Sea Bridge of Palanga, Palanga, Lithuania

Here's a beautiful package from Lithuania. The colours on this card are supposed to be much more saturated, but as usual, my scanner doesn't do it justice...

This postcard shows one of the bridges along the seaside resort-town Palanga, which is situated right beside the Baltic Sea. This postcard just looks so beautiful, and I'm so tempted to visit this place!

Rice Terraces, Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines

Here's a card of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and my first card from the Philippines! Thought to have been there for 2000 years, these rice terraces in the Philippines are indeed an impressive sight to behold. They are located 1500m above sea level, and the waters in the terraces are provided for by the rain forests atop the mountains.

The Christmas Collection 2013 Part 1

Here comes the time of the year again when we start exchanging Christmas greetings and Christmas cards. So here's a slightly longer post of the first Christmas cards I've received this year :). First on the list, a lovely winter night scene from Poland! Some parts of this card are lined with gold glitter, a real beauty. Thanks Wanda!

Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China

I've been receiving quite a number of cards from the People's Republic of China, but I've never been willing to upload them because it is so hard to find information about the stamps! Well, I finally do have a source of information, so here come a card from the People's Republic of China, the Shanghai World Financial Center!

At 492 meters, this skyscraper is currently the second tallest in the world, just behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It's a pretty cool place; I've been up there at night, and it does offer a panoramic view of the city. The ambiance up there is quite nice, with dim lighting, making it a rather comfortable environment to be in :).

Český Krumlov Castle, Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

I am so glad that I am just a week from the end of my examinations. It has been an exhausting marathon and I thank my followers for sitting through this postcard "drought" for the past 2 months. Though it was a really draining and, personally, torturous journey, it was enriching and I'm glad to be able to make regular updates once again! So here goes, the first card since my 2 month hiatus!

Český Krumlov Castle, Czech Republic. The castle has been standing for more that 700 years, and that is really amazing to me! This is a really beautiful winter night scene of the castle. This'll definitely be on my places to visit list! I shalln't bore you with the history of the castle. You can get more information on the castle's official page here.

Sucevița Monastery, Bukovina, Romania

This postcard should have been uploaded some time ago. I guess I left it out under that whole pile of unsorted cards. Anyway, here's a richly coloured postcard of the Sucevița Monastery in Romania. I wanted this card so much because I was so attracted to the vibrant colours! This monastery was built in 1585. The interior and exterior walls of the monastery are covered with murals depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament. It was once a princely residence and served as a fort. Today, it houses a museum that displays historical artifacts and artistic objects. In 2010, this place was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There you go, one more UNESCO card to the growing collection :). You can find out more about this place here.

Vaduz Castle, Liechtenstein

Some things really happen by coincidence. Some time ago, I arranged a swap with Michaela who resides in Liechtenstein. You can see the previous post here, where she sent me a couple of pretty interesting items and some nice stamps. Recently, I received an official Postcrossing card from Liechtenstein, and guess what, it was from Michaela! Fate does play a part here doesn't it?

Monks in Bagan, Bagan, Myanmar

Here's an amazing card from a rather "hard to get" country. This one shows monks from the ancient city of Bagan in Myanmar. The ancient city of Bagan can trace its roots back to the 9th century, and I would say the pictures of Bagan depict very impressive architecture. I guess it would have been considered an incredible construction feat during that time. You can read more about the ancient city here.

Aladdin, Austria

Ok, this will probably be my last post today. I have to get back to work soon! Here's another very special card: a card from the "Les Couleurs Magiques Disney" collection featuring Aladdin! The special thing about this card it that it is a foil card. That is probably why my scanner couldn't do a good job of scanning out the picture nicely. But I guess you can still see the shimmering effect on the card, and I've got to say this has to be one of my favourites! Disney classic animated films never fail to entertain me. And even years after their creation, it's still nice to watch reruns of the same film ;). I really won't mind chasing the Disney foil card collection if its possible.

United Kingdom: of Alnwick and Roald Dahl

Wow two cards from Great Britain received in one day! One an official Postcrossing card, one a direct swap; one from North-east England, the other from North-west England, but both are pretty much my favourite types of cards! I was considering whether to lump them both in the same post. To save some time, I did, and lets hope it doesn't get too confusing ;).

First up, the card from Vanessa (official Postcrossing one). This one over here show the Percy Lion in front of Alnwick Castle. The castle started construction in 1096 and has a pretty interesting history. You can find its full history over here. But the coolest thing about this castle is that it has been used to film several of the movies in the Harry Potter series. No wonder it looks strangely familiar! The castle has its own website here and you can see the variety of activities that it offers.

Next up, a wonderful card as part of a direct swap between me and Dan. It features four of ten stamps on the theme of Roald Dahl's stories. These four depict scenes from the Big Friendly Giant. It was first published in 1982 and has since been a popular read for many children. I read most of the Roald Dahl series when I was younger, and the stories never failed to captivate me! These stamps were issued on 10th January 2012 by the Royal Mail, and in time, I sure look forward to collecting the entire series!

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA

This card here adds to my USA states card collection. From the city of Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan, this card shows the Soo Locks, which transports boats from Lake Superior to the Great Lakes. This is necessary because the St. Mary Rapids, which connects the two lakes together, falls about 21 feet from Lake Superior to the lower lakes. The lock thus facilitates the movement of boats by acting as an elevator between the two lakes! That sounds really cool and I wish I could take a look one day!

Lisboa, Portugal

Here's one of the most special cards I've ever received! It came in a pretty normal looking envelope with a warning to handle carefully due to its fragility. I didn't think much about it at first, but it caught me by surprise to discover a card made entirely of cork! Though this is not the first card I have received from Portugal, it is the first card made from cork that I've received, and it really makes my day :).

Guernsey

It was really a nice surprise to receive this stunning multi-view card of Guernsey! I'm not sure when I'll have the chance to visit this beautiful country, but for now, this postcard will suffice to make my day!

Fauske, Norway

Wow its the last day of the long weekend already, how time flies! I guess this'll be one of my last posts before I go inactive once again. Next time I update this blog might be in December :(. So here's one last beautiful card to add to my blog from one of my favourite countries, Norway! Here's a multiview of the lovely town of Fauske. It sure looks a really peaceful town to live in!

Bahamas

Welcome to the Bahamas! The country consists of over 700 islands, and I can't say for sure which beach this is, but I guess we would all agree that beach sure looks inviting! Just look at the clean white sand and the clear water! I'll leave you to read the description and details of the country here. I've decided to spend more time browsing the web for more pictures of the beautiful clean beaches instead!

Waterkant, Paramaribo, Suriname

Another lovely card from a South American country, this time, Suriname. Its not often I get cards from one of these "rare" countries. So here's a view of the Waterfront, one of the main streets of Paramaribo. There are many historical buildings that line the banks of the river. And on another note, the Historic Inner City of Paramaribo is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so I think I will just consider this one of my UNESCO cards!

Franschhoek Winelands, Stellenbosch, South Africa

This card is long overdue! As the title suggests, a famous wine valley in South Africa: the Franschhoek Winelands! How scenic to have wineries nestled in a valley that is surrounded by beautiful mountains! Anyway, here's the official website of the wineland, do have have a look if you're interested!

Lord of the Rings, Czech Republic

One of my favourite cards from the movie Lord of the Rings! This one here is a real beauty, sent from the Czech Republic.

Liechtenstein

I know I said I was going to be absent for a few months from this blog. Yes, I'm still busy studying for my examination. But this week, we have a long holiday in lieu of Singapore's National Day and Hari Raya. Selamat Hari Raya Adhil Fitri to all muslim friends out there! So I do have some time to update my blog for this long weekend holiday. I hope not to keep too much of a backlog, otherwise I'll have too many updates to do after my examinations!

Today, I present a package I received from Liechtenstein some time ago. It was pretty bulky and I opened it to receive a nice surprise inside! There are two postcards, both depicting the Vaduz Castle, as its name suggests, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

It is not very certain the exact date the castle was built or completed, but early mention of it dates back to the 12th century. Today, it is a palace and the official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein.

Independence square, Montevideo, Uruguay

Another card from a South American country to add to my collection: Uruguay! This card shows various views of the Independence square in Montevideo. Known as Plaza Independencia in Spanish, this is Montevideo's most important plaza.

Trinidad and Tobago

Here are two fantastic multiview cards showing the beautiful country of Trinidad and Tobago.

Many beautiful stamps to go along with the cards! 

Thank you very much for the swap Reinelle!

Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa

Once again, a stunning view of South Africa; this time it's the Table Mountain in Cape Town! The mountains look beautiful when lit by the dying glow of the sun.

Table Mountain is a significant tourist attraction in South Africa, with many visitors choosing to use the cableway or to hike to the top. The views are said to be impressive from the peak of the mountain. I can't wait for my chance to visit it!

Knesset Menorah, Israel

This card here shows the Knesset Menorah in Israel. It was built by Benno Elkan, a British-Jewish sculptor who worked on it for 6 years. The Parliament of the United Kingdom gave it to Israel in 1956. It looks pretty cool with all those engravings on it!

Chernivsti University, Ukraine

This postcard looks like a page out of a fairy tale, doesn't it? Officially known as the Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans (wow thats a pretty long name), the building currently houses the Chernivsti University which was founded in 1875.

Petra, Ma'an, Jordan

Here's a beautiful card from Jordan which shows Petra. Petra is historical and archaeological city that is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Known as "a rose-red city half as old as time", it is a very famous tourist attraction today. Petra is believed to have been established around 312 BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans. Excavations at the site have shown that the Nabataeans had the ability to control water supply that allowed the desert city to rise and prosper. It sounds really amazing and I really can't wait for a chance to visit this beautiful place!

Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan, Mexico

Here's an interesting card from Mexico showing the Pyramid of the Moon from the enormous Teotihuacan archaeological site in Mexico. I got it from a swap with Niza. You can see the card that I sent her here.

Teotihuacan was a city that is thought to have been established around 100BC and construction continued till about 250AD. At it's zenith in perhaps the first half of the first millenium AD, it was the largest city in Pre-Columbian America that housed perhaps 125,000 residents. A pretty impressive feat at that time eh?

Singapore Philatelic Museum, Singapore

The Singapore Philatelic Museum (SPM) is currently holding a snake themed exhibition in conjunction with the year of the snake in the Chinese zodiac series. I came across this deal on Postcrossing: send the SPM  a snake themed card and they'll send you one back! The cool thing is that the stamp on the postcard that they send back will bear the special SPM postmark! So I sent them a card, and here's what I got:

uShaka Marine World, Durban, South Africa

Here's a card from a different part of South Africa; not Cape Town this time, but Durban! This card is from a different series of cards that Sebastian usually sends me, but nevertheless, it's still awesome :).

This card shows uShaka Marine World, a very popular tourist attraction in Durban. It is the 5th largest aquarium in the world (the largest is in Singapore :D). There is an underground aquarium which is designed around 5 shipwrecks, a water themed park, and a beach which has direct access from the amusement park. More details can be found here.

Honduras!

Not long after I received my first card from Guatemala, I've received more cards from another Central American country. This time, it's from Honduras! I never imagined I could get a postcard from Honduras, much less a whole package of beautiful cards, stamps and a banknote! Here's what I found when I opened the package:

This card shows a view of the central park of San Pedro Sula. San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is the second largest city in the country after the capital Tegucigalpa. The central park lies in the middle of the First Avenue and the Third Avenue. The small white gazebo in the center of the park marks the spot where the city was founded. The interesting thing is that this gazebo is the only piece of architecture that is still standing from the day it was built in 1901.

Villarrica volcano, Pucón, Chile

This is a majestic view of the Villarrica volcano in Chile. It is one of Chile's most active volcanoes today. The volcano is popular with tourists, with several guided tours being conducted especially in summer. Villarrica is one of the only 5 volcanoes in the world known to have an active lava lake within it's crater. Sounds cool! I should check it out some day!

Liechtenstein!

Ok this postcard should have been up on my blog long ago, but I left it somewhere and forgot about it for a while. Finally, a card from Liechtenstein! If you can see the very faint shadows at the top of the card, you will notice that the card has a very special shape. The top of the card is cut to fit the shape of the letters!

Tikal, Guatemala

My first card from Central America: Guatemala! This is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilisation. At the height of its rule (200-900AD), Tikal  dominated much of the Mayan region politically, economically and militarily. In 1979, Tikal was decelared a UNESCO world heritage site. Can't wait for my chance to travel to this place! I believe that raccoon was photoshoped into this postcard haha!

Safranbolu, Turkey

I saw this card on postcrossing and it was love at first sight, so I contacted Sezen, who kindly agreed to do a swap with me :). I really like the snowy view of the streets of Safranbolu, Turkey. This is my first UNESCO world heritage site postcard and I'm really happy to be able to have it!

Deserts of Arabia, Kuwait

An exotic postcard from an exotic place. The Deserts of Arabia, from Kuwait! I don't know when I'll have the chance to visit these exotic places. Maybe I'll just have to stick to postcard travel for the time being...

Azerbaijan!

Finally got a card from one of the countries I've been looking out for: Azerbaijan! This card shows a landscape painting, and I like it very much. The furthest I ever got with translating the Cyrillic text behind tells me that the artist is S. Svetoslavsky. I have no idea what the rest of the Cyrillic text means... Anyway, anyone knows more about this picture? Please feel free to share your knowledge :).

Victoria Basin, Cape Town, South Africa

I have to say, the postcards that Sebastian sends never fail to impress me. Every postcard is just so breathtaking, and this is no exception: a view of the Victoria Basin, in Cape Town.

The Victoria (and Alfred) Basins are part of the port of Cape Town. They were once used as the main piers of Cape Town harbour, but now house the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. It is still used by small vessels and fishing boats though. I really like this grand view of the harbour with the Table mountains at the back!

Motovun, Istria, Croatia

I love this scenic view of a small village nestled amongst the lush greenery. This medieval town can trace its roots to the 10th century, where it belonged to the Bishop of Porec. It's interesting how the town still retains Venetian colonial architectural structures from the time it was under Venetian rule (1278). I'd really like to pop by this town to take a look!

Santa Justa Lift, Lisboa, Portugal

Here's a very beautiful night view of the Santa Justa Lift in Lisboa, Portugal. The lift was designed by Raul Mesnier and was completed in 1902. Raul Mesnier was a very famous Portuguese engineer who built many lifts in the country. Someone told be he was a student of Gustave Eiffel (the guy who built the Eiffel tower). Is that true?

Anyway, the lift was built to overcome the transportation woes that people faced in the hilly region of Lisbon. It links the lower streets of Baixa to the higher Carmo Square.Today, it is a very popular tourist attraction.

Garfield, Finland

A very timely reminder from Finland: always stay happy! Admit it, that smile on Garfield's face makes you smile too right? :) In fact, the text of the card translates to "SMILE!... and the world smiles with you!". This card really made my day! This is my second Garfield card from Finland already. I wonder where I can find such cards in Singapore...

Christmas cards!

Yes, yes I know this is a little overdue. I wanted to collate a few before I posted them all together, so here are the Christmas cards I received last December!

This one's from Ukraine, and its beautiful isn't it? The words, snowflakes and trimmings at the sides are shiny silver, and it really caught my eye! The card unfolds to show another beautiful page inside. Thank you Nataly for this wonderful card. I hope you had a Merry Christmas too!

Hintersee (Berchtesgadner Land), Germany

Guten Tag! Diese Postkarte kommt aus Deutschland! Das ist Hintersee im Bavaria, Deutschland. Pardon me for my very lousy German, but I had to find somewhere to practice what I have learnt haha! Anyway, awesome view on the postcard isn't it? A lake nestled amongst the Alpine forests... How much more heavenly could things get? That's it, this is going to be on my list of holiday destinations!

Disney, Hong Kong

Here's a very unique card: Mickey and Minnie wandering on the streets of Hong Kong! I really like the old buildings behind the characters because just looking at them seems to transport me back in time to colonial Hong Kong. I guess this card might have been bought from Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in 2005. I have never visited Hong Kong Disneyland, but I hope to be able to do so one day. I've heard people say it gets very crowded there, but I'm willing to try squeezing with the crowd to check out the place! :)

Garfield, Finland

Here's a cute Garfield card from Finland! Anyone cares to translate the text? Ok, what actually matters more to me is that I received a postcard of one of my favourite cartoon characters. This card really made my day!

These days, work can get so overwhelming that I don't have time to send postcards or update my blog as frequently. And on some days I think I just look like Garfield on the card... It makes me happy when I open my mailbox at the end of the day to receive some postcards though :)

Porto Badisco, Italy

This is the kind of postcards that makes me all jealous and distracted from work. Here, we have an Italian postcard showing a white sandy beach, Porto Badisco. Porto Badisco is tourist landscape of great historical significance. It overlooks the Adriatic Sea and is situated in South-East Italy. Looks really ideal for a vacation eh? It is said that Porto Badisco was the site of Aeneas' first landing in Italy after he escaped from Troy.

Big Five, South Africa

Introducing.... The Big Five: Rhinoceros, Leopard, Buffalo, Lion and Elephant!! They are big; They are strong; They are ferocious. You won't leave South Africa without having seen them all. I guess Sebastian wouldn't be an exception right? :) Indeed, the Big Five were traditionally considered dangerous to hunt by hunters because they retaliate when attacked. They are even more dangerous adversaries when wounded or cornered. Reminds me of what I watch when National Geographic Channel introduces these animals.

Veluwe, Netherlands

This card here shows some of the scenes from Veluwe. Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. Therefore, I am not surprised at the wildlife I see on this card! :) We never have the chance to enjoy nature like that in Singapore. We're too tiny to keep any huge forests here. You can find many animals in the zoo, but not as many in the wild haha!