in the Deep South of the United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi ("Great River"). The state is heavily forested outside of the Mississippi Delta area. Its catfish aquaculture farms produce the majority of farm-raised catfish consumed in the United States. The state symbol is the magnolia tree.

The state of Mississippi is entirely composed of lowlands, the highest point being Woodall Mountain, in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains, only 806 feet (246 m) above sea level. The lowest point is sea level at the Gulf coast. The mean elevation in the state is 300 feet (91 m) above sea level.

Finland - Porvoo Cathedral (FI-507799)

I've been receiving a lot of Finnish official cards (just today 3 new ones have arrived here!), so I think I'll have to make updates with cards from this country even more often :) Now I have 10 Finnish cards waiting to be shown on this blog :) Some people complain about receiving too many Finnish landscapes, but, fortunately, I don't have this problem. I'm satisfied with the proportion of landscapes, city views, maps and cards showing people in national costumes in my collection of Finnish cards, which is getting really large :)

This card shows the Porvoo cathedral, which isn't very big (actually, I was surprised to read it was a cathedral), but is quite old - it was built in 15th century (some parts in 13th century).

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Porvoo cathedral (Finnish: Porvoon tuomiokirkko, Swedish: Borgå domkyrka) is a cathedral in Porvoo, Finland. It was built in the 15th century, although the oldest parts date from the 13th century. It is used by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and is the seat of the Diocese of Borgå, Finland's Swedish-speaking diocese. The cathedral is also used for services by the Porvoo Finnish-speaking parish, which is administratively part of the Diocese of Helsinki.

The church has been destroyed by fire numerous times; in 1508 by Danish and in 1571, 1590, and 1708 by Russian forces. On May 29, 2006, the outer roof collapsed after arson, however with the inner ceiling undamaged and the cathedral interiors intact.

The Cathedral was the site of opening of first Diet of Finland March 28, 1809 where Finland was declared an autonomous Grand Duchy, with the Emperor of Russia as the Grand Duke of Finland.

Denmark - Jelling Church

It's my first card from Denmark! :) Maybe it's hard to believe, but I hadn't had any Danish card until I received this one, although I've been to Denmark twice. My uncle lives in Copenhagen and I went there with my mother in 1996. I was just 5 years old then, so I don't really remember much. The 2nd time was in 2003, when I visited the Bornholm island on the Baltic sea and I remember it a bit better :) But I still wasn't a postcard collector at that time, so I didn't bring any Danish postcards home.

I received this card from Genek through the UNESCO tag :) The Jelling monuments were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as symbols of the transitional period from paganism to Christianity.


Jelling Church was built around year 1100 and is the fourth church. Three wooden churches – the first, which was built in the eighth century by Harald Bluetooth as a sort of mausoleum for his father, Gorm the Old, burned down.

The Roman church was built in travertine. In the late Middle Ages, the low western tower was added.

In the beginning, the first Danish frescos were found in the chancel, clearly inspired by Byzantine art. They were, however, not found worthy of preservation and were destroyed in 1875 and the same year replaced by Magnus Pedersen copies. In 1926, the frescos were restored by Johan Thomas Skovgaard, who also did the frescos on the south wall.

The churchyard boasts some of Europe’s finest monuments from the Viking period: Denmark’s two largest grave mounds and two runic stones built by the kings Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth in the eighth century.

Uzbekistan - The Monument of Independence & Humanism in Tashkent

Here's the 2nd of 3 cards that I received in a private swap from Valeriy :) It shows the Monument of Independence & Humanism in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. This country is one of the 15 former Soviet republics and it became independent in 1991, just like Ukraine :) Also the name of the capital city's main square (Independence Square) is the same in Tashkent and Kyiv :)

By the way, I've noticed that most of Uzbek cards (I don't mean just the 3 that I have in my collection, but also the other ones that I've seen in other peoples' galleries) seem to belong to the same set. Perhaps there's one large postcards publisher in Uzbekistan, just like in Malaysia :)


The Mustaqillik (Independence) Square is the heart of Uzbekistan. The Monument of Independence and Humanism, erected at the Mustaqillik Square in 2005 upon the initiative and idea of President Islam Karimov, has been created by the renowned sculptor Ilkhom Jabborov. The monument is a unique complex, which reflects the peaceful policy of Uzbekistan, noble aspirations of the Uzbek people along the path of creation and progress, as well as its future. It has become a tradition to lay the flowers to the Monument during the nationwide holidays and other states festive events. The heads of states and governments of foreign countries, the representatives of various delegations and guests of Tashkent during their stay in Uzbekistan also lay flowers to it. The laying of flowers to the Monument of Independence and Humanism o­n the eve of the 16th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s Independence by heads of embassies and foreign countries is also a symbol of high respect to the Uzbek national traditions.