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!

Leuven University Library, Leuven, Belgium

This postcard here shows the Leuven University Library in Belgium. It is part of the Catholic University of Leuven. Founded in 1425 by John IV, duke of Brabant, the University of Leuven is the largest in Belgium.

Wrocław Cathedral, Wrocław, Poland

This is the Wrocław Cathedral, a landmark in the city of Wrocław, Poland. The cathedral has been through many wars, and has thus been damaged and repaired as many times. The details of it standing the test of time can be found here. Today, the church houses the largest pipe organ in Poland, which used to be the biggest in Poland at one period of time.

The stamp on the left is a Christmas stamp issued on 30th November 2012. It is one of a set of 2 Christmas stamps. I love Christmas themed stamps!

Rondeslottet, Rondane, Norway

Sorry for the long pause where I didn't post anything! I've been so busy with work recently and my whole week was rather hellish! I'm so glad I finally have some time now to take a breather and write some postcards or blog about them :). So here's one from Norway. It shows the Rondeslottet mountain from the Rondane mountain range in Norway. It looks so cool! It is the highest mountain in the Rondane mountain range, and it sure looks like a nice place to go hiking.

Traditional marketplace, Kuwait

This is another beautiful postcard from Kuwait. Looks to me like a traditional marketplace, very much like those that I frequently see in movies. This particular shop looks like it's selling bags, pots and maybe mats. Looks so exotic doesn't it?

Wisconsin, USA

A beautiful sunrise/sunset view of a lake in Northwoods, Wisconsin. This region of expansive boreal forests, wilderness rivers and thousands of glacial lakes provides a great getaway destination. Recreation activities that can be carried out there includes fishing, boating, skiing, biking, hiking... Wow, seems an endless list! How I wish there were more outdoor spaces for such activities in Singapore! Unfortunately due to land constraints on our tiny island, we don't have such wonderful spaces for such outdoor activities...

Kuwait City, Kuwait

Greetings everyone! What better way to start the new year than to receive some postcards? Today, I received a postcard from Kuwait. It shows a night view of Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait. There are 2 visible golden buildings on the card. They are the Kuwait Towers.

The Kuwait Towers are a group of 3 towers. Officially inaugurated in 1977, they are now rated a symbol of modern Kuwait. The main tower (the one with 2 spheres) is 187m high. The bottom half of the lower sphere consists of a water tank and the upper half of the lower sphere is a restaurant. The higher sphere houses a revolving cafe. The second tower serves as a water tower and the last tower houses equipment to control the flow of electricity to illuminate the other towers. (Info courtesy of wikipedia). Here's the official website.